Where Does Metroid Go On The 3DS?

A while back I gave my thoughts on what the Metroid series needs to do to regain its fanbase, and press on towards a better future. Now surprisingly enough, every now and then, Nintendo doesn’t do exactly what I suggest, and there’s just the tiniest possibility they’ll take a different course of action. In my article Where Does Metroid Go From Here, I suggested that Super Metroid be remade for the 3DS to establish a Metroid fanbase on the 3DS, and from there, Nintendo can continue the franchise with a renewed audience. If Nintendo chooses to go a different route, and release an all new Metroid title for 3DS, how should they go about doing it?

Since the release of Metroid Prime in 2002, it seems the hottest topic in the Metroid world is bound to forever be: What view should Metroid be in? For years, Metroid was a 2D sidescroll shooter game. Then Prime came along, and suddenly Metroid was thrusted into the world of three dimensional gaming, as a first person adventure game. The move was a commercial success, with Prime being one of the highest rated games on the Gamecube, and the highest selling game in the Metroid franchise to date. It warranted two sequels which didn’t quite replicate its success, but still did moderately well in terms of both ratings and sales. Still, if there’s one thing we know about Nintendo fans, it’s that they love to complain. Many claimed that the Prime Trilogy was just too different from the established formula, and have called for a return to the roots of the series.

Then came Metroid: Other M. Employing a mixture of third and first person, Other M gave us 3D environments, but at times the gameplay was on a 2D plane. In what appeared to be an attempt to appease all crowds of Metroid fans, Other M came up short. This is a game that brings about a hurricane of mixed emotions and opinions. Some hail it as the salvation of the franchise, and the most epic Metroid game to date. Others believe it simply ruined the franchise. Then there’s the middle crowd who think it had its high points and its low points. Given all the hype that Metroid creator Yoshio Sakamoto and the various developers at Nintendo and Team Ninja gave Other M, its mixed reviews and poor sales have certainly been a disappointment.

So which of these styles should Nintendo use if they decide to create a Metroid game for the 3DS? It’s always a tricky choice when trying to decide what direction to take the Metroid franchise in. It’s not as big of a seller as Mario or Zelda, yet its fans expect every bit as much out of it as Nintendo’s other big franchises. Make no mistake, Metroid fans are some of the hardest fans in gaming to please, so Nintendo’s got a big decision to make. So before Nintendo chooses what style to take with Metroid 3DS, what are the pros and cons of each style?

Classic 2D Metroid

A return to the classic style of Metroid is something that a lot of fans would love to see. There’s a certain charm to the simple, yet immersive gameplay that Metroid gave us for the better part of two decades before its jump into the third dimension. With Cave Story 3D, a game inspired by Metroid, on the horizon, we will get a taste of what a 3DS Metroid game might be like. Fully fleshed-out and beautiful 3D environments, but with Samus operating on a 2D plane could offer a very nice tune-up to the Metroid games we grew up on. Toss in the 3D effect to add depth to things like boss fights and cutscenes, and a blend of an old formula with new technology could make for a pretty solid game.

An added bonus is that 3DS games are capable of holding quite a bit of information. 2D Metroid games are some of the most famous games for speed-runs, which is a nice little title to hold, until you realize it essentially means 2D Metroid games are short. By taking the route of the classic Metroid style as opposed to having Samus interact with her environment ton a 3D plane, you’re saving a lot of space. This means a Metroid game for the 3DS could not only be the most graphically pleasing 2D Metroid experience, but also the largest one. High replay value or not, gamers feel cheated if it doesn’t even take them 10 hours to beat a game. The 3DS has the opportunity to reverse this trend in Metroid.

So why might Nintendo shy away from this style? An obvious answer is that on a system like the 3DS, many would consider it a waste to create a game with 2D gameplay. $40 is a hefty wad of cash to spend on a 2D game, especially when its on a system that uses 3D as its biggest selling point.

The second reason also revolves around sales. As previously mentioned, Metroid Prime is the highest selling game in the franchise. If there’s one thing Nintendo loves, its money, and if they decide a 3D Metroid will sell better than a 2D one, guess which one they’re going to make.

First Person

The benefits of this are pretty obvious, as 3D is what the 3DS is all about. This style of Metroid has done pretty well for Nintendo in the past, financially speaking, and the 3DS can really take it to the next level.

I know I fell in love the first time I saw the incredibly immersive environments of Tallon IV in the original Metroid Prime. It really pushed the limits of what the Gamecube could do, and it would be even more impressive to see that kind of a visual display on a handheld system, enhanced by 3D technology.

A big issue Nintendo would face if they took this direction would be finding ways to provide good gameplay outside of aesthetics. A crucial example of this is the controls of the game. Most gamers are pretty familiar with either a dual analog stick or motion based set of controls when it comes to shooting games. Metroid Prime Hunters for the DS gave the players several options for controls, but none of them felt especially comfortable. Whether it’s using buttons or a stylus, the lack of a second analog stick is a pretty big hindrance to the genre of shooting games. Using the stylus or slider pad to walk and the gyroscope function to aim is tempting solution to the problem, but it would make the game nearly unplayable in 3D. The constant motion of the 3DS, in order to take aim at enemies, would definitely disrupt the 3D experience.

Controls weren’t the only area in which Hunters fell short, and a Metroid 3DS game would do well to learn from its failure. Hunters suffered from repetitive, boring gameplay, and was far more linear than the Prime games. If Nintendo opts for a new first person title, they can’t do it half-heartedly this time. Metroid Hunters barely felt like a Metroid game, but rather just a game made to show off what 3D FPS engine could look like on the DS. In that aspect, it was actually pretty impressive, but it failed to set itself from other shooters as a real Metroid experience. This wasn’t a hardware limitation, so it can’t really be deemed as a con of the First Person style, but it’s always a creative hurdle to design a first person shooter/adventure game that feels unique. It was done with Prime, but the Prime series is over now, and Nintendo needs to find new ways to keep the experience unique.

Other M Style

Other M introduced a third style to the Metroid series, combining elements of both the third person 2D Metroid games and the first person Prime games. The game is played primarily in third person, but by aiming the Wii remote at the television, the game switches into first person and utilizes motion controls. Though the entire game is played in a 3D environment, the gameplay often keeps Samus moving on a fairly linear plain, giving the illusion of 2D gameplay.

Personally, I believe this style was i implemented very successfully, but there’s been mixed feedback from reviewers. Some felt switching from third person to first was awkward while others found it smooth. The 3DS could improve on this by switching view with the tap of a button or the touch of a stylus, with the gyroscope being used to aim in first person. Again, there’s the issue of the 3D sometimes becoming blurry when motion controls are being used, but it would be much less prevalent than in a first person only game.

Conclusion

Metroid has seen three different styles over its 25 years of existence, and they’ve all got their place. So which one is best suited for the 3DS? All three have their positives, but also they also each have some areas where Nintendo is going to have to prove themselves. Can they make a 2D game that still holds up with the modern market? Can a first person game be done right on a handheld system? Can the finer points of Other M be refined into a Metroid experience that all Metroid fans can enjoy? What direction do you want to see Metroid take on the 3DS?