• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Metroid Prime Remastered | Review Thread


I really hate Jim's takes sometimes... Feel like he literally lowered the score (of his review) because of the credits controversy.
Great color scheme on that site. Fits perfectly with my custom Lisa Frank PC.
 

Mozza

Member
They are a mentally ill, psychotic individual. People should stop giving them views, entirely.
Totally agree, as he fails to see the problem with lowering the score because the original team were omitted, which in effect makes the developers who did work on this remaster, get less credit than they actually deserve. By all means mention it, but it should not affect the games overall score.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
So Nintendo just casually shadow dropping one of the highest rated games of all time?

https://opencritic.com/game/14280/metroid-prime-remastered

95 score with 57 reviews.

No, this isn’t because it was a stellar game originally. Just look at The Last of Us Part I (88 rating) to know that remasters aren’t a sure thing critically.

Pretty incredible.

Can not wait for my physical copy.....I need it!

Nintendo always delivers.

give it to me GIF
 

nkarafo

Member
Just finished it. I did finish the original 100% back in the day, i only managed 96% now, i guess i don't have the same patience.

It's still the best Metroid after Super IMO. There are a few things that could be changed to make it perfect:

- Changing beams is not very fun. I prefer the system other Metroid games have (even Super, which is older), where they add elements in the main beam, making it better and better, instead of having multiple different beams. I feel like the only reason they did this was for the fights where you have to change beams (like the beam specific pirates). I'm not sure if those fights were fun enough to make this system worth. They could make it so those pirates could still be killed by any beam but they could be tougher and after you had, say, the ice beam, it would kill the Ice themed ones faster.

- If they had to keep the changing beams mechanic, they could at least not use it for the doors? There is no point changing beams to open doors that you have already unlocked. Use the Ice beam to break the Ice lock once, then just let the door open with any beam. That was the most annoying part of the game IMO, having to change beams over and over, just to open doors while re-exploring areas i had already opened.

- I was never a fan of "battle music" themes. I prefer having the main music theme play as i fight. The Research labs and upper mines were annoying with that loud, obnoxious music playing every time a bunch of space pirates were around. And the ghost areas were even worse because the music was even more obnoxious. A solution would be to use these themes the first time you meet those areas for the dramatic effect. But after re-visiting them for item hunting, or just passing by to reach other areas, there's no reason to do it again since there's no drama anymore, i just want to find some items i'm missing. Or, the game could detect that you have a certain number of upgrades and energy tanks, so you are too strong for those battles to pose any threat, thus stop playing that music afterwards.

- Some of the spider ball puzzles were annoying because of the fixed camera angles. I couldn't see a shadow under me so i had no idea where i will land, causing lots of frustration in a certain puzzle.

- The last few bosses aren't really that hard. They are very easy actually (especially if you have a lot of upgrades). But they are literal bullet sponges and the fights last way too long. The final boss lasted 3X more time that it should.

- There should be a final upgrade that lets you traverse around easier. Like a jetpack or something. There's no reason to re-do the grapple beam stuff or do the same platform jumping over and over again as you try to find the last 4 or 6 artifacts you missed. Other Metroid games do this with the space jump/screw attack upgrade. After that you can skip most of the platforming and speed run through the areas you already cleared. Metroid Prime doesn't really have that, the only thing it has is a double jump and you are stuck with it forever. I get it's a first person game and that would be harder to do but Powerslave did something similar before Prime with the "float" upgrade that you needed for later stages, but you could use for breezing through earlier ones.
 

Yoshi97

Member
Just finished it. I did finish the original 100% back in the day, i only managed 96% now, i guess i don't have the same patience.

It's still the best Metroid after Super IMO. There are a few things that could be changed to make it perfect:

- Changing beams is not very fun. I prefer the system other Metroid games have (even Super, which is older), where they add elements in the main beam, making it better and better, instead of having multiple different beams. I feel like the only reason they did this was for the fights where you have to change beams (like the beam specific pirates). I'm not sure if those fights were fun enough to make this system worth. They could make it so those pirates could still be killed by any beam but they could be tougher and after you had, say, the ice beam, it would kill the Ice themed ones faster.

- If they had to keep the changing beams mechanic, they could at least not use it for the doors? There is no point changing beams to open doors that you have already unlocked. Use the Ice beam to break the Ice lock once, then just let the door open with any beam. That was the most annoying part of the game IMO, having to change beams over and over, just to open doors while re-exploring areas i had already opened.

- I was never a fan of "battle music" themes. I prefer having the main music theme play as i fight. The Research labs and upper mines were annoying with that loud, obnoxious music playing every time a bunch of space pirates were around. And the ghost areas were even worse because the music was even more obnoxious. A solution would be to use these themes the first time you meet those areas for the dramatic effect. But after re-visiting them for item hunting, or just passing by to reach other areas, there's no reason to do it again since there's no drama anymore, i just want to find some items i'm missing. Or, the game could detect that you have a certain number of upgrades and energy tanks, so you are too strong for those battles to pose any threat, thus stop playing that music afterwards.

- Some of the spider ball puzzles were annoying because of the fixed camera angles. I couldn't see a shadow under me so i had no idea where i will land, causing lots of frustration in a certain puzzle.

- The last few bosses aren't really that hard. They are very easy actually (especially if you have a lot of upgrades). But they are literal bullet sponges and the fights last way too long. The final boss lasted 3X more time that it should.

- There should be a final upgrade that lets you traverse around easier. Like a jetpack or something. There's no reason to re-do the grapple beam stuff or do the same platform jumping over and over again as you try to find the last 4 or 6 artifacts you missed. Other Metroid games do this with the space jump/screw attack upgrade. After that you can skip most of the platforming and speed run through the areas you already cleared. Metroid Prime doesn't really have that, the only thing it has is a double jump and you are stuck with it forever. I get it's a first person game and that would be harder to do but Powerslave did something similar before Prime with the "float" upgrade that you needed for later stages, but you could use for breezing through earlier ones.
I think pretty much all of your issues get fixed in prime 2. I really hope they remaster that game next.
 

Deerock71

Member
Metroid prime is one of those games that proves that gaming has not really changed in 20 years. This game literally feels like it could have came out now and it could compete with everything else.
The only criticism I can even think to level at it (compared to modern games) is that the areas feel a tad snug. That's it.
 

I really hate Jim's takes sometimes... Feel like he literally lowered the score (of his review) because of the credits controversy.

Why even link that here?
 

SafeOrAlone

Banned
Metroid prime is one of those games that proves that gaming has not really changed in 20 years. This game literally feels like it could have came out now and it could compete with everything else.
True.

I also think it makes the gameplay sort of dull by today’s standards. Everyone is still doing the same tricks today.

But I also recognize the finesse on display here. This game is super sleek in its visuals and the way it communicates to the player, generally speaking.
There is a ton of polish on display.
 
Last edited:

Polygonal_Sprite

Gold Member

I really hate Jim's takes sometimes... Feel like he literally lowered the score (of his review) because of the credits controversy.
Of course he did. He did the same with Zelda which along with another review made the metacritic drop from a 98 to a 97. It’s all about attention for Jim.
 

Deerock71

Member

I really hate Jim's takes sometimes... Feel like he literally lowered the score (of his review) because of the credits controversy.
Did not give him the satisfaction of the click. I am glad to see that he only temporarily lowered the score to 94; it's back up to 95 now. If he browses through here YOU'RE A DUDE WITH MENTAL ISSUES, FAT(TER) ELTON!!!
 

Patrick S.

Banned
Lol I preordered this on amazon Germany for €39.99, and a few days after launch they even refunded me €1.99 because of some "best price guarantee". Now, a week after launch, the game is €70 on amazon... what's going on there?
 

Ceadeus

Member
Lol I preordered this on amazon Germany for €39.99, and a few days after launch they even refunded me €1.99 because of some "best price guarantee". Now, a week after launch, the game is €70 on amazon... what's going on there?
Scalpers rising the price
 
Last edited:

Patrick S.

Banned
Scalpers rising the price
Heh, you're right... just rechecked, and it isn't Amazon themselves who are selling the game at that price, but a third party seller. In fact, I recognize that seller as one of the sellers who had the most absurdly high prices for graphics cards during the "GPU dark ages" of the last years... Greedy assholes, man :(
 
Last edited:

diffusionx

Gold Member
I'm nearly done with this, I never played through it, just a little bit in Dolphin a few years ago. I just finished the artifact hunt, I missed a lot of items (but I tried...). I would probably give it a 8.5-9/10. The environments and world design are astounding, even today, the first person platforming is still probably the best in vidya, and the map is the best one I have ever seen in a game. The environmental storytelling is still top-tier. Yet I really do not like the combat, especially when you get to the mines. I think the beam switching stuff is dreadful, actually. I also think the visors are mostly underused. That's enough to ding the game a full point.

That said if they come out with MP2 Remastered it's a moment one purchase for me.
 

ADiTAR

ידע זה כוח
I think the beam switching stuff is dreadful, actually. I also think the visors are mostly underused.
The beam switching was better on the GC controller, I think it was made with the yellow joystick. It felt more natural.

I do hope they figure something fresh for combat. I wouldn't even mind if there's no combat at all, just sorta survival and puzzles and bosses.
 

Astral Dog

Member
The beam switching was better on the GC controller, I think it was made with the yellow joystick. It felt more natural.

I do hope they figure something fresh for combat. I wouldn't even mind if there's no combat at all, just sorta survival and puzzles and bosses.
The combat in Metroid Prime is dreadful

However i don't agree that there should be only puzzles since action is supposed to be a big part of Metroid, essential
according to Yoshio Sakamoto. Its as if you removed any combat from Zelda

If i remember well(it has been many years since i played them) ,both Prime 2 and Prime 3 are a noticeable improvment in terms of pacing and action setpieces, and that should be true as well for Prime 4, Metroid has good porential for interesting shooting mechanics and go beyond what Prime 1 offered

But im not worried for Prime 4 i believe they will find a nice balance 👍
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
the first person platforming is still probably the best in vidya
Yeah. I'm old enough to have tried some of the earlier experiments in first-person platforming, and they were invariably awful. But Metroid Prime nailed that so perfectly, it's unreal. The pure joy of moving around in the game is unparalleled. I hate the quick, obsessive respawning of enemies so much more because it means I have to stop jumping around to get rid of the same pirate for the 80th time.
 

cireza

Banned
Completed the game tonight, such a classic. The work achieved by Retro Studios on this port is unprecedented on the console. People are impressed by TotK ? Well great for you, I am blown away by what they achieved here on Prime Remastered.

You can clearly see that the game is not running on whatever popular, generic engine that wastes resources. The presentation is rarely seen at such level on Switch. The game seems to be pretty high resolution (not far from 1080p I would guess), the picture is much cleaner than usual. The framerate is 60fps and never drops a frame, it is super smooth. And visual quality is excellent, with fantastic textures and lightning. It feels unreal for the console, but that's probably because it isn't running on Unreal to begin with (Link's Awakening anyone ?).

I think that his is a good reminder of how purpose built engines will always be better than generic, resources wasting engines that "simplify things". Metroid Dread was also very clean and very smooth, but Prime impressed me more because the texture and lighting work is simply excellent.

My only complain would be about the visors and in the water : way too much blur added. It was unnecessary. Makes it super hard to see.

I wonder if they will put the Fusion Suit, which was a pretty neat bonus of the original game. I am not a big fan of remakes, but I have to say that this one is really worth playing. I also prefer Echoes to Prime (which gets a bit tedious in the end, especially with all these annoying metroids everywhere), so I hope it will get the same treatment.
 
Last edited:
Prime was one of my all time favorites back in the day. Strangely, my playthrough of it again doesn't have the same magic it did for me in 2004. I had forgotten almost everything about the game so it's not a matter of being too familiar.

It's just that the playthrough hasn't been smooth. I juggle too many games today whereas back then I used to focus on playing one game at a time. This has hurt the pacing for MS, I think, because I'm lost half the time. The combat isn't as good as I remembered. The enemies aren't as cool as I thought.

Still think it's a damn good game but back then it was a revelation. People had been dreaming of a 3d metroid and this came out and was better than expectation. Also, the graphics and sound back in 2004 were mind blowing.

I hope they release MP2 (and Mario galaxy 2) because I've never played either of them.
 

GigaBowser

The bear of bad news
It's still incredibubble but obviousy combats needs to be redood with new physics and AI in MP4 Dreads combats feels much better
 
The game still feels modern in 2023, which is a testament to the job Retro did waaay back in 2002. Not many games can claim to be so relevant and back that up, except for the true greats that are timeless.
 
Top Bottom