Okay, let's get this out of the way first: this is going to be long. As in, several paragraphs long. Any posts that just flame/troll at the length will be reported, but if you make a light-hearted joke and then contribute something meaningful, I'm fine with that. Now, onward!
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Metroid was released (in Japan) in 1986, and was loved by many for its fantastically executed dark atmosphere and marriage of Mario-esque platforming with Zelda-esque adventure and exploration. Fast-forward to the SNES, in 1994. Samus has had a very different adventure on the GameBoy that left fans clamouring for a game more true to the original. And boy did they get it.
Super Metroid did everything a sequel should: it added new weapons, new bosses, new gadgets, and a more compelling story, while upgrading the sound and visuals to take advantage of the new hardware. But through all of this, the designers never lost sight of the goal: make a Metroid game. Fans and critics alike went nuts, showering it with praise left, right and centre. SM often competes with Ocarina of Time for "best game eva" because, in both concept and execution, it was so nearly perfect; there was nothing about it that said, "why the heck didn't they put such-and-such in the game?" or "This style is so weird; it feels so awkward" or "This weapon is so stupid" (okay, so the charge combos are mostly useless, but you get the idea).
And then came Fusion.
Regardless of your opinion of this game, you've got to admit Nintendo's bravery in taking the series in such a radically different direction when the previous game, being so similar to the series' first, was adored so universally. Or, you could think of it as stupidity. In any case, Metroid Fusion threw out the Metroidvania paradigm of you're-all-alone-with-nobody-to-tell-you-where-to-go-here's-the-backstory-now-get-going in favour of a much greater focus on story and constant railroading toward the next goal. I honestly have no idea why they thought this would be better-received than another Metroidvania, but they made it. Again, people flipped out. This time, however, the reaction was the opposite. Sure, lots of people accepted the game for what it was and were able to enjoy it on its own merits, but a huge portion of the fanbase refused to play a sequel whose style was the opposite of the original's in so many ways.
Enter Retro Studios. These people were tasked to make a game whose target audience had been severely polarized with the recent release of a game that went off at right-angles to the series' previous direction. They had to make a choice: should they fall back on the original paradigm and risk alienating all the people who picked up Fusion because it was different but didn't like the previous games? Or should they continue the new trend and hope that the people who have been with the series from the beginning will be won over? Either way, it looked like they were going to lose a lot of potential customers. What did they chose? I'll get back to that in a minute.
The original Metroid paradigm has three important aspects. One: you are alone, and the atmosphere is richly dark. Two: the story takes a backseat to the gameplay. Three: the world layout is non-linear and you are never told where your next goal is. SM kept completely loyal to the first and third, while slightly tweaking the second in a way with which nobody took issue. Fusion keeps the first but moves as far as possible in the opposite direction from the second and third.
(tl;dr of the previous paragraph: In both games you are alone. In SM the gameplay is all about exploration and the story takes a backseat. In Fusion you are always told where your next goal is and the story takes the spotlight.)
The genii at Retro had to decide: exploration, or direction? A story that's simple and stays out of the way, or a rich one that greatly enhances the experience? The phrase "best of both worlds" is heard a lot, but in this case it's genuinely applicable: Metroid Prime has a hint system that always tells you where your next goal is, but you can completely turn it off with one change in the settings. And the story is explained through fragments of Chozo Lore and Space Pirate mission logs, but you don't have to read them if you don't want to. In short, this game is a rare case of actually taking the benefits of both sides without the drawbacks of either. If you love your Metroidvania, turn the hint system off and ignore all the lore and log scans. But if you prefer Fusion's style, no problem: leave hints on and track down every last scrap of text in the game. Prime was flexible enough to deliver whatever kind of Metroid experience the player wanted. It even allowed people like me, who loved the exploration of the classics but also the rich story of Fusion, to mix and match.
Look, there's no denying that Super Metroid was a masterpiece. It added new content to the series while staying true to its roots, and also keeping up with the advances in hardware. But Prime did all that and more. It added more new toys, more new bosses, and not only more pixels, but more dimensions. It proved that a first-person game doesn't have to be a shooter. And it allowed people to enjoy an authentic classic Metroid experience, an authentic Fusion experience, or any combination of factors in between. And for offering that flexibility, that choice, Metroid Prime gets my vote for best game of the series.
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Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Something I missed? Anything not against the code of conduct is appreciated.
P.S. The action on Nintendo's part to address the blight that is Other M that would gain them the most respect from me would be to straight-up admit their mistake and declare the game non-canon. Actually, scratch that. The very best way would be to straight-up admit their mistake and canonically remove the game from the continuity, a la <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/the-big-picture/2501-The-Devil-Mr-Parker>Marvel's undoing Peter Parker and Mary Jane getting married
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Metroid was released (in Japan) in 1986, and was loved by many for its fantastically executed dark atmosphere and marriage of Mario-esque platforming with Zelda-esque adventure and exploration. Fast-forward to the SNES, in 1994. Samus has had a very different adventure on the GameBoy that left fans clamouring for a game more true to the original. And boy did they get it.
Super Metroid did everything a sequel should: it added new weapons, new bosses, new gadgets, and a more compelling story, while upgrading the sound and visuals to take advantage of the new hardware. But through all of this, the designers never lost sight of the goal: make a Metroid game. Fans and critics alike went nuts, showering it with praise left, right and centre. SM often competes with Ocarina of Time for "best game eva" because, in both concept and execution, it was so nearly perfect; there was nothing about it that said, "why the heck didn't they put such-and-such in the game?" or "This style is so weird; it feels so awkward" or "This weapon is so stupid" (okay, so the charge combos are mostly useless, but you get the idea).
And then came Fusion.
Regardless of your opinion of this game, you've got to admit Nintendo's bravery in taking the series in such a radically different direction when the previous game, being so similar to the series' first, was adored so universally. Or, you could think of it as stupidity. In any case, Metroid Fusion threw out the Metroidvania paradigm of you're-all-alone-with-nobody-to-tell-you-where-to-go-here's-the-backstory-now-get-going in favour of a much greater focus on story and constant railroading toward the next goal. I honestly have no idea why they thought this would be better-received than another Metroidvania, but they made it. Again, people flipped out. This time, however, the reaction was the opposite. Sure, lots of people accepted the game for what it was and were able to enjoy it on its own merits, but a huge portion of the fanbase refused to play a sequel whose style was the opposite of the original's in so many ways.
Enter Retro Studios. These people were tasked to make a game whose target audience had been severely polarized with the recent release of a game that went off at right-angles to the series' previous direction. They had to make a choice: should they fall back on the original paradigm and risk alienating all the people who picked up Fusion because it was different but didn't like the previous games? Or should they continue the new trend and hope that the people who have been with the series from the beginning will be won over? Either way, it looked like they were going to lose a lot of potential customers. What did they chose? I'll get back to that in a minute.
The original Metroid paradigm has three important aspects. One: you are alone, and the atmosphere is richly dark. Two: the story takes a backseat to the gameplay. Three: the world layout is non-linear and you are never told where your next goal is. SM kept completely loyal to the first and third, while slightly tweaking the second in a way with which nobody took issue. Fusion keeps the first but moves as far as possible in the opposite direction from the second and third.
(tl;dr of the previous paragraph: In both games you are alone. In SM the gameplay is all about exploration and the story takes a backseat. In Fusion you are always told where your next goal is and the story takes the spotlight.)
The genii at Retro had to decide: exploration, or direction? A story that's simple and stays out of the way, or a rich one that greatly enhances the experience? The phrase "best of both worlds" is heard a lot, but in this case it's genuinely applicable: Metroid Prime has a hint system that always tells you where your next goal is, but you can completely turn it off with one change in the settings. And the story is explained through fragments of Chozo Lore and Space Pirate mission logs, but you don't have to read them if you don't want to. In short, this game is a rare case of actually taking the benefits of both sides without the drawbacks of either. If you love your Metroidvania, turn the hint system off and ignore all the lore and log scans. But if you prefer Fusion's style, no problem: leave hints on and track down every last scrap of text in the game. Prime was flexible enough to deliver whatever kind of Metroid experience the player wanted. It even allowed people like me, who loved the exploration of the classics but also the rich story of Fusion, to mix and match.
Look, there's no denying that Super Metroid was a masterpiece. It added new content to the series while staying true to its roots, and also keeping up with the advances in hardware. But Prime did all that and more. It added more new toys, more new bosses, and not only more pixels, but more dimensions. It proved that a first-person game doesn't have to be a shooter. And it allowed people to enjoy an authentic classic Metroid experience, an authentic Fusion experience, or any combination of factors in between. And for offering that flexibility, that choice, Metroid Prime gets my vote for best game of the series.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Something I missed? Anything not against the code of conduct is appreciated.
P.S. The action on Nintendo's part to address the blight that is Other M that would gain them the most respect from me would be to straight-up admit their mistake and declare the game non-canon. Actually, scratch that. The very best way would be to straight-up admit their mistake and canonically remove the game from the continuity, a la <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/the-big-picture/2501-The-Devil-Mr-Parker>Marvel's undoing Peter Parker and Mary Jane getting married
