Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@CJD87 Final clear time was just over 6 hours, I’d say that it took me about 9 in real time!

@CJD87 It is kinda strange, right? Playing a Nintendo game that actually offers a good challenge. I still remember the the previous two generations where Nintendo made most of their games easier and if they weren't, they'd at least offer lots of help if you had trouble. Metroid Dread on the other hand is as pure of a hardcore experience as it can get. The boss fights are seriously really challenging and I love that. Very refreshing indeed!

@LtSarge - Im honestly not sure how so many people claim to have gone into Dread completely blind and beat within 6-7hrs…

Maybe it says more about me as a gamer, but im about 8hrs in and have only just beaten the underwater boss (4th boss?).

Really enjoying the sense of mystery and loneliness, alongside learning the boss patterns.

Purposefully allowing myself to get a bit stuck also, avoiding guides etc - so I feel I get my money’s worth!

But yes nice to have a Nintendo IP game that isn’t overly patronising for once (Skyward Sword remaster…. 😂)

@CJD87 Yeah, I'm definitely taking my time with this game. Although it does seem like the in-game timer isn't that reliable. It says that I've played for 7 hours on my save file, but on my Switch profile, it says that I've been playing for 10 hours or more. So maybe it's more for other people as well.

So apparently, I was closer to the end of Metroid Dread than I thought and managed to finish it up just now after roughly 12 hours of playtime. What a phenomenal game! The final boss was brilliantly designed, like at first you'd constantly die to it in order to figure out its pattern but then the first phase became a breeze. After that you had the other phases and all of a sudden, you beat the boss with minimal damage taken. It just felt so freaking satisfying. In fact, all the boss fights in this game were so well-designed. And the twist at the end was just so cool!

Moreover, the graphics were just astounding. The level of detail really brings these worlds to life. Insects wandering around in the background, lava flowing down, upcoming bosses briefly showing up and so on. It just makes the experience more immersive. Consequently, the narrative was excellently done. It's important to remember that this is first and foremost a Metroidvania, so you can't have cut-scenes showing up all the time. Granted, they did that for a while in the beginning part of the game but after that they were more evenly paced. And I liked them! To experience an actual story in a 2D Metroid is so refreshing. Not to mention voice overs in a Metroid game. All of these things just contributed to a more immersive and compelling game. Furthermore, they made Samus such a badass in this game, especially during the scene against the final boss. The balance between narrative and gameplay was just overall well done.

This is easily the best 2D Metroid, quite possibly the best Metroid game ever made. Which in all honesty isn't that hard to top because there haven't been that many Metroid games, especially not in the past decade. The series has come a long way since the days of Super Metroid and Metroid Prime. I have never been a huge fan of this series before, but after playing through Dread I think I am now. I'm genuinely excited to see what MercurySteam will create next and I'm more excited now for Metroid Prime 4.

@LtSarge I think it’s maybe my favourite 2D Metroid but Prime and Prime 2 top it for me!

@nessisonett You know, I haven't played Metroid Prime 2 yet (although I have played 1 and 3, lol). It's one of the few Metroid games I still need to play. It's just that I've heard that it's more difficult than the other Metroid Prime games and that has sadly deterred me from starting it up. What do you say, should I just give it a go? I mean, is the difficulty really that much higher than the first Metroid Prime?

@LtSarge Prime 2 has some very very ‘interesting’ difficulty spikes but I absolutely love the setting and the parallel worlds. One of my favourite Nintendo games ever.

@nessisonett Well, all that praise has definitely piqued my interest and I'd love to play more Metroid now that I've finished up Dread. I might just have to give it a go in the near future!

@nessisonett @LtSarge I'm still holding out for remastered collection for the Metroid Prime games on Switch, having not played any of them.

@JohnnyShoulder It’s definitely a game I’d like to play with twin sticks, the Cube controls were first person tank controls after all.

Okay, I thought it was just something they did for the trailer, but apparently everytime Sora lands the last hit in a Stamina battle the game enables the same effect used whenever you defeat a boss in Kingdom Hearts. That's actually really cool.

Dread will have to be pretty exceptional to top Zero Mission for me, which is one of the few games I'd be comfortable saying is functionally perfect.

@JohnnyShoulder Nintendo tend to release remasters while they have you wait for the next game in one of their franchises, Zelda being the best example. So hopefully they'll release the Metroid Prime trilogy on Switch when Prime 4 is nearing completion in order to generate hype.

I've played Metroid Prime 1 and 3 and they're both excellent games, so you have lots to look forward to! I think my favourite is still Prime 3 since it was my first Prime game.

@nessisonett @LtSarge I'm not sure why I want it so much, I've only played one Metroid game on SNES I think.

@Iver The sound design’s fantastic in Dread. I only played with proper headphones and it was definitely an experience when the E.M.M.I.s were homing in on me.

@Iver Oh not in the many at once sort of way, it’s more a plural in the number of times it happens!

After finishing Metroid Fusion I finally got round to starting Metroid Dread. I'm reasonably early (I think?) and am now in the second area of the game having gone to the third area to get a triple beam. Thoughts so far are that the level design is excellent, and it looks and sounds lovely. I also appreciate how it links to Metroid Fusion, which was also quite story focused. Samus' fast movement is brilliant, too. I've been playing in handheld mode, but might see what it's like on the TV as Samus is rather small on the Switch's screen. I do have one complaint, and that is the bloody E.M.M.I.. Evading them while in their zones has been a little more tricky than I would like and led to many game over screens. I don't like them at all. Or the little robot things that just love to get in the way and deactivate Samus' cloak.

@LtSarge @nessisonett Ooh Metroid Prime 2 is excellent. I love the interconnected puzzles between the two dimensions of Aether, as well as the level more ambitious level design and general atmosphere. At the time of release was such a visual and aural treat. The not-quite-final boss is a giant pile of cow turd, however, especially on the GameCube. And the backwards and forwardsing that defined Prime 1 is even more pronounced, especially when collecting the wretched keys needed to access the endgame.

@mookysam Yeah, I think the concept of having robots chase you might be a bit hit or miss with the players. It's certainly one of the hardest 2D Metroid games I've played, but I don't think it's unfair at all. The game certainly gives you the tools to evade them but yeah, it still requires a lot of skill. I do think it's an interesting and refreshing spin on a formula that has otherwise been the same for the past thirty years.

I actually started up Metroid Prime 2 earlier today after all the talk about it and it's really good so far! I've missed playing the Prime titles, they're way more slow-paced than the 2D Metroids but still a lot of fun. I'll definitely have to take my time with this game as I'm trying to scan everything that I come across. I also forgot how exceptional the music is in these games, it's so epic! Can't wait to play more of it soon.

Getting what are traditionally late game upgrades, Space Jump, Gravity Suit, so I imagine I must be getting close now.

While I appreciate that they wanted to try something new, and they're novel enough the first few times, I ultimately don't think the game's better off with the E.M.M.I., and am enjoying it more during the more traditional gameplay.