Now Playing: December Joys in February
Edition: February 28, 2005
Were back! What you are about to read is a column where members of the N-Sider staff get a chance to bring up and discuss some of the games we have been playing lately. This is not an article of mini previews, nor is it to be taken seriously as any form of review. This is a space for our writers to talk about whatever their gaming hearts desire, in a relatively compact fashion. The games discussed are not limited to Nintendo published titles nor are we limiting games to those that appear on Nintendo systems. We are all gamers here and a great game is still a great game, regardless of the console or system it may appear on. So put your biases aside and enjoy.
This edition is split into two pages. Everything here was written way back in December, but we went into a bit of a slump and never put it up on the site. So you all get to read it three months late! Yay! Page 1 contains only impressions of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Page 2 could contain any games in the worldthat were released before 2005. Enjoy.
Page 1 - Metroid Prime 2 Special
Guy Nelson
Hi, I'm one of the new Art staff people, and here is my two cents on MP2:
Over the years I have identified how to tell if a game I am playing is going to be one of my all-time faves: I will have a bizarre feeling of wanting to play it and NOT wanting to play it. The game is so good I am compelled to keep playing, and it is so good I am compelled to stop playing.
Because I don't want it to end.
About 2 hours into Metroid Prime 2: Echoes I got this feeling. Every time I got a new power up I was conflicted: Do I take a break, save some exploration for later, or do I run off to see what new areas I can get to? I am now in the last stretch, collecting the last few missiles and energy tanks before I take on the final level. And I SO don't want it to end...
Yet I am compelled to keep playing.
Ricardo Arenas
Right from the get go I was a bit disappointed with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. I thought that Aethers atmosphere in the intro looked awful compared to how the rest of the game looked. I thought the intro was pretty lame. It was nothing like Metroid Primes kick ass intro: the dramatic docking of the ship, Samus exiting the ship, her jumping through the air, and the camera revolving around her while an awesome tune played in background. Instead, MP2 had a lame crash. I mean, honestly I was expecting an intro that was going to top Metroid Primes, but it didnt even compare.
Another gripe of mine about the game were its menus. I thought they looked awesome. But when it came to functionality, they failed. They werent very user friendly. I like the fact that things were sorted into categories and subcategories and so on but with the menu setup there was, it made things look cluttered.
Now that I got that off my chest, let me talk about what I did like about the game. Once again, Retro Studios did an amazing job with the environments. The environments in the Light World that is. I thought that the Dark World was dull and ugly. Too much purple for my taste. Though I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the natural environments (Chozo Ruins, Agon Wastes, Magmoor Caverns, Torvus Bog, etc.) of both games, astatically I was drawn more to the unnatural ones (Phazon Mines/Sanctuary Fortress). There is something about the industrial-like environments in the game that drew me in. Theres a beauty in the sleek surfaces, sharp edges, and symmetrical qualities that only mechanical precision can bring.
The screw attack was one of the coolest moves in the 2D Metroids and when I found out that it wasnt going to be included in Metroid Prime I was a bit disappointed. But when I learned that it was going to be in MP2 I was quite excited to see how it was going to turn out. The consensus: it came out great. I only wish you were required to use the screw attack more in the game. Same goes for the grappling hook. Both are cool moves that werent used enough.
You know what would be neat? If Retro could some how make the grappling hook latch on to your enemies a la Super Smash Bros. Imagine this: grappling onto one of those pesky Flying Space Pirates, yanking towards you, so that your lovely super missile hits them right in their face. Thatd be awesome.
Travis Woodside
My time in the world of Aether has been short compared to the game's length, but after 4-5 hours I have found myself deep in an underwater section in the land of Torvus Bog.
I am rarely a fan of any gameplay taking place underwater (save Dire Dire Docks in Super Mario 64) but I can easily say that this is my favorite location the game has presented me with as of yet. The level design and atmosphere are beyond anything I could have imagined even after the wonderful masterpiece that is Metroid Prime.
The mystery of the world grows deeper and the challenges continue to escalate. Light or Dark, Aether is a dangerous place but one I dare venture through many times. I only hope I can free up more time to give Metroid Prime 2 the time it deserves. I can say that so far I enjoy the first Prime's more formulaic approach to the Metroid franchise, as well as its more colorful worlds to explore. However, Echoes is a thing of beauty in its own right and I know it will be remembered fondly when compared to the entire franchise.
Bryan Twomey
Just about the only game I've had any time to play recently has been Metroid Prime 2. Being really busy with college and finals coming up and projects piling up all around me, being able to sit down for an hour to play a new Metroid title is really very refreshing. I was really worried about Prime 2, with the first one being as good as it was. It was so new, such a fresh experience, it felt like the game you've always wanted to play but no one would make. It was almost surreal in its ability to entertain. So immersive, challenging, and just plain pretty. How could a sequel ever hold up?
I'm 14 hours into the game, and I feel I'm about two thirds of the way in, based on items and story progress. So I'm almost done with this new Prime experience. I played for almost four hours straight the other day and found it very hard to put the game down. I just wanted to keep going, get to the next item, keep going beyond that, forever exploring new areas and solving new puzzles and challenges.
I've died a few times on bosses and sub-bosses. The atmosphere in the Dark World is intense, you feel downright threatened to be there. When you re-emerge back into the light world, there is a great pressure lifted. You may be lost in an alien world, but at least the darkness isn't trying to seep in at all moments, surrounding you with hordes of shapeless enemies blasting tentacles and goo at you, while your little crystals shine hopelessly, trying to hold back the inky blackness. I don't think I've ever felt so downright threatened in a gaming world before. Zelda's Dark World had that sense of dread, that you'd get stuck there forever, but at least the air around you wasn't going to kill you. And then you remember that the light world isn't any safer, when a handful of grenade launching space pirates fly in on jetpacks to destroy you.
The duality of the worlds works great, the puzzles are top notch, I get a smile on my face any time I have to morph into ball mode. The sense of wonder and imagination is just fantastic. Its hard to stop talking about how much I love this game. And it really makes it hard to want to do much homework, knowing I could just go and pop in the disc at any moment...I'm so entirely pleased we have a Prime 2 out right now. It could have been years before another title this great was released, but somehow Nintendo and especially Retro went ahead and put this game out a mere two years after the first game. I can't wait to get back to playing and finish this one up. It's been a great ride so far, and I'm not done yet."
Cory Faller
I went into Metroid Prime 2 with a different attitude than then one I had while playing the original Metroid Prime. No hint system, no hints of any kind. From start to finish, pure exploration of the purest variety. I was in no rush; I could afford the time needed for such an approach. And let me tell you, it was worth it. There's nothing quite as satisfying as overcoming challenges while in the "if I don't do it, it just won't get done" mindset.
Now don't go and assume I normally play games with a strategy guide open in my lap. I am a staunch detractor of that style of play. However, if stuck in a mind-bendingly aggravating situation, I may on occasion attempt to derive a hint from a guide of some sort. Well with Prime 2, I decided I would stick it out no matter the circumstances. And ya know it really wasn't that bad. I see people asking "how do I do this?!" when they come upon the LEAST bit of difficulty, and it makes me cringe. The game's all about exploration! Why would you ruin that aspect for yourself? Never before have I played a game and gotten a legitimate sense of exploration like I have in Prime 2. Getting a new item set off synapses in my brain that all pointed towards different remembered locales where my new item could take me somewhere new. There was no real destination, I was just trying to see all that I could see. And making a point of not leaving a place until EVERY scannable item was green only helped that feeling.
The bosses in this game were seriously great. There weren't ever any foes where you just had to keep shooting them and shooting them. They all made you use your items to the best of your abilities. Except one of the last ones. That one felt more like "aaaaaaah run and get away and keep shooting it!" than anything. But excluding that, everything felt very fresh. Especially encounters that made you use the new boost ball mechanic while spider-balling. I recall a couple boss fights and tons of puzzles that used that new setup, and I personally think it's the coolest new mechanic presented in the whole game. (For the clueless, I'm referring to how you can launch yourself from spider ball tracks with the boost ball.)
And let me write a bit about the multiplayer. To be perfectly honest, there wasn't a single round of the game that wasn't a complete blast. I keep hearing lukewarm impressions of the mode, and I keep getting confused by them. I was completely expecting to be utterly underwhelmed by the multiplayer, which is perhaps why it surprised me so much. Even the bounty mode, which I expected to like the LEAST, I think I ended up liking the MOST. I think the reason it's so much fun for me and so little fun for others, however, is because of who I play with. I played with two other people who were big fans of the original Metroid Prime. As such, they already understood how to control the game, and the theory behind its mechanics. They didn't try and play it like a normal FPS, they played it like it was Metroid Prime. And I think under those circumstances, we were all able to play it for what it really was. The majority of the no-fun present in Prime 2s multiplayer stems from people trying to play it like a standard FPS. If you get past that and play with people who love the series just as much as you, I think you'll find the true fun buried within. I don't expect to be playing it years from now, but it's definitely not the crap-fest that many have made it out to be.
I beat the game having missed ONE scan, and it's a scan that I can't go back and get. So I am slightly irate about that. I guess when I play through on hard, I'll try again for the 100% scans. Just like Prime 1. I was kinda looking forward to going though without having to be too scan-conscious, though. Oh well. Without spoiling anything, I really like how they personified Dark Samus throughout the game. It seemed to be struggling with itself at times, and reaching out to Samus. Whether it was a cry for help or the manifestation of its pure hatred for her has yet to be seen, though. Very interesting stuff nonetheless.