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Why is the Metroid Prime trilogy so critically acclaimed?

Mael

Member
Yeah the C-stick was a bit flimsy to say the least. But even if it had a controller like the original Xbox I'm not sure I would prefer a dual analog set up. I imagine the entire design of enemy/boss encounters would be significantly altered to something similar to Prime 3. Prime's unique control scheme is one of my favourite things about it.

Well they made the game with the GC controller in mind so of course another control scheme wouldn't work as well.
It's also why if you have the exact same setup for Prime 1&2 as for Prime 3 you'll have a harder time.

I played FPS's on the Cube with dual analog and it was fine. Not as good as a proper right stick of course, but at least it was playable for me, unlike Metroid Prime, which I never finished due to the controls.

Didn't the Wii version add dual analog through aiming the Wiimote?

Wii version add dual analog because wiimote aiming frees up buttons for more functions.
for all the talk about the wiimote being low on functions, it's actually providing way more options than regular DA controllers.

I'm not, because I haven't played it, therefore I can't vouch for its good qualities (if it has any).

However I have played through Metroid Other M several times and thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the majority of Metroid games.

It coincidental that you would recommend it to someone who likes Metroid games, it barely has anything resembling a Metroid game aside from surface designs and I guess the 2 Nintendo dudes who worked on it.
No 'qualities' Other M pushes for is anything close to the other games in the franchise.
It is a dysfunctional game that is all about bondage.
There are Metroids and other lore elements in the game but that's about the only thing Metroid about it.
It doesn't even play like a Metroid game.
It's akin to telling someone who like Street fighter II to play God Hand because they're made by the same company.
Telling people to play Other M expecting a Metroid game is the worst advice ever.

Ok, I'll do it.


It might be wise to play it before replaying the Prime trilogy, I guess.

Well, you've been warned at least.
 
Let me just put it this way. If you're looking for an immersive experience, Metroid Prime 1 is the be all, end all. The atmosphere combined with the level design is as good as it will ever get in a video game.
 
To answer the question, in my opinion, it was many things.

First, the game was the first 3D Metroid game, and shifted the perspective from a 2D sidescroller to a FPS. And it worked REALLY well.

Also, the world was beautifully rendered, the lore was deep via the logs, and the boss battles were epic. It changed everything we thought we knew about Metroid, and we were grateful.
 
Metroid Prime gives you the feeling of immersion and loneliness that no other game has ever done to it's date. I remember scanning the items and reading about the whole backstory, it was amazing how good was that game.
Never played 2, 3 was good but didn't give you that same feeling that 1 did.
 

clem84

Gold Member
The first Prime is one of the most immersive games I've ever played.
That's what I was going to say. Immersion. You really feel like you're in that suit. For the time, this was insane.

The game was pretty huge also. Plenty of stuff to go back for and to find. The music was eerie and really fit the atmosphere of the game. The story was tragic and dark and kept you interested the whole time.

Gameplay was tight. I really loved the controls. It played like a dream on the GC controller. I should also add that I didn't care much for the motion control of MP3, and consequently for that game either. The first game just controlled perfectly on the GC.

For the time it also looked like a million bucks.

I'm really hyped for the new game.
 

BooJoh

Member
They've got amazing atmosphere and immersion and beautiful graphics that still hold up pretty well considering when they were released.

Warning: The rest of my post is full of negative and unpopular opinions.

Beyond that, I don't know what everyone's on about with the whole "perfect 2D to 3D transition" because I love 2D Metroid games but the Prime games have never clicked with me, with awkward controls that walk the line between FPS and Zelda (and only get worse with Wii Remote) and bullet sponge enemies who are never as straightforward to kill as they were in the 2D games (yeah I know, use missiles/elements and all that, I've heard it a million times.) The data logs also make the games way too text-heavy, stopping the flow of the game to read paragraphs of text (which are completely optional if you don't mind missing out on the lore of the game,) and if they're in Prime 4 and aren't converted into audio logs then they're seriously doing it wrong.

I honestly think I would enjoy the Prime games if I could play them with a mouse and keyboard (or even dual analog with gyro, which Federation Force attempted but then botched,) but the control options we've been given for them so far have ruined my experience with the series.
 

Mael

Member
They've got amazing atmosphere and immersion and beautiful graphics that still hold up pretty well considering when they were released.

Warning: The rest of my post is full of negative and unpopular opinions.

Beyond that, I don't know what everyone's on about with the whole "perfect 2D to 3D transition" because I love 2D Metroid games but the Prime games have never clicked with me, with awkward controls that walk the line between FPS and Zelda (and only get worse with Wii Remote) and bullet sponge enemies who are never as straightforward to kill as they were in the 2D games (yeah I know, use missiles/elements and all that, I've heard it a million times.) The data logs also make the games way too text-heavy, stopping the flow of the game to read paragraphs of text (which are completely optional if you don't mind missing out on the lore of the game,) and if they're in Prime 4 and aren't converted into audio logs then they're seriously doing it wrong.

I honestly think I would enjoy the Prime games if I could play them with a mouse and keyboard (or even dual analog with gyro, which Federation Force attempted but then botched,) but the control options we've been given for them so far have ruined my experience with the series.
audio logs are bad.
They make no sense in some cases.
Samus picks up a part of the history of a building via an audio log left by an architect?
Heck most of them are stuff left by alien species, making them auto-english whatever is a big way to kill any immersion you're trying to push via logs.
There's a reason Souls games don't read the lore peppered in the item descriptions.
 

Opa-Pa

Member
Eh audiologs can be good depending on the game, but I don't see them as an obvious evolution of the lore scanning you do in Prime. I mean, one of the recent series with the most praised ways of communicating its lore is the Souls series, and those games do it in a very similar way to Prime.

I say leave it as is.
 
I felt the Prime games never really captured the feeling of fast movement and agility of the 2D games.

Not saying they're bad, I just feel like they lost this going to first person 3D.
 
Because they suck and everyone has bad taste.

Masterclass in level design, engrossing environmental design and responsive control systems.

Still wish the core movement was a little snappier.
 

Neff

Member
Ok, I'll do it.

It might be wise to play it before replaying the Prime trilogy, I guess.

Good for you. Even if you hate it, at least you can say you gave it a fair chance.

It coincidental that you would recommend it to someone who likes Metroid games, it barely has anything resembling a Metroid game aside from surface designs and I guess the 2 Nintendo dudes who worked on it.
No 'qualities' Other M pushes for is anything close to the other games in the franchise.

You mean the acquiring of fan-favourite items and abilities to reach new areas, the environmental/traversal puzzles, dexterous platforming, epic bosses, and the goofy, pulpy GF vs Space Pirates nonsense? It's basically a Fusion remake, dude.

It is a dysfunctional game that is all about bondage.

Oh. Oh I see.
 
Atmosphere and exploration. The first game more so than the other two did an amazing job of conveying of exploring a planet where a civilisation once thrived and had been taken over by wildlife with the space pirates hiding research facilities, you often switch from serenity to danger in an instant and the verticality of area design and different environments all come together perfectly. The games aren't perfect and they all have there flaws but there are no other games that convey the same sort of alien world, never mind exploring them. I really hope they can figure out a way to get rid of the doors whilst retaining the same sense of progress.
 

Mark1

Member
Yeah I definitely agree with Prime being the best of the trilogy. There was so little to fault with this game (but it still had its fair share of problems too).

They all delivered in what they were set out to do - even Corruption despite the more streamlined and shooter approach.

Echoes was such a great game too, and needs more recognition for its brilliancy.

I found Other M fun - but when watching my friend experience Prime for the first time last night - the difference in quality is night and day. The lack of detail overall in the former was more obvious afterwards.

Metroid Prime itself is just up there with Zelda BotW, Mario Galaxy 1+2 as one of Nintendo's all time greatest. Heck I'm willing to say best of all time. Echoes isn't far behind either.

So glad I made this thread and saw essentially a summary of why these games are so beloved.
 

SilentRob

Member
I love "Metroidvanias" but never warmed up to Metroid Prime. Played through the first game in 2013, found it to be OK, but never really had much of a fondness for it. The environmental storytelling didn't do anything for me since the story it told felt very detached from anything I was doing and, more importantly, pretty bland and uninteresting - the same goes for the main plot. I think this is why the atmosphere never grabbed me, why I never felt truly immersed. I just don't think that Metroid Prime's universe & characters is a very interesting or novel one. Bosses were very pretty cool, exploration was fun but, again, uneventful and from today's frame of mind fairly unremarkable.

I think Metroid Prime is very much a product of it's time and you had to have played it when it was released to really appreciate its qualities. I was a little bored with the one-note fights against the common enemies and floaty platforming. I'm really interested in seeing how Metroid Prime 4 turns out in this day and age!
 
Prime 1 is basically Super in 3D.
Absolutely masterful in execution in every way, but kind of safe.

Prime 2 is Retro going creatively completely free.
They proved what they can do and got a freepass from Nintendo, thats how this game feels.
It has a different feeling to it, unique in the Metroid franchise.
It also has more flaws then Prime 1, especially the collectathon in the dark world at the end was not that great.

Prime 3 is heavily influenced by the Halo hype from the time and is more streamlined and linear, bitte still has some amazing levels in it.
 

TheEndOfItAll

Neo Member
I remember being incredibly disappointed when I heard it was going to be FPS because I was just about burned out on FPS games. Then I played it and completely forgot about my fears.
 
I've legit played through Metroid Prime 1 about 12+ times. 100% it about 6 of those times.

It's a completely rewarding game and almost meditative with the amount of exploration and thinking it requires. Tracking back, upgrading and then the bosses are among gamings greatest.

Great game and the technical achievements and soundtrack really elevate the whole package. Phendrana Drifts' theme is a gorgeous track.

Prime 1 is basically Super in 3D.
Absolutely masterful in execution in every way, but kind of safe.

Can't disagree enough. This comment grossly oversimplifies Retro's work.
 

Mael

Member
Good for you. Even if you hate it, at least you can say you gave it a fair chance.

The game is much more easily enjoyed if you don't expect a Metroid game.
If you play FFT expecting a normal FF game you may have a very bad time.

You mean the acquiring of fan-favourite items and abilities to reach new areas,

You actually never get to new areas because you acquire new items.
You're funneled through the game from points to points, the fact that you're never given any time to explore anything means that you never go into the Metroid gameplay loop anyway.
Heck you never actually get them, you're just authorized to use them randomly.

the environmental/traversal puzzles,
dexterous platforming,

There is no dexterous platforming at all.
The game basically has 2D plaforming mascarading as 3D with enemy placement that is basically pointless you are never at risk. Heck the shitty level design kind of precludes any challenge at all.

epic bosses,
Which ones exactly?
The shitty bosses lifted from Fusion with downright awful patterns that you don't suffer through once but twice!
The boss whose sole signifier is that you get the varia suit?
Epic isn't how I would describe bosses in the this game...Or maybe you think that a guy in a forklift is somehow some epic thing...

and the goofy, pulpy GF vs Space Pirates nonsense? It's basically a Fusion remake, dude.
You basically listed a bunch of surface similarities.
Remove GF/Space pirates and you wouldn't even know if you were talking about a Metroid game or some random knockoff.


Oh. Oh I see.

bond•age (bŏnˈdĭj)►

n.
The state of one who is bound as a slave or serf.
n.
A state of subjection to a force, power, or influence.
n.
The practice of being physically restrained, as with cords or handcuffs, as a means of attaining sexual gratification.

I would argue that the story is more about the 1st definition and the game is more about the 2nd.
 
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