Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@Tjuz It's interesting that you bring that up, because it has somewhat affected my decision to start it up. But I think it's been so long since I played the first game that everything will feel fresh again.

Nope, I haven't played the remake of Sky chapter 1 yet but I have the game! I finished Daybreak last month, which is the 11th entry in the series, and I have the 12th (Daybreak 2) as well as the 13th games lined up. I'm pondering if I should play Sky chapter 1 or Daybreak 2 next but I can postpone that decision as I think I need a break from this series.

While it sounds logical to start out with the remake of Sky 1 as it's the first game in the series, it's also one of the recent games and most mechanically evolved. It's going to be hard playing the Sky games and then going to the Crossbell titles (4th and 5th entries), which are not only graphically outdated but also mechanically unimpressive in comparison.

If that doesn't bother you though, then definitely give Sky 1 a go! This series is just something else. Even if there are many entries, you'll get easily engrossed and blast through one game after the other.

Finally went ahead and finished Metroid Prime 4 yesterday after pausing my playthrough for a few months (been a crazy period for me; recovering from a surgery now has given me space to dig back into gaming).

Overall, while I think people were exaggerating the extent of the problems, and that it'll likely be re-evaluated as being better than it was given credit for... I do kinda agree that the desert and the characters are both problems with this game.

In terms of the desert, I think the big issue is that it's poorly implemented, because there's almost no point in exploring it until the very end of the game, which makes running around that area a massive slog. The desert and green crystal stuff would've been much less obtrusive if they'd made it where you utilized that space more fully throughout the game as you were driving between dungeons.

The structure of it is also problematic. Going from one area to another is SUCH a slog. Fast travel of some sort would've alleviated so many headaches associated with having to go back and forth between the major in-game areas. WHY do I have to drive all the way across the desert back to Fury Green, enter the cannon, watch the unskippable cutscene, skip the skippable ones, run back through multiple rooms, wait for Myles to talk to random characters and slowly saunter his way back to the table, listen to more dialogue... every single time I get a decent shot upgrade? In the grand scheme of things, it's probably minor, but it's aggravating, and that aggravation stacks on top of other issues I already have with the game.

And that's the thing: the characters aren't as bad as people made them out to be, but they also add annoyances to the game, from the upgrade process to having to babysit these people during the final boss fight and actually losing because they're too stupid to get out of the way of clearly telegraphed attacks by Sylux. I'm not against the idea of a Metroid game having a cast, necessarily. I'm not a "muh isolation" chud who acts like the series hasn't evolved since the first entry, but if they ever make another Prime game, they need to integrate the cast in less obtrusive ways.

And what's it all for? MEGA SPOILERS: The end of the game is literally Samus abandoning these people to a doomed fate on some far off alien planet after Sylux pops up again out of nowhere. I suppose it's meant to be a tragic turn of events, which I'm not necessarily opposed to, but it just came off as random and depressing instead, making the game feel sort of pointless.

And that all sounds intensely negative, but... I mean, I think it was a pretty good game overall. Definitely not my favorite Metroid game, but it's beautiful, controls very well, really shows off what the system can do, has some great dungeons, and overall is a good time. I think its reception is largely a victim of the internet culture war against Nintendo atm, and over time it'll be re-evaluated.

A flawed experience, but one I'm willing to play again, and I do hope we see more Metroid Prime at some point.

@Ralizah You didn't clearly state which game you're referring to in your post, but I'm guessing it's Metroid Prime 4.

I feel like I'd be of the same opinion as you based on what I've read about the game. It's a good game but nothing special. I think when you make a sequel for a popular series that's been dormant for a long time, the expectations will be sky high. Especially when considering how long ago it was since the game was announced and back then, it was a different game before development was restarted on the project. It would be interesting to see what the first version of the game was going to be. I vaguely recall it was going to be more of a horror game, which would've been interesting!

@LtSarge Woops! That's what I get for copypasting a post I made in the NL MP4 thread. 😛 Edited the post.

Yeah, I know a number of people who are of the opinion that nothing short of a generational masterpiece would've satisfied the fanbase, which I agree with. Expectations were too built up for this.

The game definitely has a horror vibe in parts! There's one area that almost makes you feel like you're The Thing or a similar sci-fi horror story. Fantastic tone.

Part of the irritation for me is the older Prime games also have a lot of flaws, but people often have different standards for newer software.

@LtSarge Haha, I'm not sure how I'll react to flipping back and forth between very different eras of gaming within the series. I figure by the time I'd have completed the first and second remake, there might already be a next one out anyway! I'm still going to have that type of experience making my way through Star Ocean, where I'll have to jump from a PSP-era remake to a current-day remake to a straight-up PlayStation 2 game. I'm sure it's going to give me whiplash as this series might eventually, but I think I'll be able to do deal with it okay. Famous last words!

@Ralizah Ah, that's cool that MP4 also has horror themes! Speaking of older MP titles and horror, I played through MP2 last year, which is apparently a lot of people's favourite MP title. I had no idea people were of that opinion about the game, as I've mostly heard praise about MP1 before I played MP2, but suddenly after I finished MP2, I saw tons of praise for the game.

But it's like you say, even though there's a lot of praise for the older titles, there are still a lot of flaws. In the case of MP2, there's just so much backtracking and switching back and forth between the light and dark dimensions. Not to mention having to switch at specific spots in order to get to your destination. You could say that this is the most "Metroidvania" Metroid Prime game, but it was still a bit extreme in that regard. I enjoyed the game regardless though, it was really fun.

My favourite is probably MP3, but that's mostly due to bias as it was the first game in the trilogy that I played since it was the only one available on Wii (before the trilogy bundle came out).

@Tjuz That's another series I've really wanted to get into and where I have multiple games, but I haven't played any of them! Luckily, the entire series can be played on PS5 so I'm in no rush to get through these games. But I'm definitely looking forward to playing the first remake one of these days.