TrueSayian
11-04-2002, 07:45 PM
Fran’s overall comments on MP: Hey Everyone,
Normally I wouldn't do this, but as most of you probably know, Metroid is my all-time favorite franchise. Super Metroid is always the game that I call my most favorite -- if I'm forced to choose.
Cue Metroid Prime. I've experienced pretty much all of it. Words such as "Wow," "Incredible," "Amazing," "Woah," and "Brilliant" were tossed around by myself and a few other editors like IGNPS2's Dave Smith and former editor Dave Z.
Retro Studios and Nintendo have created a true masterpiece, once again setting standards and defining a genre all over again.
It's a massive title, too. The 30-hour mark is definitely something most gamers will hit. There's so much to it. Most impressive to me is that Tallon IV's seperate worlds -- lava, ice, water, etc -- are all connected. It's just like the old Metroids, and load times are nearly nonexistent; a truly amazing feat.
It is Super Metroid brought into 3D. All the naysayers who said it couldn't be done right -- including myself -- are completely wrong. I need some time to absorb it, but it's absolutely as great a game as Super Metroid, and perhaps...better.
jwillennium: How cleverly designed were the levels and power-ups of Prime? What I mean is will it be as good as Super Metroid was in the way the areas were connected, the way that the player had to revisit areas with the appropriate power-up to reach other areas, and how well hidden important items were. Oh, and are you enjoying the music,Does it set the mood the way the music of classic Metroids did?
Fran: When I say the game is amazing, I mean it. From level design, to rewarding the player for exploring, to power-ups, to the bosses, to the music, Metroid Prime is amazing.
Example: I'm in the Phendrana Drifts, the ice area, and I see a sheet of ice blocking a hole that leads downard. After scanning it, you realize it must be melted. It was a very long time before I returned to explore that pathway. This is one example of at least 100. You see so much -- grappling hooks, spiderball tracks, ice beam, etc, etc. -- that you realize you must return to later.
Like I said, the game is Super Metroid in 3D. There are even some extravagant vertical platforming areas. You won't believe how good the first-person jumping is. It's the best I've ever seen. It feels totally natural and not even remotely frustrating.
As for the music, that also made be very happy. It's stunning: very atmospheric, TONS of interactive audio cues that make SENSE, and lots of throwbacks to the tunes in Super Metroid.
davez overall impressions: It truly is an amazing game. My top 2 favorite games of all time are Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid and this, so far, is right up there with both.
BORNTOCUBE: Fran tell us ONE thing you do not like about Prime?
davez: I'm obviously not Fran but for me, there's this one boss battle where the camera can be an annoyance and there's this one really tough stretch where it could've used a save point in between. Being picky here
mashing: Which game do you like more VC or MP?
davez: It's really hard to compare games that are completely different genres and especially when both are GREAT games. Both GTA:VC and MP are great, imo.
All that said, I'm more inclined to say that I like MP more (I beat the story in GTA:VC and am slightly more than 50% complete with both).
mehmed: davez how long have you been playing MP now?
davez: I forget what the game clock is at, but we played the game for a little more than 20 hours -- game clock is much lower for some reason.
versage1: Hey Davez, Is there a lot of story Elements? Cutscenes.. Voice overs.. Story tid bits... Anything?
davez: There's not really any story in the form of cutscenes or voice overs, but you do get a LOT of cool story elements from scanning things. It's really cool. You can tell that a lot went into the design of this game and the world.
Fran: Oh yeah, I nearly forgot to mention...
The story is very involved. A lot more detailed and rad in a sci-fi way. It's really rewarding to read through the scans.
Pretty grim story, too.
espaceman: Are the corridors different enough in appearance as not to be confused too much with other corridors?
davez: The corridors and levels in general are pretty varied and have a really nice organic look to them. It's not just a bunch of boxy rooms...
esapceman: Also, how high can you ultimately jump after upgrading??
davez: Pretty high... Don't know how to quanitfy just how high. Jumping is extremely easy and intuitive in the game -- far better than in ANY other first person action/adventure game with platform elements that I've EVER played.
Just a word of advice to everyone who intends to play this -- DON'T CHEAT! Part of the appeal of this or any other adventure game is finding stuff yourself. So, do that and don't even think about looking at some strategy guide until you're just 'cleaning up'.
lord_vynos: I was wondering, is there an intro "à la Super Metroid", or does it starts the same way as the E3 Demo?
davez: Last I played the demo was at E3 and don't really remember enough to compare.
AdamAndrew: What has been the most impressive moment in the game from a graphical standpoint? You know, where you just stopped and glared?[i]
davez: From a graphical standpoint, I was constantly saying, "wow" or "cool" throughout. Most of it is stuff you've probably seen in videos, the snowing areas, the water or steam on the face shield, the reflection in the helmet and, well, this cool thing I can't talk about.
Fran: Graphics-wise, it's the best engine I've seen on GameCube. No loading, really. Brilliant texture diversity. Stellar architecture. Your jaw will drop. Most of all, it's the art direction that is stunning.
Everywhere you go to look is so pretty! Everything is a Kodak moment. The artists have to be some of the best in the industry.
[i]mehmed: How about the difficulty?
davez: It's fairly challenging at some points and still haven't beaten it, so it may get even tougher.
Fran: The difficulty is no slouch. It keeps you on your toes by ramping it up through the whole game. You will be frustrated -- for the better.
Giga_Ganondorf: Can you have the dash boots in MP?
davez: We don't have any dash boots yet.
BORNTOCUBE: Would you be willing to comment on the graphics and how they compare to other top titles on the market like Halo, Rogue Leader, Splinter Cell.....etc... etc.... I want to get more opinions on how this baby stacks up visually since I am a graphic whore? Is there any signs of bump mapping?
davez: I'm not really enough of a graphics guy to really answer that. I think it looks better than those games you mentioned, but I'm talking from more of an art and design standpoint than technical. Kind of like how I think Ico loos amazing even though it has really low-res textures and stuff.
magicpoopeater: Do the bosses have specific weaknesses (like a fire based boss weak to the ice beam or some such)? If so how is it tipped off?
davez: Bosses and some enemies have specific weaknesses. If you scan them, they'll usually give you hints.
big_z: In Metroid Fusion i noticed nintendo made the bosses quite a bit smaller compared to Super Metroid, although there are many more of them and they all present a unique challenge.
Does the same hold for Metroid Prime?
davez: We've faced some big bosses. It's hard to get a perspective on how big they are in comparison to Samus because it's in the first-person, though. Gotta look up, though.
majoralink2: DaveZ, You guys have a Final copy? Please I need to know!!!
davez: Well, I think it's essentially a final copy. I don't really know the details, I'm just an ex-staffer than takes advantage of still being friends with those guys.
It's either a final/near final copy or we just dropped some acid, popped in Super Metroid on SNES and just pretended it was in 3D.
xEmacy: So davez, there is no difficulty setting? Easy, Normal, Hard?
davez: No difficulty settings that I could tell.
BORNTOCUBE: Dave is it your opinion also that this baby is NOW front runner for GOTY ?
davez: It's a definite candidate for Game of the Year and would probably get my vote if I had to do it right this second -- though, my vote doesn't count for IGN or any other major publication. I'm doing my own personal awards on my website, but that reaches like 35K people a month versus that 10+ million that read IGN every month
Normally I wouldn't do this, but as most of you probably know, Metroid is my all-time favorite franchise. Super Metroid is always the game that I call my most favorite -- if I'm forced to choose.
Cue Metroid Prime. I've experienced pretty much all of it. Words such as "Wow," "Incredible," "Amazing," "Woah," and "Brilliant" were tossed around by myself and a few other editors like IGNPS2's Dave Smith and former editor Dave Z.
Retro Studios and Nintendo have created a true masterpiece, once again setting standards and defining a genre all over again.
It's a massive title, too. The 30-hour mark is definitely something most gamers will hit. There's so much to it. Most impressive to me is that Tallon IV's seperate worlds -- lava, ice, water, etc -- are all connected. It's just like the old Metroids, and load times are nearly nonexistent; a truly amazing feat.
It is Super Metroid brought into 3D. All the naysayers who said it couldn't be done right -- including myself -- are completely wrong. I need some time to absorb it, but it's absolutely as great a game as Super Metroid, and perhaps...better.
jwillennium: How cleverly designed were the levels and power-ups of Prime? What I mean is will it be as good as Super Metroid was in the way the areas were connected, the way that the player had to revisit areas with the appropriate power-up to reach other areas, and how well hidden important items were. Oh, and are you enjoying the music,Does it set the mood the way the music of classic Metroids did?
Fran: When I say the game is amazing, I mean it. From level design, to rewarding the player for exploring, to power-ups, to the bosses, to the music, Metroid Prime is amazing.
Example: I'm in the Phendrana Drifts, the ice area, and I see a sheet of ice blocking a hole that leads downard. After scanning it, you realize it must be melted. It was a very long time before I returned to explore that pathway. This is one example of at least 100. You see so much -- grappling hooks, spiderball tracks, ice beam, etc, etc. -- that you realize you must return to later.
Like I said, the game is Super Metroid in 3D. There are even some extravagant vertical platforming areas. You won't believe how good the first-person jumping is. It's the best I've ever seen. It feels totally natural and not even remotely frustrating.
As for the music, that also made be very happy. It's stunning: very atmospheric, TONS of interactive audio cues that make SENSE, and lots of throwbacks to the tunes in Super Metroid.
davez overall impressions: It truly is an amazing game. My top 2 favorite games of all time are Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid and this, so far, is right up there with both.
BORNTOCUBE: Fran tell us ONE thing you do not like about Prime?
davez: I'm obviously not Fran but for me, there's this one boss battle where the camera can be an annoyance and there's this one really tough stretch where it could've used a save point in between. Being picky here
mashing: Which game do you like more VC or MP?
davez: It's really hard to compare games that are completely different genres and especially when both are GREAT games. Both GTA:VC and MP are great, imo.
All that said, I'm more inclined to say that I like MP more (I beat the story in GTA:VC and am slightly more than 50% complete with both).
mehmed: davez how long have you been playing MP now?
davez: I forget what the game clock is at, but we played the game for a little more than 20 hours -- game clock is much lower for some reason.
versage1: Hey Davez, Is there a lot of story Elements? Cutscenes.. Voice overs.. Story tid bits... Anything?
davez: There's not really any story in the form of cutscenes or voice overs, but you do get a LOT of cool story elements from scanning things. It's really cool. You can tell that a lot went into the design of this game and the world.
Fran: Oh yeah, I nearly forgot to mention...
The story is very involved. A lot more detailed and rad in a sci-fi way. It's really rewarding to read through the scans.
Pretty grim story, too.
espaceman: Are the corridors different enough in appearance as not to be confused too much with other corridors?
davez: The corridors and levels in general are pretty varied and have a really nice organic look to them. It's not just a bunch of boxy rooms...
esapceman: Also, how high can you ultimately jump after upgrading??
davez: Pretty high... Don't know how to quanitfy just how high. Jumping is extremely easy and intuitive in the game -- far better than in ANY other first person action/adventure game with platform elements that I've EVER played.
Just a word of advice to everyone who intends to play this -- DON'T CHEAT! Part of the appeal of this or any other adventure game is finding stuff yourself. So, do that and don't even think about looking at some strategy guide until you're just 'cleaning up'.
lord_vynos: I was wondering, is there an intro "à la Super Metroid", or does it starts the same way as the E3 Demo?
davez: Last I played the demo was at E3 and don't really remember enough to compare.
AdamAndrew: What has been the most impressive moment in the game from a graphical standpoint? You know, where you just stopped and glared?[i]
davez: From a graphical standpoint, I was constantly saying, "wow" or "cool" throughout. Most of it is stuff you've probably seen in videos, the snowing areas, the water or steam on the face shield, the reflection in the helmet and, well, this cool thing I can't talk about.
Fran: Graphics-wise, it's the best engine I've seen on GameCube. No loading, really. Brilliant texture diversity. Stellar architecture. Your jaw will drop. Most of all, it's the art direction that is stunning.
Everywhere you go to look is so pretty! Everything is a Kodak moment. The artists have to be some of the best in the industry.
[i]mehmed: How about the difficulty?
davez: It's fairly challenging at some points and still haven't beaten it, so it may get even tougher.
Fran: The difficulty is no slouch. It keeps you on your toes by ramping it up through the whole game. You will be frustrated -- for the better.
Giga_Ganondorf: Can you have the dash boots in MP?
davez: We don't have any dash boots yet.
BORNTOCUBE: Would you be willing to comment on the graphics and how they compare to other top titles on the market like Halo, Rogue Leader, Splinter Cell.....etc... etc.... I want to get more opinions on how this baby stacks up visually since I am a graphic whore? Is there any signs of bump mapping?
davez: I'm not really enough of a graphics guy to really answer that. I think it looks better than those games you mentioned, but I'm talking from more of an art and design standpoint than technical. Kind of like how I think Ico loos amazing even though it has really low-res textures and stuff.
magicpoopeater: Do the bosses have specific weaknesses (like a fire based boss weak to the ice beam or some such)? If so how is it tipped off?
davez: Bosses and some enemies have specific weaknesses. If you scan them, they'll usually give you hints.
big_z: In Metroid Fusion i noticed nintendo made the bosses quite a bit smaller compared to Super Metroid, although there are many more of them and they all present a unique challenge.
Does the same hold for Metroid Prime?
davez: We've faced some big bosses. It's hard to get a perspective on how big they are in comparison to Samus because it's in the first-person, though. Gotta look up, though.
majoralink2: DaveZ, You guys have a Final copy? Please I need to know!!!
davez: Well, I think it's essentially a final copy. I don't really know the details, I'm just an ex-staffer than takes advantage of still being friends with those guys.
It's either a final/near final copy or we just dropped some acid, popped in Super Metroid on SNES and just pretended it was in 3D.
xEmacy: So davez, there is no difficulty setting? Easy, Normal, Hard?
davez: No difficulty settings that I could tell.
BORNTOCUBE: Dave is it your opinion also that this baby is NOW front runner for GOTY ?
davez: It's a definite candidate for Game of the Year and would probably get my vote if I had to do it right this second -- though, my vote doesn't count for IGN or any other major publication. I'm doing my own personal awards on my website, but that reaches like 35K people a month versus that 10+ million that read IGN every month