Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | Nintendo Direct Trailer

[queenzelda]

Samus now owns a mother trucking speed bike, which I'm for more so it seems to be the way you can get from one place to another on the alien world you're on. Instead of just using her spaceship, perusal.

[Maniakkid25]

...I am both intrigued and concerned by this game.

On the one hand, bringing back Sylux is an inspired idea. We always knew Metroid Prime Hunters was canon, so bringing on of the hunters back makes sense for a Prime game. The gameplay shown is an interesting evolution on the Prime formula, even if I'm saddened that they look like they've fallen into the "open world" trap with the bike. True, Metroid has always been about exploration, so it's a natural progression, but I'm just sick of every game being open world these days.

However, I have two major concerns: the psychic abilities, and the name.

For the psychic abilities, this seems like a great way to get Metroid to Jump the Shark. For those that don't know the lingo, "Jumping the Shark" comes from the old Sitcom Happy Days, where major character Fonzie literally jumps a shark. It represents the point that a series has gone past its prime (heh), and is basically the mark of the "beginning of the end". Psychic abilities in a reasonably serious sci-fi series is a good way to jump that shark. I am willing to be wrong on this, but this REEKS of a bad idea.

My second concern is the name, as I alluded to in posts at the beginning of this thread. I'll give up the ghost at this point, and just spoil the Prime Sub-series, so don't click if you don't want to know.

Metroid Prime spoilers go here

Metroid Prime was more than just a viewpoint; it had meaning. The name of the sub-series came from the final boss of the first game: Metroid Prime. It was a Metroid that had been mutated by Phazon to protect the Phazon meteor that landed on Tallon IV. Phazon is the sub-series' binding plot Phlebotium (a critical substance that develops a plot). The defeat of Metroid Prime was a massive climax, and it had a consequence if you got 100% items: Metroid Prime wasn't killed. With the help of the Phazon suit, Metroid Prime was able to reconstitute as Dark Samus, the prevailing villain of the next two games. While Hunters may have strayed from this, the whole sub-series' main villain and driving plot force was DESTROYED in Metroid Prime 3! SO WHY WOULD YOU NAME THIS METROID PRIME 4?!

I'll be the first to admit: the game looks REALLY FREAKING GOOD! If Retro Studios has still got the goods, more power to them. I just wouldn't have named it "Metroid Prime 4". I like the "Beyond" subtitle; I think I would have just called it "Metroid Beyond". But, I'm not in charge of Nintendo's creative decisions, so hopefully I'll be proven wrong.

I swear to god, if they bring back Phazon, I'm going to have a stroke...

[Moonface]

The gameplay shown is an interesting evolution on the Prime formula, even if I'm saddened that they look like they've fallen into the "open world" trap with the bike. True, Metroid has always been about exploration, so it's a natural progression, but I'm just sick of every game being open world these days.

Yeah, when the bike was first revealed it felt off to me, and watching the trailer again I'm still unsure on it. I think the biggest concern I have with it is that it doesn't look like the bike sections will have any Metroidvania style gameplay and that stuff will be kept to on-foot areas, which would mean you might drive to an area only to find you can't proceed through it on foot because you lack an ability. I've only played Dread, but if that game has a similar approach to other Metroid games then every time I found something I needed to come back to later it was something I naturally passed while going through an area. Going out of my way to something on the map to discover I can't do anything there yet seems odd to me if that's what this game ends up doing, and if it were to happen enough times I'd just opt to skip any optional areas found on the bike in favor of the main questline so I can just get all the abilities and go back to searching on the bike later when I know what I'll find won't just turn me away.


I never knew the name Metroid Prime was related to a very particular thing in the games and always just associated it with the 3D FPS Metroid games. I'm wondering if that's why they didn't change the name for this game since calling it Metroid Beyond would be the same naming convention as things like Metroid Dread. It could also just be that this game continues with things established in the Prime series already and it's easier to retain the name for easy categorization rather than give it a new name and then leave players confused at things coming up that were already explained/shown in a prior Prime title.