Super Metroid Appreciation Station

[BusbyBerkeley]

Yup! I think that's about all it does though. Lets you boot into it from the Wii U menu instead of having to open up the virtual Wii homescreen first. Also lets you use Pro Controllers I think?

[JonCole]

Also Miiverse stuff, I think.

[mikemariano]

I am going to threadjack and post this incredibly powerful, personal essay to make this the Metroid II: The Return of Samus Appreciation Station.

 

The essay does a terrific job of explaining how the soundscape, map layout, and enemy respawn rules of the game all comment on the ecocidal horror at the heart of this and the other Metroid games.  Samus Aran has never been a more fascinating character—and Metroid never a more fascinating series for me—than in Metroid II.

 

The essay also articulates the things I've always hated about Super Metroid—Samus is back to a killing machine who cares more about fuzzy ostriches than her baby!

[Henroid]

In the normal sequence, beating the Spore Spawn will get you the super missiles (hence why the door in the picture is green).  I don't totally remember either but I'm pretty sure you encounter it before Kraid.  It's hard to remember the "correct" sequence after watching so many speed runs.

Yeah, Spore Spawn is by-intended-design before Kraid, and the reward is Super Missiles. For beating Kraid you get the Varia Suit, which lets you go deeper into Norfair (before that point, you go to Norfair for the High Jump).

 

Common speedrun tactic is to get the Super Missiles before Spore Spawn even, and if people really know what they're doing you can skip Spore Spawn entirely; even to get the SM pack it guards. It involves very excellent timing with a near-death recovery move. I can't always nail it so I end up wasting minutes on running up to Spore Spawn.

[Patrick R]

Playing through it for the first time, inspired by this thread. 

 

Best Moment So Far: that first loop back to the spaceship after you get the powerbombs and you're revisiting the first area, except you're totally powered up and badass so the music is no longer scary because what do you have to fear of these puny little creatures?

 

Worst Moment So Far: Dying shortly after that and losing about 30 minutes of progress.

[Griddlelol]

So I beat Super Metroid over the weekend. Damn, the ending was fantastic. I've not had a smile on my face when finishing a game like I did with SM in a long time, it has this amazing ability to make you feel like a complete badass, but also make you feel totally helpless at times. 

 

Now for what I hated: After I beat Ridley, I had literally no idea where to go. I spent about 4 hours wandering around until finally

I looked it up in a guide and walked through the wall at the top of the place with the boulders. The bit I hated was that all the time I was playing I thought about how amazing the Xray scope was. It took away almost all the guess work because you could simply look for places rather than randomly bombing everything. However, you can't see that there's a passage way past this wall with the xray scope. It just felt like a huge failure to adhere to the game's design: exploration. That part wasn't exploration, it was random chance that you'd find it, or it requires you to look it up.

 

I think the reason that irritated me so much was because how much fun I was having overall. I have no nostalgia for the SNES era, I never owned one, and any time I try to play a 16-bit game I go for about an hour before shrugging and getting bored. That didn't happen with Super Metroid, it's held up fantastically well, and seriously deserves its place in the gaming hall of fame. 

 

More excitingly, I now totally get why people love the Metroid series. I'm a convert. 

 

Now to play the Prime Trilogy...and buy a Samus amiibo. 

[Sno]

It's a small distinction, but it's one i feel like i have to make. The version of Metroid Prime in Trilogy, in its various tweaks and more generally as a result of updating to the engine used with Echoes, loses a bunch of small graphical details and is the worse looking version of the game. That's the trade-off you're making for "improved" control. (Well, and ease of availability.)

The other two games in Trilogy are fine, and Echoes actually receives some fairly beneficial rebalancing, since some of the bosses are infuriatingly difficult in the original release. I haven't actually played all the way through Echoes in Trilogy, but i understand that the primary offenders were made a fair bit easier.

 

The GBA Metroids are also very much worth playing. Or at least Zero Mission is, but Fusion is probably worth a run too. I don't personally have a ton of love for Fusion, It's linear and has a bad and unskippable story, but it's a well made 2D Metroid with some clever scenarios and fun bosses. Zero Mission, on the the other hand, is pretty uniformly terrific.

 

If you keep going down that road, the next step on from those would be... I don't know, probably Metroid 2 or the original Metroid. I think the original Metroid is very primordial and hard to go back to, while Metroid 2 feels like it crystalized into something that remains familiar. The environments are clearly defined and more easily navigated, the general aesthetic settles into its still recognizable form, save stations are in place, and Samus gains a more fleshed out set of possible actions. I also love it for just being implausibly atmospheric and forboding given the hardware it was released on.

After that, you'd get out into games that are not easily available anymore, like Hunters and Other M. Hunters is a game i like and think is underrated, Other M is... mechanically ambitious and interesting, but weighed down by a bloated and gross narrative.

[eot]

Now for what I hated: After I beat Ridley, I had literally no idea where to go. I spent about 4 hours wandering around until finally

I looked it up in a guide and walked through the wall at the top of the place with the boulders. The bit I hated was that all the time I was playing I thought about how amazing the Xray scope was. It took away almost all the guess work because you could simply look for places rather than randomly bombing everything. However, you can't see that there's a passage way past this wall with the xray scope. It just felt like a huge failure to adhere to the game's design: exploration. That part wasn't exploration, it was random chance that you'd find it, or it requires you to look it up.

 

I think the reason that irritated me so much was because how much fun I was having overall. I have no nostalgia for the SNES era, I never owned one, and any time I try to play a 16-bit game I go for about an hour before shrugging and getting bored. That didn't happen with Super Metroid, it's held up fantastically well, and seriously deserves its place in the gaming hall of fame.

Ah, that's annyoing. I wonder if it's an oversight or if it's meant to be a secret since there's another way out of there (back through the large lava room). I never used the x-ray scope much myself, it's a bit cumbersome to select and use constantly, so I guess I just tried going through that wall.

[Griddlelol]

It's a small distinction, but it's one i feel like i have to make. The version of Metroid Prime in Trilogy, in its various tweaks and more generally as a result of updating to the engine used with Echoes, loses a bunch of small graphical details and is the worse looking version of the game. That's the trade-off you're making for "improved" control. (Well, and ease of availability.)

 

I'm not too worried if it's a slightly worse version of the game. I get to play it, I wouldn't if I tried to buy the trilogy (and it was essentially a £2.50 game).

 

I really liked the Xray, yeah it's annoying to select, but it took away that annoying feeling of having absolutely no clue what to do when you're lost. I'd just pull it out if and scan things if I had no idea where to go. 

[SecretAsianMan]

I'll once again echo Sno's sentiments. 

 

Prime is fantastic, though I didn't care as much for 2 or 3 (not that they're bad, I just enjoyed the first one so much more). 

 

Zero Mission is an enhanced remake of the original Metroid with Super style gameplay and some additional sequences (most notably the introduction of Zero Suit Samus).

 

Fusion has some good gameplay and a few interesting sequences as well, but because of it's linear nature it lacks the exploration incentive of the other games.  The story is terrible though.

 

I don't personally like Metroid 2 but that's not because it's a bad game.  Both it and the original Metroid are going to feel very limited in comparison to Super.  Super added so many things that are now staples of the series like the speedbooster and power bombs (although Metroid 2 does have one ability not found in any other game outside the Prime trilogy, the Spider Ball).

 

Other M is very action oriented and has some great combat moments, but the story is the worst thing to ever happen to the Metroid series.

[Griddlelol]

I think I'm content with playing Super as the single 2D entry into the series. It is the Metroid game as far as many people are concerned. I might give Zero a go, but I'm much more interested in playing the Prime trilogy. I did play about 5 mins of Prime on Sunday (my nunchuck keeps disconnecting randomly, so I need to buy a new mote/chuck because I have no idea which one is at fault), and the movement felt weird. I hope it's something that's easy to get used to. 

[Sno]

The only thing i can think of to say is that you must not ignore the lock-on in the Prime games. Trilogy brings twin-input free-aim to the first two, but despite the first-person perspective, they are not first-person shooters. They're still fundamentally games built around locking onto a point and swinging around the target with evasive dodges. (Tap jump while locked-on and holding left or right.)

 

 

Prime is fantastic, though I didn't care as much for 2 or 3 (not that they're bad, I just enjoyed the first one so much more).

 

Echoes has some mechanics that confer a distinctive survival gameplay vibe that i really dig, but the world design doesn't have any especially coherent flow, and it's easy to get lost. It also just has some really terrible boss fights which are apparently addressed in Trilogy.

Corruption does some pretty terrific things with the Wii Remote, it's still one of the best uses of that thing in the Wii's entire library. It's also little more focused and story-centric than many other games in the series, but hits a nice balance with it that doesn't feel like it detracts from the other elements of the game.

They're both very, very good games, but neither have the same impact of the first Prime, where it's just utterly thrilling to see the formula carried into 3D so cleanly and with so much attentive nuance.

[SecretAsianMan]

I almost used my Club Nintendo coins on Super Metroid, but it was pointed out to me that it's the Wii version, which means I'd have to play it on my Wii U in the Wii emulated mode with a classic controller, which I don't have.

 

The Wii U version of Super Metroid is available now as a reward.  I think I might get that.  Also it's somehow cheaper than the Wii version?

[Sleef]

I've gotta go SM on this one. No disrespect to LttP but NES Metroid might be my favorite game ever and SM was an intensely worthy sequel.

Even though I had a Game Boy, I somehow missed Metroid II. There's a cool looking, full-color fan remake in the works with a working demo. It looks like they've made a few minor changes so I'll probably try to play it with a Super Game Boy first, then try the remake.

Back to the NES, Metroid was enthralling. I'd never played anything like it and kinda feel like I still haven't. The music is perfect and I remember it creeping me out right when I wasn't sure how deep into the rabbit hole I'd gone.

It's a shame they seem to have sullied Samus with the newer games, making her less empowered and badass. (Cue death threats from GG.)

Anyway, I'm back into gaming after a long time of just playing here and there. My buddy recommended the Idle Thumbs podcast and I love it. I was delighted to join the forum and find a Metroid thread right away. SM forever!

[GavinTheAlmighty]

Ah, that's annyoing. I wonder if it's an oversight or if it's meant to be a secret since there's another way out of there (back through the large lava room). I never used the x-ray scope much myself, it's a bit cumbersome to select and use constantly, so I guess I just tried going through that wall.

 

That was the one area I got "stuck" on as well.  It's the only area in the game where some measure of counter-intuitive progress is required - there's nothing to indicate that there is anything beyond that wall, whereas other places that require bombing at least showed a gap under a platform, or were made visible through a map (such as the Super Missile wall blocking access to Kraid).

 

The first few times I played it, I went back through the lava room.  I think I found out that you could walk straight through that wall by complete accident.

[Griddlelol]

That part reminds me of the Illusory walls in Dark Souls.

 

I guess inevitably you'd find it. There aren't that many places you can go after beating Ridley, but it's just down to chance, and I bet back in the day a lot of people quit there. 

[N1njaSquirrel]

After reading this thread, I've gone back to my old save, and I am hopelessly stuck. I have done the pipe, but I haven't got the gravity suit. There's a long corridor of sand that I get stuck in. I haven't got the grappling hook either. What should I do guys?

[Henroid]

After reading this thread, I've gone back to my old save, and I am hopelessly stuck. I have done the pipe, but I haven't got the gravity suit. There's a long corridor of sand that I get stuck in. I haven't got the grappling hook either. What should I do guys?

Get to Norfair. Did you fight Crocomire? The red mini-boss with many eyes? The Grappling Beam is beyond it.

 

The Gravity Suit is from the Wrecked Ship, accessed on the surface. Necessary for traversing Maridia. You'll have to fight the Phantoon boss.

 

These are pretty vague instructions just to be clear. If you want room-by-room instruction I could write that out.

[N1njaSquirrel]

I don't think so. Ok! onward to norfair!

[Griddlelol]

I played about 3 hours of Prime over the weekend.

 

I think it's a better game, if only because it was easier to get immersed in the world than Super.

[N1njaSquirrel]

Progress Report: I got the gravity suit! that was a lot of fun! Now onwards to new and exciting adventures!

 

 

I played about 3 hours of Prime over the weekend.

 

So did I. Without being 'that guy', the wii controls are really awkward and hard to get used to. I played Prime on my GC and I wish that they had the option to use a controller instead of fighting with the motion controls. Not that they're badly implemented too, I just really dislike them.

 

Edit: Also the pop-up achievements were slightly irritating. And was there a narrator at the beginning of prime? I don't remember one in the GC version, but I don't remember much about the game in the first place.

[Griddlelol]

So did I. Without being 'that guy', the wii controls are really awkward and hard to get used to. I played Prime on my GC and I wish that they had the option to use a controller instead of fighting with the motion controls. Not that they're badly implemented too, I just really dislike them.

 

Edit: Also the pop-up achievements were slightly irritating. And was there a narrator at the beginning of prime? I don't remember one in the GC version, but I don't remember much about the game in the first place.

 

The settings need tweaking: Set "free aim while lock on" to "off" and set "switch jump and shoot" to "on" and it'll fix everything. I found the controls to be incredible after that. The only thing it needed was a 180 degree turn button. Turning around takes so long with a wiimote.

 

I never saw a single pop-up achievement in Prime. Unless you mean like "You killed boss X" which I thought were in the GC version, and aren't exactly intrusive. 

 

I'm really into Prime, I just wish I could suspend/resume. Not a quick save like in VC, but a I struggle to play games with limited save points because they require a time investment. I like to be able to just sit and play for 10 minutes if I have them spare, rather than ignore the game for weeks until I get 2 hours to devote to it. It's why RPGs are best on handhelds. 

[N1njaSquirrel]

Sweet! I shall change the settings as suggested! Ta!

 

I never saw a single pop-up achievement in Prime. Unless you mean like "You killed boss X" which I thought were in the GC version, and aren't exactly intrusive. 

 

Yeah, them. After some research it turns out they're not achievements, but coins you can spend on unlocking concept art n junk. They definitely weren't in the GC version though.

[eot]

I played about 3 hours of Prime over the weekend.

 

I think it's a better game

I haven't played it

[miffy495]

Yeah, them. After some research it turns out they're not achievements, but coins you can spend on unlocking concept art n junk. They definitely weren't in the GC version though.

 

They were introduced in Corruption, and they went back and retro-fitted (heh) them into 1 and 2. I am also replaying Prime right now for the first time since I was a teenager, thanks to the Wii U release. These games are fucking great!