Metroid Appreciation Thread - Come Inside and Talk About All Things Metroid

Gemini73 wrote:

Alvin Flummux wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:As I'm using a DS again, what's Metroid Prime Hunters like for it?

Imagine your hand has become locked in a painful claw position. That's what you'll be like after playing it.

I see. Are there any other Metroid games available for the platform?

None that I can recall. Hunters is worth playing to become familiar with the other bounty hunters, I suppose, like that one whose ship appears at the end of Prime 3.

Okay. Pity no 2D Metroid titles appeared on the platform.

Cheers nonetheless.

Gemini73 wrote:As I'm using a DS again, what's Metroid Prime Hunters like for it?

I enjoyed Prime Hunters a lot, but it was the first Metroid game I played through. It's not as good as most of the other games or any of the Prime games but it's also pretty different. Unlike the Prime games Retro Studies didn't develop it - just provided the designs.

One of the biggest differences is there are not really any upgrades besides new weapons which open colour-coded doors. The puzzles aren't quite on the same scale. There's a disappointing lack in enemy variety despite more of focus on combat compared to Prime 1 & 2 and other Metroid titles in general, but the occasional fights with the other bounty hunters are cool. However there's also a lack of boss variety - just two different types used repeatedly throughout the game up until the final boss.

The locales are unsurprisingly not as impressive as those in the other Primes but there are still some cool areas and this is one of the most impressive-looking 3D titles on the DS. Some nice-looking cutscenes too.

I've heard from a lot of people that the controls are not exactly comfortable, but plenty of people including myself got along with them fine enough. Nice bit of precision offered by touchscreen aiming.

Unfortunately perhaps the biggest draw of the game, the online multiplayer, is redundant now.

tl;dr it's not a great Metroid game but it's a decent 6 or 7/10 game. Lore-wise it doesn't really fit into the series and may as well not even be a Prime game since it's got nothing to do with that storyline. It just introduces Sylux who was teased as returning at the end of Prime 3, but there's not character development for him here or anything anyway.


The only other Metroid game on DS I can think of is Metroid Prime Pinball, which at least isn't the worst Prime game.

Krik Kringle wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:As I'm using a DS again, what's Metroid Prime Hunters like for it?

I enjoyed Prime Hunters a lot, but it was the first Metroid game I played through. It's not as good as most of the other games or any of the Prime games but it's also pretty different. Unlike the Prime games Retro Studies didn't develop it - just provided the designs.

One of the biggest differences is there are not really any upgrades besides new weapons which open colour-coded doors. The puzzles aren't quite on the same scale. There's a disappointing lack in enemy variety despite more of focus on combat compared to Prime 1 & 2 and other Metroid titles in general, but the occasional fights with the other bounty hunters are cool. However there's also a lack of boss variety - just two different types used repeatedly throughout the game up until the final boss.

The locales are unsurprisingly not as impressive as those in the other Primes but there are still some cool areas and this is one of the most impressive-looking 3D titles on the DS. Some nice-looking cutscenes too.

I've heard from a lot of people that the controls are not exactly comfortable, but plenty of people including myself got along with them fine enough. Nice bit of precision offered by touchscreen aiming.

Unfortunately perhaps the biggest draw of the game, the online multiplayer, is redundant now.

tl;dr it's not a great Metroid game but it's a decent 6 or 7/10 game. Lore-wise it doesn't really fit into the series and may as well not even be a Prime game since it's got nothing to do with that storyline. It just introduces Sylux who was teased as returning at the end of Prime 3, but there's not character development for him here or anything anyway.


The only other Metroid game on DS I can think of is Metroid Prime Pinball, which at least isn't the worst Prime game.

Thanks for that, bud. I'll give it some consideration.

At what I assume is the final boss of Samus Returns now. Very challenging. About 14 hours on the clock, but I've spent at least 1.5 hours just trying to get through this. Can do survive phase 1 and 2, but the yet to make it to phase 3 with enough life for any margin for error. Will come back tomorrow.

Frosty the Clarkman wrote:At what I assume is the final boss of Samus Returns now. Very challenging. About 14 hours on the clock, but I've spent at least 1.5 hours just trying to get through this. Can do survive phase 1 and 2, but the yet to make it to phase 3 with enough life for any margin for error. Will come back tomorrow.

Beat him on my second attempt today. Game completion percentage at 52%, but feel very little desire to go back and mop up the upgrades I've missed.

Feel the game is a 7.5/10 - repetitive areas and bosses with a lack of enemy variety and little to no backtracking through previous areas required. A solid game, but not in the same league as Hollow Knight, but perhaps has blown everything else out the water for me.

What's the worst prime game then?

I have pinball, it's perfectly enjoyable, a bit like Pokemon Pinball.

I also have Hunters. In fact I now own every Metroid game in some form or another (including the GameBoy Metroid II on cart, but not the NES or SNES cart). Not including Federation Force because it doesn't count (actually I'd like to try it...). I suppose there's Metroid Blast Ball as well?

I paused on Samus Returns because I sensed it becoming difficult and didn't want to burn out on it. Haven't picked it up again.. which is awful because it's great.

Metroid Hunters was developed by Nintendo NST (America), I didn't know Retro Studios provided anything. I've played through the first mission and I think it was fairly good. The controls work but are a little awkward. It's definitely really impressive for a DS game. Heck it would be pretty ground breaking on the N64, but it's a bit higher resolution I think and there are multiple CPUs/ALUs so wouldn't work.

The worst prime game I had in mind was Federation Force. Was being rather literal because yeah, I don't actually feel it counts.

Never played FF, so Hunters is definitely the worst one I've played. Followed by 3, or Pinball. I still liked Pinball, actually - a bit throwaway, but still good fun.

Went back to this tonight.

Phaaze - the strawberry float is this gooseberry fool? Why do games have to have such crap bits stuck on the end?

I worked very hard on this.

Ad7 wrote:Went back to this tonight.

Phaaze - the strawberry float is this gooseberry fool? Why do games have to have such crap bits stuck on the end?

I imagine the developers were under considerable pressure to wrap things up and leave no loose ends.

It's a disguised timed section and so gooseberry fool I'm not going to bother finishing the game. Shame because I was newly at 90% items and was enjoying the game.

Ad7 wrote:It's a disguised timed section and so gooseberry fool I'm not going to bother finishing the game. Shame because I was newly at 90% items and was enjoying the game.

It's not too long. But you are right, it is a low point in a great game.

Ad7 wrote:It's a disguised timed section and so gooseberry fool I'm not going to bother finishing the game. Shame because I was newly at 90% items and was enjoying the game.

It's literally 20-30 minutes (At least that's how long I remember it being when I played it a few months back) and easy enough to push through. I'd just grit your teeth and get past it so you can finish the game.

Loving Metroid Prime again, but strawberry float me I'd forgotten how solid these bosses are. Don't think I've grinded my teeth in controlled rage quite so much in my life.

Gemini73 wrote:Loving Metroid Prime again, but strawberry float me I'd forgotten how solid these bosses are. Don't think I've grinded my teeth in controlled rage quite so much in my life.

The serious cramps I got from the last two bosses is unbelievable.