Slashdot Mirror
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Launches
The sequel to Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes has been released to consumers. Details on the sequel can be found via a Gamespy hands on look or a Gamespot review. A snip from the review: "If you've played Metroid Prime, you've essentially played Metroid Prime 2. Retro hasn't mucked with the original, winning formula, so veterans of the first game will feel quite at home resuming their position behind Samus' computer-enhanced visor."
Still no JUSTIN BAILEY leotard code? Dissappointing.
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WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
Why is it in every review they make the point to emphasize "this is not full of revolutionary new gameplay"? If I get a Metroid game, I don't want revolutionary new gameplay: I want Metroid. Metroid Prime was good despite the new 3D stuff, because it was still essentially Metroid.
What we should be asking is "is this game a new Metroid game with good story, level design, secrets, etc.", and it sounds like it is. After all, the first thing we asked about MP1 was not "does this have revolutionary new gameplay", rather "is this still the Metroid we love?"
Anyhow, point made. I hope this one has more secrets and stuff than the last. Sounds like it does, but that's one of the few things I thought the original (Prime) lacked.
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
Somehow, I'm guessing you don't really mean that.
Don't blame me, I voted for Durga.
With HL2, Halo 2, MP:2, and DooM3 (for us people who are lazy to buy games now) to name a few, this shall be a very nice holiday. Wooty. I still have to get Ace Combat 5. And The Minish Cap. And a bajillion other games.
"Isn't rooting for a big, monopolistic company thats against free software kind of anti-slashdot?"
Making a game like this for free is just not feasible. Games are often far too complex and involve too much maintenance and work to be free. It also takes a lot more than just programmers to put together a good game by today's standards. There are some free games out there that are very good such as (ie. America's Army, Nethack, Wolfenstein Enemy Territory) however it is just not possible to expect all games to be free software.
Metroid is NOT about the graphics, or the innovative new ways to play it... Metroid is about the story, mainly.
The philosophy behind this is really "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." The original MP engine worked wonderfully. It is visually impressive, even now, a few years later. Just add a few minor enhancements, and leave it. Concentrate most development on the multiplayer execution and the heart of every Metroid game - the story.
"Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you."
I'm looking forward to the DS game more (already out I believe). Multiplayer!
This new GC game also has multiplayer, though I think limited to 4 players on a single TV instead of the DS short-range wireless connection. The upside of the GC one is that only one system is needed, whereas you have to know others with a DS to play that one multiplayer.
And the DS one is not out yet. There's a demo of it that comes with the DS, which will be released on Nov 21, which seems to be a Sunday for some reason.
Honor Among Slackers. A veri
Metroid Prime is one of those rare games that got pretty much everything right. The only thing missing was a more engrossing story, as that might draw you into the experience a little bit more, but that was minor. If Echoes is more of the same, then that's fine by me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But...there are notable changes such as the light/dark worlds and light/dark weapons, the echo and dark visors.
looks to me like the good folks at gamespot have a case of "halo fanboy-ism"
they honestly do not point out ONE flaw worthy of crippling this game a whopping 0.9 from the sheer perfection it is. Show me a more beautiful game, and i will weep.
"If it isn't broken, don't fix it."
How about "if it isn't broken, make a sequel?"
Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.
Not everyone is a zealot. I choose to use Microsoft products as well. In fact, they are even viable options for deployment. If the product is good, then its good. Its just software so don't let idology blind you.
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
What about something completely new?
All ive seen in the last couple of months is sequels:
Half-life 2, Halo 2, GTA:SA, Everquest 2 etc...
How about "if it isn't broken, make a sequel?"
Based on this, one could surmise you would have told Tolkien to stop writing after the Hobbit came out, because that was a darn good story, and he would just ruin it by writing anything else? There's nothing inherently wrong with a sequel if it is well done and enjoyable. While crappy sequels tarnish a reputation; I fail to see how quality, crafted sequels do anything but provide enjoyment (and strengthen a franchise).
Actually, it seems like Retro Studios is being treated pretty well, there aren't reports of people there getting laid off, and in fact Nintendo keeps asking them to make more games. Meanwhile some of the games they've made-- MP:Hunters and the original Metroid Prime itself come to mind-- have been uncommonly creative.
Whatever they're doing with this one game, it doesn't seem like this one dev house is going with the depressing flow of the rest of the industry in general. So with all they've done, shouldn't Retro get the license to create a game just to make people happy and make some money once in a while?
Meanwhile, I for one am glad they did what they did with MP2. The original MP just felt too unrefined, and the setting was too familiar (Oh gee.. I'm fighting Ridley... again...) for me to really get anything out of it. I rented it once and couldn't be bothered to go back to it, it just wasn't worth it too me. But I'm really looking forward to MP2 because from what I heard they were able to take the formula they experimented with in MP1, refine it to perfection, and put it in a much more interesting setting. This, I want to play.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
s o m e - 1 s e t - u p
:)
u s - t h e B 0 M B 1 1
That works too
No, seriously. Just make sure the 0 in bomb is a zero, not an O.
So, does anyone know where the name justin bailey came from? Ive heard things from "its someone to nintendo" all the way to "Just In Bailey" and a bailey is a bathingsuit (is it?)
no
resuming their position behind Samus
I'm sorry, but that just puts all sorts of naughty ideas into my head!
I look at all the people, including me, who would like a side scroller with outstanding graphics - which could be done quite easily, and I don't see it happening.
Did companies either...
a - decided that side scrollers aren't popular enough, or
b - decided that its easier to basically copy the computer industries years of work?
Sorry for the ran, but i'd just like to see a super graphical mario brothers, or better yet, Metroid. The real metroid - the first one. After they turned it into 3d blasphemy they should have renamed it.
They are not anti free software. They are anti piracy. They will fight roms with tooth and nails, because those are simply stealing their most valuable asset: games.
Well, the planet was the second level, and there were only two levels, and the first was very, very short. So, if you didn't finish the game, I'm not suprised you didn't make it past the second level, and the first planet level. And, frankly, yeah, it's not by any means an original game. If you own a N64 or a GameCube, you've played the 3D-Nintendo platformer before.
However, Metroid Prime is probably the best expression of its game type so far. Complex world, totall genius power ups, coolest boss monsters, sweet graphics effects. If you care for the genre at all, you probably love Metroid Prime.
Now, I grant that it's not as cool as Pac Man. Although, your flash game isn't nearly as cool as Pac Man either. And though I've never before played "dungeon dice" (whatever the fuck that is), after trying it a few times I can easily imagine why a shot of tequila would make it more bearable.
So, does anyone know where the name justin bailey came from?
Yeah, I already explained this above.
The password itself "fits" exactly into the Metroid password system -- it's not recognized and treated differently in any way. Unless they specifically engineered the password system around this password (while at the same time taking the easy approach by hard-coding the NARPASSWORD password), it's completely spurious.
I'll bet used copies of Prime will be easy to come by.
AFAIK, it's part of the Player's Choice lineup now, which means even a new copy should only be $19.99+tax at most. No reason to get it used, really, unless it's only $5 or something.
Wow, so it wasn't enough that they ruined one of my favourite game series by turning it into a crappy FPS, but they did nothing to rectify their transgressions in the sequel?
I thought Metroid Prime did a wonderful job of translating everything I loved about the original game into 3D. Even my initial reservations about the first-person format were dispelled. I'm no fan of FPS games, but then MP isn't really a FPS. Indeed, I basically bought the GC for Metroid Prime, and found it well worth the cost. And for 2D purists, Nintendo is still turning out Metroid titles for GameBoy.
Just two words...
SCREW ATTACK!
YES YES YES!
It has made it's way into Metroid Prime 2!!!
I loved the first one, and literally went without sleep for days playing it, even replaying it on hard!
My only real complaint was the lack of Screw Attack! And it's in there now!!!!!
"Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"
Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
Metroid is NOT about the graphics, or the innovative new ways to play it... Metroid is about the story, mainly.
What Metroid games have you played? I am a fan of the series, but I admit that the storyline is often window dressing.
It's not bad, and it's not as sparse or empty as Doom 3, but it's still just a framework around which the game is made. It's not like it's Deus Ex.
Yes, Metroid Prime offered an immersive atmosphere where you could get bits and pieces of information about the history of the game setting, but all of that was extraneous and optional rather than an integral part of the gameplay.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
I've been reading the comments posted before this one, and I have to agree with a few in that the tag line left behind my gamespot puts a negative slant on the game. At the same time, I've read the complaints that others have posted about how this is just an incremental update; and I don't disagree with that claim either. The way I look at it, however, is that at least when I go to drop $60 (that's Canadian $) on the game, I'm not going to be overly disappointed. I really loved the first game, and I'd be kinda P.O.'ed if the game was way different than the original.
It's the same when playing something like Half-Life 2; while I agree the game is big, and has a lot of hype behind it, it's still a continuation of the gameplay in the original game. The difference between Metroid Prime and Half Life, is that one had a longer development time than the other, so you're going to see more changes on the technical level.
I guess it doesn't matter what the reason is why you like or don't like the game, it's how much fun you have with it, and how much you're willing to invest in future releases. The people who like the series will most likely buy the game. Those that don't, obviously won't. I really can't see why people have to complain about something they're not going to play or bother with.
I can't spell ripburger
Metroid is about the story, mainly.
My memory doesn't always serve me well, but Metroid Prime is the first Metroid game where I could sense anything like an appreciable storyline. What strike me as the Metroid series' most representative qualities would be its atmosphere of alienness and the frequently exhilarating feeling of exploration and discovery. The subdued soundtrack and near lack of verbal cues in the original Metroid lent the game a kind of elegance and abstraction that perfectly fit its alien setting. I think later games like Metroid Fusion, while still great fun, lost a little by grafting more overt storytelling elements onto the game. (As I mentioned, though, maybe my memory's not so good and I'm just idealizing the best parts of the earlier games.)
More generally (and this is not addressed to the parent post), I'm not sure why some gamers insist on the primacy of storytelling in games. In some cases, like the old Infocom games or brilliant RPGs like Planescape: Torment, a plot is indispensable, but there are games like Doom or Defender, in which the story is understood to be completely irrelevant. And then you have games like Go or Checkers, for which a story would be meaningless.
According to NintendoDS.com: "multiple players can play multiplayer games using just one Nintendo DS game card." Even with GBA there are single-pak modes for many multiplayer gamepaks.
Not since Marie-Antoinette played milkmaid has looking simple and honest been so fake and complicated.
MP: Hunters is being developed by NST (Nintendo Software Technology Corp.), not Retro. For reference, they also developed 1080: Avalanche and Wave Race: Blue Storm.
Because:
-This is not an incremental upgrade. They redid the entire world, reusing only the engine.
-They do not release Mario 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, etc. There are a lot of sequels, yes, but not every year, and each is CLEARLY different. Madden, FIFA and all EA Sports is just the same, with different roosters. Face it.
-Nintendo doesn't buy good companies and make them release shit (see the ultima games and a LOT of other examples).
EA is all evil in the industry. I stealed the following lines
from a post in penny-arcade.
1) Release their sports lineup each year with only slight improvements and still charge $50
2) Buy great developers and turn them into crap
3) Buy every license they can and churn out cookie cutter games
4) Work their employees 70 hours a week with no compensation
5) Ignore the Dreamcast completely (While supporting the n-gage. Explain that.)
6) Brainwash the masses into thinking their products are actually good.
--
Wiki de Ciencia Ficcion y Fantasia
"multiple players can play multiplayer games using just one Nintendo DS game card."
Everything I have read about this says the DS is capable of allowing multiple people to play with a single game card but it's up to the developer as to whether or not they want to allow it. So I'd wait before I get too excited about this aspect.
Heh. I actually modified my scheme in Timesplitters 2 to be *more like* the scheme in Metroid Prime. I've played a lot of PC FPSs, and a few on consoles (Halo, for example), and can handle the controls, but Metroid Prime is the only (technically) FPS I can think of where it feels like the controls are an asset, not another challenge to overcome. I prefer puzzles to shooting, and I really appreciated being able to let the FPS aspects take a back seat, thanks to the targetting system and the rather natural jumps. Yeah, there should have been a way to lower the angle of view for jumps, and your feet should have been visible... but otherwise, there was a smooth arc that is missing from so many FPS jumps...
-- Still waiting for the Nike endorsement
Prime contained a lot of ways to do things out of order to the point where it was possible to finish the game in a little over an hour (impressive given the fact that it's designed to be done in 7-15 or so). But then someone between them and the Nintendo higher-ups (I'd like to think it was Nintendo) ordered as many of these to be removed as possible in later (PAL, Japanese, NA Player's Choice) versions- for example, in the original it was possible to get to the Plasma beam room without the Spider Ball or the Grappling beam, but in the Player's Choice version there was a lock placed on the door to the room that went away when you got the grappling beam. I'm surprised you didn't get a picture of a middle finger when you scanned the thing.
Hopefully over time people will discover as many ways to sequence-break Prime 2 as they did Prime 1. At the very least it won't be as bad as Fusion in this regard.
Like many other posters, I was utterly appalled when I heard Prime would be a FPS. It didn't turn out to be, but it was very close. After seeing the reviews, I was prompted to play it. Once I reached Flaagra, I became a convert. As think was officially added into the standard FPS formula of point & shoot. The one thing I found missing, however, was the game still felt too linear to me, for something labelled Metroid. I noticed Fusion had the same problem. The key powerups must be found in a set order. In my opinion, the most alluring part of any of the previos Metroid games was the ability to do things in pretty much any order (assuming you had the skill to do so). As long as you started with the morphball, bombs, and a pack of missles and finished with Mother Brain/Metroid Queen. I think Nintendo was picking up on fon feedback when making Zero Mission. Sequence breaking was back in, as well as the addition of alternate goals (eg: finish with less than 15% of the pickups). And it was only through sequence breaking that one could achieve the goal of 100% of pickups in under 2 hours play time. Any how I'm starting to go off topic here. My point is that although Prime was the First Metroid game to allow one to change the difficulty rating, this does not offer the same replayability as sequence breaking which is what made the open concept of (Super) Metroid so interesting. In short, had Metroid Prime 2 been a repackaging of Metroid Prime with the same weapons, bosses, etc. and the only new component being sequence breaking, I would be pleased.
Laziness is a virtue, anyone who bothers to tell you otherwise, is clearly lacking it.
...I played the original Metroid on the NES...and I loved it...along with Ikarus...Zelda...Ice Breaker was great too ;-) Maybe I should get a console again :-)
Methinks they played the game so ferociously because they couldn't find their way out of the room with the TV, and nobody checked on them for 3 weeks.