When GoldenEye
was released many believed the first-person genre, although
exhilarating and entertaining, had reached its peak as far
as innovation. But time moved on and like every great form
of art new candidates arose. Deus Ex, the first
RPG-Adventure, cast players in the role of a Metal
Gear-style spy espionage plot that rocked the gaming world.
The first-person genre was revitalized and now it seemed
there were many more places it could go. Halo is a testament
to that with its unparalleled game design and ingenuity it
single-handedly made the XBox worth purchasing. Before these
landmark games, many believed first-person shooters to be
for online frag fest or simply to blow apart as many
assailants as possible. Now, we can see that the seeds have
been planted and this seemingly linear genre is now the
garden for the best single player experiences ever. Oops,
did I mention Half-life? Several designers and programmers
working on Metroid Prime came from none other than Valve,
the development house behind the most infectious PC shooter
of all time, Half-life. To many, it is just the host to the
uber popular Counter-Strike, but to some it was its
compelling one-player storyline that engrossed fans to no
end. Now, take the mechanics of all these incredible games,
Halo, Deus Ex, GoldenEye and Half-life and carefully craft
these elements around the world of Metroid and what do you
have? Possibly the greatest game of 2002.
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The
Combat Visor |
Take into
account the precise jumping and movements from previous
Metroid games, how will Retro identify these problems? While
the answer is not known, we can rest assured it will not be
anything like Turok or Half-life, were jumping from
platform-to-platform was as painful as giving your dead
grandmother an upper thigh massage. The 3rd-person
feature I mentioned earlier is integral to the game. Metroid
Prime is truly a hybrid game and a unique experience all its
own. In the Legend of Zelda: OoT what happened when Link
approached a gap? He automatically jumps it without any
worry of precise jumping. This could be the case with
Metroid Prime but what about all those extremely high jumps
the game is so famous for? The latest pics of Metroid Prime
reveal something very intriguing- the “Combat Visor”.
This [Combat Visor] is most likely the standard viewpoint
but suggest different perspectives for certain situations,
i.e., “Thermal Visor”, “X-Ray Visor” or
“Navigation Mode”. The latter of which would be used for
large rooms with several platforms and enemies. One aspect
of previous Metroid titles was avoiding enemies on the
almost impossibly spaced platforms. A Navigation Mode would
fix the camera perspective in a given room for easy
accessibility to higher areas. Remember kids, this is only a
theory and is not fact, as Nintendo has not revealed any
gameplay features in Metroid Prime.
Another
nuance I’ve seen debated in many forums is the games
distinct heritage in the 2D domain. Many believe it will be
hard to implement all the items from Super Metroid, such as
the grappling beam, screw attack, wall jump, light speed,
bombs, morph ball and space jump. But, if you read my last
paragraph I may have directly solved all these problems by
observing the few details revealed in Nintendo Power. The
“Combat Visor” would allow for X-Ray vision as well as
the grappling beam while the morph ball was shown in another
picture via 3rd-person. (This would suggest the
use of bombs and possibly the spider ball) The screw attack,
space jump and wall jump would be directed to my theory of
the “Navigation Mode”, or whatever Nintendo may call it.
(I’m basing this on the few 3rd-person screen
shots we’ve seen) Only certain rooms would call for
precise jumping and in these rooms the game would shift to a
fixed position that would adjust when Samus reaches higher
platforms. (Think of Resident Evil-style fixed camera with
Mario 64 maneuverability.) You’ll notice in the
“swampy” picture given in Nintendo Power that Samus is
looking down on some platforms a good 50 feet away, not a
simple jump in first-person. (In fact it would be quite hair
pulling) One way of avoiding such a questionable jump is an
idea I’ve seen floating around the forums, precision
jumping. This unique attribute would grant Samus the ease of
targeting a platform (similar to targeting an enemy in Zelda
64) and pressing the jump button, which would seamlessly
cast her to the next ledge without worry. During the
duration of ascent and descent the player could have
complete freedom over aiming their cannon or morphing and
dropping bombs. Precision jumping could also be used on
enemies, only Samus would recognize the threat and use a
screw attack. A free form of the screw attack in 3rd-person
mode is entirely possible given the screens from Space World
2001 and Nintendo Power. Being in Navigation Mode would
prevent Samus from using her cannon but allow her to jump
and morph freely, giving her access to all her items.
One unique attribute from Metroid is that the areas are
divided into separate rooms, separating the game, in terms
of architecture, from others in its genre. If we study the
3D map in the screens we’ll notice this is the case as the
rooms are indeed divided by doors or hallways. I know what
you’re thinking, “but ALL FPS games have doors and
such!” I agree but they do not execute doors in the same
manner as Metroid. Rooms in this series are just that, giant
rooms with no mini-sections but linear structures featuring
advance design to give them the illusion of non-linear
constructions. (Remember the blue bubble doors from past
installments?) Each room is delicately modeled for the
purpose of navigation. Samus enters a room to make it to the
next room and repeats the process until she stumbles upon a
hidden item or boss, and her one mission is to destroy the Metroid.
The beauty of
Metroid is its ability to engross players in a world that
transcends all worlds by creating an intelligent design of
areas that eventually leads to an over-the-top finale. Each
room in Super Metroid helped build the overwhelming tone of
the game by laying the foundation of a world that was
created by an ancient race but destroyed by its own
creations. Now, Samus is in those ruins and can visibly see
the scars left behind and players feel that they are now in
a place they can never escape.
Another
interesting feature, if true, is the ability to receive
damage in the form of visible impact. One picture may
suggest that Samus’ visor is heavily cracked down the
center and to the side indicating a new twist to damage
control. Incurring damage could have several affects on
Samus if she doesn’t properly repair her suit. A cracked
visor could eventually impede her from using her radar or
on-screen map. It could also increase the amount of damage
she receives or simply obstruct her view. Of course the
crack in the screen shot could simple be vegetation growing
over the background but if it is a crack
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A
Crack or a Plant? |
then it will be for a
substantial purpose, rather than aesthetic. Also, if you
notice the small targeting reticule icon in the bottom left
corner this may indicate the current choice of controls. An
alternate icon could show an eye, signifying different
controls for jumping and exploring. The other interesting
note is the one picture with two circles encompassing one of
the approaching creatures. It appears to be a targeting
assistant, similar in arcade gun games where a bombastic
circle zeros in on enemies around the room. Also notice the
strange hand in the bottom right corner of each screen, I
have no clue what this could be referring to but I’m sure
we’ll find out soon. Could it be the alternate icon I was
mentioning? A “non-Combat” mode perhaps?
The icing on
the cake is probably the most obscure hint Retro Studios has
given us that harks back to the E3 2001 days. Remember that
promo teaser trailer with the cool hand drawn characters? If
you read the flashing text closely you’ll notice some very
hard evidence that Metroid Prime may well be a sequel to
Super Metroid and not a prequel as so many believe. Snippets
from the text say: (Thanks to sk8er08 from the IGN Boards
for revealing this information)
“The
Metroid in suspended isolation could easily be brought back
to life and exposure to beta rays was all that was needed to
cause it to multiply. This highly dangerous creature will
cling to any other creature and suck away its victim's
energy.”
“METROIDS...
...
ALPHA METROID
This is the ... of a Metroid...
first molting.
GAMMA METROID
After molting from the...
the metroid will grow much...
the ... to attack with...
ZETA METROID”
The Metroid
2: Return of Samus instruction manual states the
following:
“METROID
This is their first shape after hatching from eggs. They
will cling to any creature
that they can find, drawing its victim's life energy away.
ALPHA METROID
This the [sic] shape of a Metroid after its first molting.
GAMMA METROID
After molting from the lesser mutation, the Metroids will
grow much larger, gaining
the power to attack with lightning bolts.
ZETAMETROID
Multiple mutations will cause a Metroid to continue to grow
into an even larger
and more powerful adversary.”
Now compare the two if you will- Retro Studios may have
intentionally put these clues in the video to confirm
Metroid Prime as a sequel or it could be for no other reason
than to add excitement. Either way this is intriguing news
and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Metroid Prime
will do more than transpose this tone from Super Metroid
but, I believe, will take it to the next level. Seeing the
reflection of creatures on her visor flanking Samus will
immerse players in this ambient world of forgotten fantasy.
Retro Studios has been working on this title for well over a
year now (eventually adding up to over two years) and has
implemented features never before seen in a FPS game, or at
the very least, never achieved so gracefully. Combat,
exploration, challenge and mood will have never been so well
balanced. Nintendo damn well realizes how imperative the
Metroid franchise is and how much potential it has to
continue as a hardcore-based series. Nintendo has cancelled
projects before when development takes a turn for the worse.
Metroid Prime has been in production for over a year, has
been advertised along side the GameCube at launch is, to
many, the most anticipated title in history. Retro Studios
has the most advance game studio in America, their entire
team is devoted to a single game and legendary father of
Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, is overseeing the project
himself- Life is beautiful.
