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How Nintendo Can Improve Metroid

Lord_Cathaseigh

Like a sir.
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
The third pillar of Nintendo in America, Metroid has captured the hearts and imaginations of people of all ages. Though it's seen rough times, we await the next installment all the same.

What would you like to see in the next Metroid? What do you think needs improved? What kind of direction should it take?

Looking forward to your thoughts :)
 
The only thing i can think of is to not let Sakamoto have so much control next time. He obviously had an agenda with Other M, in that he wanted to better the Prime series, but couldn't do anything but write a love letter to Super Metroid and sign it from the ugly cousin.

For a Prime Game i'd like to see the FPS view on the tablet and a third person view on the TV, use the tablet's panoramic view to see more of the location around you and blow the exploration into a new dimension.

For a game like Other M, I'd like to see a duality between the power suit and the Zero Suit, Samus is half Chozo, give her some assault courses or new acrobatic/athletic puzzles to solve and leave the mechanical power ups, (morphball, shinespark, speed boost etc) to the power suit.


for a new breed of game, i'd like a reboot, go back to Samus's origins with the Chozo, make her identity secret again and make her more alien/chozo-like. Throughout the game having acquired the fully powered power suit, she gradually loses it; after a boss battle she could lose the ability to spiderball and have to rely on her physical attributes, she would lose an ability of the power suit to gain a physical ability, i really think this would help bring Samus's human/physical side out, especially if some of these actions caused her pain etc, the gamer could sympathise with her and create a stronger bond. This would show Sakamoto that you don't need self-pitying voice overs =3
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Location
Narnia
I honestly thought Prime was a basically flawless game
They should use that formula, just change it up a bit. Add new mechanics and such. Maybe start the game in Zero Suit and have some well done piloting sequences when going between planets
 

Lord_Cathaseigh

Like a sir.
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
All good ideas. I really liked being able to control the ship in MP3, but it can definitely be improved. I got the impression that I'd be able to shoot down ships (ala starfox) in the opening sequence. More control of the ship would be awesome, especially if they added scouting. The set pieces in MP3 are also a good springboard for more complex setpieces in the next one. For example, at some point a skyscraper comes toppling down out of nowhere (in real time!) Imagine using the gunship in fights against some of the bosses. =D

The matrix games had a system where certain actions such as kicking would be performed according to context. That system could work very well in Metroid. For example, let's take a dodge button. When fighting a metroid, Samus slides under the metroid when it comes flying at her. When fighting, say, space pirates, she'd do a kind of parry or roll behind it instead.

Another thing is more ecosystems. In MP2, you had the Splinters which had an actual social order. This made them more relatable to real-life animals, and it really did wonders for immersion. Imagine if you kill a war wasp, it could release a pheromone that would attract more wasps. Instead of kill and move on, you'd have to think about the possible effects of your actions.

EDIT: If you have the time, look up the OST for Man on a Ledge. It's very gritty but it also has that Metroid synth going on.
Something like this...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lonMmgnSi-Q)
... would be pretty cool to hear during fights or when you're in a hurry. =D
 
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TF/HH

TwilightFlame/HylianHero
Joined
Nov 11, 2011
The next Metroid should be a ton like Other M. Other M is one of the most underrated games in history. The only reason people hated it was because it was different, but I personally think it is better than the Prime series. The next Metroid should have that same hybrid concept of first and third person shooting. It gave the Metroid series something fresh and new rather than just another FPS.

The next game better also utilize Wii U's amazing graphical capabilities. HD + Metriod = legendary epicness. Seriously. If Nintendo underdoes graphics one more time...well, let me just say that Reggie will never hear the last of it. :devil:
 

Lord_Cathaseigh

Like a sir.
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
Different is pretty vague. It was more that a lot of the enemies were taken right out of Super Metroid, and the narration (and treatment of Samus) was annoying for some people. I personally think the biggest problem was being glued to a spot when you're using 1st person. It made 1st person feel tacked on.

Other than that, more 3rd person gameplay would be cool. It would take a lot of work to balance 1st and 3rd person, but who knows. It could be really fun =)
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
They keep the gameplay similar to that of Other M, though choosing a reasonable control scheme instead of using the standalone wii remote. my only issue with other M as a whole was the flow-killing use of first person (having to stop and aim in an otherwise fast paced game), the first person-locked "find the _____" segments, and the treatment of Samus, transforming her from the epic individual she was from previous games, into.... into a more stereotypical female game character in Other M. The way she froze and panicked in the presence of a certain Boss who she had defeated countless times was completely out of character.

They need to focus less on their past success, on more on how to make the series successful in the present.
 
Joined
May 2, 2012
Location
Canada
The only thing i can think of is to not let Sakamoto have so much control next time. He obviously had an agenda with Other M, in that he wanted to better the Prime series, but couldn't do anything but write a love letter to Super Metroid and sign it from the ugly cousin.

For a Prime Game i'd like to see the FPS view on the tablet and a third person view on the TV, use the tablet's panoramic view to see more of the location around you and blow the exploration into a new dimension.

For a game like Other M, I'd like to see a duality between the power suit and the Zero Suit, Samus is half Chozo, give her some assault courses or new acrobatic/athletic puzzles to solve and leave the mechanical power ups, (morphball, shinespark, speed boost etc) to the power suit.


for a new breed of game, i'd like a reboot, go back to Samus's origins with the Chozo, make her identity secret again and make her more alien/chozo-like. Throughout the game having acquired the fully powered power suit, she gradually loses it; after a boss battle she could lose the ability to spiderball and have to rely on her physical attributes, she would lose an ability of the power suit to gain a physical ability, i really think this would help bring Samus's human/physical side out, especially if some of these actions caused her pain etc, the gamer could sympathise with her and create a stronger bond. This would show Sakamoto that you don't need self-pitying voice overs =3
You took the words right out of my mouth! I think they should really just give it to Retro and let them play with it, or maybe Bioware. Let's face it, the Japanese can't do space epics like a Western team can.
 

MonkeyFightSquad

*LAUGHS EVILLY*
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
Location
Under a freeway.
They need to have Retro Studios make another game. The game should be called Metroid Prime: The Lost Secrets. It would be Metroid Prime 4 and for the Wiiu. It could be called a different name but I can't think of it.
 

Lord_Cathaseigh

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Joined
Apr 21, 2012
^It's possible they're working on one right now.

Retro hasn't announced their current project, but whatever it is, it's big. It's been said many times, Metroid on the WiiU is a perfect fit. It's a hardcore offering that would appeal to the FPS demographic, and would make great use of the GamePad. Every console's had it's Megaton: NES w/ Super Mario, SNES w/ Super Mario World, N64 Super Mario 64, GC w/ Super Mario Sunshine (which bombed,) and Wii had Super Mario Galaxy. WiiU still needs that megaton. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be Metroid.

As far as East vs West, most of the fanbase is in the west. I personally think people who can relate more to the western crowd will have a better idea of what makes it Metroid. Developers in the east don't really have that communication with the fans.

Let's get back on-topic. What do you think about spreaders (shotgun beam) making a return?
 
Joined
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Location
21 Jump St.
For me, at least, Metroid is all about exploration, and the best way to implement a good exploration element in a game is to create an atmosphere that a player naturally wants to explore. Super Metroid and Primes 1 and 2 are the prime (pun intended) examples of great atmosphere in a game. The great atmosphere comes from the mood that your surroundings create. Take Maridia from Super Metroid, for example. Personally, I find Maridia to be the low point in the game, but even the low point creates a captivating mood. It does this through the mood set both by Samus's isolation and the overall scenery, the depth of the area, and the music.

In recent games, Samus has interacted more and more with other humans, peaking with the recent Other M. It makes me wonder if the people that lobbied for space marines to play a bigger role in the games really had any idea what Metroid was about. Or what storytelling was about. See, the thing that makes Metroid different from other games is the solitude of the character you're controlling. In the best Metroid games (Super, Prime 1, and Prime 2), Samus hardly has any interaction at all with the human world. It's just you exploring a strange planet and confronting all of the different creatures that inhabit it, whether harmful or helpful. That solitary mood spreads over to you while you're playing, and it makes up a large portion of what you feel while you play a Metroid game.

The scenery of the area you're exploring plays a large role in the making of a Metroid game as well. Going back to Maridia, the least interesting scenery in Super Metroid, the area still had a varied structure. There was a satisfying mix of rock, sand, plant life, as well as intelligently designed structure in the eastern parts of the area. The landscape makes you curious about the history of the area. Why is there an intelligently designed structure underwater? As far as I know, you never find out, which gives the area character. In this way, the areas you traverse in the game become characters in themselves.

As far as depth goes, Maridia, being probably the largest area in Super Metroid, naturally has the most power-ups to find. Another factor of an explorable atmosphere is the motive the game gives you to explore it. Power ups make you stronger and you feel as if you're working toward something. Every missile tank you find makes you feel like you've achieved something until eventually you know where every item in the game is.

Finally, the music also plays an enormous role in setting the mood in an area. Again returning to Maridia, the music is mysterious and gradually builds your suspense until you finally confront Draygon.

If those elements are done correctly, the most important part of a Metroid game, the atmosphere, will honor the integrity of the series.

There's more that I could say about what makes a Metroid game, like the way the story is told, but I already have doubts about how many people will have the patience to read even this much of my rambling.
 

Lord_Cathaseigh

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Joined
Apr 21, 2012
I don't have anything against the humans. I just prefer that they stay observable characters instead of necessary to the plot. For example the marines in MP3, while annoying in the beginning, do make for an interesting change later on. Maybe if Samus stayed off the front line and did her own thing, we could come across humans that need help or are unique in some aspect. Then we would be discovering the humans instead of needing them to forward the plot. Same for sentient aliens.

For the highly sentient ones like the Luminoth or the Chozo, they should add character like they have in previous games. I would like to be able to learn about them more (i.e. lore consoles shouldn't be the only source of info.) Everything else I agree with. That lonely feeling should always be there, ditto for atmosphere. I would like to see more variety in music, though.
 
Keep Samus lonely, Voice-overs are for when characters are lonely :P no need for mercenaries =]

The inclusion of the Mercs in Other M made m think that Metroid was trying to wave the Halo fans over to the wii.
 

Lord_Cathaseigh

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Apr 21, 2012
I agree, it should keep the lonely feeling. What I mean is at some points you could come across a human who seems to be in pain. You scan her and find out she's been poisoned by a Grisbee or something. She asks to be taken to some isolated place or to some kinda hospital, which at this point in the game is deserted. She insists you leave her at the entrance, but you leave knowing nobody's there. In a way it'd be like Dead Island, where you'd help these people, but you still seem incredibly lonely afterwards. Also, these kinda moments would be far apart, so that each instant would be distinct.
 
Yeah that wouldnt be so bad, it'd be a nice new touch that the people you come across i such a dangerous place are completely useless.

Though that reminds me of the first time i played Prime and i scanned a half dead space pirate. It amazed me. 'Wow this game is cool enough to give you half dead enemies' it really did make it feel like a world in that your enemies could feel pain.

In the whole coming across people notion, i'd like a Metroid story where the Space pirates have attacked a chozo homeworld (probably a story best left for a reboot), that in itself would give Samus massive reason to go on a search and rescue mission, they did raise her and she'd help them, it'd be soul crushing to have to watch her trying to help a doomed race that are the closest thing she has to a family. she could feel a lone on something like her homeworld and not just a random alien world. NPC interaction is definitely something Metroid could do well if they did it right.
 

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