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Metroid 25th anniversary Thread: Gaf does what Nintendon't
- Thread starter Metroid Killer
- Start date
Anghammarad
Neo Member
I think I'll take this one.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/MKiller/Metroid25th/metroidanniava28.png
I will later post some of my history with Metroid. Mine actually started pretty late: it was only in 2009 that I played my first Metroid game (MP3). I always thought that it wasn't for me. Obviously, I was very wrong. Since then I have played almost all of them (just finished Super Metroid for the first time a few weeks ago), and I am sorry that I have only discovered them so late. It is a really amazing series.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/MKiller/Metroid25th/metroidanniava28.png
I will later post some of my history with Metroid. Mine actually started pretty late: it was only in 2009 that I played my first Metroid game (MP3). I always thought that it wasn't for me. Obviously, I was very wrong. Since then I have played almost all of them (just finished Super Metroid for the first time a few weeks ago), and I am sorry that I have only discovered them so late. It is a really amazing series.
Correctomundo
Member
biggyfries said:If that happens, we should dig up the old MP3 OT and starting posting names again to get all the tokens and unlockables.
Hell yes. I've been needing some green tokens for years.
fabricated backlash
Member
Anghammarad said:
Better late than never I'd say.
Amazing OP and the whole thread has been a fantastic read so far. I am currently playing through Prime 2 (Trilogy version) for the first time since I completed it back in 2004 and I have to say it is as spectacular as I remember it - probably my favourite game of the whole franchise. The oppressive feeling of traversing a hostile alien world has been captured perfectly, even more so than the other games in the series. The original Metroid Prime will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first game of the series that I played back in 2002, I just feel that Retro improved nearly everything in the sequel and is the better game.
I also started my Fusion for the first time ever last week and though I am not too far in I must say that so far I -gasp- prefer it to Super Metroid. It seems that some people dislike the linear approach in the Metroid games but for me it aids the pacing and feeling of progress, which could help explain why -double gasp- I thought Other M was a fantastic addition to the series and one of my favourite games of 2010.
On a final note, as I hold the series in such high regard I will take notice of any game that is compared to them in terms of structure and quality. For this reason I must also thank the Metroid games for introducing me to Cave Story which is quite possibly my most loved game ever. Was nice to see Pixel pay his tributes to the 25th anniversary on the Shinesparkers video.
I also started my Fusion for the first time ever last week and though I am not too far in I must say that so far I -gasp- prefer it to Super Metroid. It seems that some people dislike the linear approach in the Metroid games but for me it aids the pacing and feeling of progress, which could help explain why -double gasp- I thought Other M was a fantastic addition to the series and one of my favourite games of 2010.
On a final note, as I hold the series in such high regard I will take notice of any game that is compared to them in terms of structure and quality. For this reason I must also thank the Metroid games for introducing me to Cave Story which is quite possibly my most loved game ever. Was nice to see Pixel pay his tributes to the 25th anniversary on the Shinesparkers video.
Zombie James
Banned
Aeana said:This is quite a thread. I feel I need to contribute something. So I will link what made Metroid 1 fun for me again after all of these years.
MetroidLUA - a script-assisted hack of the original Metroid to add weapon toggling and a map screen (and minimap), as well as mouse input on the password screen, and some other things. I think it's totally brilliant and it really revitalized the game for me.
Wow, this is fantastic.
That's obfuscation. Any newly-made game sent to market with a series' title on the cover is a new game in that series. If the market shows signs that the series is becoming oversaturated, every release is culpable, you can't pick and choose which ones "don't count".plagiarize said:
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Nintendo had better hurry up and put Fusion up for 3DS ASAP before I get my hands on FFType-0. I've heard so many great things about Fusion. My friends used to rave about it when we were in high school. I only played a tiny bit of it when one of my friends and I were waiting for class once, and I liked what I experienced.
I played Prime 2 yesterday (using the Trilogy disc). The Prime games are a few of the only first-person games that don't make me too nauseous (there are times when I have to take Gravol/lie down and rest/sleep after playing parts of any of them, though).
Metroid Prime 2 is my favourite out of the three (and people I know generally disagree with me on this). It had wonderful music, great atmosphere, awesome bosses, creative environments, and nice pacing. It's probably the best-crafted and best-designed game in the trilogy, imo. Difficulty wasn't really a problem for me, personally.
I must acknowledge how good the music is again:
Torvus Bog
Torvus Bog Submerged Temple (pretty much Brinstar, but whatever)
Sanctuary Fortress
Dark Sanctuary Fortress
Emperor Ing Battle 1
Quadraxis Battle
Dark Samus Battle
With that said, I really want a new 2D Metroid title à la NSMB Wii or something. It's amazing that Nintendo didn't expand their "NEW" line to Zelda or Metroid. We kind of got it in Other M, but I'd take something like Super Metroid or Metroid Fusion again.
A lot of the fanart in this thread and OP are awesome, btw. I want to frame some of them someday when I buy and decorate my own house.
I played Prime 2 yesterday (using the Trilogy disc). The Prime games are a few of the only first-person games that don't make me too nauseous (there are times when I have to take Gravol/lie down and rest/sleep after playing parts of any of them, though).
Metroid Prime 2 is my favourite out of the three (and people I know generally disagree with me on this). It had wonderful music, great atmosphere, awesome bosses, creative environments, and nice pacing. It's probably the best-crafted and best-designed game in the trilogy, imo. Difficulty wasn't really a problem for me, personally.
I must acknowledge how good the music is again:
Torvus Bog
Torvus Bog Submerged Temple (pretty much Brinstar, but whatever)
Sanctuary Fortress
Dark Sanctuary Fortress
Emperor Ing Battle 1
Quadraxis Battle
Dark Samus Battle
With that said, I really want a new 2D Metroid title à la NSMB Wii or something. It's amazing that Nintendo didn't expand their "NEW" line to Zelda or Metroid. We kind of got it in Other M, but I'd take something like Super Metroid or Metroid Fusion again.
A lot of the fanart in this thread and OP are awesome, btw. I want to frame some of them someday when I buy and decorate my own house.
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
Awesome OP. <3
Super Metroid still delivers. It truly is a game of the forever, heck I'm still admiring the game's details:
- Those floating pillars in western Maridia, they're pretty unsettling.
- Usually when you beat a boss, there's some explicit power-up in a room in the back. When you finish Ridley, there is no power-up off the bat. What you see is the shattered Metroid container from the intro. That single moment just changed the tension in the game.
- Throwbacks to the original Metroid in Brinstar & Norfair. I'm sure Metroid veterans felt some chill while going through the fangs in Kraid's layer (especially with a corpse nearby) and another one as they entered the carved Ridley's mouth later on (this is good use of deja vu).
- The Tourian theme is an arrangement of the NES original (I just noticed this months back).
- Super Metroid as a game which perfects things coming full circle. Honestly, I'm not too favorable of new Metroid sequels reason is that they devalue the impact of Super Metroid's plot. The first game introduced the Metroid as a threat and recurring foes. Metroid II delved further into the Metroid biology and ended with a bond between the hunter and the last of the dangerous species, its ending sequence was rather touching. Super Metroid puts great emphasis on the last of the Metroid - the very larva which bonded with Samus. Its capture initiated the plot and its death solidified a definitive victory over an old foe. There's probably an overarching irony from these 3 games: the Galaxy's peace brought about by what it deemed to be a critical threat. It was a good note on which to close the series, that being the bond between hunter and hunted to end the true threat. The idea of cloned Metroids in Fusion and Other M being a new threat just feels cheesy and makes Super Metroid's events out to be some sort of transitional event instead of a climax. That's not to say that the new Metroid games aren't enjoyable, but with Super Metroid I'm not sure if it was ever necessary to introduce anything new with the Metroid species.
- Usually when you beat a boss, there's some explicit power-up in a room in the back. When you finish Ridley, there is no power-up off the bat. What you see is the shattered Metroid container from the intro. That single moment just changed the tension in the game.
- Throwbacks to the original Metroid in Brinstar & Norfair. I'm sure Metroid veterans felt some chill while going through the fangs in Kraid's layer (especially with a corpse nearby) and another one as they entered the carved Ridley's mouth later on (this is good use of deja vu).
- The Tourian theme is an arrangement of the NES original (I just noticed this months back).
- Super Metroid as a game which perfects things coming full circle. Honestly, I'm not too favorable of new Metroid sequels reason is that they devalue the impact of Super Metroid's plot. The first game introduced the Metroid as a threat and recurring foes. Metroid II delved further into the Metroid biology and ended with a bond between the hunter and the last of the dangerous species, its ending sequence was rather touching. Super Metroid puts great emphasis on the last of the Metroid - the very larva which bonded with Samus. Its capture initiated the plot and its death solidified a definitive victory over an old foe. There's probably an overarching irony from these 3 games: the Galaxy's peace brought about by what it deemed to be a critical threat. It was a good note on which to close the series, that being the bond between hunter and hunted to end the true threat. The idea of cloned Metroids in Fusion and Other M being a new threat just feels cheesy and makes Super Metroid's events out to be some sort of transitional event instead of a climax. That's not to say that the new Metroid games aren't enjoyable, but with Super Metroid I'm not sure if it was ever necessary to introduce anything new with the Metroid species.
Had to get rid of the Samus avatar, just felt to weird to me, so it's up for grabs if anybody wants it.
As a side note, finished my Zero Mission hard run and got 92%, highest I ever got. All I'm missing are missiles expansions, and I doubt I'll ever find them. They're just so cruely hidden.
As a side note, finished my Zero Mission hard run and got 92%, highest I ever got. All I'm missing are missiles expansions, and I doubt I'll ever find them. They're just so cruely hidden.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
Dai101 said:
The joke has been so beaten it isnt fun anymore.
That scene can also be explained.
Metroid Killer
Member
Sorry was already claimed 20 posts above yours.8BitsAtATime said:
May I use this one?
Finally had time to listen through the Harmony of a Hunter album, exceeding my expectations by miles lengths. Bioluminscence was the first track to blow me away, I need to listen this through again and again.
I also replayed the first couple of hours of Corruption yesterday. While it's really great and the visuals are damn fine, I found myself wishing they hadn't used so many cut-scenes and short cuts in the beginning. I know it gets better once the game kicks in, and that the reason they use those short cuts are to disguise loading, but still, would have felt more immersive if done ala Half-life with the player behind the visor all the time.
New Metroid album!
Theophany, one of the contributors to the Shinesparkers album Harmony of a Hunter, also released a new album on Sunday, Crystal Flash EP. The album contains six tracks, mostly ambient, and includes a fantastic rendition of the Metroid Prime title theme, Phendrana Drifts, and Maridia, with "Space Dive" in particular building strongly on Prime's musical style. From what I just listen to now, this is goooood.
Download here
Franchuzas87
Member
Then explain it, please. I like the game, but that scene still seems to me too over-the-top.SpacePirate Ridley said:
Palette Swap
Member
I finally put to rest my GB and Metroid II cart a few years ago. Playing Metroid 2 DX with an emulator on the DSi is godlike.oracrest said:The only way to fly...
this is how I am rocking a Metroid II playthrough.
Metroid Killer said:New Metroid album!
Theophany, one of the contributors to the Shinesparkers album Harmony of a Hunter, also released a new album on Sunday, Crystal Flash EP. The album contains six tracks, mostly ambient, and includes a fantastic rendition of the Metroid Prime title theme, Phendrana Drifts, and Maridia, with "Space Dive" in particular building strongly on Prime's musical style. From what I just listen to now, this is goooood.
Download here
Yeah, this is really, really good. Theophany's one of my favorite remixers, and Avien's track on Relics of the Chozo was amazing... Great downbeat, ambient style. Between Harmony of a Hunter and this, I've just been listening to Metroid remixes all day, heh.
Neon_Icarus
Member
Congrats to Metroid for 25 years of great gaming. Great OP by Metroid Killer too. It's refreshing to have a Metroid thread without too much Other M bitching.
Super Nintendo was the first Nintendo console I owned and Super Metroid was one of the first games I got for it. I guess I was lucky.
Now that I look back on it I feel like it was one of the first Survival Horror games I played. The whole game had a really oppressive atmosphere to it, starting from its very intro screen and getting more oppressive as you went deeper into Zebes.
The most tense moments where when you knew that a boss was coming up soon, but you didn't know when (like when you were entering Kraid's lair). I sometimes had to pause and gather myself before I could go further. (Ok, don't laugh people. I was 9 years old).
I remember the wait for the next Metroid games being excruciating, getting all hyped up by the announcement of a "Metroid 64," and then dissapointed when it failed to materialize.
One Ticket to Zebes, Please
At least Samus' appearance in Smash Bros meant that Nintendo still considered Metroid an important franchise. And then Prime and Fusion came, and we were virtually flooded with sequels.
Looking at the franchises future, I hope that Nintendo explores the series' horror roots a bit more, which I feel are very prevalent in the early games. I feel that the newer games have leaned much more to a Star Wars kind of science fiction (especially Corruption) rather than Alien, which served as the inspiration for the creation of the original Metroid.
Maybe Nintendo are trying to make the series fit in better with their other (child-friendly) series?
It's refreshing to have a Metroid thread without too much Other M bitching.Super Nintendo was the first Nintendo console I owned and Super Metroid was one of the first games I got for it. I guess I was lucky.
Now that I look back on it I feel like it was one of the first Survival Horror games I played. The whole game had a really oppressive atmosphere to it, starting from its very intro screen and getting more oppressive as you went deeper into Zebes.
The most tense moments where when you knew that a boss was coming up soon, but you didn't know when (like when you were entering Kraid's lair). I sometimes had to pause and gather myself before I could go further. (Ok, don't laugh people. I was 9 years old).
I remember the wait for the next Metroid games being excruciating, getting all hyped up by the announcement of a "Metroid 64," and then dissapointed when it failed to materialize.
One Ticket to Zebes, Please
At least Samus' appearance in Smash Bros meant that Nintendo still considered Metroid an important franchise. And then Prime and Fusion came, and we were virtually flooded with sequels.
Looking at the franchises future, I hope that Nintendo explores the series' horror roots a bit more, which I feel are very prevalent in the early games. I feel that the newer games have leaned much more to a Star Wars kind of science fiction (especially Corruption) rather than Alien, which served as the inspiration for the creation of the original Metroid.
Maybe Nintendo are trying to make the series fit in better with their other (child-friendly) series?
Leatherface
Member
That just may be the best OP I've ever seen. THANKS METROID KILLER!!!!!!!
:O
:O
Lord_Byron28
Member
I'm not sure if it's what he's refering to but I believe it was decided that she suffers from Post Traumatic stress disorder. I know the Metroid: Other M topic went into a massive off topic debate of PTSD and it's symptoms, effects, etc. While I guess Samus would qualify for that disorder, I highly doubt Sakurai went that deep into the story and character. I do feel the scene was a bit over-the-top. However, too many people including that comic make it out to be a lot worse than it actually is.Franchuzas87 said:
Pancakes R Us
Member
I'm currently playing through Prime one via the Trilogy disc (have played the origin GC version twice). First thing I noticed in the opening cinematic of Prime 1 is that the voice over talking about Samus is not there. Maybe it was just in the PAL version of Metroid Prime? I know it had some enhancements over the NTSC version.
Anyway...Metroid Prime is still awesome 10 years on. The visuals, the music, the atmosphere. I should not be surprised that this game holds up 10 years on, because Super Metroid still holds up really well.
Anyway...Metroid Prime is still awesome 10 years on. The visuals, the music, the atmosphere. I should not be surprised that this game holds up 10 years on, because Super Metroid still holds up really well.
darkjedi187
Member
Pancakes R Us said:
The prime trilogy is wonderful. I wish I could find a copy somewhere.
Metroid Killer said:Sorry was already claimed 20 posts above yours.
Finally had time to listen through the Harmony of a Hunter album, exceeding my expectations by miles lengths. Bioluminscence was the first track to blow me away, I need to listen this through again and again.
New Metroid album!
Theophany, one of the contributors to the Shinesparkers album Harmony of a Hunter, also released a new album on Sunday, Crystal Flash EP. The album contains six tracks, mostly ambient, and includes a fantastic rendition of the Metroid Prime title theme, Phendrana Drifts, and Maridia, with "Space Dive" in particular building strongly on Prime's musical style. From what I just listen to now, this is goooood.
Download here
Agreed about the Harmony of a Hunter album, my first listen was incredible, and Bioluminesence blew me away as well, fantastic track. The whole abum is incredible, can see it being on my top list for the year.
Thanks as well for posting that album! Sounds right up my alley, perfect music for the calm relaxing drive home. Will listen to that tonight.
Also, to seque into another cover called Crystal Flash, Here is Virt's epic 21 minute Super Metroid megamix. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eylUix1yADQ It might not be my favourite Metroid cover since there are so many awesome works, but it's so damn incredible. Think it deserves a mention since it captures the entire game mood so well.
Lord_Byron28
Member
Honestly there isn't a whole lot that ruins Samus' character. So much as how repetitive the story is. There are so many flashbacks or her thoughts about "The baby Metroid", "being young and naive", etc. It constantly hammers in points that should've had one cutscene and then never mentioned again. There were times when she acted proactive and did do badass things especially when playing but there were a few cutscenes or instances that come to mind where people throw a huge fuss about. While things like her reaction to seeing Ridley and her waiting for Adam's approval on certain items is silly. It's not nearly as silly as journalists and gamers going on long rants about how Anti-feminist Sakurai is and destroying Samus' character in this game. I'd hardly give the story a lot of compliments because the majority of the story could've been chopped down to 30-45 minutes of cutscenes instead of the close to 2 hours that we got. The story aspects would've been fine if they didn't hammer in cutscenes so many times because it all just became too much and exposed alot of the weaker parts such as the dialogue.
The game without the story is an extremely fun quality game with some minor flaws. While likely never going to happen, I'd really love for them to make another attempt at this gameplay style with some serious improvements like taking out first person mode and using the nunchuk instead of the D-pad.
Fantastic series, the 2 best are super and prime. I give the edge to super for the reason that there's no text or speech wathsoever and the story moves as you play, its like the roawarrior/the good, bad, ugly of the video games....Prime lacks this, but compensates a little with the fantastical art of the environments and sound/music....
Neon_Icarus said:
With Corruption, I think Retro did what they did for a few reasons:
- People didn't seem to like Echoes as much as Prime, so they took it in the opposite direction.
- End of the trilogy, so big epic intergalactic all out war between the space pirates and galactic federation made sense.
- Metroid has a potentially interesting universe outside of Samus and the planets she visits/blows up, so they tried to explore that a little.
- An attempt to grab some of the more mass-market Halo crowd.
It still had some horror bits, though, particularly the Metroid lab in Skytown and the Valhalla.
Thing is, it's never really been a horror series. Just a sci-fi series with occasionally tense moments. I don't think it's really changed from that. Fusion and Echoes were heavier on the horror than any of the original trilogy, while Prime and Corruption still had bits of it. I seem to remember Other M trying for it here and there, but I've honestly kinda blocked most of that game out. The only one that didn't do much with it is Zero Mission.
I really hope N does something for Metroids anniversary. It's gotta be my fav Nintendo franchise. This thread is aces by the way, thanks to those who made it.
As far as MOM goes I still stand by the idea that if some giant monster killed my family, and I had to battle it multiple times as a youth and adult finally killing it in some epic struggle that gives me just a taste of closure for the pain the creature had wrought; I'd probably piss my pants too if it just suddenly showed up again, all back from the dead and shit. But whatever. It's weird because the more I play the game, the more I like the story. I fucking hate video game stories and always have, so it's... bizarre. It's definitely my Samus bias (<3) but I really like knowing more about the character.
I'd really love to get another Other M style game on the 3DS. Clip the cutscenes and throw in item hunt like Super/ZM and it'll silence the haters immediately.
As far as MOM goes I still stand by the idea that if some giant monster killed my family, and I had to battle it multiple times as a youth and adult finally killing it in some epic struggle that gives me just a taste of closure for the pain the creature had wrought; I'd probably piss my pants too if it just suddenly showed up again, all back from the dead and shit. But whatever. It's weird because the more I play the game, the more I like the story. I fucking hate video game stories and always have, so it's... bizarre. It's definitely my Samus bias (<3) but I really like knowing more about the character.
I'd really love to get another Other M style game on the 3DS. Clip the cutscenes and throw in item hunt like Super/ZM and it'll silence the haters immediately.
Neon_Icarus
Member
KevinCow said:
Yeah, I wasn't complaining about Corruption. It's a fine game, and when you have such a long running series it's healthy to try out new things anyway.
I guess as a kid I had envisioned that a "next gen Metroid" would have been much more claustrophobic and darker than the new Metroid games eventually turned out to be. The Prime games had much more outdoor environments and a brighter color pallet than Super had, while the GBA games had a much more cartoony art-style (probably a smart choice considering the hardware, though). Metroid Prime 2 is probably the closest to Super in terms of sheer atmosphere, even if it isn't among the best games in the series.
kunonabi
Member
Effect said:
It isn't so much a matter of in game explanation as it is proper context and Samus's backstory.
Ridley killed her parents right in front of Samus when she was little during a Space Pirate raid. This is where the post traumatic stress disorder idea comes from.
Second, I'm not really convinced that Sakamoto considers the Prime games to be canon. So if we look at it from that perspective Samus really only tangles with Ridley in Metroid and Super Metroid. Both are situations where Samus is aware that Ridley is alive. Samus doesn't actually destroy Ridley in the original Metroid so his return isn't that unexpected.
Which leads to Other M. Samus has just barely survived her encounter with Mother Brain and is really only alive thanks to the baby Metroid saving her. At this point she also believes Ridley to be dead and gone. So his surprise resurrection combined with all the emotions in regards to Adam, the baby, and her near death experience has a brief yet traumatic effect. When she gets her bearings she proceeds to battle him just like she has done before.
Samus in Other M is still a badass but they don't emphasize it outside of combat. It's just natural for her to be that much stronger than everyone else and the game does make a point that there are things only she can do.
We know Samus is an amazing fighter, the game was showing the other side of her personality we didn't.
Honestly I actually enjoy the Other M story but the game assumes that the player has a larger understanding of everything that has come before.
For a game that "hammers" everything over and over, there is some reading between the lines in regards to Samus and the "deleter" which everyone thought was a dangling plot thread when really they expected you to figure it out on your own(much like the final battle)
Most of the complaints leveled at the game are exaggerations so I would suggest trying it for yourself the game is cheap enough. While the game is a sequel to Super Metroid, it is more of a successor to the original Metroid in terms of the gameplay.
I also agree with the horror elements being a bigger focus but Other M actually did that. The instant deaths, minimalist soundtrack, and third-person perspective gave the game a survival horror feel at times which made the more intense moments stand-out.
Now I've loved Other M from the moment I played it so I'm coming at it from a much different direction than most people. In all honesty I was shocked when it turned out that most people hated it. Even more shocking was that the review closest to echoing my opinion of the game was Kotaku's.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Thanks for this. I'll listen to both Harmony of a Hunter and Crystal Flash while IMetroid Killer said:New Metroid album!
Theophany, one of the contributors to the Shinesparkers album Harmony of a Hunter, also released a new album on Sunday, Crystal Flash EP. The album contains six tracks, mostly ambient, and includes a fantastic rendition of the Metroid Prime title theme, Phendrana Drifts, and Maridia, with "Space Dive" in particular building strongly on Prime's musical style. From what I just listen to now, this is goooood.
Download here
try to
Nintendo still has until the end of the year to do something for Metroid. Even Time wrote an article for it...
Neon_Icarus
Member
kunonabi said:
Yeah, it seems that Sakamoto considers the Prime games to be set in an alternative timeline.
Sakamoto: The games that I've been involved with in the Metroid series have been on the NES, GameBoy, Super NES and the GBA. I actually didn't have a lot of input on the Prime series. But when they're doing with Other M here, it's not so much a different universe, it's just a different part of the story. You can't say that there's no relation here; it's probably best to think of them as being in parallel in this world.
kunonabi said:
Yeah, and that's one of the reasons why I like Other M so much.
Regarding the whole PTSD thing, I agree with everyone that it's very poorly handled in the game, but overall, I personally find a Samus that has weaknesses to be more interesting than a Samus who is always strong and "badass." I guess since she has become a kind of a feminist icon in gaming (which she was never intended to be), people are really overly sensitive of how she is portrayed.
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