rumor: Metroid Prime 2 for N5

[Guden Oden]

Metroid Prime has such atmosphere. It's quite remarkable really. I guess that's because it's NOT crawling with enemies (though there could well be A BIT more of those), and the music and the graphics is so well-made and so fitting.

I love it when you come to a totally beautiful room that has nothing in it but beams of sunlight from the broken ceiling and dust in the air, and there's these slow ambient tones playing. The Chozo Ruins level in particular is good in that regard.

 

[cthellis42]

I don't understand the logic why MP3 has to be a launch tile for N5. It's not like Nintendo doesn't have other franchises that will sell extremely well during N5's launch.

Of course it doesn't have to, but it's their newest and best-received resurgence. It hasn't had a billion iterations, it doesn't scream "old school," and it's probably the best game to make people think of Nintendo in a new light. Offhand, I think it appeals to a broader audience than a platformer (both more gamers and skewing older), and so a really refined version with many options (multi-player modes, online capacity, etc.) would be rather optimal. "Yet another Mario/Zelda" are expected, and of course updates of all their regulars and most popular licences will be expected, but launching with--say--another Metroid Prime and perhaps Eternal Darkness gives them excellent titles that scream new, enlarge their demographic, and would likely start them off on better footing to the competition. (The Mario and Zelda fans will be buying in regardless, after all. )

 

[jvd]

For a great launch they need a fighting game , a full line up of sports tittles , an adventure game , a racing game and a rpg .

I don't really see the need for mp but hey it can't hurt .

Hopefully we see a new smash bros , a mario game , a mario kart of fzero and a final fantsy at launch. It be a good day to be a nintendo fan

 

[cthellis42]

Metroid Prime is "new image," and while all those are popular they are also "old image." That's one thing that's been holding them back, and would help to counter, since the people wanting Mario games, more Smash Melee, FF fans... They'll all be along regardless. It would be great to ALSO have those games at launch, but I think it would be better to not launch with a mass of NES-to-N64-originated licenses. It would be better to have at least one figurehead title at launch to lean on that does not epitomize "what they always make." (Or at least "what people have grown to expect.") A new F-Zero would be good as well, but wouldn't have the impact of a game like Metroid Prime taken to all new levels. Heck, an all NEW title that could acheive what MP did when it launched would be great too--possibly even better--only it wouldn't have the built-up title nor be as sure a title to bank on.

 

[Guden Oden]

Jvd, a full line-up would be nice, but unlikely. Developing titles takes time, especially when a console is new and the dev-tools are in their infancy. It's also a bit predictable, don't you think? We have one of those, and one of those and one of those. Same as every other console, what's there for Nintendo to distinguish themselves with there? Nothing!

Instead, maybe they should try a different approach, do what Nintendo has always done best. Doing their own thing, being different, original, inventive. Sony and MS in particular have followed Nintendo's success only by exploiting particular genres, they have no particular talent in game creation of themselves. One might say, the only way MS can find talent is if it can be bought with dollar bills...

Instead of going the predictable route with a standard launch line-up with a bunch of EA sports titles (which look and play the same as on other contemporary consoles), I think Nintendo should look in a new direction. Do their own thing, as they're so good at doing. Maybe update another of its classics for N5 launch, such as Ice Climber (launch title/pack-in game in Europe! Yay!) Or why not Kid Icarus?

Think of the awesome environments we could have, if the game kept the same basic gameplay. Marble pillars and architecture mixed with clouds and stuff, that would be soo cool. Not saying it would copy the gameplay to the point of dying if one fell out of the bottom of the screen of course, but it would be cool with a bit of old-school vertical levels, climbing, that sort of thing.

Who knows, maybe the kids of today would be astounded by this new incredible gameplay Nintendo just invented?

It's funny... People still remember Kid Icarus fondly, despite the game's been languishing on the NES ever since it was created... That's the power of Nintendo design - people REMEMBER!

 

[jvd]

please what other system will have a crazy game like smash bros ? what other system will have a mario ? None i tell you none .

 

[cthellis42]

That isn't remotely the point. We KNOW they're going to follow up on those games, and we KNOW the fans are going to pursue it. Those don't enlarge Nintendo's demographic or leech from MS/Sony's playerbase--they reinforce what Nintendo already has. But of course their "kiddy" image is a major headache to this day, and they've had problems with third-party development houses/publishers, and they've been criticized for not keeping on top of trends or pursuing what's seen to be as very important eventualities such as online gaming (and rather pursuing a pre-set course without diverging), so it would seem to be very beneficial to launch with games that "set people at ease" in those respects. Strong third-party showings that are not "staple" or "fluff" games, that promote an attitude adjustment and change of pace for them, as well as "filling in perceived gaps." A full brace of sports titles and a more "hardcore" fighting game (not just SSBM+), an edgier racing game... Those would all help set a tone they could use, especially if they're going to try pricing themselves underneath MS/Sony again; most will see the others being "more hardcore" tech-wise (they already see it that way game-wise), so Nintendo would be best off filling in gameplay games and "reassuring" the mass gamer landscape that they wouldn't be accepting an overall "downgrade" just to keep playing Nintendo's first-party titles.

Meanwhile, just one "classic" title at launch would be all that's needed to draw in the hardcore fanbase immediately, keep the youth attraction, and be a success in that department. (They'd be better off staggering their best first-party titles well from launch out, to keep a higher interest level and not hit any huge lulls.)

 

[jvd]

remember at launch the machine will most likely be hard to get limiting it to the hardcore to begin with . Couple that and the fact that i expect third partys to fill in the gaps in the launch line up along with a few more original games and what else do you want .

I've never known nintendo to make a game on the gta 3 lvl and I really don't wnat them to . If great quality games don't apeal to everyone then obviously there is a huge problem out there .

 

[cthellis42]

Hence why Metroid Prime is rather optimal for them. Xbox didn't have GTA3 either, they rode in with Halo--and you'd have a hard time connecting those two as similar games. MP would go much more that way--a modern, resurrected franchise that people really loved before, and made one of the best transitions to a new game, with fresh gameplay and style. It was not "just an FPS" and it was not pandering to the GTA3 sort, and it was very much unique to Nintendo and wildly popular.

Retro isn't holding back, but I this it would be good to bring that type of game forth as a premiere title at launch, rather than just what we expect. Eternal Darkness 2 would make a good lead-off as well, but survival/horror is a smaller genre and is kinda getting played out between all the options out there and their increasing pace.

 

[Paul]

For a great launch they need a fighting game , a full line up of sports tittles , an adventure game , a racing game and a rpg .

What launch doesn't

 

[cthellis42]

N-Gage. Phantom. There are some machines games just can't sell...

 

[Almasy]

I don´t buy it. I believe that it is too late for the title to be moved for N5, going by the words of Perrin Kaplan. It would be a nice launch game, no doubt, but I think stuff like a new Mario or Smash Bros can hold the plattform for a while while they work on a third MP.

As for the game itself, I think it´s an incredibly boring game due to the horrible backtracking, boring bosses and uninteresting battles. PoP does a far better job at what MP does best, the puzzles inside the environments themselves...but that´s just me.

 

[cthellis42]

It's never too late. It has, however, been a flash rumor--come quickly and gone. Now it's mainly just a "philosophical discussion" as it were.

 

[Bohdy]

...but that´s just me.

No, sadly it isn't. :?

 

[StefanS]

Hey, don't forget that according to IGN.com Too Human is schedulded for launch. (Eternal Darkness 2 is not).
Too Human is definitely a game that appeals to a mature crowd; and it is also RPG with a good story...

 

[jimbob0i0]

Hey, don't forget that according to IGN.com Too Human is schedulded for launch. (Eternal Darkness 2 is not).
Too Human is definitely a game that appeals to a mature crowd; and it is also RPG with a good story...

wow... how long has that been in development now?... it was originally announced - what 2/3 years ago maybe? 5 or 6 years spent developing one game.... frightening thought really.....

(P.S. Don't mention DNF )

 

[cthellis42]

...but that´s just me.

No, sadly it isn't. :?

Doesn't matter, though. PoP was not a Nintendo-proprietary game, and inter-game comparisons, let alone examining the game mechanics themselves from a critical eye, don't matter one whit. (How many people lambaste GTA3, despite the series being among the most popular games ever?) Metroid's popularity, critical acclaim, tone and gameplay differences, its word of mouth and community buzz, and everything else are all Nintendo's--and that's the primary importance. One could possibly pick apart each specific point and find games which are handled better, but games are always a package deal.

 

[Almasy]

...but that´s just me.

No, sadly it isn't. :?

Doesn't matter, though. PoP was not a Nintendo-proprietary game, and inter-game comparisons, let alone examining the game mechanics themselves from a critical eye, don't matter one whit. (How many people lambaste GTA3, despite the series being among the most popular games ever?) Metroid's popularity, critical acclaim, tone and gameplay differences, its word of mouth and community buzz, and everything else are all Nintendo's--and that's the primary importance. One could possibly pick apart each specific point and find games which are handled better, but games are always a package deal.

Well, I don´t know about Bohdy, but my point doesn´t relate to that. I only compared MP´s only good point IMO (ok, graphics were nice too) to another game that does it better. If you noticed, to me, MP´s combat was boring and lacked skill, bosses were uninteresting and the backtracking totally unnecessary and very boring in the latter part of the game. IMO, this game only got 10´s and 9´s due to nostalgia, that´s all.

But again...that´s just me (and Bohdy, if he agrees with me).

 

[Almasy]

Hey, don't forget that according to IGN.com Too Human is schedulded for launch. (Eternal Darkness 2 is not).
Too Human is definitely a game that appeals to a mature crowd; and it is also RPG with a good story...

wow... how long has that been in development now?... it was originally announced - what 2/3 years ago maybe? 5 or 6 years spent developing one game.... frightening thought really.....

(P.S. Don't mention DNF )

Heh, TH game was announced for PSX originally...if it weren´t for DNF, this would the game that has been the longest in development.

 

[cthellis42]

As I recall, MP's story was one of the more talked about elements--long and engrossing, with solid concepts and good fleshing-out--while PoP's would mainly be in the "fun" and "amusing" vein. The various levels of puzzle-solving and mission-running have different appeals to different folks (especially between action/adventure, platformer, RPG, etc) but I have a hard time thinking that's what any of these games are "about" to concentrate primarily on that point. It's more the method of progression (and obviously affects the game length and pacing). The overall effect of a game--especially the lasting impression--comes from the overall meld of all its aspects.