Before I get to the issue that everyone is talking about, let's just talk about the game. This Metroid reminded me a lot of Metroid Fusion, I would go as far as to say that this game is the 3-D version of it, because well... it copies a lot of things from that previous installment. Is that bad? Not really, borrowing concepts from a game in the same series that was released 8 years prior isn't really a problem.
The problem is, the level design. The environments are much too familiar, and nothing really jumps out at you. With the Metroid Prime games, the level design was brilliant, but for this... it's just... meh. BUT, with that said, I did enjoy the enemy/boss design. One problem with the level design in the game is the irritating issue of not knowing what to do kept coming up for me. It may just be me though, because others have breezed through the game without any trouble.
Now let's briefly talk about the elephant in the room: Samus. (I hope she doesn't think I'm implying she's fat.) She now has a voice and a bit more character development. Metroid fans went ballistic. I didn't really mind much of what they made Samus to be, but some fans are exaggerating the issue, saying that Samus has been turned into a whiny, emotional bimbo who can't function without the help of a man. All I hear is: "How dare they give Samus emotion! She should have a cold, robotic personality forever!" Now I may be exaggerating, but fans just aren't getting the point: Samus is human. We only knew some details about her history before, and now we get a better understanding of her character. Personally, I think it's a step in the right direction for Metroid's story, but it wasn't handled quite as delicately as everyone wanted.
The Verdict:
What I liked:
- Enemy/Boss Design
- Classic Metroid Gameplay
- Throwbacks to prior games
What I didn't like:
- Some of the level design
- Only able to use missles while in visor mode
- Who did what now? (Convoluted subplot)
Nice review. I like how you didn't give it a number. Numbers are lame. The "Likes/dislikes" thing is a better system. Good luck with the new blog! They can be... an effort to keep going.
ReplyDeleteYeah, no score on a review = win. That was a nice read. Now, your mission is to go and hunt down a copy of Metroid II: Return of Samus and play it. It's a Metroid experience like none other. Totally unique and (still!) a blast to play. Check it out .
ReplyDeleteYou forgot the utterly ridiculous moment when she catches sight of ridley and goes to pieces like a china vase in a tumble dryer. COMPLETELY forgetting that she has ruthlessly smeared his dragony carcass over the floor at least FOUR TIMES before this. Don't know about you guys, but I always envisioned samus as a bit more of a badass than she comes across as in this game. That said, I had a hope they would tweak the gameplay and remake super metroid like this (minus the linear progression nonsense)
ReplyDeleteAs a ""Samus's big space adventure"" game. It's just way to linear to be a true ""metroid"" for me. And I've defended past linear efforts like 2 and fusion.
ReplyDeleteBut ah well. I too would like another game in this style, but maybe with more exploration based gameplay like in the old days.
I collected all of my games at PIJ! Its really pretty for pre-order.
http://bit.ly/METROIDOtherM