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Metroid Series Vs Zelda Series

Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Right, I admit it, I do prefer the Metroid series (10 out of 10 if I ignore Other M) to the Zelda series (9 out of 10).
The thing is, both series have alot in common. They're certainly far more similar to each other than either is to the Mario series.
Do any of you Zelda fans like the Metroid series? Also, what, if anything, do you think the Metroid series does better than the Zelda series and what do you think the Metroid series does better than the Metroid series?
 

Sheik

:the:
Joined
Sep 21, 2013
Location
The Expansion
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Male
I've only played Prime, so I don't know a ton about Metroid, but I can see things in common with Zelda. The dungeon-like field. Lots of exploration. Even some puzzles at time, and getting new items to reach new areas. Metroid is more atmospheric and "alone"-ish and Zelda has more involved story and characters. They're both unique.
 

SNOlink

I'm baack. Who missed me?
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Location
United States, Michigan
I enjoy both games greatly. They take two of my top three games. Both hinge on exploration, puzzle solving, and gaining more upgrades or items as you progress through the game. I enjoy this type of game very much, so both are special series to me.

As for which game I like more, I've had more experience with Zelda, but I'm not sure which one I prefer more. First off, Metroid has a more thoughtful combat system. The earlier Zeldas' combats basically were target the enemy and push B. Skyward Sword somewhat modified that by giving the enemies more chance to defend themselves, but that's really the only game that differs. Metroid's combat system has more depth to it. You need to time your shots right or know which weapon works best for the enemy you face. There is more thought process taken in Metroid. Also, Metroid's environments have greater depth as well. There is much more design put into them, in my opinion.

Of course Zelda has its better parts to. Zelda has a better puzzle system then Metroid. Metroid is mostly a travel game than a puzzle one. You just need a certain item to get past a certain point and that's most of the game. Now it still does have some puzzles to it, but they're not as common and you scan visor in the Prime games basically tells you what to do. Zelda doesn't have such an efficient hint system. Sure, recently they have added the Gossip Stones telling you what to do next, but it's not as convenient as the scan visor. You'd need to either sacrifice time to get out of the dungeon, go to the stone, and get the info you need or try to figure it out on your own in hopefully less time. There also are more of these puzzles than in Metroid giving the game a greater mental challenge than Metroid. Also, Zelda usually has better stories. Usually with Metroid, it's basically you're stuck in some deserted area: find out what happened and destroy whatever caused it. Recently with Corruption and Other M, they've been trying to improve on this, but there is still work needed. Zelda's story develops into something more and changes course occasionally as you progress through the game making it a more dynamic story.

All in all, they're both awesome series with great features to both of them, and I hope that they continue to be amazing and that they continue to improve in what they can.
 

JuicieJ

SHOW ME YA MOVES!
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Location
On the midnight Spirit Train going anywhere
Can't say I'd give Metroid as a series a 10/10. The first two games are pretty dated, and every game post-Prime and Fusion (save Zero Mission) have been good, but left a lot to be desired, especially Hunters.

At the same time, the same can be said about Zelda, although to a lesser degree. It mainly applies to the GameCube entries, but the DS games could have been a bit better, and even The Minish Cap and Skyward Sword have there issues.

Metroid DOES have two games that are pretty much flawless, though -- Super and Prime -- so it has that trump card over Zelda.

I'd say the series have pretty equal track records overall. As far as iconic status goes, however, Zelda by far takes the cake.
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2013
It's really difficult for me to pick one.

I think Zelda is closer to my heart, but I'd be way more hyped for a new Metroid (were they to announce one :dry:) than I will be when ZeldaU gets announced.
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
I...disagree...I find Zelda to be much closer to Mario. Metroid is almost an opposite...make it a Rated M series and it would be.
 
Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Location
Louisiana, USA
I've grown to where I'm a Metroid enthusiast far more than I am for Zelda.

In part that might be because I've always liked forms of science fiction more than just medieval fantasy. Actually, that might have tons to do with it. I find myself liking the atmosphere of the more futuristic Final Fantasy games for that the medieval fantasy one, so that probably proves it.

Also, I can say that there's not a single Metroid game that I didn't 100% enjoy, except perhaps the original NES one. And I, like almost anyone, have to give that game a pass because it's exactly that - a late 1980s NES game. I'm not advertising or anything (or maybe I am, haha), but Metroid games are the main type of game I LP on my YouTube channel, "Another M". Zero Mission is an amazing remake of the first NES game, Super Metroid could very well be the greatest game ever made, Prime revolutionized the first person perspective genre and still remains a blast to play, Prime 2 and 3 take it and still produce quality games, Fusion follows up on the spirit of Super Metroid, I could say something good about all of them. In fact, I did a full LP of Metroid II: Return of Samus, and I pretty much mastered the game because I enjoy it so much.

Other M is the elephant in the room though. I will unapologetically, unconditionally defend that game to my bitter, bitter death. I'm not going to write the essay I could easily come up with right now. I'll just say that YouTube sensation Egoraptor and I share the exact same viewpoint on it in the way that we see what it was trying to do, appreciate that, don't let it fog our perceptions of the game itself, and enjoy it.

For Zelda....... I'm afraid I can't say that I could honestly point out something really good about every game. Don't get me wrong, I love the likes of ALttp, LA, OoT, MM, WW, and TP. But I can't necessarily say that I completely enjoy games like OoX, MC, and especially PH and ST. It might just be because Zelda as a franchise has more games, but I've always found that Metroid caters to my interests and what I find fun more.
 

Salem

SICK
Joined
May 18, 2013
I like both franchises, I already talked about Zelda in this forum to death so I'll mostly talk about Metroid now.

My least favorite Metroid games are Fusion and then Other M, seriously, that game it just awful.

My favorite is the SNES one and Prime.

The ones I haven't played are Prime 3 and hunters.
 

Salem

SICK
Joined
May 18, 2013
I think that's the first time I've ever seen someone say they didn't like Fusion. I'm actually a bit surprised.
Fusion was alright, I just don't love it as mush as the rest, it was just extremely linear, so was Other M, go figure.

And Other M's pretty tight from a gameplay & visual perspective.
The only things good about it are the visuals, maybe some of the music, the game's controls were great but the game it self is not that great.
 

JuicieJ

SHOW ME YA MOVES!
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Location
On the midnight Spirit Train going anywhere
Fusion was alright, I just don't love it as mush as the rest, it was just extremely linear, so was Other M, go figure.

Fusion is also a handheld. Handhelds are designed to be played in short bursts.

And don't bring up Zero Mission, because that's a remake. Completely different scenario.

The only things good about it are the visuals, maybe some of the music, the game's controls were great but the game it self is not that great.

Meh, I rather enjoyed the fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping action. Sensemoving and melee strikes ftw!
 

Sir Quaffler

May we meet again
What I think the Metroid series does better than the Zelda series (or any other series, for that matter) is exploration. It's just you wandering alone (the vast majority of the time) in a hostile world and discovering secrets along the way. What makes it better is that, in order to find all the secrets, you have to master the controls; just look at the GBA entries and the devilish tricks you have to pull off to get some of the later missile expansions and health tanks. Also, there are no obvious indications that many of the rooms even exist; you really have to explore the entire landscape instead of looking for key clues like the Zelda series relies on (far too often IMO; if it can somehow balance modern Zelda views and the first NES game's views I'll be happy).

Also, taken as a whole I like boss (and mini-boss) battles in Metroid better than Zelda. Most of the time they are more engaging and, well, more of a threat to me. Zelda generally does better when its big baddies are roughly human-sized (Demise, Ganondorf, Ghirahim, Dark Link, Scervo, Darknut, etc.) or when they are monstrous but have several methods of attack and/or can be brought down in a variety of ways (Odolwa, Twinmold, Bongo Bongo, etc.). But Metroid bosses as a whole are much more aggressive and require much quicker thinking and acting to take down. Their gigantic bosses don't suffer the same fate Zelda bosses do (the bigger they are, paradoxically the easier they are to take down due to their easily-identifiable weak spot) and they deal out some heavy damage (Quadraxis, Thardus, Emperor Ing, and Metroid Prime are my personal favorites). And several of the smaller enemies will really give you a run for your money (Dark Samus, Boost Ball and Spider Ball guardians, Gandrayda, Rundus, Mecha Ridley, and Nightmare are the ones that kicked my butt the most).

Still, I like the Zelda series better than the Metroid series; it has a much higher awesome-to-crap ratio (9-1) than Metroid (6-3), disregarding the simply okay games. And while I love both the universes they're set in, the Zelda one slightly edges out over Metroid. It has the distinct advantage of weaving a grand tale that sprawls centuries and timelines, whereas Metroid is more laser-focused on Samus and her endeavors, with the ancient Chozo race thrown in for good measure.

As for what I think of the individual games: Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask are my absolute favorite games ever, and most of the other games in the series rank up very highly as well, with the only real misstep in the series being Adventure of Link. Metroid Prime is... perfect. No joke, I can't think of a single flaw in the game. If it weren't for the aforementioned 3 Zelda titles it would be my absolute favorite game. Prime 2 is really damn good as well, and I very much enjoyed Prime 3, Zero Mission, Fusion, and Super Metroid. However, Prime Hunters, Pinball, and most of all Other M just don't fit with the rest of the series IMO (even if on a gameplay perspective they're pretty good). I haven't played Metroid 2, it being on the GameBoy, so I don't know what to think of it (although I'm waiting patiently for AM2R to be completed!)
 
Last edited:

Salem

SICK
Joined
May 18, 2013
Fusion is also a handheld. Handhelds are designed to be played in short bursts.
Still doesn't explain the linearity.

And don't bring up Zero Mission, because that's a remake. Completely different scenario.
I never brought it up? Also I don't even remember that one very well. I don't remember if it was linear or not..

Meh, I rather enjoyed the fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping action. Sensemoving and melee strikes ftw!
I wasn't a fan of the lethal strike and overblast things, are those things you were referring to? It's not so much the techniques themselves but it's the way they are excited.
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
I enjoy both games greatly. They take two of my top three games. Both hinge on exploration, puzzle solving, and gaining more upgrades or items as you progress through the game. I enjoy this type of game very much, so both are special series to me.

As for which game I like more, I've had more experience with Zelda, but I'm not sure which one I prefer more. First off, Metroid has a more thoughtful combat system. The earlier Zeldas' combats basically were target the enemy and push B. Skyward Sword somewhat modified that by giving the enemies more chance to defend themselves, but that's really the only game that differs. Metroid's combat system has more depth to it. You need to time your shots right or know which weapon works best for the enemy you face. There is more thought process taken in Metroid. Also, Metroid's environments have greater depth as well. There is much more design put into them, in my opinion.

Of course Zelda has its better parts to. Zelda has a better puzzle system then Metroid. Metroid is mostly a travel game than a puzzle one. You just need a certain item to get past a certain point and that's most of the game. Now it still does have some puzzles to it, but they're not as common and you scan visor in the Prime games basically tells you what to do. Zelda doesn't have such an efficient hint system. Sure, recently they have added the Gossip Stones telling you what to do next, but it's not as convenient as the scan visor. You'd need to either sacrifice time to get out of the dungeon, go to the stone, and get the info you need or try to figure it out on your own in hopefully less time. There also are more of these puzzles than in Metroid giving the game a greater mental challenge than Metroid. Also, Zelda usually has better stories. Usually with Metroid, it's basically you're stuck in some deserted area: find out what happened and destroy whatever caused it. Recently with Corruption and Other M, they've been trying to improve on this, but there is still work needed. Zelda's story develops into something more and changes course occasionally as you progress through the game making it a more dynamic story.

All in all, they're both awesome series with great features to both of them, and I hope that they continue to be amazing and that they continue to improve in what they can.

I'd love the Wii U Zelda to have some kind of 'Scan Visor'. How could they implement this, though?
 

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