Team Ninja would like to make another Metroid

[Retro_Link]

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/26202/team-ninja-would-like-to-make-another-metroid-game

 

Metroid: Other M was a departure for Nintendo's beloved franchise. It got great reviews, it sold well, and then, in typical Nintendo fashion, Samus vanished off the face of the Earth. The closest we've gotten to word of a new Metroid game is a featured minigame in Nintendo Land.

 

Team Ninja would like to redress this, if Nintendo will let them.

Yosuke Hayashi, currently working as a director on Dead or Alive 5, was asked about a future Metroid game and had this to say:

 

“Unfortunately Metroid is kind of out of our league as it’s Nintendo’s game, but we’re still in close touch with co-creator Sakamoto-san [Yoshio Sakamoto, one of Nintendo's key developers], so we want to do something with him moving forward definitely. It really depends on what he wants to do with the game first.”

 

We take this to mean that right now Nintendo is still deciding what kind of Metroid game they want. It's an interesting question since Nintendo has emphasized just how useful the Gamepad will be for FPS games and Metroid would be a key showcase for that.

 

 

 

Personally I loved Metroid Prime and would like to see that as the direction for the series on home consoles. Other M felt so unrefined and a major step back for me on pretty much every level... visuals, [clunky] controls, story, atmosphere etc...

 

However I know many did like Metroid: Other M and it's mix of both styles.

 

I'd like to see First Person Metroid on the Wii U and 2D Metroid on the 3DS.

 

Anyone know what it is about the GamePad that apparently Nintendo think makes it so good for FPS though? I'd have thought the Wiimote was where Nintendo was at for this genre!

Edited August 17, 2012 by Retro_Link

[Fierce_LiNk]

I would love it if they got another go at this.

 

Metroid Prime was brilliant. We've had 3 first person Metroid games, which has been fantastic. But, what I loved about Other M was the emphasis on platforming. I'd love to see Team Ninja take all of the platforming elements that make Other M fantastic and apply it to a landscape such as those that we saw from Prime. The Bottleship was exciting but at the same time it felt very boxed in and self-contained.

 

I loved the atmosphere and the tone from Other M. Plus, some of the boss fights were brilliant. It was a very satisfying game to pick up and play, it felt very intuitive. It did feel like a good bridge between Super Metroid and Fusion, very much being the 3D version Fusion almost.

 

The ultimate dream would be an amalgamation of Prime and Other M. Retro AND Team Ninja. Retro to create the landscapes, Ninja to focus on the gameplay mechanics and platforming elements. Oh God...

[Mokong]

Don't know what I want from another Metroid game, though I agree 3DS would be best for 2D (semi-2D/3D) type game like Other M.

 

For teh WiiU, I don't know, would be nice to see another Retro made Metroid... but then again I'd like to see them work on other games a bit more (so they don't get stuck doing just Metroid).... plus I love the Wiimote controls for Prime 3 and the Prime Trilogy games, I don't see how the UPad would be perfect for FPS (Or FPA - First Person Adventure, as Prime should be better called), all WiiU FPS/A games should have Wiimote/Nunchuck controls as an option.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Don't know what I want from another Metroid game, though I agree 3DS would be best for 2D (semi-2D/3D) type game like Other M.

 

For teh WiiU, I don't know, would be nice to see another Retro made Metroid... but then again I'd like to see them work on other games a bit more (so they don't get stuck doing just Metroid).... plus I love the Wiimote controls for Prime 3 and the Prime Trilogy games, I don't see how the UPad would be perfect for FPS (Or FPA - First Person Adventure, as Prime should be better called), all WiiU FPS/A games should have Wiimote/Nunchuck controls as an option.

 

I'm with you there on that list bit. It's a shame that it won't happen. I've only played part of my Metroid Prime Trilogy using the Wiimote controls, but it makes a hell of a difference.

 

I'd love to see Retro try a new franchise. They've done well to revive Metroid and Donkey Kong. I'd be curious to see what they could do with a racer, I'm sure they'd be able to handle something like F Zero, although I wouldn't mind one bit if SEGA/Amusement Vision had it after the amazing work they did with GX.

 

It would be excellent if somebody could come in give us another Super Metroid atmosphere wise, a game that almost borders on the survival horror. Not sure who.

[Retro_Link]

I definately agree that Retro should be freed up to work on other games, and hopefully new IP's of their own!

 

If only they hadn't done such an awesome job on Metroid! :p and making us want them as the developer behind every Nintendo project!

[Fierce_LiNk]

I definately agree that Retro should be freed up to work on other games, and hopefully new IP's of their own!

 

If only they hadn't done such an awesome job on Metroid! :p and making us want them as the developer behind every Nintendo project!

 

Pretty much. They set the bar really, really high with Metroid. I've yet to play DKCReturns, but I've heard that it's also very enjoyable.

 

Wouldn't it be magical if some unknown company came in and just did a Retro/classicRARE-esque job with it? Might improve morale quite a lot, I'd imagine.

[Mokong]

I definately agree that Retro should be freed up to work on other games, and hopefully new IP's of their own!

 

If only they hadn't done such an awesome job on Metroid! :p and making us want them as the developer behind every Nintendo project!

 

I'm kinda hoping their secret WiiU project will turn out to be a revival of their cancelled Gamecube RPG, Raven Blade :p

[Kav]

I'd like to see a true 3D 3rd Person Metroid. Although some would say Other M was this, it actually wasn't. It played like the 2D games, it's how it was intended to be played, hence it using the Wiimote held horizontally... it was even said that the game was designed to be a NES game for this generation.

[Grazza]

First of all, I should say I very much enjoyed Metroid: Other M. Secondly, I really don't know much Team Ninja could develop what they've already built. There shouldn't be another game exactly like Metroid: Other M, but who's to say Team Ninja couldn't make something as sophisticated as Metroid Prime? My main point is this: Nintendo should have a think about clearly separating 2D and 3D in future. I can't describe this without also mentioning Mario and Metroid.

 

3D games are at their best when there is a full focus on making a 3D game - polygons, dual-analogue etc. This is why (I'd say) Metroid Prime, Wind Waker and Mario Sunshine are prime examples (the last one will be controversial, but it's what I believe). 2D games are at their best when they are fully 2D - sprites, d-pad etc. Prime examples are Super Metroid, Zero Mission and Fusion; Super Mario World; and Link to the Past, Link's Awakening and Minish Cap.

 

When Nintendo (or anyone) tries to mash the styles it doesn't work so well. Eg. Metroid: Other M (which is great fun, as I say) has neither the fixed-plane movement or L and R aiming of the 2D games nor the technical sophistication of the Prime series. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks were fun enough in their own right, but arguably no one's going to be as fond of them as the fully 2D or fully 3D Zeldas. So, I don't know what Team Ninja is capable of, but they key to success with the next Metroid game is a focus on it being one thing or the other.

[Cube]

Let's see if they can fix the complete mess they called Ninja Gaiden 3 first.

[Zechs Merquise]

I loved Metroid Other M, but @kav82 nailed it on the head when he said it was a 2D game.

 

I also love the Prime games - and to be fair they were better than Other M. I love the way that a franchise like this can be given to different studios and such different titles can be produced.

 

Personally though - I'd love to see Retro do a big HD Prime game, considering how amazing the GC games still look today, I'm sure they'd redefine the boundaries of beautiful with the Wii U's power.

 

However if Team Ninja do get another chance, I wouldn't be unhappy, if they can perfect and improve the Other M formula and iron out the few issues that people did have with it, it'd be a must have title.

[Retro_Link]

I'd like to see a true 3D 3rd Person Metroid. Although some would say Other M was this, it actually wasn't. It played like the 2D games, it's how it was intended to be played, hence it using the Wiimote held horizontally... it was even said that the game was designed to be a NES game for this generation.

What perspecive would you give Samus though? Quite high like Mario, quite far back like Link, or a more over the shoulder position like RE4?

 

I'm not sure I'd like to see and control Samus in the middle of the screen, she's a pretty awkward looking character with the high shoulders. Though more over the shoulder like RE4 or Dead Space could work.

 

... Actually just continuing to think about Dead Space, purely imagining Samus in that guys place, playing from that perspective and exploring [derelict] Space Stations, Ships, walking about the Galactic Federation, Planets, Fighting Space Pirates etc... is a pretty exciting prospect!

 

Edited August 18, 2012 by Retro_Link

[D_prOdigy]

Good, good.

 

And let Sakamoto do it too.

 

And then have him do Zelda however he wants.

 

Let the hate flow through you.

[Fierce_LiNk]

What perspecive would you give Samus though? Quite high like Mario, quite far back like Link, or a more over the shoulder position like RE4?

 

I'm not sure I'd like to see and control Samus in the middle of the screen, she's a pretty awkward looking character with the high shoulders. Though more over the shoulder like RE4 or Dead Space could work.

 

... Actually just continuing to think about Dead Space, purely imagining Samus in that guys place, playing from that perspective and exploring [derelict] Space Stations, Ships, walking about the Galactic Federation, Planets, Fighting Space Pirates etc... is a pretty exciting prospect!

 

 

I can definitely see that working. There's elements of the series which fit in nicely with the horror, thriller or perhaps even survival horror genre. The game has never really been about blasting everything you see on screen, it's much more intelligent than that. Metroid Fusion had a great sense of claustrophobia about it.

 

Wouldn't surprise me at all if this went down the Dead Space route somewhat, but not what the series is becoming. The basic elements of isolation, part horror-part-thriller, all tension. Tell the narrative through logs which you find throughout the journey, ala Prime, although something like Other M would also work. I'd love it if they took the tone from Super Metroid, that dark and eerie nature of the game and applied it here.

[Cube]

Metroid Fusion had a great sense of claustrophobia about it.

 

The SA-X sections are the scariest bits of any video game that I've encountered.

[Jamba]

If they do get to make another one, can the person who wrote the script and the story get fired and replaced?

[Cube]

If they do get to make another one, can the person who wrote the script and the story get fired and replaced?

 

Yoshio Sakamoto?

[Magnus]

The story was written by Yoshio Sakamoto, co-creator of Metroid, so firing him may be a bit awkward.

 

Maybe just keep him busy with the next Wario Ware game or something. His writing can't mess that up.

[Jamba]

Yoshio Sakamoto?

 

Ah I forgot it was him. That makes it even MORE annoying.

 

 

The story was written by Yoshio Sakamoto, co-creator of Metroid, so firing him may be a bit awkward.

 

Maybe just keep him busy with the next Wario Ware game or something. His writing can't mess that up.

 

Oh yeah, there we go. Problem solved.

[Retro_Link]

Have you seen the next so called Wario Ware game!!?

[Magnus]

Does it have worse writing than Other M?

 

I didn't think so. :p

[nekunando]

I'd really like to play Metroid: Other M again so I may have to do that soon to see if my positive opinion has changed since I cleared it..

[killer kirby]

I don't get the hate for Metroid: Other M story...I mean, compared to most other games that are story driven this one is at least better written. Squares writing staff and Kojima could take a couple of lessons from this game.

 

EDIT: Oh and WiiU, controller = first person, tv = 3rd person. Problem solved.

[Jamba]

I don't get the hate for Metroid: Other M story...I mean, compared to most other games that are story driven this one is at least better written. Squares writing staff and Kojima could take a couple of lessons from this game.

 

EDIT: Oh and WiiU, controller = first person, tv = 3rd person. Problem solved.

 

The general storyline might be ok but it's painfully delivered with a terrible script. It was like being stuck next to someone who constantly talks about themselves incessantly, even when you try to change the subject.

 

Also, she came across as being emotionally weak and simpering. And the matter of fact tone of it all made it BORING.

[James McGeachie]

Fine!

 

The general gameplay for running and gunning and the visual polish on Other M were both fairly good.

 

The aiming gimmick was a bit shit but I don't blame Team Ninja for that.

 

The biggest 2 issues I have with the game are terrible writing and boring music.

 

The former is self-explanatory - it was Samus character assassination and severely cheapened the plot of Metroid Fusion.

 

Most people probably don't have an issue with the music, but I had a serious one. There isn't a SINGLE memorable track really except maybe the music from the teaser site and that's only used in the ending of the game! The entire rest of the Metroid franchise has good music. Metroid 1 has Hip Tanaka's genius score which basically set the mood for the franchise. Metroid 2 has the awesome tunnel theme and the soundtrack as a whole retains a great atmosphere. Super Metroid - legendary and perfect. Fusion, some good tracks here and there, does the job well. Zero Mission - also legendary. Prime Series, goes without saying. Even Metroid Prime Pinball.

 

I don't think it's coincidence that the 2 worst games in the franchise in my opinion (Hunters and Other M) have probably the worst music. Music is key to the Metroid franchise, for nailing the mood and identity of the environments you explore. Other M's soundtrack is insanely fucking lazy. That's what you get when you use a composer that's never composed a videogame before this. Hence why only the cutscenes have decent music.