Game On: Metroid Prime 1, 2, and 3

JasonR66

I'm not sure how the 'lets play' threads work but here it goes. I've decided to play through metroid prime games in order. I did this with the half-life 2 games and it was interesting to see the improvements and changes one addition after the other. I've just started prime 1 and I have noticed one thing; it's really slow compared to prime 3. It is nice having the doors open right after you shoot them but the turning is so slow. Plus I think the FOV between the two were different because the peripheral vision in the game isn't very good. It still looks pretty good though minus some of the textures and the effects. It'll be interesting to play these games again with a different perspective.

Terrendos

Do you actually intend to record videos of you playing through these games? That's what a Let's Play thread is. Otherwise, I think it's just a "Game On" thread. Also, you need to ask mod permission before you start any LP thread. Generally you also put in your post that you've gotten permission and that others should do the same if they seek to make their own.

Khavall

Terrendos wrote: »

Do you actually intend to record videos of you playing through these games? That's what a Let's Play thread is. Otherwise, I think it's just a "Game On" thread. Also, you need to ask mod permission before you start any LP thread. Generally you also put in your post that you've gotten permission and that others should do the same if they seek to make their own.

Didn't some mod mention that you don't need mod approval for an LP, but you need to be good at it?

JasonR66

Oh...well, game on then.

And could a mod change the thread title so people know what I actually meant.

Schide

Khavall wrote: »

Terrendos wrote: »

Do you actually intend to record videos of you playing through these games? That's what a Let's Play thread is. Otherwise, I think it's just a "Game On" thread. Also, you need to ask mod permission before you start any LP thread. Generally you also put in your post that you've gotten permission and that others should do the same if they seek to make their own.

Didn't some mod mention that you don't need mod approval for an LP, but you need to be good at it?

For reference, from apotheos in the rules thread:

I'd like to remind you that nowhere in this thread does it say "Contact a Moderator for permission to make a Let's Play thread!"

Do you want to make one? If so, ask yourself, can I make it actually funny? Evidence submitted to this forum strongly suggests that no, you can't.

But if you want to brave the odds, take the bull by the horns, and drive forward into the garden of madness, be my guest.

Xenogears of Bore

You can change the thread title yourself with either an advanced edit of the OP or double clicking the box (not the link) on the front page.

Italax

Technically, I think the best LP we've ever done on G + T was the Fallout Tactics one and that wasn't really that funny.

Hell, the Animal Crossing one off SA isn't trying to be funny and it's fucking brilliant. An LP doesn't need to be funny, that's just the direction people try to take them. Then you'll realise that you do not have 20 hours of consistently interesting things to say.

TeeMan

Italax wrote: »

Technically, I think the best LP we've ever done on G + T was the Fallout Tactics one and that wasn't really that funny.

Hopefully it'll get finished one day It really was excellent.

JasonR66

Well I just finished prime 1 and it’s not quite as good as I remembered it. It’s a lot slower then I remember and not only because the game is centered around exploration but just overall it’s a slow moving game (fighting, travel, etc) and the production isn’t extremely high (the last fight especially isn’t as cool and exhilarating as I remember). The gameplay is still great though backtracking without any form of quick travel (like the multiple landing sites of prime 3) can get a little tiresome and constantly switching between the various guns really starts to become a pain. Still a really good game but not as good as I remember.

Just started prime 2 today and there are a few things I noticed right away. The graphics are much better then I remembered them being. I had the thought that there wasn’t much difference between prime 1 and 2 but there really is a noticeable difference. The game moves much faster and I think the developers actually picked up samus’ speed. The load times seem shorter. The productions values are improved but still not quite good enough for my tastes.

I’ll add more as I go.

HadjiQuest

I bought prime 1 when I got my Wii, as I had never owned a gamecube.

The game was just so tedious and cruel and slow, and I couldn't stand it. I forced myself to finish it before Prime 3 came out, but I'd never go back.

Prime 3, on the other hand, was incredible.

My biggest gripe with the series is the fetch quest each one has to artificially prolong the gameplay. When they stopped being useful items that the level design pointed you to, and became random keys that are just hidden fuck-everywhere, the fun was taken out of it.

cjeris

JasonR66 wrote: »

Just started prime 2 today and there are a few things I noticed right away. The graphics are much better then I remembered them being. I had the thought that there wasn’t much difference between prime 1 and 2 but there really is a noticeable difference. The game moves much faster and I think the developers actually picked up samus’ speed. The load times seem shorter. The productions values are improved but still not quite good enough for my tastes.

I've been stuck on the last boss of Prime 2 for weeks, because I suck at games. :x

JasonR66

From what I remember there are two final bosses. I think with the second boss (dark samus) you have to beat her pretty fast in her first form because the second form takes longer and there's a time limit. I know my first time through with the game I died a lot with that boss too. Wish I could remember how I did it but it was a long time ago.

slash000

Prime 3 is more 'actiony' than Prime 1 or 2 because.. well, they decided to make it more actiony, since they had an awesome new control scheme to make good use of the gameplay.

Does the FOV differ between the games? Maybe it does.. or maybe it's because Prime 3 supports widescreen while the others do not. I never noticed a difference in FOV though.

falling_stone

how does one go about playing prime 1 and 2 on the Wii? Do I need to go get the gamecube controller and a memory card for the gamecube or will a SD card work?

LewieP

falling_stone wrote: »

how does one go about playing prime 1 and 2 on the Wii? Do I need to go get the gamecube controller and a memory card for the gamecube or will a SD card work?

Yeah, you'll need a GC controller and memory cards.

falling_stone

LewieP wrote: »

falling_stone wrote: »

how does one go about playing prime 1 and 2 on the Wii? Do I need to go get the gamecube controller and a memory card for the gamecube or will a SD card work?

Yeah, you'll need a GC controller and memory cards.

thanks lewiep

JasonR66

So from playing through the first area of prime 2 there are a few things I guess I didn't notice the first time through that are really bugging me. The music is nowhere near as good as it was in Prime 1. I'm not sure if they changed the composer but it's not very good. The game is much more mission based and straightforward compared to Prime 1. I guess this carried over to Prime 3 too but somehow it seem better implemented there. It's like with Prime 2 the developers were trying to keep the main feeling of Prime 1 (isolation mixed with exploration and open-ended world) but mix in clear objectives and goals. The final product is hit and miss though. Part of the problem is the missions and environments are not varried well at all. Prime 1 had gameplay that repeated over and over again too but since the situations weren't mission based that feeling of doing the same thing over and over again wasn't nearly as tedious as it is here. As a game overall it's a little more boring then I remembered. Like I said above the environments are very similar with a few exceptions (the pirate base early on and I remember that last, hi-tech world was pretty unique) and the missions aren't very interesting. Every metroid is a prolonged fetch quest just usually the player doesn't outwardly think about it that way because the fetch quest is mixed with a lot of exploration. With missions the exploration aspect is hampered because as a player you aren't really 'exploring' you're 'searching and recovering' taking the fun out of the worlds. Prime 3 is able to pull of the missions because the missions themselves are varied, fun, and action packed. Prime 2 doesn't have missions like that.

JasonR66

Well I beat Prime 2 and I’m glad it’s over. What a chore that game turned into. It’s one of those games where you have to force yourself to finish it rather then wanting to finish it. And the last boss was terrible. The first incarnation was fine but the fight with dark samus…yikes. It was hard but for all the wrong reasons. It wasn’t challenging, her patterns weren’t difficult to grasp, no nothing good like that. It was difficult because most of the time the you couldn’t hit her and you had a time limit that never seemed long enough. It wasn’t hard to beat her it was hard to beat the clock. The positive with this game is the graphics. While in the light world the graphics were as good as any other game last generation and better then a lot of Wii games. The particle system was great, I could see specular lighting, raised/3d surfaces everywhere (like on the walls making something mundane like a wall really pop out), and a full living world that the player was just taking part in. But really that was the only big positive throughout the whole game. I really liked it the first time through but I’m not sure why now that I’ve played it again.

Just started Prime 3. Even before I jumped to 16x9 the graphics are still amazing. Jumping to 16x9 just adds to what was already great (by the way the fov is same through all 3 games so I‘m not sure what I saw with Prime 1). Anyone that said that Prime 3 looked just like Prime 2 play through 2 then but in 3. You won’t feel the same way. If this game had HD lighting, a few more shaders, and the ability for just a few more polygons per texture this game would be one of the best looking 360/PS3 out there. The sound is much better too (minus the terrible dialogue). The music is much more like the style of Prime 1 but with a more cinematic flare. Of course the controls are great but we all know that. One thing I like that makes this game stand out from 1 and 2 is the structure is much tighter and interesting. Like Prime 2 there are objectives but not objectives where you just search, find, and repeat. Objectives where you have to save planets, investigate, and eventually save the galaxy. For example the very first mission sees you frantically turning on a planets defense system to stop a leviathon from crashing into the planet. None of the other games felt that big and exciting especially from the get-go. The game is much more intense in moments like that too. In the mission I mentioned above a background voice counts down the time until impact. The game runs at a break neck pace, added with tight, fantastic controls, makes the game an absolute joy to play.

Idx86

I just started Prime 1, and borrowed Prime 2 from my buddy. I'm getting used to the controls but overall am really enjoying it so far. A Wave Bird was a sound investment for the Wii gaming.

JasonR66

So I got past the first planet (Bryyo) and here are a few things I noticed. This game is really fun. Much more fun then the other two. It’s fast paced, you get the feeling of isolation but are never lost, for the first time Samus really looks like a bad ass (she’s extremely sick and still kicks ass), the stylish kills are great, the achievements add another layer that works really well, and on and on. It still amazes me how much better these graphics are compared to the other two. The color is so much more vivid and deep, the animations are much more fluid not just with the enemies but mostly with Samus herself (no matter where you come out of your morph ball Samus will fall elegantly. No more of the ‘dropping out of the air like a frozen sprite’ that was seen in Prime 1 and 2), the particle system is amazing too. This game took all that was good from the previous two and added much, much more. The only real complaints I have so far is the dialogue is B-movie bad and the game is pretty easy compared to Prime 2 (on par with Prime 1 though).

ThrustinJ

I still think 1 is the best. 3 is doing a lot of things right, but I would have liked to either control the other Hunters or play levels with them, not fight them as bosses.

It's still better than 2.

SteevL

I'm kind of glad I didn't finish Prime 2 now. I never made it very far, but I just sorta stopped playing due to losing interest. The first Metroid Prime is still my favorite. Playing the demo of that game is what finally convinced me to buy a Gamecube.

JasonR66

Just finished Prime 3. The game is a lot of fun but man does it fizzle out at the end.

And that ending, with Samus giving a thumbs up and sending the message ‘mission complete’, good Lord that’s corny

. The fetch quest still is a little lame but the nice thing about it is it gives those who didn’t explore already a chance to get missile expansions, energy tanks, and ship missile expansions. Out of all the prime games this one catered to the casual gamer the most. With things like putting dots on the map to signify where upgrades are to making the last boss battle the easiest of the series. All this being said I think this game ranks right up with Prime 1 as the best in the series but for different reasons.

So, after playing all of the prime games again here’s how everything stacks up for me…

Prime 1: The most unique game of the series. The game is based more on exploration compared to the others. The exploration, and really carrying the game on, really compels the gamer to really think because there isn’t much help. The atmosphere is fantastic, the pacing is good (overall slower then most games but works here), and the gameplay is dead on. This truly is Super Metroid in 3D. This is probably the best game for hardcore gamers but is still easy enough that casual gamers, if they dedicate themselves enough, will enjoy it too.

Prime 2: The worst game of the series by far. The game tries to carry on what Prime 1 did but add to it. In some areas it did. The graphics are better (though the music actually took a step back) and overall the production values went up. The problem is the game feels like a chore. The exploration isn’t compelling because, unlike Prime 1 where you were set in an area and had to use your wits to discover what to do and where to go next, Prime 2 force feeds you where to go and what to do making the long traveling and backtracking tedious. The game is much harder then Prime 1 as well. In fact, this is the most challenging game of the series. Though the graphics are better then prime 1 the locales and artistic direction is not. As a gamer I wasn’t anticipating the next area. Pair that with a lackluster story and boring gameplay and you get a tedious, boring, bad game.

Prime 3: The most well rounded game of the series. Tons of variety not just in the locales but the gameplay as well. You’ll do the same thing time and time again but how you get there is never the same. Perfect balance of action and exploration (with the exception being the fetch quest at the end). The graphics, atmosphere, and even sound is a huge step up from the previous two games. The game is geared a little bit more toward casual gamers this time with quite a bit of ‘hand-holding’ through many sections (the Aura Units acting as guides to help players along for example). Out of all the Prime games this is the one that I had the most fun with. It may not have been a huge leap forward in gaming (unless you count the controls but I’m kind of ignoring them because everyone knows they were great) but the game offers a great atmosphere with a lot of fun gameplay.

I’d rank Prime 1 and 3 about the same, though the games are very different so it’s hard to compare the two, and Prime 2 isn’t even in the same ballpark.

LoveIsUnity

JasonR66 wrote: »

Just finished Prime 3. The game is a lot of fun but man does it fizzle out at the end. And that ending, with Samus giving a thumbs up and sending the message ‘mission complete’, good Lord that’s corny. The fetch quest still is a little lame but the nice thing about it is it gives those who didn’t explore already a chance to get missile expansions, energy tanks, and ship missile expansions. Out of all the prime games this one catered to the casual gamer the most. With things like putting dots on the map to signify where upgrades are to making the last boss battle the easiest of the series. All this being said I think this game ranks right up with Prime 1 as the best in the series but for different reasons.

So, after playing all of the prime games again here’s how everything stacks up for me…

Prime 1: The most unique game of the series. The game is based more on exploration compared to the others. The exploration, and really carrying the game on, really compels the gamer to really think because there isn’t much help. The atmosphere is fantastic, the pacing is good (overall slower then most games but works here), and the gameplay is dead on. This truly is Super Metroid in 3D. This is probably the best game for hardcore gamers but is still easy enough that casual gamers, if they dedicate themselves enough, will enjoy it too.

Prime 2: The worst game of the series by far. The game tries to carry on what Prime 1 did but add to it. In some areas it did. The graphics are better (though the music actually took a step back) and overall the production values went up. The problem is the game feels like a chore. The exploration isn’t compelling because, unlike Prime 1 where you were set in an area and had to use your wits to discover what to do and where to go next, Prime 2 force feeds you where to go and what to do making the long traveling and backtracking tedious. The game is much harder then Prime 1 as well. In fact, this is the most challenging game of the series. Though the graphics are better then prime 1 the locales and artistic direction is not. As a gamer I wasn’t anticipating the next area. Pair that with a lackluster story and boring gameplay and you get a tedious, boring, bad game.

Prime 3: The most well rounded game of the series. Tons of variety not just in the locales but the gameplay as well. You’ll do the same thing time and time again but how you get there is never the same. Perfect balance of action and exploration (with the exception being the fetch quest at the end). The graphics, atmosphere, and even sound is a huge step up from the previous two games. The game is geared a little bit more toward casual gamers this time with quite a bit of ‘hand-holding’ through many sections (the Aura Units acting as guides to help players along for example). Out of all the Prime games this is the one that I had the most fun with. It may not have been a huge leap forward in gaming (unless you count the controls but I’m kind of ignoring them because everyone knows they were great) but the game offers a great atmosphere with a lot of fun gameplay.

I’d rank Prime 1 and 3 about the same, though the games are very different so it’s hard to compare the two, and Prime 2 isn’t even in the same ballpark.

Man, put that shit in a spoiler bracket. Some of us haven't finished 3 yet. Hell, I only recently picked up 1 and 2, which I intend to play before I play the third one.

Silvoculous

I don't think I plan on finishing 3. 2 was good later on in the game, but going back to it is always daunting. I usually get as far as the Dark Suit and by that time all enthusiasm has fizzled out; the game was simply unable to hold me for long enough.

Prime 1 was my favorite. Superior soundtrack that really added to Tallon IV's atmosphere, and that gave the whole game an aura of isolation that 3 couldn't match. Plus, the Space Pirate encounters were actually heart-pounding.

wakkawa

Prime 1 was a great game. I think the problem I had with the other ones was that we were gettin way too much metroid. I mean I waited forever for a new metroid to come out, but they really kinda overdid it by release so many of them in such a short time.

There are like 5 or 6 of them out now, and it seemed that everytime a new game was released they kept changing it for the worse.

Vray

JasonR66 wrote: »

Just finished Prime 3. The game is a lot of fun but man does it fizzle out at the end. And that ending, with Samus giving a thumbs up and sending the message ‘mission complete’, good Lord that’s corny.

Sounds like you just got the bad ending. If you complete the game with more items collected you see added segments.


I'd also like to mention that Dark Samus on hyper difficulty was an incredible pain in the ass. I can't even remember how many times I had to redo that fight.

JasonR66

Oh, sorry. I spoiler'd it. Makes you feel any better I didn't ruin much for you.

And I beat it with 100% complete. I enjoyed those added parts but I figured I'd comment on the original game ending.

I played all three on the regular setting (I played 3 on Veteran) just so I could enjoy the experience the same way I did the first time through. If you play on Hard on any of them the difficulty does go up considerably.

Macera

Man, the bosses in 2 took a real nose dive compared to the ones in 1. While some (Thardus) were frustrating , they never felt actively unfair. Not so in 2, where I fought the Jump Guardian like six times. And that was really more of a miniboss.

Total agreement on the music issue. That was half of my love for 1, and then somebody screwed it up in 2.

SkutSkut

I'd like to work on my Undying LP but the pics have disappeared.

Anyway on to the primes, I've beat em all and helped break 3 over at SDA/M2k2.

I honestly can't decide which I like the best, 2 has some intense moments throughout, 1 has the best atmosphere and 3's more action packed than the other 2.

Metroid Prime

Pros

It was the first to bring Metroid into 3D, and did it quite well.
Has the best and most diverse atmosphere.
A very well detailed backstory
has the best use of 3d metroids
Good music

Cons

Puzzles were a bit lackluster and/or repetitive
Could get boring, being more atmospheric than actoin orientated
Bosses were a wee bit lacking compared to the ones in 3 but better than the ones in two.

Metroid Prime: Echoes

Pros

Very intense moments without being extremely action oriented
Nice music, a lot of it being remixed though

Cons

weak boss structure, even the bad ass quadraxis sucks because of the below item
Dark World environment sapping health
Beam Ammo
The near entirety of the whole game is one long fetch quest
half assed attempt at multiplayer, it was fun but eh noone would've missed it.
The Glitchiest of the 3

Metroid Prime 3

Pros

High action through nearly the whole game and keeps the exploration top notch
Great puzzles with only one fetch quest, and you don't even have to do half of it thanks to some beginner-friendly sequence breaking.
The creepy derelict ship
The best use of wiimote controls so far.
Some good boss fights

free fall ridley battle

Cons

Halfassed story attempt
Lackluster final boss
non-connected planets kind of skimp that metroid feel
somewhat dull environments compared to the first two

So they all have their good and bad points and I recommend the series, but definitely play them in order.

METAzraeL

I definitely agree that 1 was the most atmospheric and immersive. The overall art design was much more interesting, and the music was amazing (I think I have the Phendrana Drifts music on my zune). 2 didn't live up to the first game, and what I've played of 3 was a bit more epic and story-driven than I was hoping.

dingus xavier

Eh. Prime 1 was definitely my favorite. Haven't played it in awhile, but I generally don't mind when a game's pacing is slow (Highway 17 was my favorite HL2 chapter) and the exploration in that game was great. The boss fights were well-done as well, especially the second-to-last one, which was probably the hardest fight in all three games, unless I've gotten much better at them since then.

2 was pretty meh, really. I was excited when it came out, but they kinda fudged it. The new mechanics they introduced, like the dark world hurting you, really just made it more annoying, and there was a lot of repetitive slog through identical purple rooms. Bleh. I ended up losing interest about halfway through.

I played the Emperor Ing/Dark Samus fight on a friend's console, and it SUCKED DONKEY BALLS.

3 was a completely different animal. First hour or so, I was wondering when it wa going to get to the exploration. Halo-style cinematics and dialog are not Metroid's bag. It improved from there, though, especially when it got to the point where I didn't have to talk to anyone but the Aurora units. Definitely more action throughout.

Boss fights and music were back up to snuff in 3, for the most part. Bryyo's boss forced me to switch 'fire' back to the A button as my index finger wasn't up to the task.

Speaking of that, I liked Metroid better on the Gamecube controller, but maybe that's just me.

LewieP

The problem with prime 2 is that I can't be arsed to finish it, so it makes me want to not get prime 3.

Renzo

LewieP wrote: »

The problem with prime 2 is that I can't be arsed to finish it, so it makes me want to not get prime 3.

I skipped 1 and 2 and went straight to 3. It don't matter to Jesus.

METAzraeL

continuity really doesn't play a heavy role in enjoying the games. Likewise, I got sick of 2 at the end and never beat it, and I really don't care. This thread got me to start up 3 again, though.

Silvoculous

I've been looking for a good game to start up again, Prime 1 might just be it now. I'd be just fine with never playing 2 and 3 again.

TheCrumblyCracker

Boost Battle in 2 was TERRIBLE. I failed it like 8 times.. very frustrating.

I found 3 too easy personally. Wiimote made me feel invincilbe, was amazing.

Joshua368

SkutSkut wrote: »

somewhat dull environments compared to the first two/QUOTE]

I don't know man, I think Elyssia was probably my favorite Metroid Prime environment ever. The massive city of floating islands, how the islands would shake and rattle with age, the little machines fixing up the place, the sun shining over the clouds below, the airy music...


Also I'm guessing I'm probably the only person in the universe to have enjoyed Metroid Prime 2, even on my second playthrough. Though the other two were better.

SirToasty

Boost Guardian was a bitch especially in Hard Mode. Still haven't beaten the Emperor Ing in Hard. I think I tried it once and died and haven't played since. In general I liked the bosses in 2 better than 1. They were much more creative and took some thinking and effort. Quadraxis was incredibly fun as well as.

But nothing beats the intensity of the first stretch of Phazon Mines in Prime 1. Such a long section without a save point. Then right when you get to the end you have to fight an invisible sentry (incredibly easy if you took the time to grab a certain weapon) and then navigate an electric maze while you are probably just clinging on to life with a few HP.

I really need to get a Wii so I can play MP3. Unfortunately none of my friends with Wiis have MP3 so it'll be awhile.

Silvoculous

SirToasty wrote: »

But nothing beats the intensity of the first stretch of Phazon Mines in Prime 1. Such a long section without a save point. Then right when you get to the end you have to fight an invisible sentry (incredibly easy if you took the time to grab a certain weapon) and then navigate an electric maze while you are probably just clinging on to life with a few HP.

It's things like this which make Prime 1 feel more taxing than the other two. They don't make the enemies or the environments insanely hard, but they keep throwing challenge after challenge at you, and you really have to make sure you're in top form as far as Energy Tanks and Missiles before you try to take on the Phazon Mines. It makes you feel like you're drawing closer to the precipice of something big.

SkutSkut

Joshua368 wrote: »

SkutSkut wrote: »

somewhat dull environments compared to the first two/QUOTE]

I don't know man, I think Elyssia was probably my favorite Metroid Prime environment ever. The massive city of floating islands, how the islands would shake and rattle with age, the little machines fixing up the place, the sun shining over the clouds below, the airy music...


Also I'm guessing I'm probably the only person in the universe to have enjoyed Metroid Prime 2, even on my second playthrough. Though the other two were better.

Oh it definitely has a good environment (Elyssia). It's just so damn dull, it's barren 99% of the time.

Pirate Homeworld was also incredibly bleak, it's like they combined the dark worlds of Prime 2 (Acid Rain) with the Phazon mine (tight quarters).

I liked Prime 2 but it's definitely the weakest of the three.