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March 29, 2024, 12:35:02 AM

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Metroid Dread (and hopefully some general Metroid chat?)

Started by Kelvin, October 08, 2021, 05:09:36 AM

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Consignia

Finished it a couple of weeks ago. I really loved, it never felt impossible the difficulty was pitched just right. Everytime I failed, I felt I could just get a bit better. Honestly thought about giving up on the final boss a few times, but by the end I was basically taking no damage.

The difficulty is an interesting thing, though. I just finished Fusion again just to compare, and it's so easy in comparison. All the bosses are pretty much brute force over in a couple of seconds, barely any pattern learning and you can just allow yourself to take damage. In dread, you really have learn the attacks and avoid them. I wonder how people who start on Dread feel going back through the catalogue, as I think it is probably near the hardest.

popcorn

#121
I'm playing the Metroid Prime remaster that came out the other day.

I replayed Prime 2 over lockdown but I don't think I've replayed Prime since 2002. It turns out I'd forgotten lots of it. It was my first Metroid, so it's particularly nostalgic to return to it now, having rinsed through the 2D games several times since.

It's shocking how well Retro handled the job back in the day. I mean these were the dorks who made Turok FFS, entrusted to bring Samus into the third dimension? And they really pulled it off. It's essentially Super Metroid in 3D.

The one thing they couldn't bring with them is IMO pretty defining, though, and that's the block system. In 2D, every Metroid level is made up of building blocks to be shot at, bombed, X-rayed and bummed until they give up their secrets. It means every part a level is there to be interrogated, whereas you never end up building the same relationship with the environments in Prime as you do in 2D. I think that means I'll always prefer the 2D Metroids, because of the richness of design that block system uses.

Still, I think there is an impressive clarity in the level design. It doesn't feel FPS-y, it feels Metroidy and Nintendo-y. You never look at a platform and wonder if you can reach it, you just immediately know. Nothing is ambiguous, everything is proportioned and positioned in a clear, satisfying way.

It's funny how I'm just cruising through it all this time, not getting stuck anywhere, whereas I remember getting lost a lot back in the day. I'm just so well tuned to how Metroid works and what every tool is used for that half the mystery has evaporated.

Nitpick: I wish they prevented you from accessing the sunken ship without the gravity suit. As it is, you can get quite deep inside before you come to an impassable obstacle that requires the gravity suit to jump over. The game even displays a message at this point telling you to give up and fuck off somewhere else, which feels like a concession. It wouldn't be a problem, and it's in keeping with the general spirit of Metroid allowing you to wander around off-track for hours at a time, but navigating the sunken ship and all its floating platforms underwater is a real chore without the gravity suit. It probably took me a good 30 minutes to clumsily heft myself out again wearing Samus's heavy robot shoes.

Still, I'm having a grand old time. God I wish I could be as gripped by as video game as often as Metroid grips me. I hope the rumours of further ports come true because I never did get a chance to try MP3.

Bloody hell, the difficulty spike in Phazon Mines! Thank God I found a save station in the end or that would have been 2 hours of progress down the lav.

madhair60

I'm the cunt who loves the GBA ones most; they're beautifully tightened-up takes on Super Metroid, though they inarguably lose some of its sprawling mysteriousness.

As for Prime I've barely touched it, so I'm very excited about the (seemingly brilliant) remaster.

popcorn


Roxy Robinson

I did play this BITD but didn't finish it and enjoyed 3 much more, albeit at the peak of my Wii devotion. It's made me turn my day one Switch back on and I'm glad to find it still works, and even more glad to find that this is great.

Not a massively incisive observation, but it reminds me of when games felt more distinct in the hands. It's rare that I play anything these days which doesn't feel immediately familiar because of the homogenisation of engines and mechanics.


jimboslice

Quote from: madhair60 on February 15, 2023, 12:09:02 PMI'm the cunt who loves the GBA ones most; they're beautifully tightened-up takes on Super Metroid, though they inarguably lose some of its sprawling mysteriousness.

I agree, but maybe only because these were the first ones I played. Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission at least - beautiful games.

Absolutely adored the original Metroid Prime but never revisited it, so it's good to see the remaster is getting bummed. I remember absolutely shitting myself when
Spoiler alert
you get the thermal visor, and then the lights go out and pirates start coming for you
[close]
, genuinely might be the most terrified I've ever been in a video game.



madhair60

as mentioned earlier in the thread, I thought Metroid Dread was pretty hamstrung by repetition and I didn't enjoy most of the EMMI sections. It all felt very inorganic, though I did enjoy the difficulty of the boss battles.