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Metroid: Samus Returns Discussion (Nintendo 3DS) [game]
 
Metroid: Samus Returns on the 3DS
8.88/10 from 11 user ratings

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Metacritic: 88

Sooooooooo, this is out! My copy should hopefully be arriving after work (if not, my weekend plans might change a bit!)

I've been really pumped for this, because Metroid II is the only main Metroid I've yet to play (I haven't played AM2R either), so this is for all intents a brand new Metroid game for me while also kinda filling in that last gap in the canon.

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09/15/17, 14:51    Edited: 09/15/17, 14:58
 
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@Hero_Of_Hyrule

I was thinking either that or part of the Chozo were infected with the X parasite. Though with Metroids still on the rampage, they probably wouldn't have shown up right away. There's currently no known living Chozo that we're aware of though, right? The last ones were wiped out on Tallon IV in Metroid Prime?
09/20/17, 19:44   
@VofEscaflowne

As far as I know they're all dead. But I missed a lot of the lore in the Prime games. I would think a twist this sudden and late has to have some sort of significance for the future, which is why i came to the conclusion that there are some Chozo out there. Otherwise, why have the twist come at the very end?
09/20/17, 19:49   
@Hero_Of_Hyrule

Yeah, it's just figuring out what was the reasoning with the Chozo killing their own and if they're still out there, are they good or bad? What if the next game is Metroid 5 where Samus is on the run from the Galactic Federation and gets a signal from the last remaining Chozo who are the ones that left SR388 alive? Though the question still comes down to if they're the good guys or not. Cause then Samus would then be hunted by so many things haha.
09/20/17, 19:54   
Edited: 09/20/17, 19:55
I think that would be a neat premise. The theme could be searching for identity. Shamus saw the Chozo as a family, but now the only remaining Chozo have turned against her. She used to identify with the Federation, but now they're trying to hunt her down. So both organizations she lived as a part of are now trying to destroy her. And now she's left alone. I think that would compliment the series' traditional sense of isolation well. Not only is she alone in some hostile planet, but she. No longer has a place to c all home.
09/20/17, 20:01   
@Hero_Of_Hyrule

Regardless, it'll be great if this is finally setting things up for Metroid 5. I can't imagine it being anything else within the timeline. I'm curious how they'll have all of this play out.
09/20/17, 20:04   
Oh and just throwing wild things out there but what if Samus having been infected with the X parasite means that the rogue Chozo somehow sense her? They pull her in to their secret location/new home planet, ambush her, she's thrown off that the Chozo are still alive and are a hostile being so she has to make her escape and start off as Zero Suit Samus. A proper reason to have her have no power ups at the beginning. Meanwhile, the Galactic Federation have been tracking her down to the Chozo location, a war breaks out between them, allowing Samus to escape. That would be a wild premise for a Metroid game since it never involves her eliminating a direct alien threat and basically just fighting off to survive.
09/20/17, 20:12   
Edited: 09/20/17, 20:17
@VofEscaflowne
Adding to that, she would have to piece together a new suit from parts that the Chozo were devlopeing all over their hideout. After all, the Chozo made her original suit, right? That'd be a great way of explaining why there are upgrades lying around that augment her suit; it's because she's stealing them all from the same organization's R&D department. She could fight a boss the uses a new upgrade that she then takes after beating it. Like a lot of the bosses in Prime 2.
09/20/17, 22:14   
Edited: 09/20/17, 22:19
AM2R looked like some Zero Mission reskin. How is it possibly better than Samus Returns? I don't really buy that.

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It seems the atmospheric music seems to be (far) better than the more melodic stuff I've heard so far. I also get the weird feeling that maybe the atmospheric stuff was done by the western side while the melodic stuff was Yamamoto?

I love Prime music but straight up reusing the 'Item Get' theme and even the 'Defeated Boss Room' seems a bit lazy I must say. They're excellent tracks but I heard em a tonnnn.

These are just minor nitpicks in the grand scheme of things. This game is a treasure. It's a joy that it exists, and it's a joy to play. It feels so wonderful to control and move around in this world much like BOTW. Odyssey will surely be the same.

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@GameDadGrant
Yes and yes!!
09/20/17, 22:54   
Edited: 09/20/17, 22:56
Brick said:
I restarted the game and it appeared, so luckily I was able to get it.

All's well that ends well, I suppose. There was another glitch that a lot of Miiverse users were running into a lot. Like glitching through a block that they shouldn't have been able to go through, and getting stuck on the other side because they don't have the weapon to actually destroy that obstacle yet.

Here:

09/20/17, 23:05   
@GameDadGrant
That exact thing happened to me! I had to restart.
09/20/17, 23:14   
@carlosrox
From what I understand, Yamamoto was only the general audio producer (I thought Minako Hamano was involved in some capacity too, but I can't seem to find her name in any credits online, and I haven't beaten the game myself yet) and didn't contribute with any tracks apart from the old ones that were re-arranged.

The new stuff was apparently written by Daisuke Matsuoka who wrote tracks for Tomodachi Life and stuff.
09/20/17, 23:20   
The game has game breaking glitches? That's too bad.

I had a weird feeling it might because some stuff I did felt kinda sequence break-y.
09/20/17, 23:20   
@r_hjort
Ah. I suspected the atmospheric stuff was done by the western side but I guess not! Either way, it's my favorite stuff so far! The Metroid Statue Chamber and certain parts of Area 2 (IIRC, wherever you get the Varia Suit, Wave Beam, and High Jump is) are incredible with the atmosphere.
09/20/17, 23:23   
@carlosrox
It's all good stuff!

I might be wrong about who wrote what, but it would be kind of nice if Yamamoto's just passing on the torch, like how Kondo has been doing for a while. I love Yamamoto's way of building atmosphere while not skimping on the melodies, but it would be nice to hear that the future of Metroid's soundtracks is in good hands.
09/20/17, 23:38   
Wow, this place sure did turn into a government document rather quickly!
09/21/17, 00:14   
At this point we're just going off on random sequel ideas based on a small part of the game.

And if you haven't gotten 100%, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO READ IT.
09/21/17, 03:41   
Edited: 09/21/17, 03:49
100%ed the game.

+Good combat
+Particularly good boss battles that are very complex, challenging but fair
+Lots of power-ups
+Large game world
+Dares to change the gameplay mechanics, with generally strong results
+Fairly slick interface with how the moves are used, despite the 3DS's awkwardness
+Good 3D
+Long game, ample unlockables even without amiibo
+Enjoyably difficult
+Ties into a few other Metroid games nicely

-Environments kind of lack distinction, particularly from area to area
-Little to no sequence-breaking
-Fairly linear in a macro sense, no backtracking to previous zones needed
-Polygonal graphics kind of a double-edged sword
-Could use more enemy variety, and the regular mooks are oddly tiny
-The best songs are taken straight from Super and Prime

All in all, I really liked it, but I'd actually rank it below most Metroid games. It's on par with the original Metroid II and Metroid Prime 2 for me, but above Other M and Hunters. High 8 or low 9 sounds about right.
09/21/17, 03:46   
Edited: 09/21/17, 03:46
GET IN HERE

How did you feel about having to go back with the baby metroid to get a bunch of upgrades. While it was nice to hang out with the baby, I did not get that decision at all. Seemed completely unnecessary.
09/21/17, 03:51   
Edited: 09/21/17, 04:15
@Hero_Of_Hyrule

(endgame spoilers)

In some ways, it was a little odd. On the one hand, it doesn't make a ton of sense from a plot standpoint, that Samus would hang around after her mission with this rare, valuable specimen, putting it in all sorts of danger by bringing it into these zones where you're blasting stuff everywhere. At the same time, it's kind of cute to have the Metroid be your last "upgrade," as it did crunch through those crystalline blocks in the original as well (and it made me theorize that he would be hanging out with Samus when I realized none of my other abilities could break them).

And perhaps best of all, I think it helps the player's attachment to the hatchling grow a bit more when it takes the role as a sort of familiar to Samus, hanging about and helping out and being cute. Ditto for the fun Super Metroid foreshadowing during the Ridley battle. It's kind of a double-edged sword--a little weird in some ways and lacks the quiet subtlety of Metroid II's finale, but has a few upsides as well.


One thing I was a bit let down on, and this is related to the "Fairly linear in a macro sense, no backtracking to previous zones needed" note I made above, was that the zones felt one-and-done. Going back to them to get power-ups always would result in no more than a couple screens each. In many past Metroids, going back to an area with a new ability often meant you got to see a lot more of that area. Norfair with the Power Bombs leads to the whole section with Crocomire and the Grapple Beam. Sector 5 late in the game leads to a ruined branch of that area complete with a battle against Nightmare-X. Going to Tallon Overworld after the Gravity Boost leads to a whole crashed frigate ship. I missed that element of discovery; in SR, by and large, what you see was what you got. The game was very large, but it was almost all mandatory on the first run through.
09/21/17, 05:00   
@TriforceBun

Yeah I agree about that design decision but that was due to the way the original was also designed I suppose. Locking areas behind this poison substance made me think the remake would follow the same path. I missed the ability to tackle things on your own like you could in Zero Mission and heck, even skip upgrades if you wanted to. It's that extra level of freedom that made subsequent playthroughs much more interesting.
09/21/17, 05:09   
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