Why Metroid?

OK, so I'm relatively new to the Wii and never got into the Nintendo games before (other than Mario). Metroid looks like a cool game (the Trilogy pack looks really cool), but I've never played it. What is the big pull with Metroid?

it's a really good 1st person shooter
i've played and beat the first, never played the secon, and played a little of the 3rd
i want the trilogy myself
wait for other m
oooooo that's gonna be sweet!!!!

The big draw to the Metroid franchise is the excellent sense of isolatation, atmosphere and of exploration. It's not so much about combat as it is about "how do i reach that place? what techniques/power ups must I use to get there?". The worlds are possitively massive and genuinly interesting to explore. I love the franchise and hope that you check out the Prime Trilogy because the Wii controls emerse you even further into the world of metroid than ever before!

P.S. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is by far the strong point in the series. The first Prime game presented the concept, The second completely polished and perfected the concept, and the third went in a more linear and action oriented direction. All three are great games. If I could assign scores to each one it would go something like this

Metroid Prime: 8.5/10

Metroid Prime 2 Echoes: 9.7/10 Incredibly well designed!!! best Level design in the entire franchise!

Metroid prime 3: Corruption: 9.0/10

The first one has the best atmosphere of any game I've ever played. Two is almost as great and three is good too. The prime trilogy is perfect for any gamer.

I've played Super Metroid since I was 3. Ever since that I've played every Metroid game released except for Metroid 2: Return of Samus.

Good:

Excellent atmosphere
Beautiful music
Interesting plots
Amazing boss battles
Awesome weaponry and tools
Not your typical run and gun
Challenging puzzles at times

Bad:

Gameplay can be sometimes too linear but this is only applied to one release.

Atmosphere, art design, characters, rewarding gameplay, fun exploration, and it's great Sci-Fi.

Don't get Metroid Prime 3 – Go straight for the "Trilogy" package. You definitely don't want to miss out on the first. It's the best in the series.

Anyways, Metroid's big thing is that it's a first-person shooter but with an emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving rather than constant combat. The game is totally non-linear in that you aren't forced down any narrow path. Instead, it "guides" you down the correct path by leaving certain areas inaccessible without certain power-ups that are earned later in the game. For example, you may see a giant rock blocking the entrance to a cave when you begin the game, but once you find a missile launcher, you can return to the cave to blow away the rock. It really is a marvel of game design! Sorry I can't make it sound cooler than it really is.

Also, the attention to detail is outstanding. When you walk in the rain, you will see water droplets trickle down the visor of your helmet, and a bright flash might cause your character's face to be reflected on the glass for a split-second. Even seven years after its release, the game is gorgeous! It's totally atmospheric too! Every level has a creepy, moody soundtrack, and the lack of any dialogue in the games really adds to the game's lonely, "stranded on a planet" feel. Finally, there are absolutely no load times. Nintendo did a great job of disguising loading screens using clever tricks to avoid ever breaking the momentum with a big, ugly "loading" screen. I could go on and on about the original. It's easily one of the best games of all time. Oh, and the other two are damn good, too.

BUY IT NOW!

Metroid is one of the best franchises nintendo has ever created (if not the best), I love all metroid games (except hunters ds which doesn't exist) and they are all good.

Well, I'm convinced that I would really like the game. I will definitely get it at some point! Thanks!

Well, I'm convinced that I would really like the game. I will definitely get it at some point! Thanks!

Panther023

To me... (excluding the newer fpa games), Metroid, at leastto me is all about memorization, trial and error, and isolation.

You venture to places and notice that there are doors, or locations that are not reachable so you leave. The worlds of metroid are known to be rather large, so you have to remember places you weren't able to access earlier in the game, after obtaining items.

Trial and error goes along with this as well.

The isolation is what everyone else already explained. You're alone in a huge world full of enemies, and creatures that inhabit that particular world. All of which do damage to you. The graphics are usually superb at getting that atmosphere across.

Metroid games are just good at what they do.

If you don't like exploring, or back tracking... this series is not for you.

it's a really good 1st person shooter
i've played and beat the first, never played the secon, and played a little of the 3rd
i want the trilogy myself
wait for other m
oooooo that's gonna be sweet!!!!

GC4ever

Not a first person shooter, a first person adventure. :)

Here's the draw:

Atmosphere- great feeling of isolation, excellent environment, you feel like you're left all alone and fighting for yourself.

Control- There is no better first person shooting controls than Metroid Prime. The new trilogy pack gives you all 3 games with this sublime control.

Balance- Great balance between puzzle solving, exploration, platforming and shooting.

If you like Zelda...- You'll like Metroid. Core mechanics are similar. Find new weapons that allow more access to different areas, with a ton of memorable boss encounters along the way. Plus a ton of puzzles inbetween blasting somebody.

Graphics- Stellar. Artwork is just unbelievable.

Bang for your buck - All three Metroid Primes for $50. That's a steal. That'll be over 60 hours of gameplay, and not one minute is bad.

To me... (excluding the newer fpa games), Metroid, at leastto me is all about memorization, trial and error, and isolation.

You venture to places and notice that there are doors, or locations that are not reachable so you leave. The worlds of metroid are known to be rather large, so you have to remember places you weren't able to access earlier in the game, after obtaining items.

Trial and error goes along with this as well.

The isolation is what everyone else already explained. You're alone in a huge world full of enemies, and creatures that inhabit that particular world. All of which do damage to you. The graphics are usually superb at getting that atmosphere across.

Metroid games are just good at what they do.

If you don't like exploring, or back tracking... this series is not for you.

The big pull to me about Metroid is the roaming around and solving puzzles. Sometimes I like to call it sort of futuristic FPS of The Legend of Zelda. They are both the same in the sense that you can run around wherever you want but in order to advance you have to solve puzzles. Like most have said the first Metroid Prime is the best... I really didnt like Prime 2 at all. The DS versions controls had me wacked out and I never really got into it. Corruption was good and worth playing. Overall I feel like the Metroid games are beginning to suffer the same fate as the Star Fox games- I feel they are getting duller. As for the Trilogy though- definately worth the buy just for Prime 1 and Corruption.

Play Super Metroid for the SNES

and Play Metroid Prime

and you'll see why it's cool.

Great atmosphere and puzzles come to mind. Stellar level design as well. On the whole it's a fantastic series with very few lowpoints. The 2D games are great, but since you're on the Wii forums I take it you're talking about Prime Trilogy.

Metroid Prime is the best. It's like someone made the greatest 3D homage to Super Metroid but they made it EVEN BETTER. That's how good it is. Puzzles take the forefront, levels are interconnected in genuinely great ways, bosses are huge and literally take up the full screen. All of them. Fight Meta-Ridley in this game and when he lands your whole TV is taken up. In MP3 he's far less intimidating.

Metroid Prime 2 is really good. This one has the most unique atmosphere of all three, gives Samus an equal rival in Dark Samus and is the most challenging. Bosses are again, stupendous! Level design isn't as sharp as the original's but the dimension hopping gameplay takes puzzle solving to a new high for the series.

Metroid Prime 3 isn't necessary. There's no real harm in playing it since the core game itself isn't bad but it is far from Retro's best effort. More of a focus on shooting rather than puzzles and platforming, but the shooting action just doesn't hold up. More often than not your enemies will stand still firing at you while you enter hypermode to quickly kill them off. If you don't do that you'll be fighting the same Space Pirates for 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the squad. The bosses are smaller and far more predictable and the game holds your hand way too much for a Metroid game. Exploration takes a severe backseat which is a shame and combat is NOT fun when compared to other modern shooters (Halo, Half-Life, FEAR, etc). Presentation is dated and laughable, conversations do not sound natural. It's an OK experiment and you won't exactly wonder why it's so awful. It's just that Corruption feels like a severely missed opportunity. Other M should give us a nice break from Prime for a while before Retro start making another Metroid game. I will say that controls are pretty fluid, even if HyperMode is a bad addition and the upgrades just aren't that cool or plentiful in the game.

I don't know if it was confirmed as just a rumor or what but I do remember reading one of the scans in Corruption that mentioned Metroid Dread coming to an end. No clue on if that's been brushed aside or what. Either way, I think with Other M we'll get a fresh perspective and Retro can work on a new IP that will hopefully due them some justice.

If you own a Wii and haven't played Metroid Prime before I do highly recommend Metroid Prime Trilogy. There isn't a bad game on the disc, all three are different from one another though so don't expect any serious continuity. Hell, you don't even have to play them order to get what's going on since each game tells it's own story and each is connected with Phazon. Trilogy is a great value and packed with two fantastic games and one that misses the mark but isn't necessarily bad. I say pick it up, you won't regret the decision.

There's not really another game series like it. It has a lot of unique game play elements rolled into one.TheLordMagnus

That's true too, there isn't really much like anything. I think BioShock probably comes the closest in terms of atmosphere and mixing up gameplay elements but it isn't as good as Metroid for the most part. It's a very unique series and Nintendo, as well as Retro, do deserve some serious credit for making the series so good. Not withstanding my opinion on the third Prime, I think the series on the whole is one of the best I've ever played and I think the unique feel of it is what seals the deal for most.

They're very challenging and unique games. As others have mentioned the attention to detail, atmosphere and organic feeling of the world combines into something really special. The games can be really frustrating when you get stuck, though. Say, you get an upgrade and you can't quite remember where you saw that unreachable place a few hours ago...

I've been playing through MP1 for the first time recently and have been having a lot of fun. It has aged really well and I've not been this immersed in a long time. While Samus doesn't exactly express herself, I feel like I've bonded with her because after playing for a while you just feel like you're there. All alone on an alien planet with a labyrinth of environmental puzzles to solve.

Play Super Metroid for the SNES

and Play Metroid Prime

and you'll see why it's cool.

Play Super Metroid for the SNES

and Play Metroid Prime

and you'll see why it's cool.

LegatoSkyheart

Don't get Metroid Prime 3 – Go straight for the "Trilogy" package. You definitely don't want to miss out on the first. It's the best in the series.

Anyways, Metroid's big thing is that it's a first-person shooter but with an emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving rather than constant combat. The game is totally non-linear in that you aren't forced down any narrow path. Instead, it "guides" you down the correct path by leaving certain areas inaccessible without certain power-ups that are earned later in the game. For example, you may see a giant rock blocking the entrance to a cave when you begin the game, but once you find a missile launcher, you can return to the cave to blow away the rock. It really is a marvel of game design! Sorry I can't make it sound cooler than it really is.

Also, the attention to detail is outstanding. When you walk in the rain, you will see water droplets trickle down the visor of your helmet, and a bright flash might cause your character's face to be reflected on the glass for a split-second. Even seven years after its release, the game is gorgeous! It's totally atmospheric too! Every level has a creepy, moody soundtrack, and the lack of any dialogue in the games really adds to the game's lonely, "stranded on a planet" feel. Finally, there are absolutely no load times. Nintendo did a great job of disguising loading screens using clever tricks to avoid ever breaking the momentum with a big, ugly "loading" screen. I could go on and on about the original. It's easily one of the best games of all time. Oh, and the other two are damn good, too.

BUY IT NOW!

Emmenite7

Your post made me realize something... You mentioned the "loneliness" in the atmosphere. This is an extremely good thing for this game... This game makes you feel like your the hero more than most any game! (Samus is a female and I'm a guy, but whatever) The lack of voice acting and "too many" cutscenes actually really adds quite a bit to this game instead of detracting from it. In this game more than most I feel as if it's my mission to explore this lonely but interesting world. In other games it is like playing a movie...

They're very challenging and unique games. As others have mentioned the attention to detail, atmosphere and organic feeling of the world combines into something really special. The games can be really frustrating when you get stuck, though. Say, you get an upgrade and you can't quite remember where you saw that unreachable place a few hours ago...

I've been playing through MP1 for the first time recently and have been having a lot of fun. It has aged really well and I've not been this immersed in a long time. While Samus doesn't exactly express herself, I feel like I've bonded with her because after playing for a while you just feel like you're there. All alone on an alien planet with a labyrinth of environmental puzzles to solve.

I like it becusee at the start of every game you don't have any weapons and you have to go on a big adventure to get all your weapons back

and the monsters are just so cool