Metroid Dread announced!

[yagamikun]

There are so many good metroidvania games out, what's the point of playing this one? The fact that they kinda made the genre is the point. If it comes out and sucks, then yeah, that's one thing. But remember that time that there was no possible way that a 3D, first person Metroid game could be good, and then Metroid Prime slayed us all? Give the fuckin' game a chance to come out before you crucify it loool.

As for it not looking like a Metroid game - If you took Link out of Breath of the Wild, it could be an entry in any number of game series. What are you all basing all of this on? 20 seconds of gameplay footage?

My personal problem here is that Samus Returns was just "fine" but missed the mark in a number of areas IMO. And Dread looks to be in the same vein. Mercury Steam doesn't have a great track record, either. My main issue with Samus Returns came down to the silly, mandatory parry mechanic that completely halts momentum in a jump-n-shoot action game. Other smaller gripes include being completely tone-deaf to the carefully detailed atmosphere of the Gameboy original (for example, the Metroid hives should be brooding and devoid of enemies as the Metroids feast on them - instead the hives are full of the same 5 enemy types you see through the rest of the game - that's just one example), every environment looking like the same set of caves, a dearth of enemy variety, and trying to play a twitch-style 2D action game on a mushy analog pad in 30hz. Compared to AM2R, Samus Returns is a mess. I'm not saying it's a "bad" game, but it's not a great Metroid game.

Looks like they implemented the ability to run and parry at the same time in Dread, which is nice, but then they've added yet another momentum halting mechanic - stealth - which is a core part of the game rather than a quick diversion like in Fusion. And I'll put money on Nintendo forcing you to use the analog stick yet again for a 2D game. That right there will kill it for me.

Still, I'm sure this will sell well and Nintendo will continue to work with Mercury Steam in the future. As for me, I'll just go back and play AM2R again - the last, great, 2D Metroid game.

 

[Ajax]

At last, some valid critiques. Though I don't necessarily agree with everything, some fine points. The enemy variety was lacking in SR, and possibly the Metroid hive part - I can agree with those.

However, the hardware aspects - mushy D pad, 30hz display, etc. - those are hardly fair. It's not like Nintendo gave Mercury Steam the freedom to develop the game for whatever hardware they wanted. That said, I'm no Mercury Steam fan. Lords of Shadow remains one of the biggest disappointments of my life in video games, and I still feel exasperated by that experience, however long ago it was. I also understand that they approached Konami with basically a shell of the game and Konami made the call to make it the next Castlevania game. If it wasn't labeled a Castlevania game, who the hell knows, maybe it would have been fine?

One big problem with your post - since when was Metroid solely a jump and shoot action game? Obviously, jumping and shooting is a big part of the experience, but I think that view ignores some of the finer, slower-paced points of a game like Super Metroid, which literally wrote the book on what the metroidvania genre became - examining areas with the X-ray scope, carefully traversing areas with the grapple beam, watching with apprehension as a Chozo statue carries you down into spikes to get the Gravity suit, etc.

Now, with those things in mind, I wonder why the stealth aspect of Dread would hurt the pace of a game where such elements were in place in literally the most prolific game in the series. From my perspective, the stealth aspect is a nod to the dark, fear-inducing atmosphere of Super Metroid.

If anything, the parry mechanic of SR made the game feel like more of an action game, in my opinion. The fact that it was mandatory to progress was questionable to me at the time, and I do agree with you there.

One other thing, you all are talking like Nintendo is letting MS run wild and do whatever the hell they want with this game. I would be very surprised if the game wasn't largely prescribed to them, and I would also be very surprised if this release didn't use assets in some form from the previous builds of the game. Nintendo is actively involved with the development of the game. So I'm not sure where this is coming from.

Finally though - why not give it the benefit of the doubt? Sure, it does look to be more in the vein of SR than Super Metroid, but the fuckin' game isn't even out yet. As I told some other friends earlier this week, it's nice to be excited about something that didn't come out in 1995 for once in my life. I know we're all getting old (or, most of us are, anyway), but try treading the non-crotchety path once in a while - it's nice sometimes.

 

[BlackaneseNiNjA]

For those interested:

"Samus' Adventure Will Continue" - Metroid Dread Producer On The Series' 2D Revival And Future​

Nintendo veteran Yoshio Sakamoto on Samus' return on Switch

"Samus' Adventure Will Continue" - Metroid Dread Producer On The Series' 2D Revival And Future

Nintendo veteran Yoshio Sakamoto on Samus' return on Switch

www.nintendolife.com

 

[Ajax]

I'm always OK for a new Metroid. But in all honesty, I only care for Prime 4. The main reason I bought a Switch and there seems no way that game's getting released :/

They say they're working on it. Plus, if Dread is coming out, I think it's safe to expect that all Metroid games have a chance of seeing the light of day.

 

[yagamikun]

At last, some valid critiques. Though I don't necessarily agree with everything, some fine points. The enemy variety was lacking in SR, and possibly the Metroid hive part - I can agree with those.

However, the hardware aspects - mushy D pad, 30hz display, etc. - those are hardly fair. It's not like Nintendo gave Mercury Steam the freedom to develop the game for whatever hardware they wanted. That said, I'm no Mercury Steam fan. Lords of Shadow remains one of the biggest disappointments of my life in video games, and I still feel exasperated by that experience, however long ago it was. I also understand that they approached Konami with basically a shell of the game and Konami made the call to make it the next Castlevania game. If it wasn't labeled a Castlevania game, who the hell knows, maybe it would have been fine?

One big problem with your post - since when was Metroid solely a jump and shoot action game? Obviously, jumping and shooting is a big part of the experience, but I think that view ignores some of the finer, slower-paced points of a game like Super Metroid, which literally wrote the book on what the metroidvania genre became - examining areas with the X-ray scope, carefully traversing areas with the grapple beam, watching with apprehension as a Chozo statue carries you down into spikes to get the Gravity suit, etc.

Now, with those things in mind, I wonder why the stealth aspect of Dread would hurt the pace of a game where such elements were in place in literally the most prolific game in the series. From my perspective, the stealth aspect is a nod to the dark, fear-inducing atmosphere of Super Metroid.

If anything, the parry mechanic of SR made the game feel like more of an action game, in my opinion. The fact that it was mandatory to progress was questionable to me at the time, and I do agree with you there.

One other thing, you all are talking like Nintendo is letting MS run wild and do whatever the hell they want with this game. I would be very surprised if the game wasn't largely prescribed to them, and I would also be very surprised if this release didn't use assets in some form from the previous builds of the game. Nintendo is actively involved with the development of the game. So I'm not sure where this is coming from.

Finally though - why not give it the benefit of the doubt? Sure, it does look to be more in the vein of SR than Super Metroid, but the fuckin' game isn't even out yet. As I told some other friends earlier this week, it's nice to be excited about something that didn't come out in 1995 for once in my life. I know we're all getting old (or, most of us are, anyway), but try treading the non-crotchety path once in a while - it's nice sometimes.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Ajax! Although - I'm not crotchety. HA!

It's 100% okay for folks to be warry of a new game, especially one that looks to have a similar tone and gameplay style of a prior game that they didn't enjoy. I didn't say Dread was going to be Dreadful (HAHAHAHA), I was bemoaning what I didn't like about SR and that Dread looks to follow a similar path.

To your point, Dread might be absolutely amazing! My, and many others' trepidation here comes from the last two Metroid games feeling like less-than worthy follow-ups to the series' heights - and that is largely Nintendo's fault as the direction and mechanics either come directly from them or they approve what the developer proposes. Team Ninja (Other M) and Mercury Steam (SA) didn't develop these games in a vacuum. They got Nintendo's blessing.

We all look for different things in games we enjoy, especially in series' that we're passionate about. As older gamers, we have less time to dedicate to games even if it is our main hobby. So the games we do choose to spend our time with need to worth that investment. While it's true that people become more resistant to change as they get older, getting burnt by the last two releases in a beloved series will leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth. Just look at the Sonic fandom for a million examples of a divided community and a company (Sega) trying to keep up with the demands of so many different opinions. No matter what they release they just can't please everyone, and not everyone is going to give Sega/Sonic the benefit of the doubt after trash like Sonic 06, Wearhogs, Dark Brotherhood, Sonic Forces, etc. even when true gems like Generations and Colors exist.

For the record, I actually really liked Lords of Shadow - the first one, anyway. It sucks as a Castlevania game to be sure, but it excelled as an action game. For me, it was SO far removed from Castlevania lore that I could place some distance between what I expect out of a Castlevania game and what Lords of Shadow is.

I'm sure I'll give Dread a shot. I've played all Metroid games to completion, and this will be no exception. At the same time, I'm in no hurry for all the reasons I've already stated.

 

[GhostSeed]

The worse part of Zero Mission was the stealth stuff towards the end. I'm hoping whatever stealth elements that are in this game are brief.

Some direct feed game play.

 

[roker]

The worse part of Zero Mission was the stealth stuff towards the end. I'm hoping whatever stealth elements that are in this game are brief.

I mean it was such a small part of the game though. Definitely wasn't the best part but it was such a short level of stealth that it never really bothered me. Still a fantastic game and I think pound for pound the game is almost as good as Super if not better. You could definitely make the argument.

I think fusion is a mixed bag. I love the graphics I love the gameplay but the linearity always bothered me. You never really get lost in the game. You always feel like you have to go from one place to the next right away. But I'm still looking forward to Dread.

I mean it's a new Metroid. I just want them to keep it going. It's probably my favorite Nintendo series.

 

[KGRAMR]

I screamed like a bitch the moment Dread was announced. I never thought it would ever see the light of day. Gameplay looks much more faster than Samus Return and you don't have to stand still to perform the counter move now, which is something that never sit right with me in SR. I hope this plays more like Super Metroid, since i saw that Samus had the wall jump in one of the gameplay footages. For me controls is what matters in a game and if you fuck up that aspect, your entire package is worth shit at that point. I hope this one delivers, as a fan of Metroid. I'm still happy we're seeing a continuation of Fusion after 19 years (fuck, we're getting old aren't we?).

 

[Taiso]

Eh...

 

[Cornerb0y]

Metroid (2D version) is my favorite Nintendo series, and the only series I've completed every game. I am beyond excited to get this! I wonder if they're going to incorporate all the previous suits via Amiibo/unlockables.

 

[BlackaneseNiNjA]

For those who missed the announcement. Two new updates for Metroid Dread

I finished the new free “Dread Mode” addition and had a blast

 

[lithy]

Finished it and enjoyed it but really had no desire to play it again or even 100% it. Sold it off.

 

[Fygee]

Dread is hard enough as it is. Dread Mode would make me want to commit seppuku.

Kudos to you for being able to pull it off.