Topic: Metroid Prime: Federation Force to Feature Samus, Years of Ambition

[AdmanAbou]

An MMO-style party in the Metroid world.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/42077/metroid-prime-federation-force-to-feature-samus-years-of-ambition

The Nintendo Direct featured an extended look at the upcoming Metroid Prime: Federation Force, including strong words from the producer of the Metroid Prime series.

Tanabe has wanted to tell this story for a decade, even going back to the DSi. "Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a game that absolutely belongs in the Metroid Universe," Tanabe said during today's Direct. "That I promise."

The multiplayer focus left Samus out as a playable character, but introduced traditional party roles like healer, warrior, and mage. The team needs to work together to balance the weight of equipment and spoils between the party. The players wear suits from "Project Golem," a program aiming to mimic Samus' Power Suit.This group, the "Federation Force," is ambushed by Space Pirates on their first mission and must work together to survive. Samus will appear as a non-playable character.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force will release late this spring, and several live demos have been announced starting with WonderCon later this month.

[Mop it up]

This game sounds fun to me, looking forward to it!

[Ian Sane]

If you have to argue that the game belongs in the Metroid universe, then it doesn't.  You shouldn't have to do a hard sell.

I wouldn't care that much if Nintendo wanted to make some Metroid spinoff if they were giving us real Metroid as well but they're not.  The last time we got a proper handheld Metroid game was 12 YEARS AGO! And Nintendo was shocked that the fanbase **** all over this?  Last sort-of-proper Metroid game was almost six years ago.  Last one that wasn't **** was almost nine.  We will go over 10 years since Metroid Prime 3 without any new proper game in the series.  I sincerely doubt we'll see something in the next year and a half to prevent that from happening because surely they would have announced such a title by now.  We thought the break between Super Metroid and Fusion/Prime was long but that was only 8 years.  We've now beaten that gap.

I don't give a **** how this game turns out.  It could get perfect 10s across the board and I won't get it because **** Nintendo for denying us proper Metroid.  I will not buy any Metroid product until they give us back what the fans actually want.  If they did the same thing for Zelda or Pokémon or Mario (not that I imagine they would with him) I would take the same stance.  I probably should take the same stance for Paper Mario too that matter, though I realize TTYD was the last game I bought in that series so I essentially already have.

Other companies would KILL to have a franchise with the prestige and credibility of Metroid but Nintendo completely fucks it all up.  Most companies would kill the franchise by annualizing it.  Nintendo is doing the exact opposite.

[Enner]

I feel sad for Next Level Games for making a neat-looking game that is shackled to a beloved series with a rabid fan base who feels neglected.


I feel sad for Tanabe trying to make a spin-off game (that he wants to make) to his spin-off series after Sakamoto made Metroid: Other M.


A proper Metroid game is a difficult and intricate game to make. Sadly, it is a type of game that inspires more passionate love than large sales numbers.

[Evan_B]

Whatever. I'll play it.

[ejamer]

Is the only way to communicate using three different cheerleader poses?

[Mop it up]

I think some people get too caught up in franchises. A fun game is a fun game regardless of what form it comes in.

[TOPHATANT123]

Kensuke Tanabe did a good job explaining the game, back when we first saw it there was no explanation what so ever leading to panic and confusion. As always Ian Sane will continue to Ian Sane.

[Ian Sane]

Put it in a non-Nintendo context.  If Valve announced a new Half-Life tomorrow that didn't look like Half-Life or play like it this many years removed from the last Half-Life game would it make sense for fans to be upset?  This is the exact same thing.

[Evan_B]

But Federation Force does play like Metroid Prime.

[TheXenocide]

I know what you mean, Ian! It's just like that time they made a sequel to Jak and Daxter, only it wasn't a colorful open world platformer, but instead it was a dark, gritty, dystopian GTA style game that didn't at all do well enough to receive multiple sequels and spin offs!

[Luigi Dude]

We will go over 10 years since Metroid Prime 3 without any new proper game in the series. I sincerely doubt we'll see something in the next year and a half to prevent that from happening because surely they would have announced such a title by now.

Because we all know with the upcoming NX that Nintendo is being incredible secretive about, they're going to make one exception and make Metroid of all games that game to reveal months before anything else on the NX is shown.


Seriously, if you know the entire lineup Nintendo is going to announce for the NX at E3, just say all the games then since you clearly know.

[Triforce Hermit]

The game looks fine, but it just doesn't appeal to me. I personally would prefer they did something else other then this, or rather that this was a console game and not handheld. Metroid Prime gameplay on my N3DS? That sounds more like another case of breaking buttons and circle pads 

[Mop it up]

This game is not a reason why there isn't or hasn't been a mainline Metroid game on the Wii U or 3DS. If this game did not exist, there would be nothing in its place. Therefore, I'm fine with it.

[Adrock]

Yeah, I still hate that art direction.

[Evan_B]

Is this a New 3DS exclusive? After the producer's comments, I assumed it was.

[Ian Sane]

The art direction is very odd because the whole point of using an existing brand is that you're trying to attract fans of that IP.  Why would Nintendo ever assume that Metroid fans would want to see a chibi art style?  Metroid is one of the few Nintendo franchises that has never been cutesy.  It's graphic style has always had realistic proportions (well as realistic as one could get on the NES anyway).  If you're using an existing IP you want it to appeal to those fans.  If you're trying to attract a new audience why are you using an existing IP?

[TOPHATANT123]

Is this a New 3DS exclusive? After the producer's comments, I assumed it was.

No it is not although it probably benefits from it in some ways.

[Shaymin]

It's in the "New 3DS recommended" camp with Hyrule Warriors Legends and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

[TheXenocide]

My biggest concern is that this is going to be another triforce heroes. That game was a horrible single player experience.  I don't exactly have anyone to play with and playing with randos doesn't exactly appeal to me, but Metroid is my absolute favorite franchise, so there's no way I'm not going to own and play this game.

[nickmitch]

I gotta side with Ian on this.  I think the initial fan reaction was justified.  It's been too damn long.  The series is about to go 2 handheld generations with no mainline release, and the Wii U will be starved for Metroid completely (not counting VC).  There's no reason to really think they're just saving it for the NX.  It's kind of like when Nintendo promoted Zelda's 25th anniversary but ignored Metroid's entirely: if they had something to talk about, they'd talk about it.

Tanabe said they've been working on this game since 2009, so it's not far-fetched that they would've been working on something else in the 9 years since Prime 3.  But there's been no sign of it anywhere.  And the 2D series might as well be dead.

[jayar]

If the game doesn't appeal to you don't, purchase it, but from a business standpoint, the message Nintendo gets when a Metroid game doesn't sell well isn't that they did the wrong Metroid, it's that the Metroid brand doesn't sell. Which has been true for a quite a while now, so you can kind of understand why they haven't been putting a lot of investment into the franchise. I'm personally going to have to see more of Federation Force before making a purchasing decision, but if it flops, which is likely, I fully expect another 9 years before we see another Metroid title. In the unlikely event it breaks records, you can expect a swath of Metroid titles to follow. Not saying that's a reason to buy a game you don't want. Just saying that's how entertainment companies run their businesses.

[Evan_B]

Metroid doesn't sell. That's the plain and simple truth. Combining Monster-hunter/MMO-style quests with a FPS, however, might increase the game's potential userbase, especially in Japan, where you see this sort of thing.

A few of Nintendo's recent experiments have been implementing this sort of mindset- Triforce Heroes, this game... the new Kirby game has a co-op RPG minigame mode, for goodness sake. It's no surprise, really, considering the massive success of the Monster Hunter brand.

[nickmitch]

The games in the series each sell over a million units.  Sure, it's not Nintendo's highest selling franchise, but how is putting out one spin-off in almost 10 years good?

[TOPHATANT123]

For the sake of clarity, as of March 2015.
Metroid - 2.73 Million
Metroid 2 Return of Samus - 1.72 Million
Super Metroid - 1.42 Million
Metroid Fusion - 1.6 Million
Metroid Prime - 2.84 Million
Metroid Zero Mission - Less than 1 million
Metroid Prime 2 Echos - 1.1 Million
Metroid Prime Pinball - Less than 1 Million
Metroid Prime Hunters - 1.08 Million
Metroid Prime 3 Corruption - 1.41 Million
Metroid Prime Trilogy - Less than 1 Million
Metroid Other M - Less than 1 Million
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=963700