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Metroid Prime: Federation Force Review Thread

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Okay, this will be a bit sparse, but no one remade the thread for 30 minutes so...

Metacritic: 71 (16 reviews)

IGN - 5.9/10
Metroid Prime: Federation Force has some neat ideas, but they’re soured by an impotent and boring primary weapon that sucks the enjoyment out of shooting and a bewildering lack of special ammunition that might’ve brought variety to the action. Due to a painfully imbalanced single-player experience co-op with friends is really the only viable way to play it, and even then it’s not really recommended.

Kotaku
There’s little overlap in content or gameplay between Metroid Prime Federation Force and another recent release, the PS4 and PC game No Man’s Sky. There is, though, a mirrored case study in expectations, so low for the former and so high for the latter. Both have arrived differently than forecast. One is still cooling off from overheated hopes, settling in with an audience that may like the game for what it is rather than what they hoped it would be. Federation Force benefits from comparatively low expectations. While it may not be a classic Metroid, it proves to be the kind of strategic shooter not seen from Nintendo before. Its designers enter such uncharted territory with aplomb, and the resulting game is one of the most pleasant surprises of the season.

Destructoid - 5.5/10
I was holding out hope for Metroid Prime: Federation Force, but at this point, there are so many other dungeon crawlers that are worth your time. Just like Hunters on the original DS, the main questline of Federation will probably fade out of the limelight over time and become a whisper in hardcore Metroid crowds -- though I can see Blast Ball having longer legs.

DualShockers - 7/10
Hidden underneath the wonky control scheme and irreverent use of the source material, Metroid Prime: Federation Force is overall a good game, held back by limitations of the console as well as bizarre design choices. Fans of FPS’s will likely enjoy not only the experimentation the game has to offer, but also the fun you will find with friends.

Eurogamer - Blank Tag
Which gets to a core problem with Federation Force, a game that's quick to strip away the fundamentals of Metroid but doesn't quite find enough to fill the void that's left. There's a spark missing, and while this spin-off is competent it's never quite convincing. Metroid Prime Federation Force is okay, and for a series that's been away for so long and a game that boldly chooses to bear the Prime moniker that doesn't feel like it's going to be enough.

By a process of simple inversion Nintendo's done some wonderful things with its staple series in the past. A Mario game without any jumping? Tokyo EAD's Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker proved there's plenty of magic and a fair few surprises to be found when Nintendo is working with one hand tied behind its back. Metroid without Samus, without that sense of exploration and lonely adventure? It's a much tougher ask, and while the best efforts of Next Level Games have ensured an enjoyable off-shoot it was perhaps only inevitable that Federation Force would end up falling a little short.

Godisa Geek - 7/10
Ultimately, Federation Force isn’t really a Metroid game at all, then, but it is a relatively fun game that is actually quite enjoyable once you stop thinking about what it isn’t, and enjoy it with some friends online.

Game Explain - Liked-A-Lot
If you're interested at all in a 3DS shooter with impeccable mission variety that you can enjoy with your friends, then I feel Federation Force is well worth your time.

Attack of the Fanboy - 3.5/5
Metroid Prime: Federation Force's greatest crime was its name. Had the game not tagged itself with the moniker of one of the greatest games of all time, it could have stood on its own merits quite well. If you take all those pre-conceived notions of what a Metroid game should be and set them aside, Metroid Prime: Federation Force will easily surprise you with its quality. It's nowhere near the all time greats, but it can deliver some enjoyable moments, and will definitely entertain for some time. Just make sure you have some friends to tag along though, because the solo experience is quite a different story.

Nintendo Enthusiast - 4.5/10
Metroid Prime: Federation Force is not a good game at all. When you find yourself just wanting to complete levels to see if the game ever changes and gets better, that’s a sign that something is very wrong. The core gameplay is simplistic, boring, and not the level of quality one would expect from a Metroid game.

Nintendo Life - 8/10
Despite the undue hate it has been subjected to over the past year, Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a very impressive, polished and playable package - the only real grumble we have is that during online play the lack of voice chat can become maddening, and the game's built-in chat function is an inadequate substitute. This aside, Next Level Games has treated the franchise with the respect that it deserves while successfully attempting to bring co-op multiplayer to the world of Samus Aran.

Gaming Nexus - 8/10
Metroid Prime: Federation Force is enjoyable once you learn the controls, but it feels like it was more geared towards multiplayer. [...] As long as you don’t mind the exploration aspect of the series removed and replaced with linear missions, fans of the series should enjoy Federation Force.

Nintendo Everything - Thumb Sideways
While I didn’t love Metroid Prime: Federation Force, I definitely did enjoy the game as I found myself sinking into it more. The gameplay felt a bit boring during long sessions and I was unable to play with anyone I knew personally, but finding people online randomly and essentially using sign language to express myself to each player was fun.

For die-hard Metroid fans, Federation Force can be hard to recommend. There aren’t too many similarities to the main series, but there’s just enough here to make it worthwhile for those looking for a unique multiplayer experience to fill their fall season. Mixed overall gameplay, decent visuals, and nice sound design don’t make the title groundbreaking by any means. It’s just unique enough where I can forgive the little things and invest myself in the experience for a short period.

Nintendo World Report - 9/10
Metroid Prime: Federation Force is absolutely a Metroid Prime game. It incorporates fresh ideas and presents them in unique ways, but it never forgets where it comes from. The co-op online shooter genre is a bold new venture for Nintendo, and one they’ve taken to with surprising aptitude. The odd lack of a retry button ads a noticeable hiccup to an otherwise wonderful experience, but it is one that is easily overcome with a little patience. The default controls improve upon those of the original Prime games brilliantly. All of this is wrapped up in a fantastic presentation that will keep you locked into the game’s story until the very end. Metroid Prime: Federation Force is, without a doubt, one of my favorite 3DS games of all time.


 

Realeza

Banned
Pretty mixed results. I adore the Prime series, but I don't think anybody ever asked for this. At the very best it seems to be some kind of confirmation that the Prime series will continue, hopefully with a proper Prime 4 for NX.
 

Derphoof

Member
I was mainly interested in the Blast Ball bit anyways. I imagine this will be pretty popular with the kids on the 3DS platform, especially since it's multiplayer focused.

Looks like it'll be right up their alley.
 
Gamexplain is by far the strongest review of the game as far as an argumentative standpoint.

I'm still going to play the game solo, but the fact that there's even extra hard mode versions of missions in the post game has even more of my attention considering the base game appears quite hard to begin with.
 

Griss

Member
Ah, we're back. I was just thinking to myself 'If no one on Gaf is willing to remake the review thread over the course of 30 minutes then there is a previously unheard of apathy towards this game...'

The Eurogamer review (which is the one I always look out for) is a good one. It's actually far more positive about the game than I would have expected, but makes it clear that it's not for me. On their scale of Avoid->Neutral->Recommended->Essential it ended up Neutral.

Eurogamer said:
Next Level has done all it can to fill its brief to create a cut-down co-op Metroid Prime, but you can't help but feel that brief was fundamentally flawed in the first place.

Eurogamer said:
Federation Force is far from a pretty game, and regardless of where you stand on its chibi stylings there's no getting away from the drab feel of its environments and lo-fi renditions of familiar enemies that struggle to convey the chilly atmosphere that's at the heart of Metroid games.

Which gets to a core problem with Federation Force, a game that's quick to strip away the fundamentals of Metroid but doesn't quite find enough to fill the void that's left. There's a spark missing, and while this spin-off is competent it's never quite convincing. Metroid Prime Federation Force is okay, and for a series that's been away for so long and a game that boldly chooses to bear the Prime moniker that doesn't feel like it's going to be enough.
 
USGamer - Review-in-Progress
So no, Federation Force won't scratch your metroidvania itch. Nor will it patch the Metroid-shaped hole in your life. Despite that, it's turned out to be a really solid portable shooter — probably the best first-person shooter on 3DS, in fact.

Nintendo Life - 8/10
Despite the undue hate it has been subjected to over the past year, Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a very impressive, polished and playable package - the only real grumble we have is that during online play the lack of voice chat can become maddening, and the game's built-in chat function is an inadequate substitute. This aside, Next Level Games has treated the franchise with the respect that it deserves while successfully attempting to bring co-op multiplayer to the world of Samus Aran.

Gaming Nexus - 8/10
Metroid Prime: Federation Force is enjoyable once you learn the controls, but it feels like it was more geared towards multiplayer. [...] As long as you don’t mind the exploration aspect of the series removed and replaced with linear missions, fans of the series should enjoy Federation Force.

Nintendo Enthusiast - 4.5/10
Metroid Prime: Federation Force is not a good game at all. When you find yourself just wanting to complete levels to see if the game ever changes and gets better, that’s a sign that something is very wrong. The core gameplay is simplistic, boring, and not the level of quality one would expect from a Metroid game.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
I honestly am a little surprised by the iffy reviews so far. I mean, yeah, nobody wanted this thing, but I thought Next Level would at least make something of it.
 
NWR gave it 9/10

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/43215/metroid-prime-federation-force-review

Might as well be a review from Nintendo themselves.

Isn't gamexplain usually pretty hard on games? I recall them having issues with Twilight Princess hd for instance

I find it funny that reviewers continue to knock Nintendo for not offering any type of voice chat in their games. How many years has this been an issue? I mean, I guess it's good to point it out in the hopes that one day Nintendo will change their ways but at this point, it's just a given - to me at least.

Didn't Hunters have voice chat? Which is pretty funny considering that's 10 years old...
 

Kadin

Member
I find it funny that reviewers continue to knock Nintendo for not offering any type of voice chat in their games. How many years has this been an issue? I mean, I guess it's good to point it out in the hopes that one day Nintendo will change their ways but at this point, it's just a given - to me at least.
 

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
I honestly am a little surprised by the iffy reviews so far. I mean, yeah, nobody wanted this thing, but I thought Next Level would at least make something of it.

...but there are plenty positive reviews - its the opposite of No Mans Sky with expectation being so low from begin with that people seemed surprised that its actually a solid product on a system not known for shooters.
 
There's nothing "mixed" about this. The game is reviewing terribly, which is indicative of the quality. Everyone basically predicted the game would suck the instant Nintendo announced it. So not only did no one ask for this game, but the game doesn't even seem to have much to offer regardless.

The absolute best Metroid fans can hope for when it comes to this game is that when it sells poorly, Nintendo wont use it as justification for neglecting the possibility of a real Metroid game in the future.
 
I find it funny that reviewers continue to knock Nintendo for not offering any type of voice chat in their games. How many years has this been an issue? I mean, I guess it's good to point it out in the hopes that one day Nintendo will change their ways but at this point, it's just a given - to me at least.

Frankly, they should be criticized if they continue to make demanding co-op games. Simple chat is not acceptable for complex cooperation. Kotaku compared some of the missions to Destiny Raids and that sounds asinine without voice chat.
 
Lmao, was just about to post the new thread till I saw this. Good thing too.

Game sounds like what I expected. Alright Co-oP fun. Guess I'll pick it up when it's cheap.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
...but there are plenty positive reviews - its the opposite of No Mans Sky with expectation being so low from begin with that people seemed surprised that its actually a solid product on a system not known for shooters.

Well, yeah, a bunch of Nintendo fansite reviews just got posted. I skip those.
 

AdanVC

Member
The embargo ended just a few hours ago on launch day?? That's very weird coming from Nintendo, but understandable in this case with this game. Reviews all over the place but most of them indicating that this game is simply ok. Not good, not bad, just ok. That's ok I guess. Too bad it seems this game will be forgotten in no time and with that, the hope left on the Metroid franchise will be gone as well. Damn :c
 
There's nothing "mixed" about this. The game is reviewing terribly, which is indicative of the quality. Everyone basically predicted the game would suck the instant Nintendo announced it. So not only did no one ask for this game, but the game doesn't even seem to have much to offer regardless.

The absolute best Metroid fans can hope for when it comes to this game is that when it sells poorly, Nintendo wont use it as justification for neglecting the possibility of a real Metroid game in the future.
Weird, I'm looking at the reviews here and most seem positive. Once more reviews come that can change but so far, I think your pretty wrong.
 
...but there are plenty positive reviews - its the opposite of No Mans Sky with expectation being so low from begin with that people seemed surprised that its actually a solid product on a system not known for shooters.



Actually, I'd say it's reviewing the way people expected:
Mostly in the 6-7 range. Some good scores, some low scores, mostly in the 6-7 range though.
 

NOLA_Gaffer

Banned
There's nothing "mixed" about this. The game is reviewing terribly, which is indicative of the quality. Everyone basically predicted the game would suck the instant Nintendo announced it. So not only did no one ask for this game, but the game doesn't even seem to have much to offer regardless.

The absolute best Metroid fans can hope for when it comes to this game is that when it sells poorly, Nintendo wont use it as justification for neglecting the possibility of a real Metroid game in the future.

That's a hell of a reality distortion field you've got there.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
The embargo ended just a few hours ago on launch day?? That's very weird coming from Nintendo, but understandable in this case with this game. Reviews all over the place but most of them indicating that this game is simply ok. Not good, not bad, just ok. That's ok I guess. Too bad it seems this game will be forgotten in no time and with that, the hope left on the Metroid franchise will be gone as well. Damn :c

Nintendo's been putting out a lot of games in the upper-60s through 70s range for the last year and a half.

It's mainly their flagships that have been the exception, and this wasn't one of those, so the odds weren't especially great of it doing much better.

I'm curious to see if they try to make any adjustments with their line-up going forward.
 

casiopao

Member
The embargo ended just a few hours ago on launch day?? That's very weird coming from Nintendo, but understandable in this case with this game. Reviews all over the place but most of them indicating that this game is simply ok. Not good, not bad, just ok. That's ok I guess. Too bad it seems this game will be forgotten in no time and with that, the hope left on the Metroid franchise will be gone as well. Damn :c

Umm. Nintendo is not some saint that is free from mediocre game though. See their Amiibo Festival, Chibi Robo 3DS and this. There is going to be some game which is reviewed around 6-7.
 
This is my Italian review:

http://www.nintendon.it/metroid-prime-federation-force-2-108675

I gave it a 7/10. The game has some pretty good missions and the solid controls of Prime, with gyros helping a lot in precision. But the coop isn't always justified and the single player is just ok. While in Triforce Heroes you had silly costumes with interesting powers, here you have to find Mods that break: thing is, there isn't really a reason to pick them up more than needed, since there is no competition. I didn't feel like I wanted more, I just kept playing and it was good, but replaying missions just doesn't sound THAT inviting. Felt like something was missing.
 
The vast majority of the reviews in the OP are 7-10, and some of the unscored ones are really positive too like Kotaku

It looks like about ~40% of the scores in the OP are under a 7 (out of 9 total). And then a couple of 7's.

Are we willing to lower our standards for a legendary franchise which is nearly entirely comprised of classics? When a new Metroid game is announced I expect a GREAT game, period.
 

Kadin

Member
Kinda funny to see a mod post a link to a banned site.
Yeah I just clicked on both Dual Shockers and Nintendo Enthusiast. Whoops.

I'll definitely get the game because I actually enjoyed the demo. Reviews here are definitely scattered a bit but I think I'll get some enjoyment out of it.
 

casiopao

Member
It looks like about ~40% of the scores in the OP are under a 7 (out of 9 total). And then a couple of 7's.

Are we willing to lower our standards for a legendary franchise which is nearly entirely comprised of classics? When a new Metroid game is announced I expect a GREAT game, period.

Metroid..... legendary franchise.O_O I may still be noob with this franchise here lol.(Only play Zero Mission) But Legendary is certainly not something i would call Metroid here is lol.


Looking at these reviews, I think this game is ultimately not for me. Tempting but I'd probably regret my purchase.

At least, u can play with fellow Gaffers here lol.^_^
 
Metroid..... legendary franchise.O_O I may still be noob with this franchise here lol.(Only play Zero Mission) But Legendary is certainly not something i would call Metroid here is lol.



Eh, it is. It's not like Super Metroid is recognized as a cult classic. Legendary is definitely appropriate.



I don't see what the game's franchise has to do with it being a good game or not



Expectations ? Would you expect a shitty game in the Zelda franchise ? I mean, that's the point with an established IP.
 
Metroid..... legendary franchise.O_O I may still be noob with this franchise here lol.(Only play Zero Mission) But Legendary is certainly not something i would call Metroid here is lol.




At least, u can play with fellow Gaffers here lol.^_^
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1259391&page=1

Metroid took 2 of the top 5 in gaffers best Nintendo games list, and super metroid/prime tend to appear high on best game lists, yes.
 
It looks like about ~40% of the scores in the OP are under a 7 (out of 9 total). And then a couple of 7's.

Are we willing to lower our standards for a legendary franchise which is nearly entirely comprised of classics? When a new Metroid game is announced I expect a GREAT game, period.
Huh, seems like a different argument then before. Both are just as silly though.
 
I wonder if the devs at Next Level Games are upset at what they were given after delivering Luigi's Mansion 2. The mediocre reception is gonna reflect poorly on them, when they probably did what they could with the budget and directions Nintendo gave them.
 
Expectations ? Would you expect a shitty game in the Zelda franchise ? I mean, that's the point with an established IP.

And the expectations for this were rock-bottom.

It doesn't change whether the game is ultimately fun or not. And it's not like it's pretending to be a mainline game, even. Did Metroid Prime Pinball throw you for a loop too?
 

casiopao

Member
Eh, it is. It's not like Super Metroid is recognized as a cult classic. Legendary is definitely appropriate.

But Super Metroid had been a very long old title there. I mean, if we are talking about a great title from SNES, isn't that just show how the franchise both in sales and quality had been in decline?
 
Metroid..... legendary franchise.O_O I may still be noob with this franchise here lol.(Only play Zero Mission) But Legendary is certainly not something i would call Metroid here is lol.




At least, u can play with fellow Gaffers here lol.^_^

You should play Super Metroid and Metroid Prime me.

Metriod Prime is consider one of the greatest game ever made, and Super Metriod as well
 
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