Topic: Are We Sure Metroid Prime 3 Will Have Online? Reggie's At It Again....

[Pittbboi]

Sorry if this has been discussed already...

Ok, saw this Reggie interview over at MTV. (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1552624/20070215/index.jhtml)

Pretty standard interview, until I saw this:

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"What I will tell you about 'Metroid' is that 'Metroid' will be fabulous," he said. "I think it's fair to say that all of us were disappointed with the sales of 'Metroid Prime 2,' [the game's developer] Retro included. The focus on 'Prime 3' is to make that the stellar game for a first-person experience on the platform. ... What that means is we're going to make sure it's perfect when we launch it. I think this is one where your readers — the fans of Nintendo, the core gamer — need to recognize that when we release it, it will be perfect. And if that's a little later than folks would have liked, I'm hoping they're going to be happy. They certainly seem to be happy that we took our time with '[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.' " With that kind of talk, the obvious follow-up question was: "If it's perfect, does that mean it's going to be online?" In response, Fils-Aime said: "That's perfect for you."

Oh you've gotta be kidding me. Either they want to save online for some big unveiling, or Reggie's doing his usual "hey, we warned you" clean-up routine. This doesn't make me feel too good. Any thoughts?

We can forget any decent Wii Online play if Metroid--Nintendo's most obvious choice for 1st party online--doesn't have it.

[Bill Aurion]

What?  No...Just no...Metroid is "Nintendo's most obvious choice" for online?  Ahahahaha!

[Pittbboi]

Well, it could be personal opinion, but I'm definitely more interested in online play with Metroid than any other Nintendo game.

But even if it's just me, doesn't change the fact that no Metroid online will seriously suck.

[Kairon]

What would they DO with online even if they had it?!?!?!

I'm not holding my breath. MP3 will crash and burn if it tries to shoehorn in an online mode. I won't be sad to see even split screen multiplayer gone.

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Ceric]

I have to agree with Bill.  Metroid online would be like Zelda online.
A new franchise is going to have to come out for it to be perfect of online.  Because none of the ones with there roots in the NES are.

[Kairon]

MP3 offline will only suck if you're expecting Halo 3. And if you're expecting Halo 3 then there's no hope you'll be happy with ANYTHING on the Wii.

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Pittbboi]

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Originally posted by: Kairon
What would they DO with online even if they had it?!?!?!

I'm not holding my breath. MP3 will crash and burn if it tries to shoehorn in an online mode. I won't be sad to see even split screen multiplayer gone.

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

Are you serious? Why?

Then again, the only game I haven't seen you pooh at is Animal Crossing....

[darknight06]

Do we really need another unbalanced online Trace Samus death alt spamming fest?  If they can't get the balance straight enough I'd rather them just focus on making a really good single player adventure.

[nitsu niflheim]

Online Metroid loses the charm of the game.  It's all about being shut out and in the dark (so to speak in terms on contact).

[ryancoke]

I would love to see online metroid as long as it doesn't come at the expense of the single player.  If they had some really cool modes like capture the flag, or even co-op, it would be awesome.

[Kairon]

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Originally posted by: Pittbboi

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Originally posted by: Kairon
What would they DO with online even if they had it?!?!?!

I'm not holding my breath. MP3 will crash and burn if it tries to shoehorn in an online mode. I won't be sad to see even split screen multiplayer gone.

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

Are you serious? Why?

Then again, the only game I haven't seen you pooh at is Animal Crossing....

Because MP2 BOMBED. And because Halo 3 will eat everything else for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

You think just because something has an online mode that it will stand a better chance against the current reigning genre kings? MP3 will sell maybe 1.5 million in America lifetime at BEST and bomb everywhere else. Halo 3 will sell something in the range of 2 million within just its first month or two and then linger on to sell 6-7 million worldwide. The sales numbers prove it.

Now, I've said before that MP3 online is important, but only insofar as it sets the standard for third party FPS games. If MP3 is online, then third partie FPS games will have to be online in order to compete, and they'd probably do a far better job of providing a traditional FPS online experience than Nintendo and Metroid. But insofar as online play will help Metroid the GAME? *phsaw*

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Spak-Spang]

Wow.  I thought this was almost confirmation of Online Metroid.  He talks long about making it perfect for the fans.  The people that remember Metroid Prime, and enjoyed Metroid Hunters and are most importantly hardcore gamers.

The Statement that is perfect for you.

Seems to indicate when KNOW what you want for perfect.

Metroid Prime 3 is going to be awesome.  It will be online, and it is going to directly compete with Halo 3.  Will it be better?  Probably not.  Will it be incredible none the less....YES.

[Maverick]

Well, since I think MP2 is boring as hell, I definitely want them to perfect MP3 single player before doing multi.  However, an online Metroid also would interest me more than any other games coming up multi-player wise (other than SSBB, obviously).

[Ceric]

Personally I rather see an Online RTS set in the Metroid universe with Samus no where to be seen.

[JonLeung]

I agree with ryancoke.

While it seems unlikely that there would be a good multiplayer online mode (unlikely because Nintendo/Retro doesn't seem to want to compete with Halo), there's no physical impossibility why there couldn't be one (especially considering the time spent on this game).

If they did feel like they wanted to compete with Halo, and that they could add a good versus mode without taking resources away from the development of the single-player mode (Metroid's more-than-primary strength), then why not?  Seriously, why not?

I'm not keen on Prime 2: Echoes' multiplayer and I never took Hunters online for some reason, but that doesn't mean I should hate on the existence of a multiplayer mode in Prime 3.  If it's an actually good mode, awesome!  And if I still didn't like multiplayer, no one's going to make me play that mode.  So single-player mode fans have no reason to totally pooh-pooh multiplayer unless they can say with absolute certainty that it affected the development of the single-player main game.

[Pittbboi]

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Now, I've said before that MP3 online is important, but only insofar as it sets the standard for third party FPS games. If MP3 is online, then third partie FPS games will have to be online in order to compete, and they'd probably do a far better job of providing a traditional FPS online experience than Nintendo and Metroid. But insofar as online play will help Metroid the GAME? *phsaw*

Well duh. How many FPS out there have multiplayer modes that actually are a benefit to the single player experience? They're mostly just excuses to shoot at or with other people. They're a gaming experience all their own, and Nintendo needs to set the standard.  If they don't do online FPS with Metroid, the perfect game for Nintendo to show third parties that it is possible on the Wii, then I'm afraid the Wii will never get a decent online experience.

And if they don't do it with Metroid, a console FPS where adding an online feature would be pretty straight forward, how can we expect them to do it with Brawl, a game so fast and intense that even developers experienced with creating online games would have problems with it?

[Nephilim]

Metroid never really has had a replay value unless your a hardcore fan, this does turn away people, and online modes do attact people
I think you have the wrong idea on online, there are 100s of modes for them choose between, doesnt mean it has to end up boring like mp2 multiplayer
simple coop boss rush, with no health spawns or such... would be easy to design and would be fun

[Smash_Brother]

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Originally posted by: Pittbboi
Well, it could be personal opinion, but I'm definitely more interested in online play with Metroid than any other Nintendo game.

But even if it's just me, doesn't change the fact that no Metroid online will seriously suck.

I have to agree.

First of all, MP is the ONLY Nintendo-made FPS right now with any marketing power. Geist? As much as I loved it, good LUCK with THAT...

Second, if the Wii is EVER going to have anything even remotely resembling online support, it's going to have to be Nintendo who pushes the envelope and thus forces developers to get the lead out and likewise put their games online. The platform maker always sets the standard for their own console. Always.

I'd personally rather Nintendo create a completely new FPS franchise which will aim to BE a Halo-killer (because so many people clamor for it). If they gave Retro the task of creating a Halo 3 killer, I'd bet my balls they could do it. Retro has proven themselves not only capable of making some awesome games but pushing the hell out of the graphical capabilities of the consoles to boot.

But like I said, Nintendo needs to set the standard. Unless, by some goddamn miracle, Ubisoft pulls of a AAA title with Red Steel 2 with online play, then it's gonna have to come from Nintendo and even a straightforward deathmatch, CTF, etc. online mode for MP3 would have been better than nothing.

If Nintendo doesn't get serious about online play, then devs never will and as much as ignorant fanb*tches would like to claim otherwise, that WILL hurt the Wii in the long run.

Why completely surrender online console gaming to the 360 and PS3 and thus give both of them an edge over the Wii? I thought Reggie apologized at one point for Nintendo not getting on the online bandwagon sooner...

Also, I had a lot of fun with MP: Hunters. Not only did I get to hear some of my fellow PGCers for the first time but I thought the online multiplayer was pretty solid, with the exception of a few cheap hunters. If they could fix the balance issues or everyone has identical abilities then the game would have been great, minus the hand cramping.

I can only imagine how awesome full-screen Wiimote-driven online multiplayer FPSes would be...  

[Bloodworth]

Well Retro was clear at E3 that they wanted to steer away from the distraction of multiplayer and make sure that the single player experience was top notch.  If they're having to shove in multiplayer now, then I'm sure that's the main reason for the delay.  I don't think Reggie's indicating that it will have online multiplayer though.  

However, Retro may do something completely different since they did seem open to exploring the possibilities of Wii Connect 24 despite not wanting to do traditional online multi.

[decoyman]

When I think of Metroid CTF, I think of "Capture the Metroid." Except, to capture it, you have to lure it into latching onto your head. Then you have to race back to your base as fast as you can, not only because people are shooting at you and all, but because it's sucking your energy.

I think that would be supercool

[Hostile Creation]

Even if it has online, you don't have to utilize it.  As long as the single player experience doesn't suffer (MP2 didn't suffer from its unnecessary multiplayer addition), why should it matter?

[JonLeung]

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Originally posted by: decoyman
When I think of Metroid CTF, I think of "Capture the Metroid." Except, to capture it, you have to lure it into latching onto your head. Then you have to race back to your base as fast as you can, not only because people are shooting at you and all, but because it's sucking your energy.

I think that would be supercool

I was actually thinking earlier that it would be cool if Ridley was an available player (he'd have to be weaker to compensate for his flight and speed, etc., however, he already is a larger target).  After all, there aren't many recurring characters in Metroid...

I like your idea of Capture The Metroid.  A simpler version with Ridley could involve grabbing the baby Metroid's canister.  It could be a reenactment of the escape from Ceres at the beginning of Super Metroid except that the "Samuses" are able to keep up with the "Ridleys" and the winner is the one who reaches the elevator while carrying the baby Metroid.  Or something.

[Crimm]

Geist online would be all kinds of awesome.  I mean, they would have to change some things first.  For example, when inhabiting inanimate objects they can be used as traps.  Wait for someone to pass and nail them.  That wouldn't work on split screen because your opponent could see what you've taken over.  

Then again, people would probably camp the trap items.  Maybe a mode where only one person is the ghost and the others are all trying to take him out...somehow.  I don't know, how do you kill a ghost?  Either way, the ghost needs to knock off all the other players or escape the level.  Whatever.  There would have to be a reason that all players can't be ghosts, or no one would ever lose.

[Smash_Brother]

Heh, seeing Danny B. in here reminds me of our 3-way vs. match between myself, him and Cap, who managed to sweep us while we were locked in combat with each other.

Good times...times I'd like to see more of on my Wii.

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Originally posted by: decoyman
I think that would be supercool

God yes. Even small variations on classic deathmatch elements like that would make the game vastly better than its standard-fare counterparts.

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Originally posted by: Crimm
Geist online would be all kinds of awesome.  I mean, they would have to change some things first.  For example, when inhabiting inanimate objects they can be used as traps.  Wait for someone to pass and nail them.  That wouldn't work on split screen because your opponent could see what you've taken over.  

Then again, people would probably camp the trap items.  Maybe a mode where only one person is the ghost and the others are all trying to take him out...somehow.  I don't know, how do you kill a ghost?  Either way, the ghost needs to knock off all the other players or escape the level.  Whatever.  There would have to be a reason that all players can't be ghosts, or no one would ever lose.

I'd play online Wiimote Geist in a heartbeat, but my fear is that it doesn't have the name power that the Metroid brand does.

[UltimatePartyBear]

You don't build name recognition by not releasing games.  I'd prefer online Geist to online Metroid, and I sincerely hope they're working on it.  There were some good ideas shining out from under all the faults.

I doubt Metroid Prime 3 will have multiplayer, but I'll abstain from judging whether that's good or bad.  I just don't want them to target Halo to the point that it affects the game's design.  That's the vibe I get from the intro, and it's worrisome.