Retro|Spective 024: Metroid

[Neon Ignition]

Game 04 - Metroid Fusion
Years passed and eventually the fourth entry escaped the studios at Nintendo, returning the series to handheld in a new traditional 2D adventure but this time in a much more faithful form. The game was highly praised for its gameplay, sound and the overal quality with which it managed to follow up Super Metroid within the limitations of a handheld form. Infected and partially fused with her suit, Samus has to fight a parasitic creature called the SA-X.





Were you en-fused by Fusion or was it not quite the worthy continuation of Super Metroid you had hoped for?

[Dogg Thang]

Fusion is enjoyable. It looks pretty great on the GBA and the atmosphere is really good. But it constantly tells you where to go and blocks areas off as you play which makes it feel way too restrictive and nowhere near as rewarding because you discover pretty much nowhere yourself. I love the chunky suit though. Some of the design is superb.

[Neon Ignition]

Fusion is the first entry I completed and I remember enjoying the whole game and that hand holding would make sense as to why. The thing that watered it down for fans likely made it easier to get into the game which was nice as my eye had only been drawn to this one as a side product of the previews for Prime. I've never really felt a compulsion to replay Metroid games, either they're too frustrating or once finished they don't leave a desire to replay but I definitely have a fond memory of Fusion.

[nakamura]

Finished Samus Returns. 7/10 for me. Good game but too much frustration in combat. Samey locations too. But good exploration, sound. It's a nice game.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 05 - Metroid Prime
Nintendo had just moved through its era of transitioning from 2D to 3D and the question of how to make that shift for Metroid had been hanging ever since the first discussion of the Nintendo 64 project had been doing the rounds. Eventually Retro Studios would step in and answer the question by side-stepping reproducing the 2D experience as is and instead placing you literally into the role of Samus via first person. The structure remained the same, prioritising exploration over firefights. With the games UI recreated via the in suit display complete with moments of Samus' reflection in explosions, the game was a stunning transition for the series with events from the trilogy is spawned fitting around Metroid 1-3.




How significant a shift did you find Metroid Prime to be and was it the kind you had wanted?

[nakamura]

I didn't play Prime for some time as didn't have a Cube but it's generally magnificent.

The second game can get in the sea though.

[Neon Ignition]

I remember being ticked off by the final boss of Prime but broadly the game was just an amazing adaptation of the concept and despite being praised and getting sequels it's remained a shame that it never was as big as it should have been. It was always a bit eye rolling how it was pitched by magazines as Nintendo's Halo answer which didn't fit as it's not an FPS but even if you did push aside that I'd stack this as the better and more impressive title from a single player standpoint. For me it's still the crown jewel in the entries I've played.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I can generally appreciate the excellence of the Prime Trilogy but, tbh, the concept of Metroid in the first person has never really quite clicked with me. I still much prefer the 2D Metroid games.

That said, it has been AGES since I played through MPT on the Wii. Would dust it off again but surely there'll be a Switch remastering/re-release? The rumours about it coming out in the run-up to Prime 4 persist to this day.

[Dogg Thang]

I never finished Prime. The final boss was tough, which I probably could have dealt with had it not made you repeat a slog of a journey to get to the boss each time. So I think I only even tried it two or three times. But I enjoyed it up to that point. The atmosphere is great and the locations are lovely. Scanning was total padding but I can forgive that. It played well. I replayed a good chunk of it fairly recently and enjoyed it again, although it didn’t hold me to the end.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 06 - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Arriving just two years after the previous entry, the second Prime title increased the difficulty and set Samus on mission with a light and dark dynamic at play. The addition of a multiplayer was made but this element was less well received though the game was able to add some moves that hadn't made it into the previous game due to time contraints such as the screw attack.




Was Prime 2 a worthy follow up to the previous game or did it squander an opportunity to make Metroid a cornerstone of Nintendo's popular IPs?

[Dogg Thang]

I only played about an hour of it so I can't really comment much on the game itself. Not sure I remember much about that either.

[Neon Ignition]

After the back end and boss of Prime 1 it took just the reputation Prime 2 has for its difficulty to stop me in my traclks. I did own it for a while but it became one of those games that just sat on my shelf for ages. To this day I haven't gone through it.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 07 - Metroid Prime Pinball
A sign really of how notable the Prime sub-series had become, that it carried the name recognition into one of Nintendo's odd fixation on branded pinball games in this era. Adding moves like wall jumping and weapon firing to basic pinball mechanics, this game was spawned from an attempt to follow up on Mario Pinball Land with the logic being Samus can curl into a ball, ergo...



As the series first real attempt at making a spin-off tie-in title, was this a success?

[Dogg Thang]

I quite enjoy Metroid Prime Pinball. It reminds me of Pinball of the Dead more than any other pinball game and it pushes things a little further into non-pinball stuff, with little minigame type sequences like having to blast the enemies or do the wall jump thing. I prefer the more regular pinball stuff in it. It feels quite meaty for one of these types of games though so that's good. It's pretty good.

[wakka]

I haven't played it but I'd like to. I actually might sit down and do a full on tour through the pinball spinoffs of the early 2000s. Pokémon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire is obviously an unimpeachable classic, but I'm not familiar with Metroid Pinball or Pinball of the Dead at all.