Includes flashy 3D cinematics, mechanics from 2017's 2D revival <em>Samus Returns</em>.
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Metroid Dread brings Nintendo’s classic back as a 2D sequel on October 8
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anonymouschicken
Ars Scholae Palatinae
Zero Mission may be the greatest 2D Metroid game, even including Super Metroid. The two are close in my opinion.
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Up until the completely unnecessary stealth portion at the end, it was easily the best.
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Yeah, for me personally Axiom Verge brought back the feeling of the Metroid I loved more than I suspect this game will.
But hey, I'm only going on what I can see right now. I reserve the right to change my mind. Just doesn't feel like the aspects that personally resonate with me are being given the love here.
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How is no one else not talking about there being an actual, living, breathing, not dead Chozo!?!?
I haven't played Other M but I can't recall there ever being a non-statue Chozo being featured in any of the games.
Oh and the game looks cool.
I haven't played Other M but I can't recall there ever being a non-statue Chozo being featured in any of the games.
Oh and the game looks cool.
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You talking about this guy?
If so, that doesn't look like a Chozo to me.
If no, who are you talking about?
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Have you played the Prime games, or is that just based on the look?
Because I was skeptical of Metroid Prime at first too, but once I actually played it, it felt a lot more like a Metroid game to me than Metroid: Fusion did.
Metroid's not just about the side-view or the pixel art, it's about the exploration. And that's something Prime did extraordinarily well. Fusion's not a bad game, but it very deliberately restricts your exploration options in the early going, and that's a pretty serious break from the previous games.
If it's not your jam, that's fair enough. But it evoked the feel of playing Super Metroid pretty strongly for me, and the story has nothing to do with it.
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Other M takes place between Super Metroid (Metroid 3) and Metroid Fusion (Metroid 4).
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You talking about this guy?
If so, that doesn't look like a Chozo to me.
If no, who are you talking about?
Yeah him. Looks like a Chozo to me. It's a bird in armor similar to Samus's Varia Suit; don't know what that can be besides a Chozo...
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anonymouschicken
Ars Scholae Palatinae
You talking about this guy?
If so, that doesn't look like a Chozo to me.
If no, who are you talking about?
Yeah him. Looks like a Chozo to me. It's a bird in armor similar to Samus's Varia Suit; don't know what that can be besides a Chozo...
I think it looks like a Chozo too. The feathers, the beak, the gold varia-type armor, the advanced technology, it all fits.
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Not to mention the ridges on the back of the helmet.
You talking about this guy?
If so, that doesn't look like a Chozo to me.
If no, who are you talking about?
Yeah him. Looks like a Chozo to me. It's a bird in armor similar to Samus's Varia Suit; don't know what that can be besides a Chozo...
I think it looks like a Chozo too. The feathers, the beak, the gold varia-type armor, the advanced technology, it all fits.
It's not an exact match for the original Chozo statue design, but y'know, we've already seen multiple variations on the design.
Sometimes there are even multiple designs in the same game. All these are from Zero Mission:
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I was under the impression that it took place between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. Doesn't that imply it's in that same continuity?
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anonymouschicken
Ars Scholae Palatinae
Other M does take place between Super Metroid and Fusion. But I think it was positioned as something of a spinoff, similar to how the Prime games take place between Metroid 1 and Metroid 2. And Other M was such an unpopular game I wouldn't be surprised if it's officially non-canon from Nintendo's perspective.
It seems like the mainline series is:
Metroid
Metroid 2
Super Metroid (has the text "Metroid 3" in the title sequence)
Metroid Fusion (has the text "Metroid 4" in the title sequence)
Metroid Dread ("Metroid 5" in the announcement trailer)
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It just looks much more crow-like to me in terms of beak than the raptor-like beak Chozo are usually shown with. That said, sometimes designs drift over time.
As far as the Prime games go, as I said I was also in the "what, FPS metroid?!" camp and then loved it. I don't even really like FPS games that much in general. But there's just something about what they did with the series that really works.
As far as the Prime games go, as I said I was also in the "what, FPS metroid?!" camp and then loved it. I don't even really like FPS games that much in general. But there's just something about what they did with the series that really works.
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It received generally positive reviews and sold well. It may be worth remembering that just because you see a lot of people complaining about something on the Internet doesn't mean that's the way most people feel.
At any rate, the thing most people had a problem with was the story. And one would think that if Nintendo were wary about the backlash to the story, they wouldn't have, y'know, put the guy who wrote it in charge of this one.
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And if they were nice and included a port of Samus Returns for the Switch, I wouldn't get mad or anything...
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anonymouschicken
Ars Scholae Palatinae
In my bubble, Other M is certainly regarded as a pretty unpopular game. I'm open to the idea that maybe that's not a mainstream opinion. But on the other hand, I feel like there's a good reason why Other M came out in 2010 and then was the last Metroid game they released until 2017 (and the last Metroid game released with an original story until 2021). If it sold well and was generally well liked, why put the franchise on its longest hiatus ever?
I also feel like you could make the same argument about The Phantom Menace. It also sold well and received generally good reviews in 1999. But it's nonetheless developed an enduring legacy of being a bad movie.
As for why Nintendo would bring Sakamoto back for Dread, well, the dude has been involved with pretty much every Metroid game other than the Prime trilogy, going back to the original in 1986. Maybe he regards Other M as a misfire or a failed experiment. Or maybe Dread will have the same story issues. I guess we'll see.
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Second-longest. Its longest was after Super Metroid.
Which was a genre-defining classic and is still widely regarded as one of the best games of all time. Hence my skepticism at anyone assuming that if there's a gap in the Metroid series, it must be a statement about the quality or reception of the most recent game.
Nintendo's always given Metroid less attention than Mario or Zelda. The unusual thing isn't how few Metroid games there have been since 2010, it's how many of them there were in the 8 years before that.
And I think that hits on the real anomaly of the 2002-2010 period: the Prime Trilogy, which weren't Sakamoto games. If you don't include those three (or spinoffs like Hunters), there are only 3 Metroid games between 2002 and 2010. Which is much more inline with the series' usual staggered release schedule.
I'm very much concerned about those quirks; Other M very definitely riffs on story beats he introduced in Fusion.
Fortunately, so far what we've heard focuses on refining the good bits of Fusion, the part where you're being chased by a superior force that's going to straight-up murder you if it sees you. I'd very much like to see more of that and less of Adam. Ideally none of Adam.
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I clearly remember the hype around Other M from the moment of its announcement up until its release, everyone was like OH MY GOD TEAM NINJA IS MAKING A METROID GAME IT’S GONNA BE SO AWESOMEEEEE
It was only after the honeymoon was over that people realized it was a dud after all.
It was only after the honeymoon was over that people realized it was a dud after all.
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It was, for the most part, pretty fun to play. There were some exceptions (the fucking pixel-hunts), but by and large the gameplay was enjoyable.
It was the storytelling that put people off. And rightly so! It's a game about Samus alternately cowering, doing what a man tells her to even though it doesn't make sense and puts her life at serious risk, and ruminating about motherhood.
Games as a medium have a lot of problems with sexism. Other M was stunningly misogynistic even by that abysmal standard.
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anonymouschicken
Ars Scholae Palatinae
Agree. I was just starting college when Other M came out and was very hyped to play it. I didn't have a car so I remember walking to a Wal-Mart 2 miles away just to buy a copy, then I stayed up all night playing. The gameplay was fun! I enjoyed the basic combat mechanics, and the space station was pretty fun to explore. It was just the story that was awful.
Somehow Samus has both daddy issues ("Adam is such a brooding, aloof, paternal figure, how I crave his approval!") and mommy issues ("I lost the baby!") She voluntarily agrees to disable most of her suit powers to avoid posing a danger to the station and the marines (sure, I guess), but then she doesn't even activate the varia suit until way after she realistically needs it. It's a purely defensive ability, why even turn it off?! The game makes you run through multiple rooms taking continuous heat damage because Samus voluntarily turned her heat shield off!
And don't even get me started on the Ridley fight. If you take the Prime trilogy and the ending of Samus Returns as canon, then I believe Samus has defeated Ridley 5 separate times in the timeline before the start of Other M. And yet, when he shows up in Other M, she literally turns into a cowering child and is only saved when a man shows up.
Wow I hated the story of Other M. It takes a character whose previous defining traits were "independent, stoic, badass" and turns her into a sexualized, emotional wreck.
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I don't think those ratings show what you think they show:
97 Metroid Prime
92 Metroid Fusion
92 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
91 Metroid Prime Trilogy
90 Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
89 Metroid: Zero Mission
85 Metroid Prime: Hunters
85 Metroid: Samus Returns
79 Metroid Prime Pinball
79 Metroid: Other M
64 Metroid Prime: Federation Force
58 Classic NES Series: Metroid
Other M was a failure that was only rescued from complete ignominy only by being part of the Metroid franchise.
What success it had in sales was in large part due to the strong lead in from the previous Prime games.
This is like a Zelda or a Mario console release getting a low 80.
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Chaos Psyche
Seniorius Lurkius
I had a GameCube long before Prime came out. I love the Prime series as well. Doing a playthrough of Corruption this week, in fact...
I keep thinking back on the rumors...
This makes them only half true! There's supposed to be one more Metroid game getting released on the switch, that isn't Prime 4...
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Okay, I watched the treehouse gameplay, and here's a few Chozo statuies from it:
Okay, I'm not entirely sure the second and third are Chozo. But they look more like Chozo to me than the guy pictured. And the first definitely is.
I just don't see
Edit: He actually looks closest to the third pic posted. If he tilted his head down and looks up. The horns and the neck armor look more similar.
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In the treehouse stream they specifically clarified that Adam is Samus' ship's computer and is only "a point for lore" that does not give any direction to Samus.
Felt very much like they know why Other M gets so much shit from fans and wanted to distance Dread from that.
We'll see in a few months, but Dread is looking very good to me so far.
Carrion is a good game, but the metroidvania-esque bits are easily the worst part. It doesn't have the feel a good metroidvania and would've been better off as a completely linear game.
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Yeah, that's almost verbatim what I said about it at the time.
"Generally positive reviews" and "worse reviews than most Metroid games" are not mutually exclusive. The game was a critical disappointment by the extremely high standards of the series, but averaging a B instead of an A doesn't make a game a critical failure.
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Hopefully it will be better than M2SR. That game was bad and somehow both too easy and too hard. AM2R was such a better game.
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I'd just like to share with everyone, this video of Arlo's reaction to the trailer/reveal. He expressed pure, unadulterated joy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVH04K63NL8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVH04K63NL8
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Nice! This'll be the second game I'll get for my Switch. Zelda BOTW is my only other Switch game.
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I only recently discovered I really like MetroidVanias, a genre obviously named after this specific franchise!
looking forward to playing a new entry into the genre-defining series, having fallen in love with the genre after playing the Ori games.
i remember playing the original metroid back in the day, but I didnt like it. i guess I was just too young to get it back then....
looking forward to playing a new entry into the genre-defining series, having fallen in love with the genre after playing the Ori games.
i remember playing the original metroid back in the day, but I didnt like it. i guess I was just too young to get it back then....
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The only thing that disappoints me is the "Melee Swipe" stuff from Samus Returns. They put less of an emphasis on it in the trailer. I don't really care for Mercury Steam's "changes" to the Metroid formula, but at least we are actually getting a NEW 2D Metroid title. I'll just have to deal with it. 
Now, here's hoping we get a NEW Zelda top down title someday.
Now, here's hoping we get a NEW Zelda top down title someday.
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OG Metroid had some exceedingly frustrating sections where there is a readily visible path, but you don't have the tools to use it, nor access to those tools within the areas you've been so far, while the path you are supposed to take is somewhat hidden, and requires an item you don't yet have, but can get in the area you're in provided you know where to look.
Navigating this without a map is rough. Nevermind that early game OG Metroid enemies are pretty deadly compared with other games in the series, and that when you spawn (even from a password-generated "save game") you start with just 30 health and no missiles, which is incredibly punishing.
Phenomenal game, don't get me wrong, but it definitely shows it's age. If you have access to a GBA I'd highly recommend Zero Mission over OG Metroid unless you specifically love vintage NES-era game sensibilities.
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It’s true, the color palletes especially in Samus’s suit are bad. Some of the level colors too. Beyond the robots looks like Portal, but some level art looks cheaply stolen from Half-Life 2 and Mass Effect. Robot scene demo also looks stolen from Sarah Connor chased by the T-800 in the first Terminator. Borrowing is OK, theft is OK, but cheap borrowings with no inspiration and without any quality preserved added…that’s bad. None of this looks anything like Super Metroid artistically or thematically…that’s bad.
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Exactly. Both of the mainline Lords of Shadows games were pretty darned good. The Mirror of Fate spinoff was... not. Although slightly better for the 3DS than the even more disappointing download-only X360 and PS3 ports.
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I think it's the lighting.
Things are bright and well lit, and while previous Metroid games have never really been dark (Sector 6 in Fusion not withstanding), the lighting was more atmospheric and less like a hospital OR. Add to this the bright white reflective elements and the lighting stands out even more. While the white reflective elements are ok in some contexts (the EMMI robots, for example), they don't hit right in others (Samus' suit).
I think another thing missing from the reveal trailers (IMO) is the lack of a used future aesthetic. Going back to OG Metroid, Samus is wearing this ancient Chozo armor, running and gunning through a partially destroyed Space Pirate base. You get the sense that Samus has done this before, many times, and that her adversaries are well established. In Dread, the environments don't really scream "this is a real place that existed before this adventure" the way Zebes or SR-388 or even the BLS station did. On top of that, Samus' suit (and the EMMI) looks pristine, like it has never seen combat. For the EMMI, that's fine - this is supposed to be some super robot that was just activated, so I'd expect the bright white reflective aesthetic there. For Samus' suit , this is totally out of place - while I'm not expecting blaster scoring on the armor, the stark white and the glossy finish just don't fit. I'd like to see a render of the Dread suit with the white recolored to yellow/orange/purple (the traditional suit colors) or gray/black (if they want to go a different direction).
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