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Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 19th, 2017, 10:10 am
by Voor
Super metroid is my favorite game of all time, and my interest in it has been revitalized lately by how popular it remains in Speedrunning circles (world records, multiple catagories, tournaments, etc). I tune in to these weekly on Twitch and they are always a blast.

Just in time, Nintendo announced Samus Returns for 3DS to be released in September. This is supposedly a remake of the Gameboy sequel, which I never played. Early previews indicate that it will be pretty good. I'm pumped!

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 19th, 2017, 12:55 pm
by VideoGameCritic
What kills me is how long it's taken companies to bring back the 2D sequels everyone has been wanting. It's like there's been an unwritten rule for the past 20 years that game companies can only make 3D games, despite what the customers want.

Look at Sonic!

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 20th, 2017, 1:23 pm
by velcrozombie
VideoGameCritic wrote:What kills me is how long it's taken companies to bring back the 2D sequels everyone has been wanting. It's like there's been an unwritten rule for the past 20 years that game companies can only make 3D games, despite what the customers want.


Who is "everyone" in this scenario? Are the 3D Metroid games really considered inferior to the 2D games - isn't the original Metroid Prime considered just as good as Super Metroid by a lot of people? The sales figures I found don't seem to suggest that the 2D games sold better on average than the 3D games. Of course, Other M wasn't exactly a blockbuster (although over a million copies worldwide isn't bad, and not that far behind other games in the series), but that game had poor word-of-mouth and the reviews were - while not bad by any means - not above the 80-85 Metacritic threshold that gets mentioned a lot. From the limited data I could find, Metroid Prime is the either the most successful of the games sales-wise or neck-and-neck with the NES original.

It really bugs me when people try to say what "customers" want or especially what "everyone" wants. A lot of times "everyone" means "the people I'm friends with" or "a handful of vocal people on the internet".

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 20th, 2017, 5:00 pm
by jon
I agree. I remember playing Super Mario Sunshine in 2002, right in the middle of an unprecented era of no 2d games. This was before the 2d Mario on Wii. So at that point, in 2002, it had been 11 years since there was a 2d Super Mario game with Mario as the main character. That was just insane. Think about how much money Nintendo could have made by having a 2d console Mario anytime from 1991-2006. Why did they not make one? Was Nintendo also in on this push to make 2d extinct? Anyways, SMS had bonus levels that were like 2.5D. I loved playing those levels and it brought me back to the 80's playing the original Super Mario. Of course they eventually came out with more 2d Marios. But I for sure can tell that there's an anti 2d stance. If anything, this makes me realize how amazing SMS is.

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 20th, 2017, 9:02 pm
by Stalvern
Nintendo wasn't "in on" some grand conspiracy to eliminate 2D games from the market. 2D was simply out of fashion at that point. How much money would a 2D Mario game have made? Probably not all that much, coming after Super Mario 64! It would have (rightly) been judged as a backwards move by a company that still had a reputation for innovation.

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 20th, 2017, 11:36 pm
by jon
jon wrote:I agree. I remember playing Super Mario Sunshine in 2002, right in the middle of an unprecented era of no 2d games. This was before the 2d Mario on Wii. So at that point, in 2002, it had been 11 years since there was a 2d Super Mario game with Mario as the main character. That was just insane. Think about how much money Nintendo could have made by having a 2d console Mario anytime from 1991-2006. Why did they not make one? Was Nintendo also in on this push to make 2d extinct? Anyways, SMS had bonus levels that were like 2.5D. I loved playing those levels and it brought me back to the 80's playing the original Mario. Of course they eventually came out with more 2d Marios. But I for sure can tell that there's an anti 2d stance. If anything, this reminds me of how awesome SMS is.

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 21st, 2017, 6:44 am
by Rookie1
I downloaded the AM2R game a few months back. That game, to me, looks like its better than Samus Returns is going to be, especially since there is a bunch of content hidden behind amiibos.

If you have the means, get yourself AM2R. PRetty amazing game.

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 21st, 2017, 7:49 am
by Atariboy
Remember that this was the era where 2D gaming still dominated Nintendo's handhelds. They were releasing 2D Zelda, Mario, and Super Mario Brothers content during those years, it just wasn't on home consoles.

They even released one of videogaming's greatest accessories of all-time just to bring this content to the big screen in your living room, with the appearance of the Game Boy Player back around 2003.

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 21st, 2017, 8:21 am
by GTS
To answer the original question, yes I am hyped. I bought a "new" 3DS and preordered the game. I will also be getting the new Prime title, though that probably has years of development ahead of it.

As I mentioned before on other threads, a few years ago I plated through every Metroid game back to back. It was an awesome experience. I found the 3D ones equally as good as the 2D ones, and feel that we still need both styles going forward. A lot of people poo-poo 3D, but when it comes to games of exploration, the 3D concept works well. It's fun to step into a dark cave and be able to look all around you (I sense a VR opportunity).

The one gripe I have about the Metroid games is that they started having Samus talk in the later games. It took the mystery out of the character. Other M did this extensively. That game also had the worst gameplay mechanics of the series.

Re: Anyone hyped for Samus Returns

Posted: August 21st, 2017, 10:22 am
by CharlieR
VideoGameCritic wrote:What kills me is how long it's taken companies to bring back the 2D sequels everyone has been wanting. It's like there's been an unwritten rule for the past 20 years that game companies can only make 3D games, despite what the customers want.

Look at Sonic!



I like your posts like these because they focus on the big picture, making for good conversation, while still remaining relevant to the topic.

The question here that people have is who is “everyone?” I just think “everyone” in regards to the topic is a vast majority of the fans of a particular series.

I have not played it, but it sounds like Sonic Mania is a hit. A lot of people are saying that it is the best Sonic game in years, and it’s a re-imaging of games that are over twenty years old! Also, your comment about the unwritten rule is a good thought, and I think it might have to do with another point being brought up in this thread about 2d not being as cool or popular at the time.

2d or 2.5d may not have been a popular style when 3d platformers started getting big. I also think that game companies have all these resources to make a game in 3d, that they don’t want to waste in on a 2d game. Maybe they think an average 3d game will make more money than a great 2d one. I don’t know. Just a thought.

In regards to this topic, it seems like Metroid is an outlier. Sounds like most of the 3d games are as great as the 2d ones, and whereas Samus Returns is a welcome addition, Metroid Prime 4 is as well.

Most other 2d to 3d games, like Sonic for example, haven’t done as well. Maybe that is a contributing factor for why Sonic mania is so well-received, it’s a return to greatness.