Saturday, June 20, 2015

Old School Lane Presents: Thoughts on Metroid Prime Federation Force

Last week before E3 2015 started, Nintendo had the Nintendo World Championship and featured both new and old games for the competitors to play. One of the games that were featured was an brand new unreleased game under the title Blast Ball that featured 4 players shooting a ball into a goal in a sci-fi futuristic setting. When I first saw the game livestreamed on my computer, I posted these responses on Twitter.

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A few days later when Nintendo did their E3 Press Conference, I finally learned the truth. Blast Ball was an actual Metroid Prime spinoff game with the new title Metroid Prime Federation Force. 



When I first saw the trailer, I was confused and disappointed. It looked absolutely NOTHING like a Metroid game. There was no sign of Samus and had no other distinct characters or settings like Zebes, SR388, Tallon IV, Aether, etc.



But then after seeing the trailer and seeing all the complaints from Metroid fans, I thought to myself "Why are people so surprised about Metroid having a spinoff title trying to cater to other fans? Did they forget about the other spinoff titles like Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime Hunters? Nintendo has done this before to the Metroid series, so I didn't understand why people were so angry. But then I remembered when thinking back on Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime Hunters that they looked and felt like Metroid games. One of the great things about Nintendo is that they deliver great spinoff titles outside the main franchises to broaden out the demographic and, for the most part, they've been successful. The Mario series being the prime example having Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Tennis, the Mario RPG games, the Yoshi games, the Wario games, Luigi's Mansion, and even Super Smash Bros. The Kirby series is always doing new and different varieties of aesthetics and gameplay from having Kirby platforming, racing, an open world exploration game with 3 other Kirbys, a platformer with 10 Kirbys, Kirby made of yarn, Kirby made of clay, and much more.

While I'm still giving it the benefit of the doubt that the game will focus on the Galactic Federation instead of Samus. However, when I thought of a game that focused on the Galactic Federation, I wouldn't think of a sci-fi soccer game. It looks like a lot of fun, but I wouldn't really call it a Metroid game. I guess I kinda know how Banjo and Kazooie fans feel about Nuts and Bolts. On its own, it seems like a creative and colorful game with nice levels and endless possibilities of creating your own vehicle. But it has absolutely nothing to do with its predecessors which has been labeled as the black sheep of the series. So I will give Metroid Prime Federation Force a fair chance. Speaking of which...

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Oh boy. When I saw this petition, I didn't know what to think of it. I understand that the Metroid fans are very angry that the next game in the Metroid series isn't a main title. After all, it's been 5 years since Metroid: Other M was released and people have been dying for a new game in the series. Especially, since Metroid: Other M was such a jarring experience that has alienated so many fans with the story, the portrayal of Samus, and the linear game play. Even I have a hatred for Metroid: Other M, but that's a story for another time. Getting back to the main topic, the petition is going a little bit out of hand. I understand that people are not looking forward to this game. I understand that people want a new Metroid game. Trust me, I want one too. I want a new Metroid game as much as the next person. The Metroid series means a lot to me. Super Metroid is my favorite game of all time. I was so stoked when Super Metroid was one of the games played on the Nintendo World Championship 2015. I even want to do a video in the future about that topic. But you have to understand that there are so many other Nintendo IPs that has gone on longer without other installments. Before the announcement of the upcoming Star Fox Zero, there wasn't a new Star Fox game in almost a decade ever since Star Fox Command for the Nintendo DS. There hasn't been a new F-Zero game in a decade since F-Zero: GP Legend for the Game Boy Advance. Before Kid Icarus: Uprising was released in the 3DS in 2012, there hasn't been a new Kid Icarus game since Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters for the Game Boy in 1991, over 20 years later. At least we're getting a Metroid game. It may not be the one we wanted, but at least the series is still somewhat relevant to Nintendo.



The Metroid series was never a lucrative series, even back then, in Japan. Metroid and Super Metroid were critically acclaimed, but it was always overshadowed by other critically acclaimed games such as The Legend of Zelda for the NES and Donkey Kong Country for the SNES. It gained a huge massive audience in the US and still has a huge place of gamers' hearts to this day as one of the most iconic female protagonists of all time. Trust me, if there's anything that I've seen in recent years, gaming companies and the creators know what the fans want and they'll give them what they want in due time. Mother fans are finally getting Earthbound Beginnings from the NES on the WiiU's Virtual Console. Shenmue fans are finally getting Shenmue III. Square Enix fans are finally getting the Final Fantasy VII remake. I know that Nintendo will give us the Metroid game that we deserve and I can't wait when it comes out. Hey, we had to wait 8 years for Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion and they turned out to be fantastic. Let's give it some time. I'm sure it'll be well worth it.



That's all for now. Let me know in the comments below on your thoughts of Metroid Prime Federation Force. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. Thanks for reading.

-Patricia

1 comment:

  1. I suppose that Nintendo is testing the waters with the franchise again after the problems that arose with Other M. I'm of mixed feelings on the matter. While I want to see a return to classic form with a game that lets Samus shine again, the idea of expanding on the Metroid universe is intriguing. Given the right creative touch it could open up entirely new concepts that can be further explored in future games, as well as incorporating Samus into them. But we'll have to wait and see.

    As for the people who wrote that petition - seriously, what is wrong with these people? Whatever happened to "Don't like it, don't buy it"? Are they that personally offended by a game that doesn't cater to their exact desires that they think the only appropirate response is to make sure no one can play it?

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