In June 2005, I remember reading on an article from Game Informer magazine of the reveals from Nintendo's E3 presentation of the games that were going to be coming out on the Wii and DS. There was one game that wasn't showcased, but caught my eye once I saw it: a new 2D Metroid game called Metroid Dread. The 2000's was the best decade for Metroid since the most amount of games were released that were critically acclaimed like the two Game Boy Advanced games Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion and the 3D 3rd person action adventure game Metroid Prime and its sequel Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. I was more than excited for more Metroid. Over the years, news of Metroid Dread became silent with little to no information on its release date.
But that was fine since there were other games that came out such as Metroid Prime Hunters, Metroid Prime Pinball, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. But then the 2010s appeared and Metroid: Other M was such a polarizing game that it almost killed the franchise for over 6 years. Then, Yoshio Sakamoto, the director and producer of the Metroid games said that Dread was probably not going to be coming out anytime soon. We assumed that Metroid Dread was cancelled and people started calling it Metroid Dead. The first half of the 2010s decade was difficult for Metroid fans.
The later half of the 2010s decade was slightly better. A fan named Milton Guasti aka DoctorM64 released his long passion project AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake) a fan remake of Metroid 2: Return of Samus and Nintendo released Metroid Prime Federation Force and its own remake of Metroid 2 called Metroid: Samus Returns on the 3DS. There was even an announcement on E3 2018 that Metroid Prime 4 was coming out. Knowing that Metroid Prime 4 was going to be the next big game, the idea of Metroid Dread ever coming out had left my mind. But then E3 2021 appeared and what I saw was something I never would have thought in a million years: a trailer for Metroid 5 which was Metroid Dread. When I first saw it, I was so excited! It was the first time in many years that I was hyped for a video game to come out. Click here to learn more about my initial thoughts. I had to wait an additional year to play it because I didn't have a Switch at the time. But thanks to Arun Mehta from The Arun Mehta Show, I now have a Nintendo Switch and the first game I bought was Metroid Dread.
Taking place after the events of Metroid Fusion, Samus had received a message from an unknown source that there was an X parasite located at Planet ZDR. The Galactic Federation sent 7 robots called E.M.M.I to capture the X, but it lost communication. Samus lands on ZDR to learn more about the whereabouts of the X and the E.M.M.I., but then sees an adversary she didn't expect: a Chozo soldier named Raven Beak who almost defeated Samus, but an unknown power source from herself activated and she was spared. Things get worse when the E.M.M.I. have been hacked to now attack Samus. Samus, being underpowered to take down both Raven Beak and the E.M.M.I., is told by Adam to escape the planet and head to her ship on the surface of ZDR. So the game is a reverse where Samus is traveling upwards instead of downwards. Without getting into major spoilers because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who want to play this game, what are my thoughts of Metroid Dread as both a fan and someone who has been waiting for this game for over 15 years? The wait was worth it!
The gameplay is classic 2D action/adventure with some exploration just like the other Metroid games, but there are several new additions that make it standout. The introduction of Aeion abilities from Metroid: Samus Returns have returned here in Metroid Dread, but there are some new techniques such as the Phantom Cloak that makes Samus invisible for a short period of time. It's very useful, especially when you're trying to run away and hide from the E.M.M.I. It feels like the proper elevation from Metroid Fusion after Samus is trying to run away from the SA-X. Admittedly, the gameplay of the SA-X is starting to show its age a bit since the segments are planned. If you know what to do, you can easily avoid the SA-X with no issues. There are little to no changes or alterations on its movements or its reactions to when it approaches Samus. But the E.M.M.I. goes on a whole new level. When you enter an E.M.M.I room, you hear the eerie music, you hear the beeps and boops of the E.M.M.I. trying to find you with sensing your movements and hearing your footsteps, and you're trying to find a way out before it finds you before it catches you. There are 7 in total and each one is harder than the last making it a challenge even though you're collecting the items needed to become stronger.
There are different sections of the planet to go around to make it towards the surface and each location is unique with a set of monsters and atmosphere to set it apart. The bosses are also great with its own set of challenges, fighting style, and strategic ways of taking them down. Some of them are the best in the whole series, with the final boss being my favorite of the bunch. The story is fairly simple just like the other Metroid games, but there are a lot of twists and turns that will make you shocked, surprised, yet satisfied if you've been following both the games' and manga's story and lore. But the story doesn't detract from people who have never played a Metroid game. The prologue and several cutscenes gets the plot of the series up to speed, but the gameplay is the most important part of the game and that makes up for it. Samus has never controlled this smooth before: she's fast, agile, and spry. The slide makes moving so much easier, the melee defense move takes down enemies in a pinch, and the wall jump feels so natural. As you get more moves, weapons, and Aeion abilities, Samus slowly becomes an unstoppable beast. I hope that future Metroid games keep this same gameplay style.
If I had to bring up a minor complaint of Metroid Dread, the music left a lot to be desired. Sure, it captures the atmosphere of the locations and moments, but none of it was memorable. Other than the opening prologue which is a remix of the opening theme of Super Metroid and a cutscene featuring a minor side character with a remix of the lower Brinstar theme of Super Metroid, I couldn't recall a song that left an impact on me when playing it. As you know, I love Metroid music. Whenever I'm working on a script for a video and editing it, I listen to songs from Metroid, Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, the Metroid Prime games, and AM2R. Sadly, I won't be adding Dread's soundtrack from my playlist. Another minor complaint I have is that the last chapter of the game felt very short and underdeveloped. I had made it to the surface and picked up the last power up and before I knew it, I was given the option to fight the last boss. I would've liked it if I was there longer or if there was another section of the planet to go to to explore. If you see the map of ZDR, there's an empty space over by the upper right corner. I thought that I was going to be exploring over there, but nothing ever popped up. If Metroid Dread ever has an update such as New Game+ or a patch, I would love either another section or make the last chapter a bit longer. But I doubt it'll happen.
Overall, I love Metroid Dread. It's now in my top 3 favorites in the series. It may have surpassed Metroid Prime as my 2nd favorite. As for topping Super Metroid, that's too early to tell. Super Metroid is not only my favorite in the series, but my favorite game of all time. If you want to learn why, click here. If I was to recommend a Metroid game for a newcomer, Dread would be one of my first choices as a great introduction next to Metroid: Zero Mission. It's fun, fast, and challenging. Currently, Metroid Dread is the best selling Metroid game of the series with almost 3 million copies sold. Hopefully this will show Nintendo that we want more Metroid games. Let's hope and see if Metroid Prime 4 continues this momentum.
That's it for now. Thank you so much for reading, everyone! Let me know in the comments about your experiences in playing Metroid Dread. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon.
Well, this is something I never thought I would be talking about. E3 2021 has come and gone and most of the presentations left a lot to be desired. It made sense since due to COVID-19, video game venues weren't open to the public, journalists weren't able to enter the convention center to interview the representatives of video game companies there and play the demos of the showcased games, and some video game companies like Sony weren't going to showcase their games, but instead do it on their own showcase instead. While some companies such as Xbox/Bethesda showed some games that a lot of people were excited about, but the clear winner for me was Nintendo. What sealed the deal for me was presenting a game I thought would never see the light of day: Metroid Dread.
For those who don't know, Metroid Dread was first announced as a Nintendo DS game in 2005 in an article by the gaming magazine Game Informer. It was suppose to take place after the events of Metroid Fusion where the protagonist Samus Arun had destroyed the Galactic Federation research station where the X Parasites had killed all the scientists and experiments and turned them into fearsome monsters that would do severe damage to the universe. Due to Samus killing all the Metroids in Metroid II: Return of Samus, the X Parasites were able to roam around SR-388 since the Metroids were their predators. Speaking of Metroids, the Galactic Federation had cloned Metroids using the last remnants of the Metroid DNA from Samus after using it as a vaccine when she was attacked by the X Parasites. It ended on a note that had a lot of concerns swimming on my head. Samus is now deemed as a traitor from the Galactic Federation. She has the last remnants of the Metroid DNA. She destroyed SR-388, the X Parasites, and the last living Metroids. I was waiting for Metroid Dread to answer the questions I wanted to see play out. But over the years, it was pushed further and further aside due to other games in the series being released such as Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid: Other M. Corruption was the last little reference that Metroid Dread was in the final stages of completion. After that, no announcement.
Shortly after the release of Metroid: Other M, Yoshio Sakamoto, the co-creator and producer of the Metroid series hadn't gone any further about Metroid Dread. It was just as I feared: Metroid Dread was cancelled. From 2002-2007, it was considered to being a golden era for the Metroid series that was never replicated since. Thanks to the Metroid Prime games from Retro Studios and the handheld Metroid games for the Game Boy Advance, Metroid was given the same amount of love and treatment that Nintendo would give to their other AAA franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon. Unfortunately, unlike those other AAA franchises, Metroid never sold very well, especially in Japan. North America loved the franchise a lot more, but nevertheless, the sales didn't justify making more games. The hardcore fans could only keep a niche franchise alive for so long. When Metroid: Other M flopped, the golden era of the franchise was over. Here's a sad fact, Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold more copies than all the Metroid games put together. One game sold more copies than all 11 games in a franchise. The idea of seeing Metroid Dread coming to life was like a pipedream alongside other wished for games that were cancelled such as Half Life 3, Mega Man Legends 3, or Silent Hills.
15 years later, that pipedream became a reality. Metroid Dread will be coming out for the Nintendo Switch this October and the trailer showed some great promise. It started with Samus rocking out a new suit as she wandering around an unknown location. But then, a robot looks down from the ceiling targeting her and Samus tries shooting it down. Her beam weapon and her missiles do no damage and she has no choice but to run. Then it shows gameplay of Samus shooting, wall jumping, attacking, sliding, using an invisible powerup, and some cut scenes of the robot, Samus fighting a monster, and a Chozo typing in his computer. After the trailer, Sakamoto gave more details about the game such as how Dread was going to be the last game in the storyline involving Samus and the Metroids taking place after the events of Fusion, the robot was called E.M.M.I. and it belonged to the Galactic Federation, Dread was cancelled twice because of technical limitations not being able to do the game he envisioned, and MercurySteam, the same company who did the remake of Metroid II, were going to be developing Metroid Dread. Then, Nintendo Treehouse played the game for 20 minutes. If you're interested in checking out the trailer, click on the video down below.
The gameplay looks very similar to Metroid: Samus Returns with its emphasis on the combat, the free aim on Samus' arm cannon, and the slick angular art style, but it looks way better. It makes sense since Samus Returns was on the 3DS, but still, the more enhanced Switch really takes advantage of building the sense of unease that the Metroid series was known for. Because MercurySteam is working on the game, they'll even include more information that was briefly hinted at Samus Returns: the Chozo Memories. After you complete Samus Returns to 100%, you were able to unlock a few photos where you saw the Chozo, a group of bird aliens that created the Metroids, Mother Brain, and later on, raised Samus after Ridley killed her parents, land on SR-388 to collect Aeion for their experiments, discover the X Parasites, create the Metroids to combat them, learned that they were evolving, sealed SR-388 with acid, and called for help from their other Chozo allies. The last picture showed one of them killing the soldiers and scientists and left the Metroids alone. In the Metroid Dread trailer, there was a brief glimpse of a Chozo in his computer. This is the very first time in the series we've seen a Chozo alive. All the Chozos in the games have either been ghosts or statues that would give Samus her powerups. I'm guessing that he's going to be a major antagonist in this game alongside the Galactic Federation and the E.M.M.I. As for how he connects with Samus, that's going to be an interesting revelation.
Sakamoto had mentioned in an interview that while story was going to be very important, he wanted it to ease the fans to playing it if this was going to be their first game. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption did that as well where it was trying to get newcomers into the franchise, but it ended up with the hardcore fans complaining that the story slowed down the pace of the game, it was too linear, the different planets didn't make the experience as memorable compared to other games in the series where it was in one location with variety, and the Wii motion controls were "too gimmicky". Now I've seen some people saying that Dread is going to do the same thing. I couldn't disagree more. The last few days has never made me more prouder to be a Metroid fan. Seeing everyone excited to check out Metroid Dread, game journalists saying it was the highlight of E3 2021, and even the newcomers who had never played a single Metroid game have done fan art and reaction videos saying that they are going to purchase it has made me so happy. The hardcore fanbase is very appreciated, but it could only go so far. We need to welcome new fans into this franchise. Look what happened to Fire Emblem Awakening. It was going to be the last game in the series because sales for the previous games were not justified in making more. But because it streamlined the gameplay, expanded the story, and made it a standalone experience, it not only saved the franchise, but it had gotten more games and has far more representation in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Sakamoto even said that he already has the next game scripted, so if we want to see more Metroid games come out, we need to buy it! It's made me happy to know that it's the #1 pre-ordered video game according to Amazon. But I'm not happy to hear about the scalpers pre-ordering the special edition Metroid Dread including the Amibo figures and artbook and charging hundreds of dollars. Those guys suck! But nonetheless, let's make Metroid Dread a huge hit and start a new golden age for the franchise.
In conclusion, the Metroid franchise is my favorite video game franchise of all time. Super Metroid is my all time favorite video game. The fact that not only we're getting a new Metroid game in a few months, but it's a game that was laying dormant for 15 years. This is a big deal for multiple reasons. It's the first new 2D Metroid game in 19 years. It's the first console 2D Metroid game in 27 years. It's the final chapter in the story that has been around since the franchise's inception in 1986. This game is the perfect way to celebrate the series' 35th anniversary. It wasn't a disappointing port collection like what they did with Mario last year. It's a brand new game that has the promise to be incredibly successful and I can't wait! Hopefully we hear some new information on Metroid Prime 4 soon, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
For those who've followed me for a while, you will know that one of my favorite video game franchises is the Metroid series. Out of the 10+ games that has been released, Super Metroid is my favorite. Not only that, but it's my favorite video game of all time. As of yesterday, Super Metroid has celebrated its 25th anniversary in Japan with the North American release being on April 18th. My introduction of the series is a simple one: when I was a kid living in Philadelphia with my mom and sister after my parents separated with my dad living in New York. Every Friday afternoon after class, if we behaved well and did our assignments with good grades, my teacher had a 30 minute "free time" where we could watch a movie, read a book, do arts and crafts, or play her NES with a handful of video games such as Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Battletoads & Double Dragon, Yoshi, Mike Tyson's Punch Out, and Metroid.
I tried Metroid after playing the other games and found it really cool, but got lost really quickly. Shortly after, when my sister and I would be finished with school, we would go to my aunt's house until my mom would pick us up after work. My cousin had just gotten a Super Nintendo from his dad and included were Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mortal Kombat II, Aladdin, and Super Metroid. I had recognized the main protagonist of Metroid when I first saw the now iconic image on the cartridge and wanted to play it right away. But instead we played Super Mario World and Aladdin instead. Later on, I eventually played the game and really liked it a lot. The atmosphere was foreboding, creepy, and eerie matched with its music. The different sections of Planet Zebes has improved a lot from the NES and the SNES, but was familiar, and the weapons and power ups were awesome. However, similar to Metroid, I had gotten lost after wandering around for a few minutes. After that, I would play the other SNES games and had more fun with its simpler level design.
Believe it or not, I wouldn't get back into Metroid and Super Metroid until I was in high school around the early 2000's, when Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion were the newest games in the series. I had learned about emulation and ROMS of classic NES and SNES games and downloaded it on the bulky family computer with slow, slow DSL. Reintroducing myself to Metroid for the first time in years, I had realized how far video games had come, especially since I had owned a PlayStation 2 playing games such as Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, and Sly Cooper. I thought that the game was harder than I remembered, the gameplay felt very limited, and the graphics were simple and limited. However, I was able to maneuver and find my way around the sections much easier. I was able to travel to Crateria and the early parts of Norfair without a walkthrough. I found the morph ball, missiles, energy tanks, long beam, and jump boots with ease. However, at Kraid's stage, that's when I got super lost. I wouldn't beat Metroid until college after I completed my first playthrough of Metroid: Zero Mission. It would be the last time I would play the original because I have since replaced with its remake. I took a break and then uploaded Super Metroid and found out that it was much, much better than I remembered it.
The introduction and the Ceres space station had gotten me immediately hooked. I had gotten drawn in to the recap of the first two games, Samus wandering around the space station with the dead scientists, and the battle of Ridley where he would kidnap the last Metroid and return back to their lair on Planet Zebes. After landing in Zebes with the rain falling down, Samus enters back to Tourian where she fought Mother Brain. The shattered glass dome where Mother Brain was at is still empty, the room is filled with fog, and is crawling creatures on the walls. Even as someone who wasn't able to defeat Mother Brain at the time and didn't understand the context of the room, it filled me with a sense of dread that stood with me as one of my favorite moments of the game. This was probably one of my first introductions of subtle storytelling where the music and atmosphere was more than enough to tell the story as oppose to cutscenes with voice acting that was becoming more common. It was even more clever when after getting the morph ball and missiles at the same room as the original Metroid, returning to Mother Brain's room is now filled with Space Pirates because the light beacon by the elevator activated and let the antagonists know that Samus was in Zebes looking for the baby Metroid.
Looking around the sections of Zebes, I had gotten hooked with the amazing soundtrack done by the talented Kenji Yamamoto, who would become the main composer of the Metroid series afterwards doing the music for Fusion, Zero Mission, the Prime series, Hunters, Pinball, and Samus Returns. It had since became my background music every time I would work on a video script. While Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka is a great composer and did some iconic songs for the first game such as the intro, Crateria, Kraid's theme, and the outro, Yamamoto just nailed it with the Super Metroid soundtrack. There's a great mixture of quiet, subdue music mixed with catchy, head rocking music. The creepy intro, the story recap, Crateria, Brinstar, Maradia, the wrecked ship, Norfair, Tourian, and outro are all amazing. Even around the early 2000's when video game music had started using orchestral music with real instruments, I had gotten a bigger appreciation of the music Yamamoto was able to craft with limited resources. I would highly recommend to check out this interview alongside with Yoshio Sakamoto, the writer of the Metroid series, discussing about the making of Super Metroid.
The bosses are also incredibly memorable. The first battle with Ridley is a great introduction to the boss fight that Samus would have with him later on. The 2nd battle at Norfair is fantastic as a challenge even after collecting enough missiles, energy tanks, beams, and spare tanks. This would also be the introduction of Ridley's theme song that would carry on later in the Metroid Prime series, Fusion, Zero Mission, and even the Super Smash Bros. series. It wouldn't be until I was in college when I was discovered the Metroid manga that came out to promote Metroid: Zero Mission and learned on why Ridley and Samus were enemies. Ridley was the one responsible for killing Samus' parents and left her as an orphan. Samus was then raised by the Chozo, a group of alien birds who were warriors and scientists and became their prized warrior. She would meet up with Ridley again in Zebes and starts remembering who he was. When trying to attack him, she suffers from PTSD and anxiety with Ridley escaping when Samus' friends approach her. The Chozo sees her shaking and tells her to cry after years of holding her emotions back to function the Power Suit. This works out a billion times better than the train wreck scene of Metroid: Other M for many reasons. Samus was 14 years old when she meets up with Ridley again so she wasn't the badass she would later become. Ridley talked about how after killing her mother, he ate her to restore the explosion damage Samus' father caused when blowing up the spaceship. That's right, Ridley talks in the manga and he's a ruthless, evil, intelligent bastard. He really showcases himself as the ruler of the Space Pirates until Mother Brain comes along after betraying the Chozo. Samus' 3rd encounter with Ridley is when she goes to Zebes for the first time in years to stop Kraid, Ridley, and Mother Brain. It's beyond satisfying and makes the Metroid: Other M moment an absolute fail. Seriously, that scene sucks so hard! This scene is the true reintroduction of Samus and Ridley.
The other villains in Super Metroid are no slouch. When I first saw Kraid's full size, I was beyond shocked and amazed! Around the time I played this level, I had just defeated the giant fire boss in Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy where Jak shot yellow ego for him to drop a giant rock at him. I found the Kraid boss so much more impressive because Samus fought him more directly. Plus, the buildup to get to the boss fight was fantastic: the music, the mini Kraids that were the same size Kraid was in the original Metroid, and the dead Galactic Federation soldier. While the boss battle is really easy, it's a great experience. Plus, you get the Varia suit afterwards. It's great!
The new bosses such as Crocomire and Phantoon are great additions to the series. Again, they are easy if you get enough missiles and energy tanks, but man, they're memorable. Crocomire is slowly charging Samus with spikes in the back and his only weakness is shooting missiles or a charged beam in his mouth. With every shot in his mouth, he would take a step back until he would fall into a pool of acid where he would disintegrate into bones which is beyond disturbing, even in 1994 standards. Phantoon is from the wrecked ship where all of the enemies are the ghosts of the ship crew who died. This is a similar fate to the wrecked ship from Super Mario World where the manual states that the Boos are the spirits of the crew from an airship from Super Mario Bros. 3 who died. Sure, fighting ghosts may sound strange, but they would carry this in the Metroid Prime series with the Chozo ghosts or even Metroid: Fusion where the bosses are the remnants of the X Parasite after killing the original host and copying their body. Then there's Draygon from Maradia where you could easily defeat it if you shoot the electrical spheres open and shock it with the grapple beam. But it's a pretty cool looking boss and get the very useful space jump, but it's very somber when its babies take the body away.
After defeating Ridley, Kraid, Phantoon, and Draygon, Samus goes down to Tourian again where she would confront the baby Metroid which has grown to a gigantic size becoming the Super Metroid. When the Super Metroid hears Samus' alarm reaching low health, it realizes it was attacking its "mother" and goes away until it saves Samus from almost being killed by Mother Brain. Mother Brain's battle is, hands down, the best battle in the game because of its scale and tense fight. It looks like a rehash of the original fight from Metroid, but takes a complete twist revealing its true form and it's terrifying, ugly, and threatening. When the Super Metroid drains Mother Brain's energy to give to Samus, Mother Brain wakes up and shoots the Super Metroid until it explodes. Then Samus gets the hyper beam, kills Mother Brain, the timer goes off, and the whole planet explodes. Wow, just wow! Zebes is gone! While it would be referenced in Metroid Prime and Super Smash Bros., Zebes would never return in the series ever again.
While I do love this game, I do have some issues with it. First off, the controls.While I'm used to it, it's weird to go back to the old SNES controls when I'm used to the Zero Mission, Fusion, and Prime series controls where it's a lot more streamlined with aiming, jumping, wall jumping, and morph ball bombing. Also, power ups such as the X-ray scope and spare tanks were pretty unnecessary. I almost never used it and sometimes forgotten that I even had it. I liked spare tanks in Mega Man X where it was needed for a pinch when I was fighting the Mavericks and Sigma, but I didn't need it for Super Metroid as much when I had reached at least 8 tanks and go around the game just fine. The X-ray scope may be good for newcomers who need help to find out where to morph bomb a wall, but as a veteran like me, I like exploring and learning about my surroundings. I think that the spiritual successor to the X-ray scope, the scan visor from the Metroid Prime series did much better to incorporate it to the game. Another minor complaint is that there are some forgettable bosses in the game. The Spore Spawn on Brinstar is so boring and is the worst boss in the game and the Botwoon was just Phantoon, but going inside the holes in the wall, and Crocomire where its weakness was around its head. It's pretty forgettable. Then there's the Super Missiles, which is a separate item as oppose to being stacked to the regular missiles in the later games. That's a much better choice since they did that to the beams in Super Metroid, Metroid: Fusion, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption making it easier to manage.
Those are my only issues of the game. I love this game so much. Yes, it's true that conceptually the later games refine and improve Super Metroid, I have many reasons why I love it out of all the games in the series. Metroid Prime is my 2nd favorite matching the closest in music, atmosphere, bosses, and solid levels to Super Metroid, but the game goes into a complete halt when Samus has to look for the Chozo Artifacts in order to get into the room where Metroid Prime is. That mission sucks and was not needed at all! This isn't The Legend of Zelda. It's Metroid! Anyway, back on topic, Super Metroid is a groundbreaking and influential game that many has copied from: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Shadow Complex, Strider, Alien: Isolation, Guacamelee, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Hollow Night, and more. Samus Arun has become an iconic female protagonist that would lead the way to characters like Chun-Li, Cammy, Lara Croft, and more. Believe it or not, the Japanese don't really care about the series compared to the Americans and the series' game sales are pretty low. That's why there's a lot more Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon games than Metroid games. Metroid fans may be smaller than Mario and Zelda's fan base, but they're just as dedicated. The music has been remixed as many times as Mario, Zelda, and Final Fantasy, the fan sites are just as dedicated as a Zelda fan site with the confusing 3 split timelines, and then there's the hard work that Milton "DoctorM64" Gausti and his crew did to working on a fan game of Metroid 2: Return of Samus for 10 years because Nintendo wouldn't do it at the time. Another Metroid 2: Remake to Samus Returns is a fantastic game because of the love and passion that they did to give hardcore fans the game the series deserved, especially since it was released on Metroid's 25th anniversary and Nintendo released Metroid Prime: Federation Force, a game the fans didn't ask for and has been pushed to the wayside.
It seems now Nintendo is caring for Metroid again. Metroid: Samus Returns, their remake of Metroid 2: Return of Samus was released on the 3DS and Metroid Prime 4 will be coming out for the Nintendo Switch. It was far into development until Nintendo made the announcement that they were going to scrap their work and redo it again from scratch because "it didn't fit the quality of Metroid". That's fantastic to hear that Nintendo will take a risk like that since fans have been waiting for another game for a long time. But give it time and I'm sure it'll be great and hopefully give Metroid the same popularity that it got around the 2000's. But only time will tell. So yes, Super Metroid is my favorite game of all time. The subtle storytelling, bosses, levels, weapons, and music are incredible. Sure, there are some things that have been improved in later games, but I still love it, warts and all. I'm hoping for a Super Metroid remake on the Nintendo Switch. That would be amazing! So happy 25th anniversary, Super Metroid!
If you want to hear more information on the Metroid franchise from me, then check out my favorite episode of Casual Chats where I talked about the series with Jim Bevan and Lily from Dom and the Chapel of Church.
You can also check out my lifestream of playing Super Metroid during Metroid Month!
Finally, you can check out my interview with Milton about Another Metroid 2 Remake.
That's it for now! Tune in around April where I will showcase my next themed month of videos. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon.
Continuing with Metroid Month, Patricia continues with Metroid: Zero Mission by defeating Mother Brain, infiltrating the Space Pirate base, defeats Mecha Ridley, and escapes from Planet Zebes. Without dying a million times, of course.
May is approaching and for Patricia, it's Metroid Month. So, she first livestreams the remake of the first game in the series Metroid: Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance.
Patricia attempts to do her first livestream of playing the fan remake of Another Metroid 2 Remake. Sorry for lag and sound issues for this is the first time using Xsplit. Part 2 will be coming soon.
In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia interviews the man behind the fan remake of 1991 Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus titled Another Metroid 2 Remake, Milton "DoctorM64" Gausti. They discuss about his earliest video game memories, what made him decide to do a fan remake on Metroid II, and the 10 year process on creating one of the most well regarded fan games in recent memory.
In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guests Jim Bevan and newcomer Lily from Dom and the Chapel of Church discuss about the Metroid franchise in honor of its 30th anniversary.
Check out DoctorM64's fan remake of Metroid 2: Return of Samus on the link down below.
Last week before E3 2015 started, Nintendo had the Nintendo World Championship and featured both new and old games for the competitors to play. One of the games that were featured was an brand new unreleased game under the title Blast Ball that featured 4 players shooting a ball into a goal in a sci-fi futuristic setting. When I first saw the game livestreamed on my computer, I posted these responses on Twitter.
A few days later when Nintendo did their E3 Press Conference, I finally learned the truth. Blast Ball was an actual Metroid Prime spinoff game with the new title Metroid Prime Federation Force.
When I first saw the trailer, I was confused and disappointed. It looked absolutely NOTHING like a Metroid game. There was no sign of Samus and had no other distinct characters or settings like Zebes, SR388, Tallon IV, Aether, etc.
But then after seeing the trailer and seeing all the complaints from Metroid fans, I thought to myself "Why are people so surprised about Metroid having a spinoff title trying to cater to other fans? Did they forget about the other spinoff titles like Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime Hunters? Nintendo has done this before to the Metroid series, so I didn't understand why people were so angry. But then I remembered when thinking back on Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime Hunters that they looked and felt like Metroid games. One of the great things about Nintendo is that they deliver great spinoff titles outside the main franchises to broaden out the demographic and, for the most part, they've been successful. The Mario series being the prime example having Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Tennis, the Mario RPG games, the Yoshi games, the Wario games, Luigi's Mansion, and even Super Smash Bros. The Kirby series is always doing new and different varieties of aesthetics and gameplay from having Kirby platforming, racing, an open world exploration game with 3 other Kirbys, a platformer with 10 Kirbys, Kirby made of yarn, Kirby made of clay, and much more.
While I'm still giving it the benefit of the doubt that the game will focus on the Galactic Federation instead of Samus. However, when I thought of a game that focused on the Galactic Federation, I wouldn't think of a sci-fi soccer game. It looks like a lot of fun, but I wouldn't really call it a Metroid game. I guess I kinda know how Banjo and Kazooie fans feel about Nuts and Bolts. On its own, it seems like a creative and colorful game with nice levels and endless possibilities of creating your own vehicle. But it has absolutely nothing to do with its predecessors which has been labeled as the black sheep of the series.So I will give Metroid Prime Federation Force a fair chance. Speaking of which...
Oh boy. When I saw this petition, I didn't know what to think of it. I understand that the Metroid fans are very angry that the next game in the Metroid series isn't a main title. After all, it's been 5 years since Metroid: Other M was released and people have been dying for a new game in the series. Especially, since Metroid: Other M was such a jarring experience that has alienated so many fans with the story, the portrayal of Samus, and the linear game play. Even I have a hatred for Metroid: Other M, but that's a story for another time. Getting back to the main topic, the petition is going a little bit out of hand. I understand that people are not looking forward to this game. I understand that people want a new Metroid game. Trust me, I want one too. I want a new Metroid game as much as the next person. The Metroid series means a lot to me. Super Metroid is my favorite game of all time. I was so stoked when Super Metroid was one of the games played on the Nintendo World Championship 2015. I even want to do a video in the future about that topic. But you have to understand that there are so many other Nintendo IPs that has gone on longer without other installments. Before the announcement of the upcoming Star Fox Zero, there wasn't a new Star Fox game in almost a decade ever since Star Fox Command for the Nintendo DS. There hasn't been a new F-Zero game in a decade since F-Zero: GP Legend for the Game Boy Advance. Before Kid Icarus: Uprising was released in the 3DS in 2012, there hasn't been a new Kid Icarus game since Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters for the Game Boy in 1991, over 20 years later. At least we're getting a Metroid game. It may not be the one we wanted, but at least the series is still somewhat relevant to Nintendo.
The Metroid series was never a lucrative series, even back then, in Japan. Metroid and Super Metroid were critically acclaimed, but it was always overshadowed by other critically acclaimed games such as The Legend of Zelda for the NES and Donkey Kong Country for the SNES. It gained a huge massive audience in the US and still has a huge place of gamers' hearts to this day as one of the most iconic female protagonists of all time. Trust me, if there's anything that I've seen in recent years, gaming companies and the creators know what the fans want and they'll give them what they want in due time. Mother fans are finally getting Earthbound Beginnings from the NES on the WiiU's Virtual Console. Shenmue fans are finally getting Shenmue III. Square Enix fans are finally getting the Final Fantasy VII remake. I know that Nintendo will give us the Metroid game that we deserve and I can't wait when it comes out. Hey, we had to wait 8 years for Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion and they turned out to be fantastic. Let's give it some time. I'm sure it'll be well worth it.
That's all for now. Let me know in the comments below on your thoughts of Metroid Prime Federation Force. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. Thanks for reading.
