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[timetokill]

It legitimately wouldn't surprise me. They let it go for years, just like they do with most fan projects. This game was never hidden or under the radar, and it has had multiple substantial demos available. They didn't do anything about it until fully released with reception positive enough that it resulted in some major publicity (for a fangame, at least).

And I think you would have to be crazy to think they didn't know about it until now. There are tons of videos of the demos on youtube dating back a few years, and Nintendo manages to find much smaller projects that "break rules" like plugging donations. There's no way they just found out about it.

I hadn't heard about it until it released. I'm on here a lot. I wouldn't say it's impossible for them to not have known. Furthermore, there are like a million fan projects like these that never release. I doubt they have the ability or desire to shut down every one of them when the majority don't actually come out.

In the end, yes, it sucks for fans but it's also incredibly predictable and avoidable.

If you want to know whether something is taking advantage of an IP, consider this. If this guy had made this exact same game but without Samus, Metroids, or the name Metroid itself, would it have gotten this kind of recognition? The answer is: of course not. People care because this is a "Metroid" game.

 

[Nerrel]

The official AMR2 site has removed the game release post altogether, and the downloads section is completely empty. No more "guys, the game is still up on the site, Nintendo won't shut it down, they're only hitting external hosts!" shit, Nintendo has officially killed it. I can't believe that people were still adamantly refusing to think this would happen even after the first takedown notices were being issued. We'll never see the fully completed version, but at least we got it in some form.

I'm really not too pleased with Nintendo at this point. They've made a lot of mistakes, but this is the first time I feel like my loyalty to them has actually eroded. Good luck getting Federation Force to sell.

 

[DragonGirl]

Pretty much. Nintendo seems to think you can stick the genie back into the bottle.

It's just going to make Metroid fans even more upset with them at this point.

I rather think they know you can't stick the genie back in the bottle and are fine with it being that way. If they wanted to kill this game, they had 10 years to do it. Instead they let it release and only took action a day later, plenty of time for it to become immortal in the wild. They get to do the legal thing and protect their IP, Metroid fans still get their game. That's my generous way of looking at it. My not so generous opinion is that Nintendo straight up doesn't know what to do with Metroid anymore other than sit on it in the vault.

 

[chaosblade]

If you want to know whether something is taking advantage of an IP, consider this. If this guy had made this exact same game but without Samus, Metroids, or the name Metroid itself, would it have gotten this kind of recognition? The answer is: of course not. People care because this is a "Metroid" game.

That's debatable, quality indie Metroidvanias are getting quite a bit of attention these days. I haven't had a chance to start it yet, but if the quality is there it could definitely get noticed. See Guacamelee or Axiom Verge, among many others.

 

[Vitacat]

Just downloaded it and played about 15 minutes.

All I can say is... at least we got one good Metroid game in 2016.

 

[PtM]

In hindsight, they probably shouldn't have released it on Metroid's anniversary. Maybe it would still be around if it hadn't gotten that much publicity.

 

[wheapon]

That's debatable, quality indie Metroidvanias are getting quite a bit of attention these days. I haven't had a chance to start it yet, but if the quality is there it could definitely get noticed. See Guacamelee or Axiom Verge, among many others.

Thing is, this is a direct remake of Metroid 2. It's a bit of a stretch to compare this to a completely new title since much of the game/level design was completed by Nintendo.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

In hindsight, they probably shouldn't have released it on Metroid's anniversary. Maybe it would still be around if it hadn't gotten that much publicity.

The game is in the wild, they got a huge amount of publicity before it was nuked from Nintendo, anyone can put up the files who have it. They did it right, released it with no announcement beforehand and got it out before they were hammered.

You can't stop the signal Mal.

 

[Quote]

That's debatable, quality indie Metroidvanias are getting quite a bit of attention these days. I haven't had a chance to start it yet, but if the quality is there it could definitely get noticed. See Guacamelee or Axiom Verge, among many others.

You can't possibly believe that.

Guacamelee's OT lifetime was 50 pages.
Axiom Verge's OT lifetime was 28 pages.
AM2R's OT ongoing OT is already at 25.

The first 2 had marketing budgets and official releases on consoles. AM2R, while being around for 10 years, doesn't have any of that.

The game is good on it's own merits, but lets not pretend it being Metroid adds nothing to it.

 

[KarmaCow]

I rather think they know you can't stick the genie back in the bottle and are fine with it being that way. If they wanted to kill this game, they had 10 years to do it. Instead they let it release and only took action a day later, plenty of time for it to become immortal in the wild. They get to do the legal thing and protect their IP, Metroid fans still get their game. That's my generous way of looking at it. My not so generous opinion is that Nintendo straight up doesn't know what to do with Metroid anymore other than sit on it in the vault.

Considering how they handled other stuff, I'm guessing they only became aware of it after it released and reflexively shut it down because they don't give a shit. Unfortunately, unlike when Melee was first added to Evo, there isn't a big enough outcry or perspective that makes them look completely terrible that would make Nintendo even address the situation, much less reverse it.

 

[chaosblade]

You can't possibly believe that.

Guacamelee's OT lifetime was 50 pages.
Axiom Verge's OT lifetime was 28 pages.
AM2R's OT ongoing OT is already at 25.

The first 2 had marketing budgets and official releases on consoles. AM2R, while being around for 10 years, doesn't have any of that.

They game is good on it's own merits, but lets not pretend it being Metroid adds nothing to it.

"Adds nothing to it" and "nobody would care about it if it didn't feature Samus/wasn't Metroid" aren't the same thing. I don't doubt being Metroid adds to it, but if it's a quality Metroidvania it could absolutely get attention without the Metroid name.

 

[Quote]

"Adds nothing to it" and "nobody would care if it didn't feature Samus/wasn't Metroid" aren't the same thing. I don't doubt being Metroid adds to it, but if it's a quality Metroidvania it could absolutely get attention without the Metroid name.

With no where near the traction it currently has, maybe.

My name comes from the indie Metroidvania that started it all, so i'd love what you're saying to be true, but I have to be realistic here.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Smarter Nintendo would have bought the game from the devs and released it on 3DS or something.

Now they make no money and look like the bad guy.

The only reason they wouldn't go that route is because they take too much pride in their in-house development. Plebian devs can't be making Nintendo games. I may be assuming here, but that's really what I think.

I don't know why I made this post. It was purely fueled by salt.

I still think Nintendo should have tried to swoop this game up for themselves, though.

 

[Quote]

*double post

 

[TDLink]

The game is in the wild, they got a huge amount of publicity before it was nuked from Nintendo, anyone can put up the files who have it. They did it right, released it with no announcement beforehand and got it out before they were hammered.

You can't stop the signal Mal.

They actually did announce its release a month beforehand. They had a countdown timer and everything.

 

[wrowa]

"Adds nothing to it" and "nobody would care about it if it didn't feature Samus/wasn't Metroid" aren't the same thing. I don't doubt being Metroid adds to it, but if it's a quality Metroidvania it could absolutely get attention without the Metroid name.

That line of discussion doesn't lead anywhere, since you can't take away Metroid from this game. Even if you remove Samus this would still be a remake of Metroid 2. In order to make this not Metroid you'd have to create an entirely different game altogether - and then we reach teritory where it's impossible to say whether people would have cared about such a game or not.

 

[dangeraaron10]

So there it is, they actually got the man himself to take down the links on his blog and removed several pages that talk about the game or show it as a final release, leading me to believe there was in fact a C&D issued and not just DMCA'd the hosting sites.

On one hand, this should have been expected. Emotional me is saying "Get fucked, Nintendo", logical me is saying "I think you'd be taking legal action too if you made a game and someone remade it years later for free without your consent."

It's not exactly going to sway me from buying an NX, I'm still excited for the console, but I'm not looking at this whole situation favorably either.

 

[rekameohs]

Lol, there's literally been demos of this game for a decade. Goddamn, Nintendo.

At least they were too incompetent to do this before release!

 

[RPGCrazied]

So there it is, they actually got the man himself to take down the links on his blog and removed several pages that talk about the game or show it as a final release.

On one hand, this should have been expected. Emotional me is saying "Get fucked, Nintendo", logical me is saying "I think you'd be taking legal action too if you made a game and someone remade it years later for free without your consent."

It's not exactly going to sway me from buying an NX, I'm still excited for the console, but I'm not looking at this whole situation favorably either.

Hopefully he can at least make a statement. But we all know Nintendo did this. I guess its their right, their IP and all. But how could they let this release, years in development, countdown timer up until release, only to kill it a day later?

 

[thepenguin55]

Oh God. They've teamed up to send DMCA takedowns across the globe!

Why Miller and Nash? WHY?!

 

[Elfforkusu]

Welp, so much for that Linux release I guess.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Was this posted? IGN has an article about it, even a Nintendo response:

“Nintendo’s broad library of characters, products, and brands are enjoyed by people around the world, and we appreciate the passion of our fans,” reads a statement provided to IGN by a Nintendo representative. “But just as Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of others, we must also protect our own characters, trademarks and other content. The unapproved use of Nintendo’s intellectual property can weaken our ability to protect and preserve it, or to possibly use it for new projects.”

 

[Green Mamba]

The best, thanks.

Was this posted? IGN has an article about it, even a Nintendo response:

Non answer. Essentially, "Eat it, buy Federation Force."

 

[Jetman]

Gah! I didnt download this yet!

What happened to all of the GAF'ers Saturday who were saying Nintendo wouldn't C&D this?? I trusted ya'll! You let me down, bro's

Fully expected to get home from work today, download this, and play it.

Guess Ill start searching for a torrent.

Fuck you Nintendo. Stick Federation Force up your ass.

 

[sketchsanchez]

everything is gone. thats what i get for waiting to download it

 

[Elfforkusu]

To prevent people from catching something:

Can we put this in the OP? plzkthx

e: got confused about what thread I'm in. OP of the official thread would be better. People are going to try to download this, it'd be good to have the official checksums readily available.

 

[ieptbarakat]

Hopefully he can at least make a statement. But we all know Nintendo did this. I guess its their right, their IP and all. But how could they let this release, years in development, countdown timer up until release, only to kill it a day later?

At least am2r survived the countdown, unlike the Halo C&C:Generals mod that was taken down with a week to go because Halo Wars was being announced later that year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9enytuK4oIo

 

[rekameohs]

Was this posted? IGN has an article about it, even a Nintendo response:

Nintendo's doing a pretty good job on their own weakening the Metroid intellectual property, actually.

 

[RPGCrazied]

At least am2r survived the countdown, unlike the Halo C&C:Generals mod that was taken down with a week to go because Halo Wars was being announced later that year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9enytuK4oIo

Aye, at least they aren't SE, they will C&D anything they see, regardless of state its in.

 

[Keyouta]

I just don't understand waiting until release to remove it as it's been in the works for so long. Bad look on them. And this is a free fan project right? So no money is being made by the creators.

Will torrent it when I get home as I've been working the past couple days. It sounds like it's a great remake.

 

[spazchicken]

"Since 1996" needs to be added.

 

[thepenguin55]

Nintendo's doing a pretty good job on their own weakening the Metroid intellectual property, actually.

I fully expected them to take this down because like it or not it's completely within their right, but having said that... you're definitely not wrong.

 

[Piston Hyundai]

it prints C&Ds

 

[CO_Andy]

at least we still got Mother 4 to look forward to

 

[DooMAGE]

Was this posted? IGN has an article about it, even a Nintendo response:

Thanks for the info. Legally there is nothing wrong.

 

[rekameohs]

Taxman would've been tarred and feathered before even getting a chance to make an official game if Sonic was Nintendo's

 

[GrantDaNasty]

Ultimately if Nintendo says no, that's fine - It's the part where they had literal YEARS to say no and instead feigned apathy unil the day-of that is a complete gut-punch.

Hell, even Square-Enix has the decency to C&D chrono fangames and remakes early into their life once made public.

 

[Elfforkusu]

Thanks for the info. Legally there is nothing wrong.

I think we all (or all should...) acknowledge that nuking any individual fan work is within Nintendo's rights as IP holder.

But just because it's within their rights doesn't mean it's right.

 

[datsunzep]

Glad I snatched it up yesterday. Love the soundtrack. Game plays and looks great. However, it does not play nice with my secondary monitor for some reason.

 

[Menitta]

"Since 1996" needs to be added.

I can't wait for the NX reveal.

 

[TDLink]

Ultimately if Nintendo says no, that's fine - It's the part where they had literal YEARS to say no and instead feigned apathy unil the day-of that is a complete gut-punch.

Not even day of. Was publicly in development for nearly a decade. Had numerous released demos that were publicly available and playable. Had an announced release date of August 6th, the 30th Anniversary for Metroid, with a countdown timer. It actually came out and was publicly up for a full 48 hours with publicity from multiple big gaming sites. Only then did it begin to be taken down. And then it was still up another 12+ hours on the official site before apparently being completely removed. And now it's still findable and obtainable and will be.

Nintendo had a ton of opportunity. The weird part is how long they waited and how they did it.

 

[Vena]

Nintendo had a ton of opportunity. The weird part is how long they waited and how they did it.

Could be intentional (let it get out, then kill it to win-win), could be not (weren't aware of it), we'll never know and they'll never say.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Not even day of. Was publicly in development for nearly a decade. Had numerous released demos that were publicly available and playable. Had an announced release date of August 6th, the 30th Anniversary for Metroid, with a countdown timer. It actually came out and was publicly up for a full 48 hours with publicity from multiple big gaming sites. Only then did it begin to be taken down. And then it was still up another 12+ hours on the official site before apparently being completely removed. And now it's still findable and obtainable and will be.

Nintendo had a ton of opportunity. The weird part is how long they waited and how they did it.

Doubtful, but maybe they thought since it was the 30th anniversary, and Metroid really is dying, look at Federation Force. Maybe they thought to let some fans have it, then kill it early.

I know doubtful, but who knows.

 

[Bio]

They probably just let it go because they didn't actually care, but once it came out for real they had to make motions because if you don't defend your copyright you can lose it, right? Either way the game was all over the internet already and already on all the private torrent sites so Nintendo can do whatever it wants and I don't care at all.

 

[rekameohs]

This has got to be horrible for Federation Force's PR. I mean, I know a ton of people's opinions were already formed on that one way back when it was revealed, but they have to know that doing this, what, a couple weeks in advance is going to be fresh in everyone's minds, and it'll almost certainly be discussed in reviews. General public won't care, but Nintendo fans do, and uh, who else would Federation Force even be for?

I know at least that I won't be buying it

 

[Elfforkusu]

They probably just let it go because they didn't actually care, but once it came out for real they had to make motions because if you don't defend your copyright you can lose it, right? Either way the game was all over the internet already and already on all the private torrent sites so Nintendo can do whatever it wants and I don't care at all.

"losing a copyright if you don't defend it" is a myth. Trademarks work that way. Copyright doesn't.

 

[C.Olimar788]

Disappointed in Nintendo killing the only Metroid game in 9 years, but glad that it at least got to be out for a while before being pulled. It would have been infinitely worse had they done this during the countdown, for example - since the game is effectively out, the dev's time and effort means something, and it means something beautiful.

Still never should have been taken down. Nintendo's excuse of it being to "protect their IP" is bullshit because Project M existed and went down for completely different reasons.

And shit like this really shouldn't be acceptable legally. Profiting from someone else's work is one thing, but putting out free fanworks with nothing but love behind them should not be a cause for legal trouble. It's kind of disgusting.

 

[BocoDragon]

This has got to be horrible for Federation Force's PR. I mean, I know a ton of people's opinions were already formed on that one way back when it was revealed, but they have to know that doing this, what, a couple weeks in advance is going to be fresh in everyone's minds, and it'll almost certainly be discussed in reviews. General public won't care, but Nintendo fans do, and uh, who else would Federation Force even be for?

I know at least that I won't be buying it

Because of taking down this fan game....?

Yeah you're the only one.

Most people will not be buying it because it's Metroid Federation Force.

 

[spazchicken]

I can't wait for the NX reveal.

Awesome! I didn't really think you would do it.

 

[rekameohs]

Because of taking down this fan game....?

Yeah you're the only one.

Most people will not be buying it because it's Metroid Federation Force.

No, I wasn't getting it anyway, I'm just commenting