Just beat Prime 1. Got 79% items (over 95% on scan) and it took 8.5 hours to complete. Unlocked the Hyper Mode difficulty (I was playing on Veteran, but it unlocks regardless). Of course, when I beat it and saved, despite the warning, it completely removed that file so that's exciting I guess...oh well I wanted to go back through on Hyper at 100% so I guess this forces that.

Probably run through Prime 2 and then Prime 3 and then go back in order on Hard (if I feel like it).

Curious as to what changes in the higher difficulties? Do they switch anything up, change puzzles etc. or is it just bullet sponge enemies and fewer health orbs?

Maybe you take more damage? I must say, on Normal, I have about 7 energy tanks but barely dip out of the first one.

I just got the Gravity Suit. Feel like I'm closing in on these blighters.

Beat Prime 1 last night as well.

I had one question though...what exactly was Metroid Prime? A wiki entry said, I think, that it was a creature with DNA very similar to a Metroid. Was it a Metroid that somehow made its way to the impact crater? How did it get there? I thought the Space Pirates weren't able to get there. Was it one of the Chozo's Metroids? There were tons of Fission Metroids in the crater as well, so they must've been the Chozo's that were already there before the Space Pirates got there right?

In fact, I guess all the Metroids in the game were brought from either Zebes or SR-388 to Tallon IV, right? Or did the Space Pirates bring their own?

PogueSquadron said:

If anyone else hasn't started the game and wants all the green tokens, follow the instructions here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Metroid/comments/2u7q7f/to_anyone_who_is_starting_metroid_prime_trilogy/

That's actually not too much work. I might do it just to have the vouchers. Thanks Pogue!

@ludist210

That's a nice alternative. Not sure why they didn't just change the code to unlock certain things in a different way. Like unlock stuff as your % complete increases.

@missypissy I always figured it was a Metroid that "got in there" somehow, but then again, each Leviathans in Metroid Prime 3 seems to have its own Guardian, so some way or another, a freaky Phazon infused monster always lives to guard it.

The one logical theory I read also made this explanation (on Wikitroid) - that the Leviathan that hit Tallon IV was likely more mature than the Leviathans that hit the other planets. This could at least explain that it might have properties different than those in the final game. The Wiki entry goes on to explain that the Leviathan that hit Tallon IV acquired a Metroid organically, and the Metroid just continued to completely DEVOUR the Leviathan, thus explaining its ability to produce Phazon. In the original game, you don't have to destroy a core to stop Phazon production - you have to stop Metroid Prime.

That's the thing that always confused me. In Prime 3 (probably a retcon of sorts, possibly), The Leviathans have cores that produce Phazon. In the original Metroid Prime, the title character is categorized as the source of Phazon on Tallon IV. It isn't too much to assume that after 50 years, a Metroid could continue to grow and devour a Leviathan, also consuming its ability to produce Phazon. Also, when you're inside the Impact Crater at the end of the game, you're probably not in a Leviathan. Maybe the Leviathan was there, but it looks like just a mutated portion of Tallon IV where Metroid Prime now hangs out, trapped by the Chozo and their artifacts.

That being said...is any of this even canon at all? I know Retro had their own take on Mother Brain and the Aurora Units and stuff (which I thought was pretty awesome), but I don't think Sakamoto really liked what they did. Otherwise, do the Prime games really contradict the rest of the canon that much? It's a shame because they did so many cool things in regard to story. What better than to introduce into the Metroid universe than this incredible radiation/power that they can't help but consume?

@PogueSquadron
To be honest, I don't remember ANYTHING about Prime 3 at this point. What I did get from various searches online all seem to contradict each other.

@PogueSquadron

It's canon to me

I don't think it really interferes with the rest of the series at all. No reason for Sakamoto to deny it's canonicity except for spite IMO.

It's ok. We can deny Other M canon status.

@Super_Conzo As far as I know, the only difference between difficulty settings is that you take more damage from hits (I think it's a 2x jump per difficulty selection) and enemies also take more of your shots to bring down (though I think this difference is less than 2x per diff selection).

@Shadowlink

The whole labeling of things as canon is just as arbitrary now with pop culture as it was at the First Council of Nicea, so why not?

I feel like Metroid 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all in the same universe and Prime 1, 2, 3, and Hunters are a totally different thing.

Other M is a prequel to the main series, which is probably why I'm so fond of it despite it's flaws, it feels like the world of Fusion.

Pinball is, of course, set in the Prime universe, and IMO one of the best games in that series.

@deathly_hallows Out. Go.

Actually Prime Pinball was pretty neat. But let's be real here.

There's a pretty amazing narrative summary of all eight (not including Other M) Metroid games, especially how the Prime series plays into the overall Metroid story. Without all the Prime games fresh in my mind I can't say how much literary license has been taken but it's a great read.

The Spectacular Story of Metroid - Kotaku

@Infinitywave

Nintendo’s Metroid series tells us of a malevolent and vicious universe. It’s a maelstrom in which benevolent races are routinely extinguished, and corrupt empires wage war for ownership of living weapons. It’s a place in which xenocide is a commissioned service, and grievances are resolved with planetary apocalypses. Everything is chaotically connected to a dead race of avian prophetic poets fighting a war throughout the cosmos. It’s a dark place to visit.

Heh, sounds like 40K when described like that

It's an interesting read, although a lot of backstory is filled with speculation. If you can write background fluff that gives 2 planets and a lone Metroid the motivations of petulant teenagers bent on a galactic revenge quest, surely you can find a way to reconcile the issues of Other M with the rest of the franchise .

Started MP2. What a goddamn cool game.

Thinking about it, Metroid Prime Pinball is the one Metroid game I don't own. Is it worth it? I always thought that was one of the weirder spin-off ideas out there, though I guess it does make some sense with Samus's morph ball form and such. Does the game have any gimmicks that make it interesting, or is it pretty much pinball with a Metroid table design?

@PogueSquadron
I was surprised by how much of a jump Prime 2 took over Prime 1 in terms of looks. I hardly remember anything about this game, so it's like playing for the first time.

Running through Prime 1 on Veteran mode, just grabbed the Thermal visor last night.

I scanned everything on my previous normal playhrough, so I can theoretically run through this with minimal scanning. It's Anand's dream.

...Yet I'm scanning everything anyway. The log entries are the story!

It's really puzzly but it just oozes coolness IMO. The world feels more lively in a way because you might do more things with making satellite dishes move around and that kind of stuff.

The canonness of the Prime games starts to collide with the main series to me when you start looking at Mother Brain, what she is, where she came from, Etc. I think they allude to the idea in Prime 3 that Mother Brain in Super Metroid was stolen from the Federation, I think.

Also I don't think Other M really makes an impact on the series at all. It feels like such a side game in that nothing really matters all that much. I think they try to do a big reveal that the Federation is doing more experimenting with Metroids...but isn't that supposed to be the shocking part of Fusion? That game's story just drives me crazy.