Now all they need to do is give me twinstick controls and the game will finally be complete after all these years.
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Metroid Prime: A Triumph in 3D game design (from GameXplain’s “Under the Super Scope” series)
- Thread starter Phendrift
- Start date
Great video! I still need to play this game myself at some point >.<
I really enjoy this series with its in-depth looks at game design. I referenced the Kirby 64 one in another thread, as it does a great job explaining what's unique about that game within the Kirby series.
I really enjoy this series with its in-depth looks at game design. I referenced the Kirby 64 one in another thread, as it does a great job explaining what's unique about that game within the Kirby series.
One of my favorite games ever. The level design is perfection. Like any game, it has a few things that won't appeal to everybody, but the whole package is still a 10/10 today as it was when the game released. I wish I could forget it and experience it again from scratch.
As someone who hates tacked on motion controls that feel unnecessary like in most Wii games I think Prime is a case where it works really well.
In fact, I'd say that I preferred it to regular controls.
I like the artifact hunt because it gives you an excuse to finish up getting any collectables you couldn't get your first time through the areas.
The OST is one of the things they have to absolutely nail and I have my doubts they will tbh.
That's because the regular controls are bad. You can thank the Gamecube controller for that.
Excellent video. Metroid Prime is my personal GOAT and it's pretty hard for me to be objective about it, haha.
The artifact quest is pretty interesting from a design perspective. It can ruin the pacing in the final stretch of the game, but it rewards those who have been exploring throughout the whole game (and that's just the way I usually play, so I was never bothered by it). It's even less of a dealbreaker if you're going for 100% anyway.
Oh, and Meta Ridey would probably be frustrating without all the power-ups you get while looking for the artifacts.
Overall, if you enjoyed the backtracking up until that point (there's a fair amount), you should be fine. It's not for everyone, of course.
I also wonder how much it has to do with the final months of development being pretty rushed. Impact Crater was supposed to be a full-fledged area, maybe they added the artifacts because of that.
Aside from that, there are other minor nitpicks, such as the game being very slightly more linear than Super Metroid (Magmoor Caverns is literally a hallway, unlike Norfair), but that comes down to 2D vs 3D design, in the end.
The artifact quest is pretty interesting from a design perspective. It can ruin the pacing in the final stretch of the game, but it rewards those who have been exploring throughout the whole game (and that's just the way I usually play, so I was never bothered by it). It's even less of a dealbreaker if you're going for 100% anyway.
Oh, and Meta Ridey would probably be frustrating without all the power-ups you get while looking for the artifacts.
Overall, if you enjoyed the backtracking up until that point (there's a fair amount), you should be fine. It's not for everyone, of course.
I also wonder how much it has to do with the final months of development being pretty rushed. Impact Crater was supposed to be a full-fledged area, maybe they added the artifacts because of that.
Aside from that, there are other minor nitpicks, such as the game being very slightly more linear than Super Metroid (Magmoor Caverns is literally a hallway, unlike Norfair), but that comes down to 2D vs 3D design, in the end.
OP
OP
Sami's Returns, although was a very good OST, lacked some new strong melodies that I'd hope the next Prime game would have
Almost 20 years now.
20 years, and nobody, nowhere has even attempted to make a game design like this outside of Nintendo.
Criminal.
20 years, and nobody, nowhere has even attempted to make a game design like this outside of Nintendo.
Criminal.
Wii controls or GC? I tried both but didn't get very far in either. I really like the quirkiness of GC
I liked Return's OST, but it's not in the same ballpark as Prime's imo. Last game Yamamoto composed was DK Returns though and he directed the Metroid Returns OST, so I doubt he's coming back for this.
You're in for a treat (if it happens). Releasing the trilogy before Prime 4 releases is a nobrainer, but this is Nintendo we are talking about...
Artifact hunting, which I did almost all of at the end, slowed the game down to a crawl for me. Loved all the lore though. And for being the first first-person Metroid game, I was shocked at how perfectly they nailed the platforming.
I liked the accuracy of Wii controls, but with how long the games can be, there were many times where I just wanted to play with the GC controller.
Not a fan of 3d Metroid. Will see what 4 offers hopefully something like Zelda botw where they rethink things.
I don't agree much with the piece. I kind of hate the Prime games and think they were completely utterly totally the wrong direction to take Metroid in -- I could argue some points but mostly I just want to say that the abomination of a HUD is game ruining on its own. It's so intrusive and suffocating it makes the games miserable to play.
Did you know there is a setting in the options so you can make the helmet part of the hud completely transparent?
Yeah it was.
Man, a modern Prime game with the same care and attention to detail but with HD assets would be incredible. I'm honestly nervous about how Bamco will handle 4. Retro's world design philosophy in making Talon IV feel like a plausible alien environment extended to every minute detail, from the way each room felt distinctly hand-crafted and unique, to the myriad of scannable objects, to the way the weather and creatures affected Samus' visor. Expanding upon that level of detail with modern technology is a monumental task.
Personally, the artifact hunt never bothered me since I go for 100% completion anyway and it's a great opportunity to find any hidden upgrades in earlier areas. I can definitely see how it might feel tedious though and I understand why it was a major point of contention when Echoes expanded upon it.
Personally, the artifact hunt never bothered me since I go for 100% completion anyway and it's a great opportunity to find any hidden upgrades in earlier areas. I can definitely see how it might feel tedious though and I understand why it was a major point of contention when Echoes expanded upon it.
Prime is such a perfect game.
One part of the intro they don't talk about is how perfectly paced it is, the escape sequence makes you feel legitimately frustrated waiting for openings to escape, when all of a sudden that explosion occurs and you lose all your sweet gear. Just amazing design.
Even though the Gamecube controls are a bit clunky I've come back to this game years later and it just fits like a glove again, I can't always say the same for other console shooters.
One part of the intro they don't talk about is how perfectly paced it is, the escape sequence makes you feel legitimately frustrated waiting for openings to escape, when all of a sudden that explosion occurs and you lose all your sweet gear. Just amazing design.
Even though the Gamecube controls are a bit clunky I've come back to this game years later and it just fits like a glove again, I can't always say the same for other console shooters.
I adored this game at launch, and call me crazy, but I remember liking Prime 2 even more. It had a "style" to it that I really gravitated toward... those opening logos:
NINTENDO PRESENTS
... A RETRO STUDIOS GAME.
Pr... Prime.... METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES
... But I never played 3. I honestly don't even remember it coming out - I was in college and my time for games was so barren. I should probably go give it a play; but I'm really hopeful we get a Trilogy release on Switch this year. MP1 isn't necessarily a top ten of all time for me, but it's absolutely a ten/10 game.
NINTENDO PRESENTS
... A RETRO STUDIOS GAME.
Pr... Prime.... METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES
... But I never played 3. I honestly don't even remember it coming out - I was in college and my time for games was so barren. I should probably go give it a play; but I'm really hopeful we get a Trilogy release on Switch this year. MP1 isn't necessarily a top ten of all time for me, but it's absolutely a ten/10 game.
When this game came out in 2002, i was spectral, i was worried it will just be a halo clone meany people said it will be, i went in expecting what it going to be, by the time i enter the ruins i realized the truth, that it's a metriod game, this is the follow up to super metriod we all wanted for years.
this game is in my top 3 games of all time with world of warcraft and smash bros melee.
this game is in my top 3 games of all time with world of warcraft and smash bros melee.
The composer for Samus Returns was a guy named daisuke matsuoka. Yamamoto was just overseeing the score. My guess is because he is composing for prime 4.
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you kind of quoted your response. :P
I know he didn't compose Returns. That's why I said direct.
My guess is he will never again compose for a videogame. Again, his last composition was DK Returns 8 years ago.
They won't. The game is an fpa, about isolation and exploration. You probably won't like it.
Haven't watched the video yet, or played prime in over a decade, but I seem to recall the artifact quest wasn't really much of a quest because you find most of them during the course of the game. Correct me if I'm wrong? I played the game twice and I don't remember having to stop to go hunt a bunch of them down, maybe just 1 or 2 that you may have missed as you explored.
Anyway one of my favorite games. Top 10 easily. Super Metroid still #1 of course.
Anyway one of my favorite games. Top 10 easily. Super Metroid still #1 of course.
The metroid prime games work phenominally in VR thanks to a lot of what is said in this video. Those little details matter quite a bit.
This was ages ago, the experience is much better now. But even in this video it shows how insane Metroid is in VR. These games are pretty godly in their attention to detail.
This was ages ago, the experience is much better now. But even in this video it shows how insane Metroid is in VR. These games are pretty godly in their attention to detail.
When I was younger I didn't appreciate this enough. I guess I just wanted to be shown and told everything.
Later on I began to crave that type of experience and discovery, and have been waiting for an HD remaster ever since.
I'm desperate to replay these games. C'mon Nintendo, give us the remasters already!
Same, never bothered me.
Seeing him play with the pointer controls on default instead of advanced is very difficult to watch. Maybe I'll just listen to this one.
The games are a collection of masterpieces. With modern graphics, their virtues in level design have to be even more accentuated, so I'm eager to see how they pull that off. People say this a lot, but I think 2016's DOOM is a good example of how the contextualized level design could be.
Same here. Super Metroid was my favorite game as a kid. Prime completely blew my mind Christmas morning of 2002. Both are still in my all-time top 10.