Comments on: Design Differences: Metroid Prime 1 and Prime 3

By: danielprimed

danielprimed — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:07:54 +0000

Ishaan, nice read, I hope these longer impression pieces continue to become a staple of Siliconera.

While I agree with most of your praise, I do find that the boss battles in Metroid Prime 3 are be vastly inferior to the previous two games, particularly compared to MP2 which very much appealed to the sensibilities of the hardcore player. Bosses feel very clumsy and poorly handled in MP3, relying on the same pattern remapped over and over again (that is, destroy the outer core and then attack in the vulnerable inner core). They definitely don't stack up to Quadraxis and the other bosses nearing the end of MP2.

I don't like to advertise, but recently I've been writing an extensive series of articles on Metroid Prime 3 which are the the same vein as your own. You may be interested in taking a look: http://danielprimed.com/tag/metroid-prime-3/

By: malek86

malek86 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:54:25 +0000

They are pretty much the same. Actually, the Wii version was a bit improved in some areas. Too bad you can't use the GC controls though, I kinda liked them better.

By: jarrodand

jarrodand — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:33:36 +0000

Well sure, by Nintendo standards Metroid really isn't a stand out. I still it's something of misnomer to say it was never popular though, when something like Super Metroid outsold say every Persona game in Japan.

I think Other M will definitely do better than the Prime games (3rd person, Japanese pedigree) but I'm not expecting huge Japanese numbers. Probably in line with the GBA games (100-150k) or a little better.

By: Ishaan

Ishaan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:21:39 +0000

That's just a couple people bitching about some effects they removed from the Wii version because you can now free-aim with the pointer. Get the Trilogy version, it's incredible with the new controls. Plus, that tin box is amazing for any collector in general.

About the Miyamoto thing: I don't understand why people believe every good Nintendo game comes from Miyamoto. Most of my favourite games are the ones he had less of an influence on, like Metroid or Majora's Mask or Smash Bros.

It's a little frustrating sometimes. Rhythm Heaven and WarioWare are both excellent games from the Metroid team as well, and Miyamoto doesn't touch those.

By: Mr_Qoo

Mr_Qoo — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:27:27 +0000

Metroid may not be made by Miyamoto but they definitely had some important people on that team. I loved the series when it was in 2D and never understood why Super Metroid was not high ranking in Japan. The stuff they did on that cartridge was a godsend if you ask me. Not sure how I've ever felt about the 3D series as I haven't beaten any of them but I would love to try it out. It's just not the same though. I'll get around to it one of these days. What's this I hear about the ports on the Wii not looking as good? Should I stick to my Gamecube copies?

By: Ishaan

Ishaan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:30:01 +0000

I believe the “big three” thing started around the Gamecube era when Mario, Zelda and Metroid were the three franchises chosen to push that system. Metroid Prime is definitely where Metroid gained the most popularity.

Yea, I was very surprised (and pleased) to see Other M announced at E3. After the way Nintendo handled Prime 3's marketing, I was sure they didn't want anything to do with the series any more. Good to see they're still interested in it.

By: malek86

malek86 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:33:29 +0000

Technically speaking, Metroid was always the black sheep of the three. Its sales, not just in Japan, but everywhere, were always a lot lower than any Mario or Zelda game.

Actually, I never even understood why people put them on the same level. Not only is Metroid much less popular, it isn't even made by Miyamoto.

By: Ishaan

Ishaan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:04:13 +0000

Right, but compare that to what Nintendo's other properties tend to do in Japan — or did, at the time — and Metroid never really caught on like the others did.

It'll be interesting to see if Other M does better than the Prime games, since it's a return to the more traditional Metroid style.

By: jarrodand

jarrodand — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:59:46 +0000

The original trilogy did okay in Japan. Metroid was a million seller actually, and Super Metroid sold over half a million itself.

By: jarrodand

jarrodand — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:59:45 +0000

The original trilogy did okay in Japan. Metroid was a million seller actually, and Super Metroid sold over half a million itself.