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.
I've played through Metroid II on Gameboy a couple times now (on both the original hardware and then again on 3DS Virtual Console) so I'm interested in seeing how different this is from the 1991 game. Will it be as different as Zero Mission was to the NES Metroid?
Zero Mission whilst a massive improvement on Metroid 1, was clearly built upon the bones of it's forbear. Much of the world layout was very similar. My worry with this game was that a similar take would mean retaining the pretty serious linearity of the original title. Which I wasn't really interested in.
From what I've seen in reviews though this may not necessarilly be the case. So basically what I need confirmed is whether my complaints from the original are still present in any form:
I did enjoy this in my RGC playthrough, , I found it to be eminently more playable than Metroid 1.
That being said, it's not entirely without some minor flaws as far as Metroid games go.
- Expansions are almost *too* easy to find. - Ice beam doesn't work against Metroids. That's awful. - Picking up an earlier beam reverts your weapon and nerfs you. Yuck.
The linearity works both for and against this game. On the plus side it's much easier to keep track of where you are, unlike the first game. But then again, it cuts down on exploration potential. The later games remedied this with the in-game map.
Yep, this is Metroid alright. Doesn't feel like the Game Boy game to me, but that's not a bad thing in my book. I don't recognize the layout or environments at all, but that might be because of how long it's been since I played the original.
Graphics are nice for the system, environments are varied and prettily designed, sound is atmospheric and appropriate, controls are tight even though there's a lot going on with them (aiming missiles with analog controls took some getting used to for me), and the spoon feeding mechanics seem unobtrusive so far.
Loving it so far, pretty much for the same reasons @r_hjort stated. Aiming does feel a bit weird at first but it's easy to get used to. The melee combat works surprisingly better than I thought it would too. It seems to auto lock onto the target you just countered so filling it with missiles after a connected counter feels satisfying.
@VofEscaflowne Yeah, I didn't expect the melee counters to be much of anything, but they actually do work pretty well. At this point I'm not sure if they'll help keep the regular combat from feeling repetetive or if they'll just become a different type of repetetive routine in the long run, but so far so good!
Another thing I like is that the plot and story development has been handled quite well so far. Nice paintings in the intro, simplistic Metroid Prime style cutscenes when needed in-game, and atmospheric plot clues in the backgrounds of the environments.
Enjoying it a lot so far; made it through the first two main zones and have acquired a few classic upgrades. The level design seems pretty strong, although a tad labyrinthine or "cramped" in a way (maybe it's because of the more zoomed-in view of Samus?). Music is nostalgic and enjoyable, I particularly enjoyed the new take on the title screen theme with the weird Metroid-y chirps.
The new gameplay mechanics are pretty surprising from a remake perspective, but work rather well in mixing up the Metroid-style combat. Makes things feel fresh, although the controls aren't quite as tight as I'm used to from this series (partly due to the Circle Pad, maybe?). The Metroid miniboss encounters have not disappointed. The pulse Aeion feels a bit like cheating, but it does seem to have let the designers make the progression a little trickier than usual, which is nice.
Yeah I'm trying to avoid using the Aeion abilities unless I REALLY have to I suppose. It's nice that they're there as an option for other players though.
Is there a way to have the R-button toggle missiles on and off instead of having to hold the button down? I would check myself, but I played until my battery died on me. Which is fantastic in its own way.
@VofEscaflowne Oh, poop. Holding the button down works well and everything, but my primitive brain has a bit of trouble keeping track of the three (four, if I need to jump) buttons needed to chuck a missile in the face of some Metroid or other. Especially when trying to aim with the analog nub at the same time.
Feels good to be playing another Metroid game at long last! Metroid II is the only one I haven't played, so I've always wanted it to get the Zero Mission style remake. I like how they borrowed some sound effects and music from Prime.
So here's a little trick I just figured out; on weaker enemies at least, if you freeze them with the ice beam, you can then insta kill them using the melee counter in them. Karate chop them like an ice block!
One thing I don't like is how when you die and restart, it puts your beam back to just the power beam, making you have to switch it back to the ice beam.
It's just a quick tap of the icon at least. Ice Beam is useful in some cases but against most regular enemies, prefer to stick with main weapon or missiles.
