Metroid Prime: Trilogy

[Serris]

Developer |Retro Studios
Publisher |Nintendo
Platform(s) |Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U
Genre |Adventure; Platforming; First-Person Shooter
Number of Players |1-4
Release Date |August 24th, 2009
ESRB Rating |T (Teen) - Animated Blood, Violence
PEGI Rating |12+
MSRP |$49.99 USD (Wii) / $19.99 USD (Wii U)

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Well, seeing as this just got re-released on the Wii U eShop at a 50% discount from its MSRP, I'm sure plenty of people are experiencing it for the first time. Share your thoughts and experiences here!​

 

[Starbit]

I just bought it today and I'm definitely enjoying it. I only played Prime on my gamecube but I never got very far so I feel like I really missed out on the metroid series. So I'm looking forward to playing through these three games and after words I'm thinking of picking up "Other M." I do wish it was in HD but I can live with the graphics.

 

[Spak]

So I'm looking forward to playing through these three games and after words I'm thinking of picking up "Other M." I do wish it was in HD but I can live with the graphics.

I can't give a first-hand review of Other M, but from what I remember, everyone despised it when it came out. I have Prime 1 with the Echos demo disc and I also have Prime 3. I loved both, but I never got Trilogy because I already had two of the games and never bought Prime 2 because I never felt like buying it and had the money to buy it at the same time.

EDIT: Clarified one of my statements.

 

[Starbit]

I can't give a first-hand review of Other M, but from what I remember, everyone despised it when it came out. I have Prime 1 with the Echos demo disc and I also have Prime 3. I loved both, but I never got Trilogy because I already had two of the games and never bought Prime 2 because I never felt like buying it and had the money to buy it at the same time.

EDIT: Clarified one of my statements.

I guess I'll have to look into other m after I beat the trilogy. I just feel like I totally missed out I just wish I could use the pro controller or at least the gamepad.

 

[Spak]

I guess I'll have to look into other m after I beat the trilogy. I just feel like I totally missed out I just wish I could use the pro controller or at least the gamepad.

I have to say that I thought 3's gameplay felt inferior because of the Wiimote, so I have no idea if they messed up the controls for the first 2 of the Trilogy in the collection.

 

[Serris]

I just bought it today and I'm definitely enjoying it. I only played Prime on my gamecube but I never got very far so I feel like I really missed out on the metroid series. So I'm looking forward to playing through these three games and after words I'm thinking of picking up "Other M." I do wish it was in HD but I can live with the graphics.

Even though it's upscaled from 480p, the art direction is still outstanding!

I have to say that I thought 3's gameplay felt inferior because of the Wiimote, so I have no idea if they messed up the controls for the first 2 of the Trilogy in the collection.

The motion controls are mandatory for all three games in Metroid Prime: Trilogy. Despite the loss of most of the sequence breaking exploits, I feel like the new controls make the experience far better because they allow you to move and aim at the same time.

 

[Starbit]

Yeah I mean I can live with the motion controls I just prefer a controller to a wii mote personally

 

[Spak]

I agree with Starbit. I thought that the aiming worked really well and I really can't stand motion controls, but I guess that's just personal preference.

 

[Cthulhu_MD]

I had fun playing Metroid Prime on the GCN, but after playing it with the Wiimote, it works amazingly well. I'm glad I bought the trilogy on the eShop.

 

[Firus]

I just bought it today and I'm definitely enjoying it. I only played Prime on my gamecube but I never got very far so I feel like I really missed out on the metroid series. So I'm looking forward to playing through these three games and after words I'm thinking of picking up "Other M." I do wish it was in HD but I can live with the graphics.

I won't advise you against getting Other M solely based on my seething hatred for the game because that's my experience and not yours, but I would strongly recommend doing some research into it before dropping the money. Even with my problems with the plot aside (which are pretty extensive since I'm actually writing a whole paper on the problems with it), the gameplay is a departure from previous titles with a strong emphasis on combat and not so much on exploration and acquisition of powers. It may be your cup of tea anyway, but enjoying the Prime trilogy isn't necessarily an indicator of that so I urge you to look into it first.

As for the trilogy itself, though, this is so awesome to me. Seeing all of them on sale for $10 makes me really want to buy them, but since I own each of the games individually plus Metroid Prime Trilogy it would be a bit of a waste even at the discounted price. I'm glad people are getting to experience these games again, though because all of them are fantastic. 2 is my personal favorite, though 1 is a close second. To be honest it's been far too long since I played the trilogy, I need to work in a replay soon.

 

[finalark]

I ****ING LOVE THE PRIME SERIES. Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way I can get into some opinions.

Although I recently started up a play through of Prime 3. Let me tell you, back in the mid 2000s I was all on board with the motion control revolution. I genuinely thought it was the way of the future and was the most immersive thing in the world. When I booted up Prime 3 again for the first time since '07 I found that, by the time I reached the first boss, I was really missing my GCN controller.

Still a fantastic game, though. I just prefer classic controls over Wii controls.

I just bought it today and I'm definitely enjoying it. I only played Prime on my gamecube but I never got very far so I feel like I really missed out on the metroid series. So I'm looking forward to playing through these three games and after words I'm thinking of picking up "Other M." I do wish it was in HD but I can live with the graphics.

If you like Metroid you really shouldn't play Other M. I'm not even going to try to be diplomatic about it, Other M is just a bad game. I'm not saying this as a butthurt fanboy who is used to high quality games and was simply handed an average one, thus having a knee-jerk reaction as a result. I'm saying this as somebody who has played an obscene amount of games ranging from big-budget AAA titles to unplayable garbage tie-in games. Other M isn't just bad as a Metroid game, it's just bad as a beat 'em up. A poorly implemented "first person" mode that completely disrupts the flow of combat. Speaking of which, the game also has a terrible dodge mechanic, which is goddamn vital in a beat 'em up. Rather than giving you a button you tap and having you roll in whatever direction you're holding the game instead has a context oriented system where you have to press move at the right time to GTFO away from attacks. This system his horribly unreliable and often does not work. That's not even getting into the forgettable level design, attempts to make it more similar to Zelda (no energy tanks, instead E tank shards, collect four to make a full tank. Sound familliar?) and horrible narrative.

I could continue, but I think you get the idea. If you really want to give it a go I suggest finding a used copy for cheap so you can return it ASAP.

/endrant

 

[Starbit]

Well in that case I probably won't get it. Having little knowledge of the metroid series I assumed it was important to the plot.

 

[Serris]

I won't advise you against getting Other M solely based on my seething hatred for the game because that's my experience and not yours, but I would strongly recommend doing some research into it before dropping the money. Even with my problems with the plot aside (which are pretty extensive since I'm actually writing a whole paper on the problems with it), the gameplay is a departure from previous titles with a strong emphasis on combat and not so much on exploration and acquisition of powers. It may be your cup of tea anyway, but enjoying the Prime trilogy isn't necessarily an indicator of that so I urge you to look into it first.

I'm going to tentatively disagree with you, but only on the gameplay front. The story was indeed awful, but the fundamental mechanics were very close to being a natural evolution from the 2D games. The basic Metroid "runny-jumpy-shooty" felt as fluid and natural as it did in Super Metroid. Fleshing out the combat system really drove home the idea that Samus was someone you didn't want to mess with, though SenseMove made things a bit too easy and took away that sense of vulnerability you expect from a Metroid game. You can sort of recreate that by playing on hard.

Not to say that it didn't have bad design decisions, mind you! The forced perspective switch to use missiles, "Where's Waldo" pixel hunts, and the Wii Remote-only control scheme didn't work very well, but all of the game's faults can be directly attributed to Yoshio Sakamoto calling the shots.

Ultimately, it was a badly paced rehash of Metroid: Fusion and the characterization of Samus was awful. The story doesn't add anything important and the game can be skipped over without consequence.

As for the trilogy itself, though, this is so awesome to me. Seeing all of them on sale for $10 makes me really want to buy them, but since I own each of the games individually plus Metroid Prime Trilogy it would be a bit of a waste even at the discounted price. I'm glad people are getting to experience these games again, though because all of them are fantastic. 2 is my personal favorite, though 1 is a close second. To be honest it's been far too long since I played the trilogy, I need to work in a replay soon.

I bought it again to show support for the franchise, and so I wouldn't have to dig out my disc from my collector's tin every time I wanted to play it. I think high sales numbers for Metroid Prime: Trilogy could convince Nintendo that a new Metroid game is something worth exploring.

 

[Cthulhu_MD]

Well in that case I probably won't get it. Having little knowledge of the metroid series I assumed it was important to the plot.

Technically, it is. Even if it's a bad game, from both a gameplay standpoint and a narrative standpoint, the plot is canonical. Whether we like it or not, it is. I blame Sakamoto for the horrid plot as he wrote it by himself. I think he also fought with the developers of Team Ninja in terms of what should be implemented in Other M. All I would say that it bridges Super Metroid to Metroid Fusion.

Oh and what sucks is that Sakamoto denounced the Prime games as part of the canon. He stated they're "side stories," which means they're not important at all, in his eyes.

 

[Serris]

Going back to the subject of the Prime games, it's amazing how well the art direction holds up these days, even when you push the game far beyond its intended resolution. A user on Reddit named VG5K uploaded a gallery of screenshots from Metroid Prime rendered at 5K, and it looks fantastic. Check it out here. The wide shot of the Chozo gateway above the Impact Crater is my favorite by far.

 

[Cthulhu_MD]

Going back to the subject of the Prime games, it's amazing how well the art direction holds up these days, even when you push the game far beyond its intended resolution. A user on Reddit named VG5K uploaded a gallery of screenshots from Metroid Prime rendered at 5K, and it looks fantastic. Check it out here. The wide shot of the Chozo gateway above the Impact Crater is my favorite by far.

This game was made in mind to be explorable in 3D, so I can see why everything has so much thought put into it. The fact this person rendered these to 5K show that the game is still extremely beautiful, from low-res to high-res.

 

[Firus]

I'm going to tentatively disagree with you, but only on the gameplay front. The story was indeed awful, but the fundamental mechanics were very close to being a natural evolution from the 2D games. The basic Metroid "runny-jumpy-shooty" felt as fluid and natural as it did in Super Metroid. Fleshing out the combat system really drove home the idea that Samus was someone you didn't want to mess with, though SenseMove made things a bit too easy and took away that sense of vulnerability you expect from a Metroid game. You can sort of recreate that by playing on hard.

Not to say that it didn't have bad design decisions, mind you! The forced perspective switch to use missiles, "Where's Waldo" pixel hunts, and the Wii Remote-only control scheme didn't work very well, but all of the game's faults can be directly attributed to Yoshio Sakamoto calling the shots.

Ultimately, it was a badly paced rehash of Metroid: Fusion and the characterization of Samus was awful. The story doesn't add anything important and the game can be skipped over without consequence.

The basic mechanics of the game were, I think, pretty smoothly moved over into 3D, and I enjoyed that part of it, but the fleshing out of the combat system felt entirely outside of the realm of Metroid to me. Samus has never really been for shows of power and acrobatics in past games, and all of a sudden the weapons and abilities afforded to her by her Power Suit don't seem to be enough. The killing-move cutscenes were cool, and the SenseMove was I guess kind of nifty, but the combat system didn't feel so much fleshed-out as vastly altered, to me. SenseMove actually made the game feel more difficult to me, in an aggravating sort of way, and even more so on hard mode. I recall the Ridley battle in particular consisting of dodging for about 2 minutes, getting a shot in, rinse and repeat for a long time, unless you screw up at all and then you have to do it over again.

Granted I haven't played through the game since shortly after it came out (I've only played the first hour or so of gameplay more recently), but I remember spending a lot of time trying to adjust to the use of SenseMove (that may have been my own personal shortcomings, though, as I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most skilled game player) and getting frustrated because it felt like a lot of straightforward shooting and SenseMove-spamming. That experience may be limited to me, but that's how I feel about it.

I bought it again to show support for the franchise, and so I wouldn't have to dig out my disc from my collector's tin every time I wanted to play it. I think high sales numbers for Metroid Prime: Trilogy could convince Nintendo that a new Metroid game is something worth exploring.

I didn't think of that. That is a very good point, particularly given how long we've gone without Metroid news. I still don't know that I want to buy it just because I have yet to even really touch the original MPT box set, but that's definitely something to take into account.

 

[Serris]

I've been playing through the games slowly since I posted this thread. I'd forgotten how alien some of the bosses in Echoes are. Chykka in particular has a very weird vibe to it.

 

[Onyxsbayne]

I got the Metroid Prime Trilogy when it first came out, with the metal case and art book, and I think it's awesome to see it get rereleased. These games are all really good, and I definitely think this is an amazing deal.