Topic: Metroid Other M

[GoldenPhoenix]

I am just SHOCKED that Ian isn't impressed. Who would have thought it?

[vudu]

The game just looks amazing

It does?  In those shots you posted it looks worse than the Gamecube Metroid Primes.

The game is still a year from completion.  They haven't added any of the fancy graphical touches yet.  Use your damn imagination.

[Rize]

I think the reason the graphics are so simple is that probably most of the game is zoomed out side scrolling 2D.  However, at times they zoom in for dramatic cut-scenes (very likely) and continue using the same models.

Also, there may be any number of odd sections involving full 3D (for boss fights or those forward scrolling action sequences), but once these areas are played out, they would likely not be accessible any longer (instead it would open a new path or you would trot through the same area in side scrolling 2D after the action sequence or boss is done).  This may well be, essentially, a 2D metroid with some 3D boss fights and 3D action sequences to punctuate the 2D exploration.

If so then WIN WIN WIN

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

The game just looks amazing

It does?  In those shots you posted it looks worse than the Gamecube Metroid Primes.

Metroid Prime has always been probably Nintendo's most hardcore game in that liking requires as open mind.  It has always had to fight against people that think it should play like Halo because it LOOKS likes an FPS.  It has always had to fight against people that think that it needed different controls, again because it looked like an FPS.  It has always had to fight against people that think because Metroid in 2D is third person Metroid in 3D has to be the same as well.  Hell Metroid itself isn't that user friendly with all the backtracking.  Moving to a first person view was a risky and bold move.  And those who were actually open minded enough to give the game a fair chance discovered it was one of the greatest games of all time.

But Nintendo has never REALLY been that supportive of it.  They created Metroid Prime Hunters to clearly please the very rubes that weren't willing to accept Metroid Prime for what it was.  Metroid Prime 3 was much more of a Metroid game than Hunters but even then it seems more action focused and more straightforward.  Nintendo doesn't seem to want Metroid Prime to be Metroid Prime and with the Metroid Prime Trilogy they're perhaps killing off the original games with the original control schemes for good.  Plus Nintendo is so much more casual and mainstream focused now.  Metroid Prime 3 is somewhat of an oddity in the Wii lineup.  Metroid is not open and inviting.  It's confusing and intimidating.

Maybe Nintendo has taken Metroid away from Retro Studios and given it to Team Ninja to make a more conventional game with wider appeal.  And that means third person view, more action oriented gameplay and a more Japanese style for that audience.

This.  It's not the majestic 3D puzzler Metroid Prime if the action turns out to be fairly linear.  I like the Prime trilogy, cuz I like my puzzly adventures.  This is just someone else's hyper action game in a Metroid skin.  If Samus was removed from the trailer and replaced with Mega Man X or Captain Falcon, I'd be MUCH more receptive of this proposal.

[GoldenPhoenix]

The game just looks amazing

It does?  In those shots you posted it looks worse than the Gamecube Metroid Primes.

Metroid Prime has always been probably Nintendo's most hardcore game in that liking requires as open mind.  It has always had to fight against people that think it should play like Halo because it LOOKS likes an FPS.  It has always had to fight against people that think that it needed different controls, again because it looked like an FPS.  It has always had to fight against people that think because Metroid in 2D is third person Metroid in 3D has to be the same as well.  Hell Metroid itself isn't that user friendly with all the backtracking.  Moving to a first person view was a risky and bold move.  And those who were actually open minded enough to give the game a fair chance discovered it was one of the greatest games of all time.

But Nintendo has never REALLY been that supportive of it.  They created Metroid Prime Hunters to clearly please the very rubes that weren't willing to accept Metroid Prime for what it was.  Metroid Prime 3 was much more of a Metroid game than Hunters but even then it seems more action focused and more straightforward.  Nintendo doesn't seem to want Metroid Prime to be Metroid Prime and with the Metroid Prime Trilogy they're perhaps killing off the original games with the original control schemes for good.  Plus Nintendo is so much more casual and mainstream focused now.  Metroid Prime 3 is somewhat of an oddity in the Wii lineup.  Metroid is not open and inviting.  It's confusing and intimidating.

Maybe Nintendo has taken Metroid away from Retro Studios and given it to Team Ninja to make a more conventional game with wider appeal.  And that means third person view, more action oriented gameplay and a more Japanese style for that audience.

This.  It's not the majestic 3D puzzler Metroid Prime if the action turns out to be fairly linear.  I like the Prime trilogy, cuz I like my puzzly adventures.  This is just someone else's hyper action game in a Metroid skin.  If Samus was removed from the trailer and replaced with Mega Man X or Captain Falcon, I'd be MUCH more receptive of this proposal.

OMG a game uses the Metroid license, let's throw a hissy fit and make zero sense with statements that it would be good with some other license. It isn't like they threw Mario into the game.

[Rize]

Do you remember the trailers for the Metroid Prime games folks?  It was mostly action, morph ball shots and a few environmental pans (speaking of morph ball shots, that's one thing that was absent from the trailer).

The point is, you can't show 2D exploration in a trailer, it would be boring as hell.  There is 2D in the trailer and I see no reason why the game can't (or won't) be as I describe it above.  Nintendo isn't completely crazy.  They wouldn't let people hope this is a real Metroid game and then find out it's some silly Metroid coated action game (there was never any doubt that Hunters was a UT clone and Pinball was obviously Pinball from the word Pinball).

As for Team Ninja's prior habits,  Nintendo will strongly modulate them I'm sure.  The game will be a strange hybrid of design styles and should be of high quality in the end.

I may be disgruntled, but this will be a real Metroid game and it will be good.  Mark my words.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

blah

You have zero understanding in the matter.  You don't know how Captain Falcon brawls nor the excellence of the first Mega Man X games.

The last time they "used" the Metroid license, gamers got dumped with an inconsequential mess called Metroid Fusion.

[Adrock]

Holy Sh*t. That is all.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Pseudo censoring like that isn't allowed, you know.

[GoldenPhoenix]

blah

You have zero understanding in the matter.  You don't know how Captain Falcon brawls nor the excellence of the first Mega Man X games.

The last time they "used" the Metroid license, gamers got dumped with an inconsequential mess called Metroid Fusion.

And that was made by Nintendo themselves, so perhaps it is good to reach out to another developers.

[Nile Boogie]

I thought it was Zelda in the beginning of the trailer. Even when it went to space I thought "Zelda galaxy"!

[Ian Sane]

Nintendo isn't completely crazy.  They wouldn't let people hope this is a real Metroid game and then find out it's some silly Metroid coated action game

Maybe Nintendo's idea of what a Metroid game is is different than ours?  In there mind they might see a single player focused game with the Metroid licence and figure that that counts.  They've counted Star Fox games that completely piss on the franchise as "real" Star Fox games.  Plus they can always change what Metroid is.  They may not feel that Metroid Prime is how they want Metroid to be or maybe even that Super Metroid is not what they want Metroid to be at this point in time.

Or just as maybe we're misinterpretting things in assuming this is an action game, maybe assuming this is a real Metroid game isn't what Nintendo is expecting.  I don't think Nintendo is trying to fool us.  I think they're just showing us this Metroid game made by Team Ninja.  They may be understanding the game as one thing and we may imagine something else.  The game is what it is and if we all thought it was a "real" Metroid game when it isn't Nintendo could never change that.  If they're not trying to fool us but we come to the wrong conclusion Nintendo isn't going to change the game to meet our conclusions.

Last year's E3 clearly showed that Nintendo is not at all infallible in guessing how their fanbase will react to something.  And remember that Nintendo let us all assume that Zelda on the Gamecube was going to look a certain way and then gave us something completely the opposite of it.

[jakeOSX]

i am looking forward to this. i think that this is a good change for Samus. the FPA was a fantasic set of games, but this allows two things: Retro to make something else and Samus to keep evolving.

as for exploration, it didn't seem to be addressed either way in the trailer. since the return of an almost 2d playing method i suspect it is still there. and while the action was definatly flashier than MP, it isn't anything beyond stuff i've wanted to do to MP bosses.

and i liked fusion, another of my "must be the only one" list....

[Mop it up]

and i liked fusion, another of my "must be the only one" list....

The awesomity of Metroid Fusion is too great for most people to see.

[Rize]

Star Fox only had two entries and a pile of characters that weren't very inventive when Nintendo decided that Rare should repaint their Zelda clone with Star Fox paint.  And Wind Waker was merely a graphics style not core gameplay.  I stand by my analysis.  If they wanted to make a Metroid action game (let's say to appeal to the casual audience), there wouldn't be any 2D in it at all.

PS

I also like Fusion (can't say love, but I fully accept it as a real Metroid game).

[Ian Sane]

I like Metroid Fusion as well.  It's a classic Nintendo sequel - keeps the same basic gameplay but changes things up to provide a different experience.  I think people just wanted More Super Metroid just like how Majora's Mask wasn't just More Ocarina of Time and people didn't like that.

I am looking forward to this game.  I'm just concerned over the use of the Metroid IP.  Oddly enough if Retro or R&D1 were making it I would assume the best no matter what was shown.  This is a change in gameplay and a change in developer.  Those are both risky changes on their own and together I just can't be completely at ease about it.

[Rize]

Well, no reason to keep arguing about it.  We know where we stand, now we get to wait and see what happens.  Honestly, I'm happy for a change after Prime 3 (although I've finally made peace with the controls).

[stevey]

Did any other wii games ever have 720p Screens or did no one tell Team Ninja? In motion and resized, the game really does shine...

[Adrock]

Samus talks in the trailer. I'm surprised no one has bitched about that yet... though I admittedly didn't read this entire topic.

I personally like the changes. It allows for a different experience than the Prime games which I was getting tired of by Corruption. It also allows the return of a lot of the old powers that were either lame/underused (screwattack) or MIA (shinespark) in the Prime games.

The graphics aren't terribly impressive, but it's an early build so that's expected.

[Rize]

The resolution is faked.  Maybe a dev kit can output a hi res screen, but a retail Wii cannot output 720p.  The frame buffer isn't large enough.  You need a minimum of 2 bytes per pixel (1280x720x2 bytes = 3.2 MB for a 16 bit frame buffer).  The Wii only has 3 MB of video memory which must hold the frame buffer + textures.

[jakeOSX]

ok so i watched the trailer again.

at the very end samus is in her suit, this doctor looking woman walks in. she (samus) says "I am Samus Arun" the camera closes into the other woman and black.

is it just me, or does it seem like the doctor lady is about to say "so am i."?  (which i believe is what caterkiller was refering too...)

or "No, I AM YOUR FATHER!!!" and then she pulls out a light saber and rips her face off to reveal a beautiful black visage shaped like a skull and this dark breathing voice and then next 15 hours of the game is just this epic fight until you (samus) get your hand cut off and escape, narrowly. But when you get back, instead of a hand they give you a gun, a gun that interfaces with your brain so you can open doors with it.

aww yeah.

err. or something.

[Smoke39]

Holy fuckin' ****.  I wanted a new Metroid for Wii, but I wasn't expecting one at all.  Looks cool.  I like the more intense action, and the brighter visuals (Prime's always felt a bit... muddy to me).

I see that the issue of exploration's already been discussed, so I'll just say I hope those of you who expect it to be there are right (and by exploration I mean exploration on par with the first Prime, not Corruption.  Growl!).

[Snipper64]

Well, I was hoping and expecting starfox, but even I am Impressed with this. The quility of the cenamatic shots look lik something from Resedent evil degeneration or advent children, looks very promising. I have to say, I like th 3d shooters fr metriod, but this game clearly has alot of 2d fighting style. While I may not like it too much, you hardcore old school 2d metriod players will and must love this one!

[King of Twitch]

That one-eyed devil looks like it scored a direct hit, I bet that's how she loses her powerups.

Is it just me or does Erin and all the baddies look like they're shrunk down a bit. And the 'dialogue' is useless. Why show Final Fantasy: Trendypants Chronicles at the beginning if they're not going to give us any story tidbits?

Can't wait to hear more, especially since Reggie said it'd be taking a different direction.

[broodwars]

Well, finally watching the trailer at home with full sound capabilities, one thing's quite clear: while the level design and visuals may be done by Team Ninja, the audio is quite clearly being done in-house.  In true Nintendo fashion, the music is good and the voice acting is terrible (though not on that level of epic fail I associate with Star Fox Assault and Super Mario Sunshine).