Gaming Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

[Semjaza]

I'm mostly posting this because the first scans of the Game Informer issue with the game have hit the net. The scans are incredibly low quality and zoomed in too far, but they give you an idea of what to expect. I believe EGM is also going to have its own screens of the game, so hopefully some better ones will surface soon.

The largest addition to the game is obviously multiplayer. It's hard to get all that excited by the screen they have of it, but I have to assume that it is still fairly early on at this point. Hopefully they'll let you play as characters other than Samus clones (Halo did that too with Master Chief...).

Anyway, I attached them. If anyone else has better shots, please post them. I'm sure someone here still gets GI lol.

[Shinmaru]

By the way, if someone gets shots, it would be nice if they were sans cheesy captions lol.

The multiplayer should be a blast if it's really taken advantage of. Playing as Samus, the Space Pirates...even as a Metroid (though, you'd be pretty easy to kill as a Metroid lol). I'm interested to see if Samus's weaponry will be fully integrated into the multiplayer experience, as well. That would be pretty damn awesome.

I really enjoyed Metroid Prime, so I'll end up getting this one, too.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Multiplayer Metroid Prime? I'm really, really excited about this, but I also have some worries. Mainly, if they use the same auto-targeting system as in the first Metroid Prime, I have my doubts that the multi-player will be all that fun. Without having to actually aim, it'd probably just come down to who has the most life and the most firepower for any full-on battles. The targeting feature is good for single player, but I sure wouldn't want them to use it for multiplayer -- though without it, the control scheme would be even more horrible for multiplayer. Not being able to look up and down while moving, or turn while strafing . . . it would be really awkward. In single player, the targeting takes care of this; but, like I said, I don't think multiplayer would be much fun when the game aims for you.

As for the single player, I have very high hopes for Metroid Prime 2. The first one was good, and one of the best games on the GameCube I think, but there's still stuff that I'd like to be improved upon. And while it did retain the feel of a Metroid game even after the transition to 3D, it still lacked a certain charm that the 2D games seem to have.

First off, more open-ended areas would be very much appreciated. While playing through the game a second time a while ago, I realized just how tight a path you travel. The first time I played through I didn't notice so much because I was caught up with finding secrets and scanning anything and everything, but since I already knew where pretty much everything was during my second playthrough, I found that you can just zip right through the areas in no time at all. Most of the areas in the game, when I actually look at the map, seem to be made up of a lot of small rooms connected by narrow tunnels, with not all that many large rooms/caverns. I miss the large, sprawling caverns of Super Metroid that could have tons of little nooks and crannies, with all sorts of ways in and out of it. In Metroid Prime, it seems like there's rarely more than two doors leading in/out of a room, besides the main "hub" rooms.

Next on my list are the enemies. While Metroid Prime does have quite the variety of enemies, most of them seemed rather piddly, and the various Space Pirates are pretty much all you fight in the later areas. And that, to me, just gets old. Expecially when you have to backtrack a lot in the Phazon Mines, while enemies reappear when you go all of two rooms away. Space Pirates are fun to fight and all, but they simply get old after killing fifty of them in a row.

Really, I'm hoping that Metroid Prime 2 will put a greater focus on indigenous enemies, like in the 2D games. I want to see more things like the Magmoors of Magmoor Caverns, the Giant Beetles of the Chozo Ruins, and the Sheegoths of Phendrana Drifts. In the latest three 2D Metroid games -- Super, Fusion, and Zero Mission -- most of what you fight are simply enemies that inhabit the areas you're required to trek through, and you really don't get the hordes of Space Pirates like you do in Prime. (Except for on the Space Pirate Mother Ship in Zero Mission, but that's to be expected).

I think if those two areas are more fleshed out in Metroid Prime 2, it will really come a lot closer to equalling the 2D games -- at least for me. Like I said, I think Metroid Prime is a great game, but it just doesn't quite live up to the 2D games for me. And I hope that Metroid Prime 2 will be able to stand up to them, because a 3D Metroid game to rival Super Metroid would be incredible.[/color]

[OtakuSennen]

[color=navy]I saw a little bit of the actual Metroid Prime 2 preview video a few weeks ago. The footage was very low-quality, though, so I didn't really get to see how much the graphics have improved overall, but I caught a few brief moments that were clear. Things look better, definitely.

The changes in the visor's design scheme is nice, but I still prefer MP1's all-blue style. It seems to feel more like what a real Power Suit would feel like. Icons with colors matching to what element they're based on just feels very much like something in a video game. I doubt the real Chozo would match colors to their icons.

Multiplayer mode will be interesting. At the very least I'll just check out the multiplayer with my brother once or twice when the game comes out, but it's not a feature that's going to be the primary purpose for my purchasing the game. Metroid Prime was just so much fun, and a sequel to it will be a blast to play.

I would like to play as a Chozo, or Chozo Ghost. That would be majorly awesome. Sadly, the screenshots are showing only variations of Samus in multiplayer.. Oh well. More to think about for when the sequel to Metroid Prime Two is announced.[/color]

[Semjaza]

Any video would be from last May. I am sure the game has made significant progress since then.

I wouldn't worry too much about what is shown in that multiplayer shot. The game still has several months of development time left and I'm sure multiplayer modes are not as far developed as the single player at this point.

Besides, Zoid is involved with this game. I don't know if many console gamers know him, but he was a very important multiplayer PC developer before he joined up with Retro. I'm pretty sure with him involved that multiplayer will turn out just fine. Plus he posts at SA, so I'm sure he is aware of everyone's concerns on that subject.

I'm not concerned and expect that to turn out well, personally.

I agree about the HUD somewhat. I don't mind the colors because I think they make sense and stop the game from looking too much like a Prime expansion pack. I don't really get why they have those huge energy tank bars though. They seem unnecessary.

[Shinmaru]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=indigo']First off, more open-ended areas would be very much appreciated. While playing through the game a second time a while ago, I realized just how tight a path you travel. The first time I played through I didn't notice so much because I was caught up with finding secrets and scanning anything and everything, but since I already knew where pretty much everything was during my second playthrough, I found that you can just zip right through the areas in no time at all. Most of the areas in the game, when I actually look at the map, seem to be made up of a lot of small rooms connected by narrow tunnels, with not all that many large rooms/caverns. I miss the large, sprawling caverns of Super Metroid that could have tons of little nooks and crannies, with all sorts of ways in and out of it. In Metroid Prime, it seems like there's rarely more than two doors leading in/out of a room, besides the main "hub" rooms.[/color][/quote]

At the same time, it wouldn't be good for Metroid Prime 2 to fall into the same trap that other First-Person games have fallen into. If Retro Studios does decide to go the route of more open-ended areas, they'd have to make sure they aren't so big that they're overwhelming. The open-ended areas work extremely well on the 2D plane but Retro would have to go the extra mile to make the areas work the same in 3D with a first-person view. I agree that it would be great if more open-ended areas were implemented, though.

I agree with your sentiments about the enemies, too. A lot of the time, the enemies weren't really too tough and when you figured out the patterns of the space pirates and the Metroids, they weren't too tough, either. A wider variation of enemies in regards to enemy type and attacking patterns would be nice.

[Brasil]

My reply is a bit spammy, I guess, but I think I managed to get a better scan quality than the previously posted pics.

[img]http://img49.photobucket.com/albums/v151/madsatirist/Album%201/Prime_2_Pic01.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img49.photobucket.com/albums/v151/madsatirist/Album%201/Prime_2_Pic02.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img49.photobucket.com/albums/v151/madsatirist/Album%201/Prime_2_Pic03.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img49.photobucket.com/albums/v151/madsatirist/Album%201/Prime_2_Pic04.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img49.photobucket.com/albums/v151/madsatirist/Album%201/Prime_2_Pic05.jpg[/img]

EDIT: Well, yeah, lol. I figured, at least Photoshop it, and do a Median filter. That way, while the scan wasn't a better scan, at least the images themselves will look nicer. It was a lousy choice of words on my part, I guess. :sweat:

[Semjaza]

I don't think those are better scans... they seem like they were just the originals with a Photoshop blur filter applied to them to remove some of the weirdness.

[Guest Menzar]

Metroid Prime 2 Mutliplayer! The first one was great, shooting, killing and exploring the detailed enviroments is a good mix. I'm guessing Metroid Prime 2 mutliplayer will have deathmatchs, capture the flag and hopefully co-op. Also, by the looks of the bigger scans, the c-stick will be for aiming as the gun-equip dial isn't there. :) I can't wait!

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Hmm, I don't know. . . . In one of those screen shots, there's a row of three icons that appear to be representing the Ice, Power, and Wave Beams (I'm assuming from their look that it's those three), down in the bottom-right corner like there was in the first Prime. And if the setup is the same, the Plasma Beam would go on the bottom, with the Power Beam normally on top except that it's currently in use in that screen shot. And that would complete the little cross of icons, one for each direction of the C-Stick.

Maybe they could do that in multiplayer, though. Having the C-Stick as free-look, independant of movement, would fix the problem of targeting in multiplayer that I mentioned. I don't know how the weapon pick-ups and switching around of beams would work then, but I don't think that would be as important as being able to aim freely in multiplayer. So who knows; I just hope they make the multiplayer actually work well, however they do it.[/color]

[Guest Menzar]

It will proably keep the wave beam, Ice beam stuff for single-player however, look at the multiplayer faceoff screenshot, its not there? So its lightly to be used for aiming in mutliplayer.

Think about it, Chozo Ruins deathmatch arena!!! What more could you want? ;)

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Well, if they don't let you get different beams in multiplayer, I think that would also make it a bit dull. just having the Power Beam and a few missiles would get old fast. Maybe they could just have the Z button switch through different beams, since you wouldn't need it for the map in multiplayer. . . . Hopefully they'll have a playable demo at E3 so that we'll be able to find out what the multiplayer will be like.[/color]

[Brasil]

It occurred to me that deathmatching wouldn't need the Lock-On, right? Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see how strange it would be to just strip L of the targeting system. The only snag with that, I guess, would be missiles using it for a target assignment. But other games have auto lock-on for missile launchers and such, so that doesn't seem to be too much of a bother.

I could go for the Z button weapon switch, though, if the C stick were used for strafing and such. Though, with that neat, unique feel of Metroid Prime, which is partly due to the unique controls, it seems that using the C stick like a conventional FPS would detract from Prime's appeal.

I don't know, I'm just rambling here, lol. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

I would really like for them to change the controls to the conventional FPS setup, or rather give players the option to select between the MP setup and the conventional one. After all, there's nothing you can do with the former that you can't with the latter (although the converse is not true). Certainly the MP setup won't work for deathmatch.

[Xeryus Weapon]

For me Metroid Prime was a first-class game and one of the best on the Gamecube so far. However, certain areas of the first release need improving.

For example, the whole plot of the game or storyline. I had no idea at all that the goal of Metroid prime was to recover the artifacts to access the final lair until reading upon it on the internet in a spoilers thread (d'oh).

Graphics wise, the game was always impressive so to me, improvising here would be a waste of time, seeing as other aspects need attending to, like the slow turning, plus the game can be run on the Metroid Prime engine.

The concept does feel a little too basic though, Samus has a robotic thingy majig suit that is capable of many things, like different visors, beams, gravity boots, but don't you think it is capable of so much more? An overdrive mode or something would fill in when energy is running low or a beam sword similar to a Star Wars lightsaber would really help spice up those aliens she's up against. The actual Gamecube controller is capable of achieveing this too, for example, Splinter Cell takes full advantage of the X-box's control pad with many functions accessing different abilities for Sam Fisher.

As for multiplayer, I sure hope deathmatches aren't all there is up for offer, a capture the flag would be nice, or maybe even something funny or less serious than Metroid actually is, like mini games - just a thought :D.

[Angelus]

Oh no, Samus can not have such melee weapons like you speak of. Metroid prime was created with the controls of the GC specificaly thought of. Metroid primes controls are one of the things that make it the game that it is. If you changed the controls then it would just be like every other game. thus it would loose its appeal.

[Xeryus Weapon]

I'm not suggesting changing anything at all, it would just be good to see more functions within Samus's suit, which could be achieved by applying more uses to each button (or combination) on the controller. In Metroid Fusion, Samus could get a speed boost which allowed her to run extremely fast through enemies etc, now obviously using this in the FPS mode would make the game ridiclously easy as you'll see all in front of you, but simple solutions such as a stamina bar or so could limit the use of it and allow it to recover over time.

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

[quote name='Angelus']Metroid prime was created with the controls of the GC specificaly thought of. Metroid primes controls are one of the things that make it the game that it is. If you changed the controls then it would just be like every other game. thus it would loose its appeal.[/quote]

To say that MP controls were designed with the GC specifically in mind is silly, because those same controls can be transferred to any of the other two consoles. I disagree that MP's controls are a major element of the game. It's true that they let you kill hordes of bees easily, but that's about it. They make it much more annoying to take out hordes of actual enemies, though, because you can't concentrate on multiple enemies without losing too much focus (most of the time). As a result they can't throw much more than 4 dinky pirates at you or 2 of those ice creatures. If they gave you the option to use conventional FPS controls you'd have much more freedom as far as combat goes, not to mention mobility. Strafing and turning simultaneously makes things much faster and safer. Anyway, look it's not really arguable which control scheme let's you do more; but I can understand how some people would want to stick to the "MP controls," which is why I think there should be an option. The only problem with that is the game difficulty would have to adjust, because you CAN be more badass with normal FPS controls when taking on multiple enemies. One-on-one, of course auto-lock-on-and-circling-the-enemy works best (even though it makes combat a joke).

But to say that changing MP's controls would make it lose its appeal means you have THAT little faith in the actual gameplay, level design, etc. And I'm sure that's not what you meant. Allowing for a different control scheme wouldn't take anything away from the game. I'm not saying replace it, just add another setup (though for me that would be equivalent to replacing it, hehe).

Honestly I didn't like MP too much. In my opinion it's Gamecube's Halo -- decent, but overrated. But that's just me. If you want to know why, you can find it under "video game reviews" on [url]www.sciros.net[/url]. But really it doesn't matter. I'll probably still buy MP 2.

[Semjaza]

Anyway, Nintendo.com has updated with some new information on the game. It will apparently be called Metroid Prime: Echoes, at least at this point.

[QUOTE]In this highly anticipated sequel to Metroid Prime, become the bounty hunter behind the visor once more and travel to a planet torn into light and darkness. Hunted by a mysterious entity and a warring race called the Ing, Samus Aran must explore the light and dark worlds of this doomed planet to discover secrets and augment her suit's weapons and abilities.

And now, for the first time in the history of the celebrated Metroid franchise, up to four players can battle each other as they search for weapons, grapple across ceilings, and turn into Morph Balls to make their escapes.[/QUOTE]

I'm hoping for some decent screens of this game, but the ones Nintendo.com has provided are certainly far better than what is out there now. These are still artifacted and obviously resized, among other issues.

It doesn't seem much different in graphical prowress from the first, but I've found that if you directly compare these shots to ones from the original, there is a noticable improvement. I would really like to see this game in motion though, as I think even the original isn't done much justice by screens.

The multiplayer shot looks more fabricated than I was originally led to believe by the old blurry shots. If you compare the views of the different players, the characters seem to be in odd places and it doesn't match up. I am figuring that's just a shot to show you what to expect.

[IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/2d330b19-9c4c-4834-8a78-c54d9b9dff7b.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/23635d9f-d776-4efb-a197-d16660885b88.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/c68eac07-646b-4533-852a-dc05d0893db2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/dee5547f-1f5d-4c62-83c4-cda74b54fcda.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/77ab210b-024e-4ca1-99c9-c90f49d9fa56.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/74cf30b3-c5f8-4a8e-9582-904e18655d34.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/0cc2d118-2ce6-4f96-a192-e2e9c4a93a86.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/56afa9ba-129e-4225-8fdc-c25e9234cb2a.jpg[/IMG]

[Xeryus Weapon]

New updates from Nintendo Insider claim that there will be much more puzzles to take place from the third person view, meaning more and more of those morph ball mazes.

Judging from those scans, even at an early stage, the graphics on Metroid Prime 2 seem the same or hold some kind of resemblance to the first adventure, while the environments remain dark and dreary, but non the less still very impressive to my likings

I'm compelled by the new generation of Nintendo's games, but I can only hope that new environments, areas, and a multiplayer mode aren't the only new additions to the Metroid franchise.

[Semjaza]

[url]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/e2769481-390b-4eb6-94ca-9cac27d1fe87.mov[/url]

Here's a 15 MB video of the game in action. Nintendo's site is getting hammered, but the movie and screen downloads seem to be going just fine, thankfully.

Looks awesome. Similiar to the first, but it just seems more polished. It looks as though they addressed my main problem with the first's graphics... Samus's low res textured suit. The suit looks great now, it seems.

The movie also shows Samus battling something known as [spoiler]Dark Samus[/spoiler]. Multiplayer looks pretty decent.

[Shinmaru]

The game is looking very good right now, heh. Impressive stuff. The battle with [spoiler]Dark Samus leaves me wondering if that's something like SA-X from Metroid Fusion...pretty interesting.[/spoiler] Multiplayer is looking decent enough right now; I can't wait to hear more about the features that will be added to multiplayer.

[Semjaza]

Hands on impressions here: [url]http://www.gcadvanced.com/article.php?artid=1974[/url]

Eyes only impressions here: [url]http://cube.ign.com/articles/513/513329p1.html[/url]

They're both worth reading as they compliment eachother well. IGN's preview goes into a bit more information that the GCA writer isn't sure of when he first plays.

The light/dark idea is awesome, I think. The GCA link has a bit in the way of spoilers, so read that at your own risk.

[Kevin129]

By now everyone has heard of the much anticipated sequel to Metroid Prime. Does any one have any information on the game. I have only seen a few things about it that i want to know more about in this thread such as new weapons, a new style of gameplay, and some storyline tidbits perhaps :rolleyes:


This is a note for anyone who posts with information. THHAAAAAAANKS :D

[Semjaza]

[url]www.nintendo.com/metroidprime2.jsp[/url]

[QUOTE]Metroid Prime 2 Echoes, the highly anticipated sequel to Metroid Prime, won't be available until November, but you can get a sneak peek into the adventures of Samus through a playable demo on the Metroid Prime 2 Echoes Bonus Disc!

Bonus Disc Contains:

* Metroid Prime 2 Echoes playable demo
* Metroid Prime 2 Echoes movie trailers
* Metroid art gallery
* The Metroid Chronicle

This offer is available for a limited time, while supplies last, and only to My Nintendo members, either with a Nintendo Power subscription or by registering Nintendo products.[/QUOTE]

You need to have five Nintendo games registered to receive this disc. Luckily, I already did, so they reserved mine. It's supposed to be sent out August 20th.