Opinions: Nintendo's Risk-Taking.

[Exhuminator]

From Software (and Platinum) are some of the best teams in the business and could probably do anything.

I'm so with you on this. You have to keep in mind most folks didn't know FromSoftware until the Souls series took off. So most people see "FromSoftware" and they automatically assume a certain type of game design. Before Souls though, FromSoftware made tons of great different games in many diverse genres. From the almighty King's Field dungeon-exploratory series, to the quirky but fun Lost Kingdom CCG-JRPGs, the mysterious and spooky Echo Night adventure series. the amazing mecha Armored Core series, the bad ass action-adventure Otogi series, and so much more. FromSoftware are more than capable of making amazing non-Souls games. I would fully get behind this company developing a Metroid entry.

While I love the whole series, the series has subtly and slowly shifted away from how dreary and dark the original Metroid and Super were.

Metroid, Metroid II, and Super Metroid were atmospherically unique because of Makoto Kano's input. His lack of involvement post-Super Metroid has been clearly evident.

But he still did a great job on both Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, so I can't give him too much crap. Everyone missteps at times.

With those games, I think the lack of the ability to use CG cutscenes, and no long auditory monologues, limited Sakamoto's story telling in a beneficial manner.

[Xeogred]

Ex always with the key staff name drops I need to do some research on.

Is there an interview or something with him? What influenced him?

If we're just talking atmosphere, then sure, Souls can be a good place to start. But I wouldn't want the gameplay they're known for (mostly methodical stuff) anywhere near the Metroid franchise.

I do agree that, especially in the older Metroid games, the combat really isn't the point. It's a means to an end, with the exploration and atmosphere taking center stage. I enjoyed playing a more action-oriented game in Other M, though, and apparently Samus Returns is a bit more combat-focused as well. Of course, I would expect as much, given that pretty much the whole structure of Metroid II is built around exterminating Metroids.

Yeah, in Super like 90% of the enemies are stationary obstacles that aren't even really hostile. It's a slower paced exploration venture which is what I love about it. Zero Mission and Fusion are both more restrictive in the pixel space, kind of linear (even Zero Mission), and far more combat focused to me. More scripted events and encounters, etc. This is probably why I mention Prime was one of the last ones that nailed the "mysterious" vibe really well like the originals, there are many portions where you're just walking around and soaking in the incredible atmosphere and world. They've kind of lost that kind of pacing over time. I guess we differ a bit here and this kind of emphasis why you like Other M a lot, since it was very heavy on combat and action.

I'm not too disappointed Samus Returns looks combat heavy too though, I think I said it somewhere the other day but I'm actually pretty cool with it looking stylistically very similar to Other M. But all purely sidescrolling and not a huge overblown budget with tedious story bits, it's surely going to be better for those reasons haha.

And anyways, not to knock on the post Super stuff here. The GBA games still feel amazing. And as much as I love Castlevania, all of Metroid is still on another level for me. It's not easy to nail the combat, controls, platforming, level design, etc as well as Metroid does.

I'm not as deep into Metroid lore as y'all, having only played a handful of entries over the years. But for those of you super into it, do you think the original Alien inspiration is what you feel is now missing?

I've always made the comparison a little bit. The Chozo and alien architecture definitely seems kind of HR Giger at times.

To the thread at hand here, I will be curious how the sales numbers for Samus Returns do in Japan vs the West, since I hear it's always been more popular outside of Japan. Might explain why Nintendo doesn't focus on it as much as Mario or Zelda despite everyone universally agreeing Metroid is the third piece of the triforce.

[isiolia]

Replace the enemies in Dark Souls with Medusa Heads and give the main character a whip and give it awesome BGM, it's the best 3D Castlevania game. Give the entire game a palette swap and it could easily be a Metroid game, the formula is very similar. But I guess I'll leave it at that since nobody is following me.

Eh, I agree on some aspects of it - Soulsborne games very much exhibit the kind of atmosphere and storytelling that Metroid games could benefit from, for instance. However, it's not wrong to say that the gameplay is a mismatch. Even beyond melee versus ranged, Metroid games are heavily based on acquiring upgrades to access areas, which isn't as big a thing in Soulsborne. Outside of a few rings in DS, mostly you just unlock areas (effectively).
I think if they contracted Miyazaki to make a Metroid game he'd end up doing something great, but it'd be a lot more than just a reskin of the existing formula.

Frankly, the prospect of a Prime game that actually uses a modern, non-motion based control scheme is appealing on its own, since that's a lot of why I haven't gone back to play 2 or 3.

[marurun]

I think the best way to return to that darker, more open Metroid feel is to get away from the story and character. Let the visuals do the storytelling. Though we may be curious about Samus's past and the way the wider universe works, it really isn't important to the game, as the original Metroid made clear. And in this case, the less we know the better. A new game should be a new landscape, new exploration, and new puzzles. And less focus on story and a linear experience.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I think the best way to return to that darker, more open Metroid feel is to get away from the story and character. Let the visuals do the storytelling. Though we may be curious about Samus's past and the way the wider universe works, it really isn't important to the game, as the original Metroid made clear. And in this case, the less we know the better. A new game should be a new landscape, new exploration, and new puzzles. And less focus on story and a linear experience.

This This this. Show, don't tell. Visual storytelling with this modern era of gsme design is such a powerful tool that few games used and Metroid is a prime candidate.

Let's have a mystery, environments to explore, hell... don't have METROIDS. Just a Samus Aran adventure filled with vibrant environments to explore and a story told by visuals.

[Tanooki]

I like that idea. Maybe give it a lead in like Super Metroid had, not totally naked outside of the manual like the first two. No story handholding, just give the starting premise on the why she's going there, then shut up about it and just blast your way through. I still feel strongly that Metroid just isn't as nice of a property in full Gamecube level 3D as pretty as it was. When you start pulling into a spot where you have to worry about controlling it right and camera twitching than just exploring and moving along it pulls away as much as ranting drama and backstory fluff. Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission were solid examples of a good design too, but not as much with Fusion due to all the locked off stuff and endless ranting stories that did nothing to really help things. Zero Mission was more blast and less blab and benefited from it.

[marurun]

The other thing I like about the original Metroid is that you didn't encounter the titular metroids until later in the game, and when you did they were aggressive and required solid freeze beam action to help take out. You play through this long, confusing, mysterious, creepy game with this ambient music and when you finally get near the end they throw the actual metroids at you. Great pacing. As great as Super Metroid is, I feel even it didn't nail the atmosphere as well as the first game. It did have great atmosphere and was a better game in so many ways, but the original is still the best with atmosphere above all others.

[Exhuminator]

As great as Super Metroid is, I feel even it didn't nail the atmosphere as well as the first game.

I think that Metroid and Super Metroid both have wonderful atmosphere, but their atmospheres are slightly different. The original Metroid is more tense and scary, whereas Super Metroid is more mysterious and melancholy. Even with its design problems, the original Metroid II managed an atmosphere all its own as well. One of dire solitude and tangible abstruseness.

I also think that too many modern gamers skip over the original Metroid and just play Super Metroid. I think that's a detrimental decision. There are some qualities about the original Metroid that didn't transpose into Super. If nothing else, the original Metroid is actually challenging (if played without a guide) whereas Super Metroid is and has always been a piece of cake. (Delicious cake! Don't get me wrong!)

[BogusMeatFactory]

My idea is, if the metroid game is combat focused, it needs to be third person. If it is meant to be exploration, it needs to be in first person. There is just something about mystery and exploring that gets heightened buy that first person perspective.

[isiolia]

I also think that too many modern gamers skip over the original Metroid and just play Super Metroid. I think that's a detrimental decision. There are some qualities about the original Metroid that didn't transpose into Super. If nothing else, the original Metroid is actually challenging (if played without a guide) whereas Super Metroid is and has always been a piece of cake. (Delicious cake! Don't get me wrong!)

Well, there are also those of us that played Zero Mission instead, which is likely a bit of a different experience too (though it does include the original as an unlockable).