Metroid Prime Symbolism! Phazon explained

[Overusedname]

Was the title pretentious enough for ya?

Well, my Zelda analysis was enjoyed, and the minecraft video kind of EXPLODED, and I get great advice and feedback every time.

People on this forum have been concerned about feminism, and the community is always pondering the amount of violence in games. Well, here we have a strong female protagonist and a BLATANT anti-violence message. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. I take a look at what Phazon represents, and analyze the personalities of the mercenaries.

The Review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osifIEUCvLo&feature=youtu.be


Any feedback and support is always appreciated, thanks ya'll.

--------
EDIT:

Update video for those who care. Just wanna keep peeps informed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDDf6G3iUZs

 

[Coolshark]

I'm lovin' this show bro. I suddenly feel the desperate need to play Corruption. I'm not a big FPS player, but man...this looks amazing. And I love the character analysis here. I'd love to see more commentary on Other M, btw. We have similar feelings. I was expecting an awesome retro revival and then...yeah.

We don't speak of the dark times.

 

[Coolshark]

I just watched the endgame 'cinematic' of your review like 3 times. XD It's gorgeous. I'd recommend more segments like this. Not gonna spoil it for other peeps but...wow.

I never would have thought of things like this. but it makes a lot of sense. The way the characters all lost their minds...it's pretty thought provoking, really. This is a pretty damn dark game. Do you think it's an anti-war message?

 

[King of Asgaard]

Just as good as the Minecraft episode.
Even though I haven't played Metroid Prime 3 (or any of them) I still enjoyed your analysis of it.
Well done, keep it up.

 

[Overusedname]

I just watched the endgame 'cinematic' of your review like 3 times. XD It's gorgeous. I'd recommend more segments like this. Not gonna spoil it for other peeps but...wow.

I never would have thought of things like this. but it makes a lot of sense. The way the characters all lost their minds...it's pretty thought provoking, really. This is a pretty damn dark game. Do you think it's an anti-war message?

Thanks dude~ I worked a whole minute and a half on those drawings.

I think it's just anti-violence in general. It talks about the reasons behind war and violence on both a small and a grand scale, and given the Federation's arm race subplot, I'd say there's some weight to the anti-war theory.

I think it's more about the danger of violence on a smaller scale, personally. Fighting the violence within is the main theme, with the rest of the world being a side note.

Just as good as the Minecraft episode.
Even though I haven't played Metroid Prime 3 (or any of them) I still enjoyed your analysis of it.
Well done, keep it up.

I'm glad you enjoyed! And the fact that you liked it without even having played the game is a good sign. :3 Thanks dude.

 

[Bato]

I like the cut of your jib, guy.
I am going to have to go back and watch all your other stuff.
Keep on, man.

 

[Overusedname]

I like the cut of your jib, guy.
I am going to have to go back and watch all your other stuff.
Keep on, man.

Thank ye. Hope ya enjoy them.

 

[Coolshark]

When I look at phazon, I kinda see a comment on the oil crisis too, like how people go to war over it and such. Does that theory hold any weight? You said it was akso used as fuel sooo...

 

[Hydro14]

Firstly, a suggestion: I know it has been mentioned in the past that you could do with breaking your videos down into sections to keep the length down and that you've disagreed; I would however reccommend that you split the video into a section purely on analysis of the source material, and a supplemental feature that outlines the narrative and lore associated with the source material for those who have not experienced it. I say that because the first 10 minutes of the video were redundant to me as someone who's already played the game and made note of all the features that you drew attention to, but had no way to skip to the analysis and the material that interested me.

Secondly, would I be right in assuming that your style of presentation has been influenced heavily by Jim Sterling? I ask because the effect on the viewer is very much the same: the style first comes across as abrasive an irritating until the viewer realises that it's aware self-parody.

Lastly: a few points I would like to raise with the actual analysis (and I've posted them here rather than the Youtube comments because, well, you know what Youtube comments sections turn into when someone voices a dissenting opinion):

1) You talk about Samus' victory over her phazon-spawned doppleganger as being symbolic of conquering her own violent nature. So she conquers her violent nature by blowing it to bits? This seems to be a conflicting message, and I understand the argument that video games use violence as the most easily communicable exercise of agency but still can't help but get the feeling you may be barking up the wrong tree. With that in mind, I would present an alternative interpretation. The Metroid Prime consistently takes the most destructive form known: it starts off with the form of a mutated metroid, the ultimate predator in the galaxy. After the first encounter with Samus in the Impact Crater where it serves as the guardian of the Tallon V leviathan, it takes the form of Dark Samus as Samus is now the most destructive being it knows of.

On Ether, the Metroid Prime undergoes a period of experimentation, testing its new form against Samus and being defeated repeatedly. It adjusts its body like a video gamer adjusting a character build, resorting to more and more Phazon with each progressive encounter, before realising its mistake at the end of the game. It is no co-incidence that it has gone back to its original appearance as Dark Samus in 'Corruption,' once again becoming as similar as possible to the most destructive force it knows. My point: all this serves to illustrate the character of Samus: a warrior, a destroyer, a killer. I would also hazard that the Metroid Prime, by now the sentience behind Phazon, respects that. It takes her form; imitation being the sincerest form of flattery (also a theme with Gandrayda, though in her case I'd say it's oblivious and I would hazard a guess that envy is more of a motivation for her than scorn).

Significant also in the final sequence of 'Corruption' in my opinion is how Samus' gunship fails to recognise her after she is corrupted by the atmosphere of planet Phaaze. Building on the themes of the tragedy of warfare explored in your video, while at the same time rejecting the deconstruction suggesting that Samus' victory is a triumph over any violent instinct, this could aim to show that embracing violence changes who a person is at a very fundamental level. Furthermore, Samus cannot leave planet Phaaze until the battle is won, this could be taken to suggest that by choosing to pursue the path of violence, by taking the battle to the enemy's homeworld, Samus has exhausted all other possibilities for a solution: she can now only kill or be killed.

2) This point is sort of tangential: I know that you said you were purposefully avoiding making any direct comparisons to 'Other M,' but I'd like to take a few moments to talk about the theme of vulnerability, simply because 'Corruption' handles it so well. You've stated that out of the four hunters, Samus is the only one to resist the corruption by Phazon because she is the only one to master her violent instincts, the evidence in the source material suggests a different reason. Samus is the only one to wear a visor.

To elaborate, when the player first arrives on Bryyo they are able to scan the ice left by Rundas fighting the indigenous predators. At first it is just the normal aftermath of Rundas' battles, then as the player progresses they find evidence that Rundas has been using his PED more and more; until ultimately the ice is described as being saturated with Phazon. The player is forced to do the same as they advance, with more obstructions in their path that can only be cleared by the hyper beam. At that moment, the player gets their first taste of corrupt hypermode. There is no explanation of what is happenning, just a block of text on the screen: 'tap A to expel Phazon' That message is a lifeline; it is the only rationalisation the player or Samus has of what is happening, and in terms of the game narrative it makes sense to assume since it is on the HUD that it would be on Samus' visor. Neither of the other three hunters would have that. Based on this information it could easily be interpreted that Samus didn't survive where the other hunters failed because of some greater capability or sense of self or unwillingness to yield to violent instincts, but because of her Chozo tech power suit. In short, she survived by chance.

Expanding on the theme of vulnerability that this creates, we've got two more things to look at: the scene immediately after Samus disables the Mogenor, the guardian of the Bryyo leviathan, in which she throws up a large amount of Phazon; and the way that the game shows the reflection of Samus' increasingly corrupted face on the inside of her visor following a bright flash in a dark environment. These are indicative of the toll that the corruption is taking on her. To elaborate, this game is equal parts 3D puzzle platformer and first person shooter; threats in this game are supposed to be answered with a super-missile to the face or not at all. Phazon corruption is something that we can't fight as a player, and the way it's presented largely in cutscenes, with just enough gameplay reminders (corrupt hypermode, the aforementioned reflection) to ensure that it's never far from the player's mind, further emphasises this feeling of helplessness. Furthermore, each boss fight shows the Phazon growth in Samus' circulatory system getting larger, suggesting that not only are the player's actions not improving the situation, they're actively making it worse.


I hope this has at least provided food for thought if not fuel for debate. I'm not trying to hi-jack your thread here, just hoping for a mutual exchange of ideas. Eagerly awaiting your response.

 

[Overusedname]

Firstly, a suggestion: I know it has been mentioned in the past that you could do with breaking your videos down into sections to keep the length down and that you've disagreed; I would however reccommend that you split the video into a section purely on analysis of the source material, and a supplemental feature that outlines the narrative and lore associated with the source material for those who have not experienced it. I say that because the first 10 minutes of the video were redundant to me as someone who's already played the game and made note of all the features that you drew attention to, but had no way to skip to the analysis and the material that interested me.

Secondly, would I be right in assuming that your style of presentation has been influenced heavily by Jim Sterling? I ask because the effect on the viewer is very much the same: the style first comes across as abrasive an irritating until the viewer realises that it's aware self-parody.

Lastly: a few points I would like to raise with the actual analysis (and I've posted them here rather than the Youtube comments because, well, you know what Youtube comments sections turn into when someone voices a dissenting opinion):

1) You talk about Samus' victory over her phazon-spawned doppleganger as being symbolic of conquering her own violent nature. So she conquers her violent nature by blowing it to bits? This seems to be a conflicting message, and I understand the argument that video games use violence as the most easily communicable exercise of agency but still can't help but get the feeling you may be barking up the wrong tree. With that in mind, I would present an alternative interpretation. The Metroid Prime consistently takes the most destructive form known: it starts off with the form of a mutated metroid, the ultimate predator in the galaxy. After the first encounter with Samus in the Impact Crater where it serves as the guardian of the Tallon V leviathan, it takes the form of Dark Samus as Samus is now the most destructive being it knows of.

On Ether, the Metroid Prime undergoes a period of experimentation, testing its new form against Samus and being defeated repeatedly. It adjusts its body like a video gamer adjusting a character build, resorting to more and more Phazon with each progressive encounter, before realising its mistake at the end of the game. It is no co-incidence that it has gone back to its original appearance as Dark Samus in 'Corruption,' once again becoming as similar as possible to the most destructive force it knows. My point: all this serves to illustrate the character of Samus: a warrior, a destroyer, a killer. I would also hazard that the Metroid Prime, by now the sentience behind Phazon, respects that. It takes her form; imitation being the sincerest form of flattery (also a theme with Gandrayda, though in her case I'd say it's oblivious and I would hazard a guess that envy is more of a motivation for her than scorn).

Significant also in the final sequence of 'Corruption' in my opinion is how Samus' gunship fails to recognise her after she is corrupted by the atmosphere of planet Phaaze. Building on the themes of the tragedy of warfare explored in your video, while at the same time rejecting the deconstruction suggesting that Samus' victory is a triumph over any violent instinct, this could aim to show that embracing violence changes who a person is at a very fundamental level. Furthermore, Samus cannot leave planet Phaaze until the battle is won, this could be taken to suggest that by choosing to pursue the path of violence, by taking the battle to the enemy's homeworld, Samus has exhausted all other possibilities for a solution: she can now only kill or be killed.

2) This point is sort of tangential: I know that you said you were purposefully avoiding making any direct comparisons to 'Other M,' but I'd like to take a few moments to talk about the theme of vulnerability, simply because 'Corruption' handles it so well. You've stated that out of the four hunters, Samus is the only one to resist the corruption by Phazon because she is the only one to master her violent instincts, the evidence in the source material suggests a different reason. Samus is the only one to wear a visor.

To elaborate, when the player first arrives on Bryyo they are able to scan the ice left by Rundas fighting the indigenous predators. At first it is just the normal aftermath of Rundas' battles, then as the player progresses they find evidence that Rundas has been using his PED more and more; until ultimately the ice is described as being saturated with Phazon. The player is forced to do the same as they advance, with more obstructions in their path that can only be cleared by the hyper beam. At that moment, the player gets their first taste of corrupt hypermode. There is no explanation of what is happenning, just a block of text on the screen: 'tap A to expel Phazon' That message is a lifeline; it is the only rationalisation the player or Samus has of what is happening, and in terms of the game narrative it makes sense to assume since it is on the HUD that it would be on Samus' visor. Neither of the other three hunters would have that. Based on this information it could easily be interpreted that Samus didn't survive where the other hunters failed because of some greater capability or sense of self or unwillingness to yield to violent instincts, but because of her Chozo tech power suit. In short, she survived by chance.

Expanding on the theme of vulnerability that this creates, we've got two more things to look at: the scene immediately after Samus disables the Mogenor, the guardian of the Bryyo leviathan, in which she throws up a large amount of Phazon; and the way that the game shows the reflection of Samus' increasingly corrupted face on the inside of her visor following a bright flash in a dark environment. These are indicative of the toll that the corruption is taking on her. To elaborate, this game is equal parts 3D puzzle platformer and first person shooter; threats in this game are supposed to be answered with a super-missile to the face or not at all. Phazon corruption is something that we can't fight as a player, and the way it's presented largely in cutscenes, with just enough gameplay reminders (corrupt hypermode, the aforementioned reflection) to ensure that it's never far from the player's mind, further emphasises this feeling of helplessness. Furthermore, each boss fight shows the Phazon growth in Samus' circulatory system getting larger, suggesting that not only are the player's actions not improving the situation, they're actively making it worse.


I hope this has at least provided food for thought if not fuel for debate. I'm not trying to hi-jack your thread here, just hoping for a mutual exchange of ideas. Eagerly awaiting your response.

I love this comment, I have a counter, I'd love to discuss, but I'm out of town, on a smart phone, and I can't text for crap. When I'm back in town I shall respond proper

 

[TJC]

When I look at phazon, I kinda see a comment on the oil crisis too, like how people go to war over it and such. Does that theory hold any weight? You said it was akso used as fuel sooo...

Eh, I don't oil is an apt comparison but rather nuclear energy and even that doesn't really does it justice. Besides, they're not going to war over it but rather use it as weapon in war. It's pretty much everywhere so there's no shortage to actually justify fighting over it.


I've never had a chance to play Metroid Prime 3 since I've just now got a wii but I'm definitely going to hunt that disc down (c wut I did thar?) because of the high stardards the first two installments set. Thinking about it, the Galactic Federation really is a society filled with nothing but war-waging bastards despite having (if I assume correctly) enough resources to just not bother to.

If you think about the 2D games, Samus was ordered to exterminate Mother Brain and the Metroid but when Samus handed them the baby metroid, the first thing they did was clone and breed the shit out of it, a specimen of a barely controlable race that can only be described as sun-resisting super space vampires that can evolve into nigh-indestrucible monsters when they had enough to eat

When the X, the only natural enemy to metroids, were discovered, they sent the infected (seems like a recurring theme there) Samus in there to exterminate THEM but when the Galactic Federation realized that they could get hands on the X, a race that can only be described as quickly replicating, super space bodysnatchers that is able not only to clone Samus as a person but also the entirety of her weaponry (which, mind you, could blow up planets if applied correctly), the Federation wanted to pull Samus out because having access to several mindless killing machines without that troublesome free will was just too alluring.

Put together with Corruption, I can't help but think that the GF is just a totalitarian military regime, that values power and nothing else because all and any of these things they toyed with so far were used for shortsighted gain and weaponizing over any long-term humanitarian gain. I'm starting to believe that the Space Pirates are actually just rebels with flexible morals (yet not more flexible than the GF itself has) :/

Then again if you look at humanity's history with Dynamite and nuclear energy, is our society really that much different?

tl;dr
awesome video. I spoiled a lot of the game for myself but it was totally worth it.

 

[Overusedname]

When I look at phazon, I kinda see a comment on the oil crisis too, like how people go to war over it and such. Does that theory hold any weight? You said it was akso used as fuel sooo...

Eh, I don't oil is an apt comparison but rather nuclear energy and even that doesn't really does it justice. Besides, they're not going to war over it but rather use it as weapon in war. It's pretty much everywhere so there's no shortage to actually justify fighting over it.


I've never had a chance to play Metroid Prime 3 since I've just now got a wii but I'm definitely going to hunt that disc down (c wut I did thar?) because of the high stardards the first two installments set. Thinking about it, the Galactic Federation really is a society filled with nothing but war-waging bastards despite having (if I assume correctly) enough resources to just not bother to.

If you think about the 2D games, Samus was ordered to exterminate Mother Brain and the Metroid but when Samus handed them the baby metroid, the first thing they did was clone and breed the shit out of it, a specimen of a barely controlable race that can only be described as sun-resisting super space vampires that can evolve into nigh-indestrucible monsters when they had enough to eat

When the X, the only natural enemy to metroids, were discovered, they sent the infected (seems like a recurring theme there) Samus in there to exterminate THEM but when the Galactic Federation realized that they could get hands on the X, a race that can only be described as quickly replicating, super space bodysnatchers that is able not only to clone Samus as a person but also the entirety of her weaponry (which, mind you, could blow up planets if applied correctly), the Federation wanted to pull Samus out because having access to several mindless killing machines without that troublesome free will was just too alluring.

Put together with Corruption, I can't help but think that the GF is just a totalitarian military regime, that values power and nothing else because all and any of these things they toyed with so far were used for shortsighted gain and weaponizing over any long-term humanitarian gain. I'm starting to believe that the Space Pirates are actually just rebels with flexible morals (yet not more flexible than the GF itself has) :/

Then again if you look at humanity's history with Dynamite and nuclear energy, is our society really that much different?

tl;dr
awesome video. I spoiled a lot of the game for myself but it was totally worth it.

Thanks dude, and I think yer spot on. I mentioned the federation's dangerous mentality, and you flesh it out very well. I see them as a warning to any militant nation to keep their priorities in line, and not take the violence to far. If you look into some Lore, they've messed up quite a few other cultures...

 

[Coolshark]

Ah, okay. I've never played the game, so that was kind of a shot in the dark.

 

[Scrustle]

Another great episode, although I was slightly disappointed you didn't take the opportunity to make a Cave Johnson joke.

I've never really been in to the Metroid series myself though. It looks cool but the games are so daunting.

 

[Rylingo]

Have you tried posting your reviews to the thatguywiththeglasses forums? They would probably like them.

 

[VincentX3]

Loved this again! :3
I'm sorry about your computer

Any schedule for the reviews? 1 Per week or something among that?
Just curious, really loving it!

Cheers

 

[Greenstripe0]

Wow man. Seriously glad I clicked on this link. Absolutely love the series and intend to watch every video and spread asap. It's great stuff!

 

[Steeveeo]

As with the rest of your videos, your writing and presentation are spot on. Even with the technical difficulties, you still managed to make a good, funny presentation without (super-not-pixellated) Photoshop graphics.

However, as I mentioned on your last video thread, you still have audio balancing issues. You managed to keep most of the audio from overriding you, but there were some segments of monologue that were of different quality and, most noticeably, volume. I had to turn up the volume in some parts only to turn it down again later as the shot changed. I would recommend using the same mic in the "face time" footage as you do during the gameplay footage, so as to keep the audio levels/quality consistent.

One parting note: thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for not going into that bad fan-fictiony...thing... that is Other M. (The baby, the baby!)

 

[Auninteligentname]

Sir. You're awesome.
You've gotten yourself a new subscriber, and I'll go watch your videos about Ocarina of time.

I'm terrible at giving good feedback, so here, have 2 terrible suggestion on what games you could do next;

Majora's Mask. I've read a bit about what people think that Majora's Mask might symbolize, and it was very interesting. So seeing what you could make out of it, might be funny.

You could also do Other M The game that don't exist, if you want to add "troll" to the list of what you are.

Good luck in your future videos. You're still awesome.

 

[Overusedname]

I hope this has at least provided food for thought if not fuel for debate. I'm not trying to hi-jack your thread here, just hoping for a mutual exchange of ideas. Eagerly awaiting your response.

Okay, so...

Thank you for the advice, but the whole dividing videos up thing was meet with 'NO DON'T' by 90% of viewers as well my friends and family thus far. If that ratio alters, I'll divide them. If things get way to long I'll always make a series or a two-parter. I was worried about the length before but well, you are the third person to suggest the change. It's a legit issue, but most people don't seem to want me to do it.

Now then, for the analysis and stoff.

First off, the whole 'killing violence' problem. In defense of my analysis: Dark Samus is not 'a life' in the sense the other characters are. It's certainly sentient, but I'm more so referring to the context of the narrative, in which she is primarily allegorical. Dark Samus was born when Metroid Prime observed Samus fighting it. That's it. That was Prime's exposure to Samus. It saw ONLY Samus's violent side, not any semblance of her honor, bravery, dedication and kindness. Only the inner warrior, the violent side, in other words, her dark side. The worst (but NECESSARY) part of her.

And as you said, in context of the story, the Player's method of interaction with the world. Having the story end with Samus doing a peaceful protest/resistance would be pretty interesting, but jarring to the point that it would just confuse the average player, and even I would be dissapointed, really. Samus is technically fighting and killing a living entity. In terms of the narrative however, she's facing and conquering her darkside.

Adressing the 'visor' issue, I'm going out on a limb here, but that's a prompt that would appear in the game even if Samus didn't have a visor with a computer. The designers intent was simply to communicate the needed action to the player, and make it more clear what the hell was happening with words. Metroid is a very....silent series. But in this situation, it would be quite confusing if samus just absorbed blue stuff and then it flew out for seemingly no reason. It also let's the player have more control and influnce, increasing the connection to Samus.

In addition, to me, if you see blue veins bursting from you're eyes, you'd know something is wrong, and you'd try to expel the energy. There are physical indications of the poisoning when the corruption goes to far, and Samus managing to stay self aware seems to say more about her internal power than her suit's capabilities. And from a logical standpoint, you're right. The Chozo suit should be helping. But again, to me, I thought the intension was fairly clear.

Look at the other evidence: Samus is the one who managed to crawl back up and save the day after the Dark Samus attack. She was unconscious for the longest after that, but from the narrative perspective, that was just setting the plot's tension in motion. What happened to the other mercs while you were out? Go play and find out! That kinda thing.

In addition, Dark Samus seemed afraid to even ATTEMPT to attack Samus once she defeats the bodies she was possessing. Dark Samus can't possess her. She's too strong, too stubborn, and Dark Samus seems to be aware of this as she never once tried to possess her.

Add in the fact that Samus has had SOOOOO much exposure to the stuff and still came out on top, and that Gandrayda could've just impersonated Samus's suit or become a non-biological object (but instead let her contempt get the better of her), and the fact that Ghor was only 2% biological and had a massive advantage in terms of resisting the Phazon, and of course, the fact that all the suit REALLY does is monitor the corruption and doesn't seem to help her resist it at all.

Even if it does, I think that Retro's INTENT is quite simply that even when we're tempted over to a method of pure violence every waking moment of our lives, we can STILL overcome it.

In the realm of fiction dumb luck doesn't exist. Unless it's trying to be hyper-realistic and literal, which Metroid never has tried to be.

...Yeah, that's mah retort. :3 And thank you, that was fun.

Don't be afraid of proposing alternate interpretations. I love this discussion. And you made me think of things I previously haven't. This series is 100% about geeking out so...yeah, don't worry about derailing anything. I might not be able to get to every comment in the future though.