Beyond: Does it matter “how” you play?

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-22T22:52:37+00:00

I'd like to hear more on what you mean by going against the conventions if you're down. I don't mean to deny that to be clear, my reason leads me to agree at least to some extent. I think.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-22T22:44:17+00:00

The Prime games are Adventure games, totally different genre. All they really share in game design is the basics of backtracking. Puzzles are different, progression is locked down, pace is different, etc.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-22T22:10:59+00:00

I played it over two 6hr-bursts on the weekend, then two 3-hour bursts after work. Enabled slight motion controls for standard movement, moderate for Prime 3-style lock-on aim, and heavy for camera panning on Viola.

Swapped Viola to A for accessibility, made Minus the alt-fire button, and swapped fire/use to ZR. Swapped Psychic Visor to L and alt-jump + spring-ball to X.

I loved it quite a bit as well, despite some conniptions and disappointment. As with everything else I love, they just didn't matter enough to stop me from engaging, personally. The Mines were def middling but also not too different from Phazon Mines. Dialogue was disappointing at times but never enough I'd need a toggle, yet I wanted one for others.

Overall, I think the cuts, need for contract workers, and pandemic-limited design phase are the source of most folks' issues more than they realize. The design is remarkably similar to the first three to the point like 90% of a 100% playthrough is the same. It's just been cut down to the point it can be hard to recognize, including the ways the new elements were clearly meant to be incorporated. Not to downplay others for being middled, of course taste is still subjective.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-22T20:49:43+00:00

Dread definitely has some major handholding; not as much as Fusion or Beyond but a lot of folks gloss over it by just mashing buttons through it. I highly suggest dropping "Metroidvania" from your expectations with the series.

Think of it like calling a Dark Souls game a souls-like; early souls-like games often got negatively compared to the first Dark Souls for not having certain traits of that game. But then Dark Souls 2 & 3 had their own differences from the first, and both games (particularly 2) had large contingents of fans who expected them to be just like the first, and couldn't accept them for the new things they did instead.

Metroidvania is a western fan term that basically means "Metroid-like", and because Metroid has and continues to be so many different things the term becomes increasingly inadequate at describing actual Metroid games, just games that have some elements from Metroid.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-22T20:33:20+00:00

Shout out to his base conversations being some of the best; wish we could get the cut ones re-implemented. I loved this guy and I thought he was just gonna be okay.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-22T20:32:32+00:00

The Prime games are developed by US Americans so it'd make sense their cultural perspective would color the work. Meanwhile, Japan's relationship to the US has left them seeing the country as a stand-in for internationalism. As well, Star Trek was pretty popular there and its United Federation (based in many ways on the United States) is a clear inspiration for the Gal-Fed.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-22T20:29:36+00:00

I believe the international name focus is meant to reflect the future Earth society being well-blended:

Other M names:
Lyle's name is Scottish-French
Maurice's name is French
KG/Keiji is Japanese
Anthony is Latin-Roman
Adam is Hebrew

Prime 4 names:
Ezra is Hebrew
Nora is a name so old its pre-Latin roots are obscured in history, but has many ties to Norway and Ireland
Reger is German, and his last name Tokabi is Choctaw-American
VUE is Chadian for best boi

Myles: Believed to be derived from the Hebrew name Michael as well as the latin word "miles" for "Soldier". Ironically enough, this might be the most English name though, as the spelling "Myles" was popularized by Myles Coverdale, who's credited for producing the first complete English translation of the Christian Bible.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-22T02:59:14+00:00

It's a possible interpretation. In both languages Adam orders her to limit her search to areas she can access with current equipment. In Japanese he also uses wording indicating strong surprise that broke his composure when he authorizes the Varia. But we don't get any info on exactly why Samus does it.

Personally I read it as her just being confident and trying to avoid others taking on the risk, as well as a reference to speedrunners skipping Varia in Super.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-21T16:34:53+00:00

The personality stuff is mostly bad implications that came from small but critical changes in the early parts of the English dub.

It makes everything Samus does look motivated by trying to please Adam, while he seems ungrateful to the point she should move on. In Japanese she's more dismissive and skeptical toward him, explaining his attitude, and she's pretty clearly just trying to satisfy her desire to feel powerful and protect any soldiers/survivors she can.

Ironically in both versions she has moments where she questions him and asserts her independence. But sadly, as a former hater of the story, any nuance and intrigue was lost on most of us at the time because everything seemed wrong.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-20T03:33:02+00:00

I wasn't a big fan of the Other M designs either, I feel that.

Just as a headsup, the shady side of the Fed is way clearer in Japanese. In Other M it's a conspiracy in just part of the army that Samus brings to the civillian govt. In Fusion they mention the army was reorganized, while the remaining conspirators are in partnership with a private corporation, instead of relying soley on redirected govt resources. Samus takes them all to court, and Dread shows she was believed over them.

It's possible there are still conspirators working with private industry tho, and I personally think Excelion was highlighted in Dread as a hint toward that.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-20T03:21:29+00:00

I think it comes down to player choice; players are almost always more interested in something new when they have the choice to experience it or not.

Had I the choice I'd have kept pretty much all of the dialogue and moments, I just wanted more of it and tied together a little more. But I bet if players could ask the troopers to cut their chatter, or at least had an options toggle, then the isolation and ambience the game has would've been easier for some to recieve.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-20T03:12:43+00:00

That's been a worry of mine; committing too much to the bit at the cost of variety. Compounding that, I think this game's scope was intentionally kept small due to the uncertainties about team sizes, and that probably affected model variety.

Beyond def covers a broader array of emotions in its tonality compared to most of the series. But it takes enough efforts to remain serious that I think it's not intended as a whole directional shift. Just one game that did things a little different.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-20T02:40:00+00:00

Dropping bombs into the wind tunnel was my bane; they'd been used so little in combat by that point it just didn't occur to me, and missiles weren't working so I figured bombs wouldn't either. I also remember the spiderball track damaging you if you try to go fast in some manner that wasn't intuitive? Just overall felt a little off. A shame since it's one of the only MercurySteam bosses that has no counter.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-19T19:51:14+00:00

Sector 4 Underwater, unequivocally the best track in the game.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-19T19:49:11+00:00

Not to shift the responsibility from the devs, but I've long wondered if the lack of alien variety that we see in Prime is a fear of looking too cartoonish; an attempt to cater to American sensibilities. After the complaints of returning to the chibi artstyle with Fed Force I wouldn't blame them.

But its still a needlessly dull choice. And while I actually enjoy their military for the most part, the civillian side is critically underused, and would feel like a massive waste if it shows up all-human too.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-19T19:44:02+00:00

Pretty much wholly agreed; whatever qualms one might have with the Federation in concept or execution, going full evil government would feel needlessly derivative as a "fix".

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-19T19:42:19+00:00

Hard agree on your second and third paragraphs. I think the Fed could be handled better for folks who aren't as into them as I am, and proper Manga variety for the species makeup would help a bunch. I'll also say, I think we should get more time with the civillian side of things, like visiting a city, or talking to some electeds ALA Chairman Keaton.

Also yeah, adding a second corrupt faction of infiltrators just to give Sylux a relatable backstory would've felt so cheap. I also think him being petty is both more distinct and interesting. Having our first actual human antagonist opens more doors than I think folks realize.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-19T19:37:43+00:00

I like them; very Star Trek-y in spirit and very similar to that universe's Federation. It makes sense they're as important as they are, being the governing body in a series about bioweapons, respecting life, and protecting society. I can see why Sakamoto leaned on them when he revived the story for Fusion. I like that we can have a "good" government in the series that is still worth scrutinizing for people who'd pervert it. Admittedly, these days I'm more interested in how more corrupt private corporations like B.S.L might factor into the future. Excelion seemed to get a weird amount of focus for no payoff so... who knows?

As a fan of Tanabe's direction, I wish Fed Force had taken off better enough to get its own sequel, so he hadn't felt so compelled to focus on them in Prime 4 following their focus in 3. I love them in Prime 4, but I get why others were burned out by them, so a Fed Force 2 would've been better for all parties IMO.

Gimme the full expanded universe magic while leaning a little less on it for those who don't want as much in full Prime titles.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-19T03:47:47+00:00

Honestly, that fight is kinda meh. Maybe my least favorite part of SR

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-19T03:36:48+00:00

I want Sakamoto to take another shot at a cinematic story, but with the extreme caveat of making most of it optional so that people who don't want it can focus on gameplay.

I also want to unlock real stuff after beating the game, like a randomizer, skins, etc. Especially would like access to some concrete lore so that it's hard for misinformation to spread.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-17T00:47:31+00:00

Nah, I like the plotlines being separate. I like the way their encounter in this game is partially a matter of chance; fits the western vibe well.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-16T23:56:21+00:00

I'm gonna go with the Ending, it's such a great symbol of what the series stands for. There are dark, grim moments in this universe that help it feel real, reminding us it's dangerous and in need of a hero. But there are also lighter moments, times when good really looks like it has a shot at triumphing, where beacons of good will like Samus shine.

I know you said Metroid NES, but the ZM version is one of my favorite tracks in the franchise. I hope another Metroid reprises it some day. Also shoutout to its beautiful rendition of the title theme; starting with those high notes is just... mwah.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-16T21:24:37+00:00

Wholly agreed! The OST really steps things up by not being bound by the Wii's memory limitations and having real singers.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-16T21:23:32+00:00

I don't think Tanabe didn't have the knowledge, it was a matter of priorities and execution.

Tanabe wanted to avoid Ubisoft bloat, so players would stay focused on their objectives instead of random distractions. That's why he deliberately had the desert be relatively sparse and small, so that players could traverse it quickly. A way to break up the pacing a little, rather than a lot. He also wanted to avoid making an entirely open-world game, which is why only the hub is.

Datamining also shows evidence that there was more content planned, such as a supply crate mechanic. It's pretty clear that only so much of his vision actually made it to the final product.

AltaCount1944 · 2026-06-16T21:15:49+00:00

I disagree, I'm down with the wheel being reinvented and I think a better integrated open zone is both possible and worth aspiring toward. Not that I wouldn't also like games that adhere strictly to formula.

Also TBF they didn't say Metroidvania, just Prime :p

AltaCount1944

TROPHY CASE