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[Jonneh3003]

I get it, it's been a while since a Metroid game and even longer since a good one. That being said Federation Force is a great spin off with some fantastic level design and a nice amount of mission variation. I don't think a better handheld co-op shooter exists, not that there's much competition.

It's very much a Metroid Prime game from controls to tone but you have to take it as it is, it's a spinoff that sets the stage for future installments. Next Level games are a proven developer with hits like Punch Out and Luigi's Mansion 2 so it astonishes me how people won't even try Federation Force. I wanted a new mainline game too but I don't think it's fair to despise this game for simply existing, I'm currently reviewing it and I'm having an absolute blast.

I'm also hearing a lot of people angry that they aren't treating Samus with respect and this simply isn't true. Events of the game are constantly revolving around Samus's heroic actions and she comes across almost like a super hero in the briefings.

It isn't a 10/10 like Metroid Prime or Super Metroid but it belongs under the Metroid brand. I can accept that the timing of its release in the Metroid portfolio is disappointing but people's attitudes towards it are incredibly unreasonable and unwarranted. Either way, it's better than Prime Hunters and Other M. It's hard to beat Prime Pinball.

Another Metroid game is almost certainly in development for NX, something Nintendo obviously can't reveal. While I would have preferred Federation Force to accompany a new mainline entry, it is what it is. A damn fine spin off that captures the feel of the main series while exploring other segments of its universe. You don't have to like it but don't dismiss it for simply existing.

 

[Neoleo2143]

Like it or not, the only person a Nintendo who really gives a damn about Metroid is Tanabe. I'm glad that he exists so the series can get some kind of push unlike others like F-Zero that have no one right now.

 

[mindsale]

I get it, it's been a while since a Metroid game and even longer since a good one. That being said Federation Force is a great spin off with some fantastic level design and a nice amount of mission variation. I don't think a better handheld co-op shooter exists, not that there's much competition.

It's very much a Metroid Prime game from controls to tone but you have to take it as it is, it's a spinoff that sets the stage for future installments. Next Level games are a proven developer with hits like Punch Out and Luigi's Mansion 2 so it astonishes me how people won't even try Federation Force. I wanted a new mainline game too but I don't think it's fair to despise this game for simply existing, I'm currently reviewing it and I'm having an absolute blast.

I'm also hearing a lot of people angry that they aren't treating Samus with respect and this simply isn't true. Events of the game are constantly revolving around Samus's heroic actions and she comes across almost like a super hero in the briefings.

It isn't a 10/10 like Metroid Prime or Super Metroid but it belongs under the Metroid brand. I can accept that the timing of its release in the Metroid portfolio is disappointing but people's attitudes towards it are incredibly unreasonable and unwarranted. Either way, it's better than Prime Hunters and Other M. It's hard to beat Prime Pinball.

Another Metroid game is almost certainly in development for NX, something Nintendo obviously can't reveal. While I would have preferred Federation Force to accompany a new mainline entry, it is what it is. A damn fine spin off that captures the feel of the main series while exploring other segments of its universe. You don't have to like it but don't dismiss it for simply existing.

Uh, isolation to group Chibi? That's the same tone?

 

[James Scott]

They really should say "we're working on a new console Metroid, but in the meantime try this" or something. But, yeah, it's a harmless spin off which shows Nintendo going away with other m and continuing the prime series

Spoiler

with prime 4 teased at the end

 

[Jobbs]

As a lifelong Metroid fan who adores Super Metroid, I'd rather shave my ballsack with a dull boxcutter than play this game.

It's as if they zeroed in on the exact things that fans of the classic games love about Metroid -- The very DNA of the beloved games -- And deliberately designed a game in defiance of these aspects to maximally annoy fans. They literally have been getting every single thing wrong that they can get wrong to the point that it seems surgical and deliberate.

 

[Jonneh3003]

Uh, isolation to group Chibi? That's the same tone?

Obviously it isn't the same style of level design but they've definitely captured the feel of a Metroid Prime game, mostly through sound design and Art.

 

[Lambtron]

People are mad about chibi huh? I mean, the proportions look similar to the original Samus sprite?

Look: I fucking love Metroid. Samus is one of the greatest characters ever. This game doesn't bother me in the least.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

Like it or not, the only person a Nintendo who really gives a damn about Metroid is Tanabe. I'm glad that he exists so the series can get some kind of push unlike others like F-Zero that have no one right now.

So did Sakurai but he probably bailed at the intense hate. That's two guys who seem hated now.

Meanwhile Miyamoto can suggest less story in Sticker Star or make Star Fox Zero and gets a fraction of hate.

People whine way to much about Metroid. This is coming from a huge fan of hundreds of dollars of Metroid merchandise in addition to games.

 

[Neiteio]

As a lifelong Metroid fan who adores Super Metroid, I'd rather shave my ballsack with a dull boxcutter than play this game.

This quote should be on the back of the box, lol

 

[MrFixIt]

I actually enjoy Federation Forces for what it is, but it does feel like they slapped a Metroid skin on a pretty generic shooter. It's not going to set the world on fire, but at least it wasn't hot garbage. In terms of recent purchases, I'm way more disappointed in No Mans sky then I am with Federation Forces...

 

[DerekOfTheDykes]

They really should say "we're working on a new console Metroid, but in the meantime try this" or something. But, yeah, it's a harmless spin off which shows Nintendo going away with other m and continuing the prime series

Spoiler

with prime 4 teased at the end

They basically did, just in a roundabout way. IIRC Tanabe said in an interview during E3 2015 that they planned on continuing the franchise, there just wasn't a game currently in development and if they started that minute it wouldn't be done in time for the Wii U. Will look for a link.

EDIT: http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06...-game-not-likely-until-nintendos-next-console

"If we started for Wii U now, it would likely take three years or so. So it would likely now be on Nintendo's NX console," said series producer Kensuke Tanabe, speaking to Eurogamer at E3.

"Truth be told, making HD games takes a lot of time and resources," Tanabe added when asked why Nintendo had not made a Metroid Prime for Wii U. "I haven't been able to collect a team or the resources to do it."

He also specifically talked about how he wanted Federation Force to be a side-story that would hint at the next step of the story focusing on Samus and Sylux.

So in the end, they made it pretty clear in interviews right around the time of announcement that there were specific plans for the future, plans we are now seeing the promised hints of in the end of Federation Force.

It's just that people were looking for a reason to be upset at a game they knew next to nothing about.

 

[mindsale]

As a lifelong Metroid fan who adores Super Metroid, I'd rather shave my ballsack with a dull boxcutter than play this game.

It's as if they zeroed in on the exact things that fans of the classic games love about Metroid -- The very DNA of the beloved games -- And deliberately designed a game in defiance of these aspects to maximally annoy fans. They literally have been getting every single thing wrong that they can get wrong to the point that it seems surgical and deliberate.

This is the greatest description for Federation Force that exists.

 

[Opa-Pa]

I think insults and petitions to cancel it were too much. But the general animosity not only makes sense but it was so easy to predict. You can't take a niche series that hasn't received a mainline release in nearly a decade, make a spinoff that's visually and mechanically the total opposite of what makes people like the series and try to sell it to them, especially when you don't announce anything else.

For example I'm not interested in Prime Pinball but while I don't mind its existence either, I'm 100% sure it'd have received the same backlash if it had been released in the same circumstances as this game.

So yeah regardless of this game's quality, it looks visually unappealing in general, it's the complete opposite of what the big majority wanted, and came out in the worst circumstances possible... It's a recipe for disaster. Nintendo should have known better lol.

As a lifelong Metroid fan who adores Super Metroid, I'd rather shave my ballsack with a dull boxcutter than play this game.

Same.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

As a lifelong Metroid fan who adores Super Metroid, I'd rather shave my ballsack with a dull boxcutter than play this game.

It's as if they zeroed in on the exact things that fans of the classic games love about Metroid -- The very DNA of the beloved games -- And deliberately designed a game in defiance of these aspects to maximally annoy fans. They literally have been getting every single thing wrong that they can get wrong to the point that it seems surgical and deliberate.

Could you explain in detail how each and every element is the opposite of Metroid?

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

It has a 71 on metacritic.

I think that for most people is not a very good game, so I feel is somehow justified that the first metroid we got in years is a subpar generic FPS.

 

[Franz Brötchen]

I probably won't ever play Federation Force just as I didn't play Triforce Heroes because it's definetely not designed as single-player experience and I'm just not interested OR offended by this release.

But I strongly agree with the OP that the hostility, bordering paranoia isn't justified. Unless someone honestly claims that they had the same fear of never playing a new Super Mario game after Super Mario Kart for SNES released, I'm of the opinion that the attitude best served for the haters would be ignoring the game. It doesn't make the old games disappear and there is little evidence to show any 2d/3d exploration-type Metroid game was scrapped for this SPIN OFF.

 

[tolkir]

This is the greatest description for Federation Force that exists.

If Federation Force wasn't a spin-off, it could be.

 

[Jonneh3003]

I think insults and petitions to cancel it were too much. But the general animosity not only makes sense but it was so easy to predict. You can't take a niche series that hasn't received a mainline release in nearly a decade, make a spinoff that's visually and mechanically the total opposite of what makes people like the series and try to sell it to them, especially when you don't announce anything else.

For example I'm not interested in Prime Pinball but while I don't mind its existence either, I'm 100% sure it'd have received the same backlash if it had been released in the same circumstances as this game.

So yeah regardless of this game's quality, it looks visually unappealing in general, it's the complete opposite of what the big majority wanted, and came out in the worst circumstances possible... It's a recipe for disaster. Nintendo should have known better lol.

I agree with you 100% and I understand why people are upset, I just don't think the game deserves the buckets of hate it gets. It's one of the best 3DS games I've played in a while.

 

[NotLiquid]

The game is alright. That's really all it is.

It ain't traditional Metroid but you could ask for far worse franchise assassinations than a dumb little handheld spinoff.

 

[chronic_archaic]

While I get fans are upset about not getting a new mainline game after such a long time - that isn't a reason to criticize Federation Force at all. It's not a bad game and surprisingly enjoyable on a New 3DS with it's extra buttons. Shame the online is dead already.

 

[Platy]

I love how all the angry to the game is not about what it is ... it is about what it ISN'T

 

[Jobbs]

Could you explain in detail how each and every element is the opposite of Metroid?

This is easy. I can fire off several just off the top of my head.

1) there's other people everywhere. no thanks
2) it has gameplay that has and works well with multiplayer
3) no emphasis on isolation
4) no emphasis on atmosphere/ambience
5) the entire aesthetic is childish when what people want out of Metroid is more grownup, darker sci fi -- something comparable to Aliens
6) no mystique or air of mystery

If they want to throw out forgettable/bad spinoffs I'd be happy to ignore them without belly aching, but this is the kind of thing a company normally does when the series already has a healthy number of mainline installments and they need extra things to do.. We haven't had a decent mainline installment since Prime 1, IMO, and -- this is just my opinion -- I've never EVER gotten what I REALLY wanted out of a Metroid game ever since Super Metroid. I'm still waiting for the ultimate post-Super game.

 

[Strimei]

The hostility is a bit much but I do think people not being happy with it are justified.

I'm not a huge Metroid fan but honestly I would have loved to have another handheld Metroid in the vein of the older Metroidvania stuff. Fusion and Zero Mission are among my favorites.

As MrFixit said, the game just looks like a more generic shooter that they hastily applied a Metroid label to, at least from an outsider's perspective (I haven't played it, nor will I).

 

[EatinOlives]

It's not that the game is bad per se but that it's 1) not amazing in its own right, and 2) really not what people are looking for in a new Metroid game.

Nintendo is extremely tone deaf thinking this is what people want ~5 years after Other M and nearly 10 years after the last well-received title of the series, Metroid Prime 3.

 

[Kowashitai]

2) it has gameplay that has and works well with multiplayer

This is a really weird complaint to me considering Prime 2 has multiplayer and I don't think people complained about that.

 

[Jobbs]

This is a really weird complaint to me considering Prime 2 has multiplayer and I don't think people complained about that.

I don't like Prime 2 and I hate Prime 3, so don't come to me about this

 

[Freshmaker]

They really should say "we're working on a new console Metroid, but in the meantime try this" or something. But, yeah, it's a harmless spin off which shows Nintendo going away with other m and continuing the prime series

Spoiler

with prime 4 teased at the end

I don't hate it, but I also have no interest in playing it.

 

[Plum]

This is a really weird complaint to me considering Prime 2 has multiplayer and I don't think people complained about that.

Prime 2's MP was a tacked on side-mode, FF's MP is part of its premise. I don't see a fully fledged single-player Metroid game in there.

 

[BGBW]

So yeah regardless of this game's quality, it looks visually unappealing in general, it's the complete opposite of what the big majority wanted, and came out in the worst circumstances possible... It's a recipe for disaster. Nintendo should have known better lol.

The big majority don't even care about Metroid, especially not to the point where they'd need to expel energy to try and make some point about it.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Looks like a decent game by a good developer but when diehard fans don't get their way, they revolt and write off.
No reason you can't be disappointed by an IP in a direction you didn't expect nor want but many people are embarrassingly childish over the matter.

Next Level Games deserves better and no, I don't mean a better style of game.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

This is a really weird complaint to me considering Prime 2 has multiplayer and I don't think people complained about that.

Because it was just an extra, that never affected the single player core experience....and well, is not like someone actually played the MP of that game.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Just because you like the game doesn't mean others aren't "justified" in disliking it or not finding it appealing. You can probably find someone who feels about a game you hate the same way you feel about FF.

 

[TheCongressman1]

This is a really weird complaint to me considering Prime 2 has multiplayer and I don't think people complained about that.

There's a huge difference between having a multiplayer mode and it being designed with it in mind for the main gameplay.

 

[Intel_89]

Welcome to the real world Jon. Where people get mad over a spin off of a series they love on a portable system, regardless of its quality.

 

[nynt9]

Nah. I played it and I hated it. It's really not good. If you only have a 3DS and have no option to play a shooter on any other platform but REALLY want to play one, maybe it's tolerable, but it's full of baffling and unfun design decisions that are a hallmark of PS1-2 era design that are frustration personified.

Personally, I was not excited at all but I get pretty much every Nintendo game and I love Metroid and was willing to give it a shot just in case (and had an Amazon gift card from work) but despite my extremely low expectations I was still disappointed.

I've played solo and with a friend, and I'm just not enjoying it. The missions are pretty basic and not challenging, but bosses can be huge bullet sponges if you're not a full 4 person group. There are some "puzzles" but they're basically "oh I just pull this lever here then put this thing here" but they're not intellectually engaging in any way, they just involve busywork. The shooting is generally OK but the controls are not very enjoyable and cause hand fatigue. Both control schemes are bad. A combination of both schemes (gyro + nub) and customizable buttons would have totally saved it, but for some reason Nintendo don't want us to do that. Online has been finicky with people dropping out, at which point you have to continue the mission solo, except you don't have the solo MOD equipped so it's an even bigger chore. Most 3DS games look kinda ugly in youtube trailers but look pretty good in person, this looks just as ugly in person because of the angular art style. Overall, I thought the metacritic score is too high for the game even as it is. I don't even care about Metroid purity anymore, the game just isn't fun or good.

I played more after this and every subsequent mission was less and less enjoyable. Take the frustrating missions that every shooter game for some reason has, like "defend this thing for 10 minutes" and make a game out of entirely those segments. Add to that a bunch of instant death mechanics, slow UI and really angular graphics that look very poor due to the 3DS's poor anti aliasing, it is just a miserable experience. There are so many shooters this year alone that I'd rather play.

 

[a harpy]

This is a really weird complaint to me considering Prime 2 has multiplayer and I don't think people complained about that.

So did Hunters, and it was pretty fun, but it's all about context.

I don't think FF being so disappointing can really be pinned onto one feature. It's just the whole gamut mixed with being an actually just mediocre game. I think it would have gotten a lot of slack if it came out and was really fun and good. I'm not a huge fan, it's getting very average reviews, and the largest consensus I can find from people playing it online is that they also don't think it's very great.

This is basically Metroid's Book of Memories.

 

[Franz Brötchen]

If they want to throw out forgettable/bad spinoffs I'd be happy to ignore them without belly aching, but this is the kind of thing a company normally does when the series already has a healthy number of mainline installments and they need extra things to do.. We haven't had a decent mainline installment since Prime 1, IMO, and -- this is just my opinion -- I've never EVER gotten what I REALLY wanted out of a Metroid game ever since Super Metroid. I'm still waiting for the ultimate post-Super game.

Sorry, but there have been more 'true' Metroid games before this spin-off (and in fact Hunters, the spin-off before that) than there were Super Mario games before Super Mario Kart came out.
So, unless you say there were no proper Super Mario games since Super Mario World, I just find this argument bad.

 

[nkarafo]

The hostility is pretty justified. It shows how Nintendo can't handle the series anymore. OtherM was a disaster, disappointed a lot of fans and left a bad taste in our mouths. After that it felt like Metroid was dead and years later, they release this.

I mean, the only excuse people have to not hate it is the so called spinoff label. But really, how many main Metroid games does the 3DS have? Did it really need a spinoff so badly that it took priority over a main Metroid game?

 

[SatoAilDarko]

This is easy. I can fire off several just off the top of my head.

1) there's other people everywhere. no thanks
2) it has gameplay that has and works well with multiplayer
3) no emphasis on isolation
4) no emphasis on atmosphere/ambience
5) the entire aesthetic is childish when what people want out of Metroid is more grownup, darker sci fi -- something comparable to Aliens
6) no mystique or air of mystery

If they want to throw out forgettable/bad spinoffs I'd be happy to ignore them without belly aching, but this is the kind of thing a company normally does when the series already has a healthy number of mainline installments and they need extra things to do.. We haven't had a decent mainline installment since Prime 1, IMO, and -- this is just my opinion -- I've never EVER gotten what I REALLY wanted out of a Metroid game ever since Super Metroid. I'm still waiting for the ultimate post-Super game.

Your first three points and last three points are each a single point. Basically it has a multiplayer-focus and the art style is different.

There have been several Metroid games frequent character appearances (Fusion, Prime Hunters, Prime 3 and Other M).

The art-style is simplifiedband exaggerated but it's still clearly based on the Prime art style.

It's a spinoff and different. But it's not designed as an anti-Metroid game.

 

[Opa-Pa]

The big majority don't even care about Metroid, especially not to the point where they'd need to expel energy to try and make some point about it.

I know lol I meant the big majority of the fans. Hell, the fact that it's a Nintendo franchise with a relatively small fanbase compared to others makes it all the more baffling that they tried to sell a product with so little appealing to actual fans. I genuinely don't understand how they expected this to sell well.

I have seen people mention that their kids are enjoying it tho, so that's great. I doubt it's a widespread thing tho.

There have been several Metroid games frequent character appearances (Fusion, Prime Hunters, Prime 3 and Other M).

Fusion and Prime 3 while well liked, are by far the most criticized beloved Metroid games tho. Try to guess why.

 

[BassForever]

This is a really weird complaint to me considering Prime 2 has multiplayer and I don't think people complained about that.

Prime 2's multiplayer was complete garbage anyone who bothered to play it for more then 5 minutes would probably dock the game a point for having waste their time with something that terrible.

 

[Kalopsia]

Does this game really need another hot-take thread?

 

[Randomizer]

Whilst I haven't played it myself, I have been pleasantly surprised by people's impressions and some of the videos I watched. The same thing happened to Star Fox Zero. Game was nowhere near as bad as people made out. In fact some of it is fantastic, best of the series stuff. It really was like a true Star Fox 64 sequel.

As a lifelong Metroid fan who adores Super Metroid, I'd rather shave my ballsack with a dull boxcutter than play this game.

How very open minded of you. I am sure you must have played it to have such an negative opinion of the game?.

It is evident that people are just annoyed because they wanted a real Metroid and not a spin-off. No one would give a shit if they released it alongside a true Metroid sequel. No one made a fuss about Triforce Heroes because there have been other Zelda games in the past few years and of course upcoming. This is literally all it boils down too.

 

[SturokBGD]

It's true.

 

[SoundPulse]

I agree the extent of the backlash (especially the petitions and such) is childish, but people are free to be disappointed. A lot of it is probably (irrational, maybe?) fear that this is the note that Metroid will finally die on.

This is a really weird complaint to me considering Prime 2 has multiplayer and I don't think people complained about that.

A side mode you'd play for half an hour tops vs pretty much the premise.

 

[Astral Dog]

i think it got like a 5.9 on IGN

 

[Hero]

Nah, the existence of Federation Force is a prime (zing) example of Nintendo being completely tone-deaf about what their fans want.

It boils down to this:

1) FF bombs. Nintendo now believes Metroid is a dead franchise and won't greenlight another game. See how Other M basically ruined the franchise until THIS.
2) FF succeeds (doubtful). Nintendo now believes that all Metroid games need to be multiplayer dude bro space shooters and we never get another proper Metroid game again.

 

[Jobbs]

Sorry, but there have been more 'true' Metroid games before this spin-off (and in fact Hunters, the spin-off before that) than there were Super Mario games before Super Mario Kart came out.
So, unless you say there were no proper Super Mario games since Super Mario World, I just find this argument bad.

Eh? Super Mario Kart came out less than 2 years after Super Mario World, which is widely considered one of the best all time Mario games.

Even if you count Prime 3 (ew, I don't) it's been 9 years.

Spoiler

I don't recognize Other M as existing so you can figure that math out on your own.

If you consider Prime to be the last good mainline Metroid game it's 14 years, and if you are like me and are still waiting for greatness following Super, it's been 22 years. I've been waiting a whole person who can drink in the USA and then some for what I want out of a Metroid game.

 

[Ramirez]

I love how all the angry to the game is not about what it is ... it is about what it ISN'T

Not from me, every gameplay video I've seen looks awful. The game is based around Prime's worst aspect, the combat. That's a large reason why I didn't like Prime 3 as much as the first 2, it was far too much about the wiimote combat.

As someone who has played Halo and other console FPS as their main "shooter", the Prime series could never hope to compete when it came to combat. So to base an entire game around that, and strip all of the stuff that makes Metroid cool on top of that focus, is laughable to me.

 

[nkarafo]

There have been several Metroid games frequent character appearances (Fusion, Prime Hunters, Prime 3 and Other M).

Oh boy... are we taking OtherM as an example of a Metroid game now? That was the true anti-Metroid game. Even more so than FF.