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The Sakamoto Metroid trilogy is the best 2D trilogy in gaming

Concelhaut

Concelhaut

Banned
Jun 10, 2019
1,076
I'm talking about the 2D Metroid games having Sakatomo as director and that were developed by Nintendo R&D1. They belong in a timeline and their stories succeed one another. They also share similar art style.


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Metroid Zero Mission (GBA)

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Super Metroid (SNES)

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Metroid Fusion (GBA)

Yes Sakatomo also worked on Metroid Samus Returns on 3DS but as a producer and the game does not have similar art style. The game's scenario is summarised in the intro of Super Metroid so let's just say it is a non essential game.

Metroid Zero Mission is different enough from Metroid on NES as it is far more linear, plus it adds cutscenes and the Zero Mission in the end. So I feel Sakamoto made it his own even though he wasn't the director of the original game.

To me, these three games constitute the crème de la crème of the 2D Metroidvania genre. And I'm going to raise my praise a notch and call them the best 2D trilogy in gaming. The Castlevania on the GBA, DS, even the much lauded Hollow Knight pale in comparison imo.

I think everything has already been said about those games so I will not delve into why I think they're masterpieces. My thread's primary goal is to single them out as a trilogy that is forgotten. We often read about the Metroid Prime trilogy. Well the Metroid IP has got another trilogy up in its sleeves and this is it: the fruits of Sakamoto's genius and the collective work of Nintendo R&D1, which in fact closed right after Metroid Zero Mission.
 

Deleted member 7883

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Oct 25, 2017
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Got my hopes up thinking this was a trilogy of games based on the second greatest anime of all time.

I can't really think of any games that give this trilogy a run for its money though. At least retro games.
 

NuclearCake

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,867
I prefer the Prime trilogy overall as Fusion lets the 2D Metroids down a bit and it kind of lead into Other M.

Super and Zero Mission are masterpieces.
 
OP
OP
Concelhaut

Concelhaut

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Jun 10, 2019
1,076
VDenter said:
I think if there is one thing that Fusion nails is atmosphere but it's kind of a chore to play for me thanks to it's ultra linearity and constant unskipable cutscenes. Which kill the pace.
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It is not that linear. At first yes, but then it opens up and to collect 100% you need to backtrack a lot. Also, I found the story focus gave the game its own identity in the trilogy, making it unique. It is not the same formula.
 

Deleted member 7883

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Actually I just thought of three games that are at least on par with this trilogy! Koji Igarashi's DS Castlevania trilogy... if that counts.

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Worms-Battle-Pack-Boxart-Front.jpg


The real deal.

Worms 2 was a revolutionary change to the franchise, one that practically perfected the gameplay. It also has the most ambitious item editor of the franchise since it allowed you to tinker with any option basically.

Worms Armageddon is THE Worms game, simple as that. While it dials back on the item editor, it has a fantastic editor, massive variety, pretty much all of the best items, and so on. The game is still receiving patches every now and then and still has a dedicated community some two decades later. It got a replay mode, higher resolution options, custom servers and whatnot. No other Worms came anywhere near this level of support and features since then.

Worms World Party was a really fun improvement to the formula with a memorable campaign, but it didn't really take off in the community. The game was therefore not really supported as long, dying long before Armageddon. The additions were great, however.
 

rude

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,812
Metroid Fusion is better than Super Metroid, but they are all good games.

Also the Prime series doesn't feel anywhere near as fun to play as the 2D entries. I honestly don't think Metroid translates well into 3D, and I know I'm in the minority on that.
 
Odeko

Odeko

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Mar 22, 2018
15,180
West Blue
The Mother trilogy would extremely beg to differ.

Zero Mission and Fusion are too linear for metroidvanias.
 

NuclearCake

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,867
Concelhaut said:
It is not that linear. At first yes, but then it opens up and to collect 100% you need to backtrack a lot. Also, I found the story focus gave the game its own identity in the trilogy, making it unique. It is not the same formula.
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Yeah the second half of the game is much stronger than the first but i just hate going through the first half of the game every time i try to replay it. I can appreciate the game trying to be different but i really think they went a bit overboard at times. Super Metroid was practically flawless and Fusion didn't really need to be that different. At the very least they should have allowed you to skip cutscenes. They are overly long and don't even fit the handheld nature of the game. Plus it would make replaying the game much more enjoyable.
 
Oregano

Oregano

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Oct 25, 2017
22,878
I present for your consideration(not my photo):

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The Zenithian trilogy of Dragon Quest IV, V and VI.
 
fepeinado

fepeinado

Circumventing a ban with an alt account
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Feb 5, 2019
536
While I played Metroid Zero Mission, I couldn't stop thinking that, if it wasn't a Nintendo game, the praise for it would have been much different. There's been some time since I played it, but it always seemed like a lesser entry in the series. Super Metroid and Fusion, on the other side, are much better games imo
 
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Concelhaut

Concelhaut

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Jun 10, 2019
1,076
fepeinado said:
While I played Metroid Zero Mission, I couldn't stop thinking that, if it wasn't a Nintendo game, the praise for it would have been much different. There's been some time since I played it, but it always seemed like a lesser entry in the series. Super Metroid and Fusion, on the other side, are much better games imo
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There are loads of folks who think that Zero Mission is the best in the trilogy.
 

NuclearCake

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,867
The thing is that this really can't be considered a trilogy.

Metroid Fusion literally calls itself "Metroid 4" as soon as you boot up the game. Metroid 2 is as every bit as essential as the other games are in this series.
 
sir_crocodile

sir_crocodile

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,474
I'm not 100% sold on that. Zero Mission was good, but nowhere close to the other two.

You could go SMB3/SMW/Yoshi's Island, though the last one is a prequel.
Then there's Vania 3/Rondo/Symphony of the Night

Kanhir said:
I came in to be outraged on behalf of Donkey Kong Country, but then I remembered that I hated the third one. So yes, Metroid it is.
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Kiddy sucks, but other then that DKC3 is the best imo DKC1/2/3 get better as you go other then him.
 
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Concelhaut

Concelhaut

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Jun 10, 2019
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VDenter said:
The thing is that this really can't be considered a trilogy.

Metroid Fusion literally calls itself "Metroid 4" as soon as you boot up the game. Metroid 2 is as every bit as essential as the other games are in this series.
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I made a point in the beginning saying that these games were made by the same director and the same studio. Sakamoto only enters the picture very late as a producer for the 3DS game which is also made by a different studio
 

Deleted member 7883

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bonkasaurus said:
Unpopular opinion, I don't think Order of Ecclesia is very good. :x
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It's a solid game but compared to the other igavanias it isn't that good. The graphics are the best of the DS trio, needless to say the art direction is much better too (still doesn't come close to my girl Ayami Kojima's work though.)

When I got the game at release I appreciated the shift in level design to a more linear approach... for the most part. I liked the idea of a more segmented world, one with actual "levels" that aren't interconnected as it could potentially lead to more diverse locations. I barely remember any of the locations in OoE when compared to Dawn of Sorrow or Portrait of Ruin. I think PoR struck the best balance though with having a fleshed out dracula's castle as the "hub" with the paintings leading to more unique environments.

The whole glyph system really REALLY feels like a lesser, washed-down version of the soul system though. I thought getting actual weapons from enemies was nifty, but towards the end of the game I felt very limited as to what weapons/glyphs were actually viable, as opposed to your options given at the end of DoS and PoR.

It's been a hot minute since I played through the games so I can't really remember all of them, but I do remember thinking that OoE had the best enemy and more importantly boss design though. Gameplay wise that is.
 
Croix

Croix

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Oct 25, 2017
141
ryushe said:
shhh!!

Be careful. People here are scared of the truth.
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Yeah, I played through Metroid Fusion like a year ago and my mind was blown by how good it was. I don't understand why does it have this poor reputation (on the internet at least). The bosses were pretty hard though.
 
StallionDan

StallionDan

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Oct 25, 2017
7,705
This is some weird mental gymnastics to get those as a trilogy.

I pick Super Mario Bros, SMB3 and SMW as best 2D trilogy.
 

NuclearCake

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Oct 27, 2017
9,867
Concelhaut said:
I made a point in the beginning saying that these games were made by the same director and the same studio. Sakamoto only enters the picture very late as a producer for the 3DS game which is also made by a different studio
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I get that but considering how much in the Metroid series revolves around the events of Metroid 2 and the fact that it's called Metroid 2. It just seems a bit weird to dismiss it.
 
Kevin360

Kevin360

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Oct 25, 2017
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I have been craving a Metroid fix for a few years now... C'mon Nintendo. Give. Us. Metroid. On. Switch.
 
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Concelhaut

Concelhaut

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Jun 10, 2019
1,076
VDenter said:
I get that but considering how much in the Metroid series revolves around the events of Metroid 2 and the fact that it's called Metroid 2. It just seems a bit weird to dismiss it.
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I guess I wanted to take the auteur approach. As I said what happens in Metroid 2 is summarised in Super Metroid so it's not essential to play it.
 

Deleted member 7148

Oct 25, 2017
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I really should get around to playing Zero Mission. I wasn't the biggest fan of Fusion but I love me some Super Metroid.
 
bionic77

bionic77

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Oct 25, 2017
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Thats a great pick OP.

I would also put Super Mario 1,2 and 3 on the NES up there as one of the best trilogies of all time.

2 is obviously the oddball but Super Mario 1 for its time was absolutely mind-blowing and somehow Nintendo made that seem obsolete a few years later with 3 on the same hardware.

That will never happen again.
 
werezompire

werezompire

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Oct 26, 2017
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FF4-6 is really strong. Also a fan of the Quintet trilogy of Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma.
 
toad02

toad02

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fepeinado said:
While I played Metroid Zero Mission, I couldn't stop thinking that, if it wasn't a Nintendo game, the praise for it would have been much different. There's been some time since I played it, but it always seemed like a lesser entry in the series. Super Metroid and Fusion, on the other side, are much better games imo
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I am playing fusion for the first time right now and I think it's super flawed. I am planing on playing zero mission afterwards and your comment is giving me second thoughts.
 
ryushe

ryushe

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Oct 27, 2017
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Croix said:
Yeah, I played through Metroid Fusion like a year ago and my mind was blown by how good it was. I don't understand why does it have this poor reputation (on the internet at least). The bosses were pretty hard though.
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Because it isn't as open as Super. I personally love the fact that it's just a bit more linear and focused as the horror elements wouldn't work otherwise. And yes, the bosses were a straight up nightmare.
 

Deleted member 7883

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toad02 said:
I am playing fusion for the first time right now and I think it's super flawed. I am planing on playing zero mission afterwards and your comment is giving me second thoughts.
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What do you find flawed with Fusion? Zero Mission does improve in a good deal of areas when compared to Fusion, but I still personally prefer Fusion. Depending on what you find flawed with Fusion, ZM still may or may not be worth your time.
 

NuclearCake

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Oct 27, 2017
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toad02 said:
I am playing fusion for the first time right now and I think it's super flawed. I am planing on playing zero mission afterwards and your comment is giving me second thoughts.
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For what it's worth i found Zero Mission one of the best Nintendo game ever and it's infinitely better than Fusion. I guess play it and and see what you think.
 
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