Topic: Gamespot's nominations, Ridick and Metroid 2 and what this says about the industry

[nemo_83]

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS (FINALISTS):

Best Original Music
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (Xbox, PC)
Halo 2 (Xbox)
Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)
Myst IV Revelation (PC)

Most Surprisingly Good Game
City of Heroes (PC)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (PC, Xbox)
Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball (Xbox)
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (Xbox)
TrackMania (PC)

Best Licensed Music
Battlefield Vietnam (PC)
Def Jam: Fight for NY (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
Red Dead Revolver (Xbox, PS2)
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)

Best Story
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (PC, Xbox)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)
Myst IV Revelation (PC)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GC)

Best Sound Effects
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (PC, Xbox)
Half-Life 2 (PC)
Halo 2 (Xbox)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)
Myst IV Revelation (PC)

Best Graphics, Technical
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (PC, Xbox)
Doom 3 (PC)
Far Cry (PC)
Half-Life 2 (PC)
Rome: Total War (PC)

Best Voice Acting
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (PC, Xbox)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
Half-Life 2 (PC)
Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors (Xbox)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Xbox)

Best Graphics, Artistic
Half-Life 2 (PC)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)
Myst IV Revelation (PC)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GC)
World of Warcraft (PC)

Best Expansion Pack
Call of Duty: United Offensive (PC)
IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles - Ace (PC)
Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots (PC)
Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed (PC)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword (PC)

Best Game Based on a TV or Film Property
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (PC, Xbox)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2)
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (Xbox, PS2, GC)
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth (PC)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Xbox)

Best Budget Game
Colin McRae Rally 04 (Xbox)
ESPN NFL 2K5 (Xbox, PS2)
ESPN NHL 2K5 (Xbox, PS2)
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (Xbox)
Katamari Damacy (PS2)

Best New Character
The Boss - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)
Dog - Half-Life 2 (PC)
The King of All Cosmos - Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Kreia - Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Xbox)
Ryder - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)

Funniest Game
Alien Hominid (GC, PS2)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna (forbiden word) Laude (PC, Xbox, PS2)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GC)

Biggest News
Acclaim shutters offices, staffers ushered off premises
Big Deal: EA and NFL ink exclusive licensing agreement
ESPN NFL 2K5 officially $19.99
PSP hitting Japan on December 12 for $185
Valve vs. Vivendi Universal dogfight heats up in US District Court

Most Innovative Game
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (PC, Xbox)
Feel the Magic: XY/XX (DS)
Full Spectrum Warrior (PC, Xbox)
Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Perimeter (PC)

Best Multiplayer Game
Burnout 3: Takedown (Xbox, PS2)
ESPN NFL 2K5 (Xbox, PS2)
Halo 2 (Xbox)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow (Xbox, PC)
Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)

Best Use of a Celebrity
James Woods (Mike Torreno) - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
Jean Reno (Jacques) - Onimusha 3: Demon Siege (PS2)
Samuel L. Jackson (Officer Tenpenny) - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
Vin Diesel (Richard B. Riddick) - The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (Xbox, PC)
Willem Dafoe (Nikolai Diavolo) - James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (Xbox, GC, PS2)

Best Original Game Mechanic
Burnout 3: Takedown (Xbox, PS2)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (Xbox, PC)
Fight Night 2004 (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (Xbox, PS2)
Halo 2 (Xbox)

Most Improved Sequel
Burnout 3: Takedown (Xbox, PS2)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2)
FIFA Soccer 2005 (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (Xbox)
Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)

DUBIOUS HONORS

Most Despicable Product Placement
Cy Girls (PS2)
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (Xbox, PS2)
Need for Speed Underground 2 (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)

Worst Use of Celebrity Voices
The Bard's Tale (Xbox, PS2)
Catwoman (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)
ESPN NFL 2K5 (Xbox, PS2)
Need for Speed Underground 2 (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw (PS2)

Most Disappointing Delay
Forza Motorsport (Xbox)
Gran Turismo 4 (PS2)
Resident Evil 4 (GC)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (PC, Xbox)

Biggest Disappointment
Driver 3 (Xbox, PS2)
Doom 3 (PC)
Halo 2 (Xbox)
Fable (Xbox)
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (Xbox, GC, PS2)

Most Baditude
Need for Speed Underground 2 (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)
NFL Street 2 (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Outlaw Golf 2 (Xbox, PS2)
Pocket Kingdom (NGE)
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)

Most Light Bloom
Def Jam: Fight for NY (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Fable (Xbox)
Hitman: Contracts (PC, Xbox, PS2)
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (Xbox)
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)

Worst Use of a Good License
Bad Boys: Miami Takedown (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Fight Club (Xbox, PS2)
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Seven Samurai 20XX (PS2)
Spider-Man 2 (PC)

War of the Year
Vietnam
[The War] on Terror

Best Game No One Played
Codename: Panzers, Phase One (PC)
Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors (Xbox)
Silent Storm (PC)
TrackMania (PC)
Wade Hixton's Counter Punch (GBA)

Flat-Out Worst Game
Apocalyptica (PC)
Bad Boys: Miami Takedown (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing (PC)
FBI Hostage Rescue (PC)
Space Raiders (GC)

GENRE AWARDS

Best Action Adventure Game
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (PC, Xbox)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GC)
Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)

Best Shooter
Half-Life 2 (PC)
Halo 2 (Xbox)
Far Cry (PC)
Painkiller (PC)
Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)

Best Fighting Game
Dead or Alive Ultimate (Xbox)
Def Jam: Fight for NY (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2)
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (Xbox)
Mortal Kombat: Deception (Xbox, PS2)

Best Platformer
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror (GBA)
Jak 3 (PS2)
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)
Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PS2)
Sonic Advance 3 (GBA)

Best Adventure Game
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Director's Cut (Xbox)
Law & Order: Justice is Served (PC)
Myst IV Revelation (PC)
Silent Hill 4: The Room (PC, Xbox)
Syberia II (PC)

Best Driving Game
Burnout 3: Takedown (Xbox, PS2)
Colin McRae Rally 2005 (PC, Xbox)
NASCAR 2005: Chase of the Cup (Xbox, PS2, GC)
Rallisport Challenge 2 (Xbox)
TOCA Race Driver 2: The Ultimate Racing Simulator (PC, Xbox)

Best Puzzle/Rhythm Game
Feel the Magic: XY/XX (DS)
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (PS2)
Karaoke Revolution 3 (PS2)
Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA)

Best Role-playing Game
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (GC)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GC)
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Xbox)
Tales of Symphonia (GC)

Best Massively Multiplayer Online Game
City of Heroes (PC)
EverQuest II (PC)
Final Fantasy XI (PS2)
World of Warcraft (PC)

Best Traditional Sports Game
ESPN NFL 2K5 (Xbox, PS2)
ESPN NHL 2K5 (Xbox, PS2)
Fight Night 2004 (Xbox, PS2, GC)
MVP Baseball 2004 (Xbox, PS2, GC)
World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International (PC, PS2)

Best Alternative Sports Game
Mario Power Tennis (GC)
NBA Ballers (Xbox, PS2)
NFL Street (Xbox, GC, PS2)
Pool Paradise (GC, PS2)
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (PC, Xbox, GC, PS2)


Best Strategy Game
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (Xbox)
Rome: Total War (PC)
Sid Meier's Pirates! (PC)
Silent Storm (PC)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (PC)


PLATFORM AWARDS

Best N-Gage Game
Asphalt: Urban GT
Colin McRae Rally 2005
FIFA Soccer 2005
Pathway to Glory
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm

Best Game Boy Advance Game
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Metroid: Zero Mission
Pokémon FireRed Version / Pokémon LeafGreen Version
Sonic Advance 3

Best GameCube Game
Mario Power Tennis
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Pikmin 2
Tales of Symphonia

Best PlayStation 2 Game
Burnout 3: Takedown
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International

Best Xbox Game
Burnout 3: Takedown
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
Halo 2
Ninja Gaiden
Rallisport Challenge 2

Best PC Game
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay - Developer's Cut
Half-Life 2
Rome: Total War
Unreal Tournament 2004
World of Warcraft

GAME OF THE YEAR (FINALISTS)
To be announced on Tuesday, December 21 (11:00am PST):

GAME OF THE YEAR (WINNER)
To be announced on Wednesday, December 22 (11:00am PST)

READERS' CHOICE AWARDS (Voting Begins Thursday, December 23, 11:00am PST)

Why did Ridick get so many nominations? Yeah it probably was the most surprisingly good game of the year, mostly because the movie sucked so bad. Usually you at least need a good movie to have a good videogame. What this says about the video game industry critics though is what is surprising. Movie critics bashed the movie for very good reasons, reasons that were still in the game. Yet many critics adored the game. So the industry is judging games soley on fun factor in some cases and in other cases ignoring it completly. So where is the Metroid 2 love? And why is there a shooter category? Shouldn't these story driven games like MGS, Ratchet and Clank, Metroid, and Halo be in the same category? Why does the industry continue to push labels and subgenres upon us? Now we have first person shooters, first person adventures, stealth games, first person RPGs, hack and slash, war combat games, combat simulators, vehicular combat/ fps, car thieving and cop killing games, survival horror, and any other type of violence you can imagine. Basically there should just be a category for all these games and that category is adventure or simply shooter adventure. How else can I get this across. The video game critics (in general, not everyone and noone specific) don't know jack about being critics. Mainly I'm getting tired of the big media outlets having their writers write up these zooted predictions on what the market will do when they have never played a game in their life and go on to not even mention the Nintendo consoles during such editorials. As far as movies and games go I can read the reviewers I know and somewhat trust and judge from what they think what I'll think, but there are just too many people that don't know who to read when it comes to games. It is not a safe enviroment for consumers. Unlike the movie industry the videogame industry has these critics who are nowhere near the intelect or knowing of many of the big paid movie industry critics. With that said there are still horrible movie critics out there. Its just that there are many movie critics out there that hold movies to a much higher standard than the majority of videogame critics hold videogames to. Sure a game's fun factor or lack there of should not be looked over, but when a game that has a crappy story based on a crappy movie is getting big props it really takes away from the credibility of the industry as a whole. I played Riddick and it was fun, but you know in my opinion it takes more than fun to equal me buying something. There has to be a story that is coherent and complete and meaningful. There must be resolution in the end. There must be more than popcorn for a game to be good. Would it hurt for games to have some literary/ artistic value? Would it hurt for critics to not be biased?

sorry its a big block of text, it made me go back because of a forbidden word.  

[Hostile Creation]

I don't know, but that's outright just too many damn awards.  I can't say anything about Riddick, since I haven't played it, but I hate Vin Diesel, so my opinion is leaning more toward the bad than the good.

[Ian Sane]

I will agree that Riddick seems to really dominate those nominations but overall I don't find these nominations surprising or even that unfair.  Yeah some games are getting more attention than they deserve and some like Metroid Prime 2 or Four Swords Adventures (which is getting snubbed by nearly every GOTY awards likely due to the fact that it was released so early in the year, is 2D, is a Gamecube game, and uses connectivity) but this isn't quite all that terrible.  It's not like Madden is nominated for Game of the Year or anything like that.  There are much worse examples out there.  Gamespot nominated THREE Cube games for best RPG.  You can't say they're totally anti-Nintendo with that sort of thing.

But I do agree that in general game critics are dolts.  They're like if the idiots who like the Scooby Doo movies were the film critics.  I think to be a good critic you need a wide knowledge of the topic and its history and somewhat of an elitist attitude.  Game reviews tend to have neither.  But then we don't know what movie critics were like in the early days of film so it's very possible that this lack of professionalism is common in a relatively new entertainment field.  Games are still new enough that a lot of people are wowed merely by the concept of playing games.  Once the "newness" has worn off I think we'll see some better reviewing.

[Pale]

3 out of 5 games in the RPG category are Gamecube (at least semi) exclusives...  Thats pretty damn impressive for a genre we supposedly have a shortage of...Maybe the industry just has a shortage...

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

EA buys online GOTY awards.

We're doomed.

[Truthliesn1seyes]

I am also suprised madden isn't even nominated for best traditional sports game even though I'm more of an espn lover lol.

[nemo_83]

Ridick was fun, I kept getting GTA on all of the inmates, and the graphics were sweet.  But really all of that is technical stuff.  

The other best example of a game critics loved that was really mediocre crap was Beyond Good and Evil.  Technically the game ran well and didn't look too bad.  It wasn't really that fun to me, BloodRayne was more fun, but the point is it was just crap.  It could have been written by a college freshman with its cliche too cool to have flaws characters that looked like a video jockey from the Disney channel along with some really flat hummored pig.  Think of it like this, if it were made into a movie instead of a game, Beyond Good and Evil wouldn't have gotten past direct to video animation in production.  Videogames need to be judged on voice acting, writing, character design, graphics, animation, background design, world/level layout/design, fun factor, music, sound effects, control, camera, genre, tone, gameplay, objectives, load times, effort, imagination, atmosphere, and other technical issues.  Sometimes you see reviews in which a game gets a high score for how it is technically flawless, this just isn't right.  Also games that are flawed from the floor up technically like GTA should not recieve perfect scores despite how fun the game can be.

[Infernal Monkey]

Quote
Best graphics, artistic
Metal Gear Solid 3

I lol'd. DID YOU SEE THOSE FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND BROWN AND GREEN TEXTURES? WHOA! It's like, the most trippy thing ever! TREES! The Chronicles of Riddick is up for most innovative game? Piss off. That'd be like putting a GBA Pokemon in there.

Also, I hope Paper Mario 2 wins funniest game of the year, Intelligent Systems = INSANE.

[CHEN]

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes only got two nominations. It should have made the category Best Graphics, Artistic.

I'm glad for Katamari Damacy, Alien Hominid and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door though. At least Fable won't win Best RPG. *shakes head in disgust* And I find it funny that Halo 2 got a nomination for Biggest Disappointment and Best Shooter. Isn't that, like, contradicting? Or they thought it would be the home coming of Jesus.

[Artimus]

I had to laugh at the RPG category too...GC had 3x as many noms at PS2!

[nemo_83]

Metroid 2 is the most underhyped game of the year, except maybe Paper Mario 2.  Those are enormously important games for the Cube this year and there is no advertising.  Come to think of it I've only seen one tv commercial for the DS this year, it was good at least, but where is the freaking hype Nintendo?  They are never going to learn that they still have to advertise no matter how good a game is.

Metroid 2 should have gotten nods for best music, graphics, sound, mechanics, and artistic design.  Sure the game still needed the OPTION of free form analog camera control, but have you tried to aim at something flying in Halo 2 without Metroid's lockon feature?  It isn't easy.  Nintendo's stuborness with the control setup may have cost them a lot of respect in the American media.  Its not the controls as much that has upset American gamers as the stuborness over not addressing or listening to complaints.  Now Nintendo has to fight even more biased American media sources who are taking their aggressions of the flat out rejection of the crapy Xbox in Japan on Nintendo.  It is shameful that the industry is punishing Nintendo year after year, but it is even worse that Nintendo doesn't fight back.  

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Dual Analog doesn't work with the "Metroid Prime design."  I've tried it *_*

Maybe if platforming wasn't in the game, and if people weren't biased toward aiming with one analog stick over the other, it could be functional *_*

[nemo_83]

Dual analog could not only work with Metroid with a next gen controller, but it could have worked on the Cube controller.  You always want to be able to lock onto any enemy no matter what combat visor you are using so the lockon would still take up a button unless you specifically made a visor for the lockon system.  

In order to platform, shoot, run, and look you are going to have to have jump on the left trigger, shoot on the right trigger, and all the looking, running, and straffing on the two analog sticks.  You would need to put the map within the start menu so that the Z button could be available for lockon.  Your rapid fire for the arm cannon would be controlled by how far you press the analog trigger rather than how fast you press the digital face button.  Also jumping could have been made analog with the trigger.  The double clicking mechanism would have been for charging the arm cannon and double jumping.  The rest of the buttons including the face buttons and face buttons are open for what ever you want.  You could cycle through visors and cannons while on the move keeping all of those functions on either the face buttons or dpad (the opposite side of the analog stick you so chose to use for movement).  You could keep the dpad for example functioning the way it does regularly, each direction you push picks a different visor/cannon, or you could make it so you cycle through the visors/cannons.  I would probably keep the dpad functioning the same with the visors assigned to it and use the a and b buttons to cycle through the cannons.  That would leave the y button for missiles and the x button for the ball.

I think the gravity beam should have been in the arm cannon so you wouldn't have to waste an entire button on it.  That would mean you would just select the beam and press trigger.  A complaint I had with the beam was that it was too much like the wave beam when you charged it up and I thought to myself why are these two different weapons?  Can't the gravity beam be the thing that reaches out and pulls in powerups and such?  Can't it be used to move objects or throw objects?  To throw enemies?  To slam an enemy against a wall repeatedly or beat him over the head with a rock from fifty feet?  Not just swing across a gap to get some item.  If that is all the thing is used for then they should get rid of it and give us a rocket pack upgrade.  Heck they should give us a rocket pack upgrade anyways.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Using R AND Z is *not* comfy.  I don't want to "cycle" thru visors or canons.

And you refer to the "Grappler Beam" incorrectly.  SPIDERMAN WHOOSH!


THE END.

[phatfarm]

Wow Metroid got the genre award and its the only First Person Adventure...

[PaLaDiN]

To all the people who think they need a dual-analog setup... I have one question.

Does your setup account for double-circle-dodge-strafing around an enemy while charging up your power beam and letting loose with a super missile... all at the same time? You know, only the most important maneuver in the game?

If it doesn't, go die.

Edit: nemo, your setup doesn't even let you shoot missiles while circle-strafing. You need both thumbs to circle-strafe. Therefore it completely sucks, sorry.

[xts3]

Ugh I thought all the game reviews this year were off the mark a bit,  Metroid prime 2 while a good game does barely anything to innovate over the original Metroid prime.  And whether you want to admit it or not Metroid prime as a series needs to evolve beyond the same stale game mechanics of samus losing her power ups and then having to discover how to solve the puzzles that let her get them that open up the doors to other parts of the world.  Doing the same game over again with new enemies still fundamentally leaves the underlying abstract mechanics of the game unchanged and stale.

Many of the effects in prime 2 and art was slightly re-touched.  Also artistically Metroid prime 2 barely changed from the original prime.  I played through the original prime after prime 2 and so much stuff was re-colored, slightly modified and lifted from prime 1.  I read an interview that said they didn't re-use any assets... that is total hogwash when you look at when you defeat dark world enemies with the light beam cannon and then fry an enemy with the fire cannon in the original metroid prime watch how the enemies dissolve in exactly the same way with slightly different color gradients!  Samus suit looks a lot better in prime 2 but there are still many great art achievements in prime 1, like the opening space station level, ridley and the snow level, that haven't really been surpassed in prime 2.  The world in prime 2 was more bland then the original.

Look at the voice acting nominees, you have to wonder if the people at gamespot are deaf. I think the game that deserves the best voice acting is by far, over any other game, is Tales of symphonia.   Since I have played all the games that were nominated for best voice acting on that list and Tales voice actors whip them all in terms of consistency, amount of voice acting and quality.  Usually as the amount of voice acting goes up quality suffers.  There has to be a quantity vs quality factor there in my opinion.

[Hybrid Hunter]

Biggest Disappointment
Driver 3 (Xbox, PS2)
Doom 3 (PC)
Halo 2 (Xbox)
Fable (Xbox)
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (Xbox, GC, PS2)

I like how 4 of the games are on the Xbox.

[nemo_83]

I think I could run circles around anyone who is trying to fight me with one analog stick if I have two.  

I can't help the fact that Nintendo purposly handicapped the Cube controller with one uncomfortable Z button above the right trigger.  How can the same people who think up the double clicking in the analog triggers make such stupid mistakes?

I feel a linear way of scrolling through visors or weapons is more appropriate than the system involving four different directions.  For one it will always limit you to only four choices.  Another thing is I can hit left on a dpad three times and scroll to the item I want a lot faster than if I push a direction on the c stick and it gives me the wrong beam so I have to hit it again while a metroid is coming at me or several types of pirates are attacking me.  A mouse wheel would be best for scrolling through items, but a dpad can do it.  If Metroid is only going to have four to eight different cannons then why not just make it as easy as scrolling through the choices.  It isn't like its Perfect Dark and you have twelve different devices.  

Why does Samus always have to lose her powers in the beginning?  Why can't we keep everything including the double jump and make the new power up a rocket pack?  You could use the grapple beam to latch onto an arch way and swing yourself in an eliptical fashion building speed using the rocket pack until you let go launching yourself way into the air at which point you could unfold a new set of Chozoan cybernetic wings you use to glide for several miles over the surface of the planet using rocket boosts sparingly so you don't run out of fuel.

Side dashing with the jump button would be a lot easier in Metroid if one had dual analog control because you wouldn't have to comit yourself to locking onto an enemy to straff.  With the next gen systems we need the ability to control the character's arms with our arms, and still be able to control the character's movement, camera, shooting, and jumping with our fingers.  Also having a rocket pack would make side dashing a lot more impactful during combat.  

I don't see Samus with a sword or melee weapon in the future.  This is where I draw the line.  I don't see Metroid becoming a fighting game like the recent PS2 Castlevania.  I wouldn't mind seeing her get another arm cannon or having several differnet ones, each with specific functions, that she keeps on her ship.  They could make a joke about how she always loses her powers at the beginning of the game.  The game could start off and her arm cannon could get destroyed, but it turns out she has a spare one on the ship.

Rather than see Samus punching and kicking and grabbing ledges to pull herself up she should have the option of using two arm cannons at a time.  Each would have it's own powers.  Basically you could start the game with an arm cannon that can already do four things like power beam, grapple beam, a beam that shoots a plasma type buckshot, and a beam that's shots explode close to impact (not on impact so you can hit more enemies).  Other beams could include a beam whose shots reflect and bounce off of everything, a plasma style minigun with rotating barrel, a beam that shoots strong sound waves (for use with the echo visor), or a beam whose shots were heat seaking.  Also a sniper visor that works with all cannons would be smooth.  You could use the echoe visor and throw a crate with the grapple beam to create sound to bounce off of the areas and enemies so you could see things you normally wouldn't be able to with heat or night vision.  

Really you wouldn't have to kill a lot of enemies with a beam that uses sound as a weapon.  You could deafen them and bring them to their knees without even charging it to hurt them with it.  Or the grapple beam could be used to knock them out with electricity or by slamming them against a wall (or you could embarrass a space pirate with a little shock to make him lose bladder control).  

I wonder what the next Metroid would be like if it were a little more like Oddworld in attitude and character design and a little less like Megaman.

[Shift Key]

Quote
Another thing is I can hit left on a dpad three times and scroll to the item I want a lot faster than if I push a direction on the c stick and it gives me the wrong beam so I have to hit it again while a metroid is coming at me or several types of pirates are attacking me.

orly? What if you don't hit the dpad the right number of times in the same situation? I think you'd be screwed with whatever system you use, personally.

Quote
Why does Samus always have to lose her powers in the beginning? Why can't we keep everything including the double jump and make the new power up a rocket pack? You could use the grapple beam to latch onto an arch way and swing yourself in an eliptical fashion building speed using the rocket pack until you let go launching yourself way into the air at which point you could unfold a new set of Chozoan cybernetic wings you use to glide for several miles over the surface of the planet using rocket boosts sparingly so you don't run out of fuel.

Cybernetic wings? Rocket pack? Fuel? Give me a break.

Quote
Also having a rocket pack would make side dashing a lot more impactful during combat.

The "side dash" is sufficient to dodge. If you can't manage to dodge using it, then you need to get better at it

Quote
The game could start off and her arm cannon could get destroyed, but it turns out she has a spare one on the ship.

Ahahahahaha, that's so wrong.

"MWAHAHAHA YOU ARE DEFENSELESS SAMUS ARAN!"
"That's what you think. Just let me go back to my ship and ..."
"OHOHOHOHO I'M NOT FALLING FOR THAT ONE AGAIN" *squash*

Quote
I wonder what the next Metroid would be like if it were a little more like Oddworld in attitude and character design and a little less like Megaman.

Ahahahahaaha, Samus searching for the mystical money hat, ahahahaha.

[vudu]

Quote
Originally posted by: Hybrid Hunter
Biggest Disappointment
Driver 3 (Xbox, PS2)
Doom 3 (PC)
Halo 2 (Xbox)
Fable (Xbox)
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (Xbox, GC, PS2)

I like how 4 of the games are on the Xbox.

You forgot to mention that Doom 3 will be ported to Xbox next year.