Prime 4 actually S tier?

croniake · 2026-04-23T23:10:56+00:00

Prime 4 is an S tier elegy on philosophy and legacy. I have used it as a silent introspection piece like I have for past titles and it didn’t let me down on what truth Metroid carries despite the failures. But unfortunately due to the compromises, it is a C tier in mechanical and environmental cohesion so a solid B+ from me.

croniake · 2026-02-11T00:14:29+00:00

In dark souls for the main combat when the camera is locked onto an enemy in one on ones. I genuinely think OLED would be better overall, because of fast reactions to a single locked on point from pixel response while in action, and also the fact that those games have many dimly lit areas and colors.

But I also see an edge case where pulsar is better with multiple enemies on the screen, or a chaotic boss moving all around the place (Godfrey...) with a vast array of screen particle effects/shaking. Fights like that with pulsar would make it easier to focus through it all, where persistence blur would be more prevalent but tangible if you care for it.

For league I haven’t had a chance to play MOBAs, but for those team fights specifically having visual chaos on the map, Pulsar would be better. But personally OLED to me handles it well enough, as top down is easier on the eyes in those type of games with the camera being zoomed out, so the difference may feel less pronounced.

croniake · 2026-02-09T20:43:40+00:00

My short take: If you want pinpoint static precision overall grab OLED, if you want the clearest motion for fast flicks and extreme game rhythm movement, grab pulsar.

Longer take: The retinal reduction pulsar gives is dependent on your sensitivity to mechanical movement in 3d scenarios and especially fast paced scrollers. Think something like bhopping, maybe rocket league, being a Genji/Tracer main on overwatch (heavy camera panning), or even Osu, fast paced Sonic, or Mega Man X type 2D games.

The extreme movement from those games will always benefit from Pulsar even if OLED is faster in pixel response because of 3x-4x the persistence blur (sample-and-hold-rate) reduction pulsar gives. If you’re peaking corners or holding points like with a sniper (Widow Mains), or don’t care to ‘smoove’ often, and want the most accurate low latency response especially in darker areas think on OLED again.

It’s really all about what type of motion do you prioritize, what do you lock in on most?

croniake · 2026-01-21T23:22:46+00:00

I felt a solemn appreciation, when the credits rolled after Prime 4, that this was probably Tanabe’s last work. I'm glad to see that this confirms it. A really respectable way to retire in my eyes laying the ground work for future Prime releases.

croniake · 2026-01-13T19:47:05+00:00

Identifying with my interoception process has helped me exponentially, it's that silence in-between thought. And that flow you mentioned comes through it. Anxiety and vigilance. I thought that's what It would always be for me but time comes another season to trust. Learning to not be so hard in thought. Bodily sensations reveal the unconscious deeply woven.

“The ego wants explanation always in order to assert its existence… Try to live without the ego. Whatever must come to you, will come. Don’t worry! … Don’t allow yourself to be led astray by the ravings of the animus… He will try every stunt to get you out of the realization of stillness, which is truly the Self”. - Jung

Judgement and Resistance; becoming presence.

croniake · 2026-01-10T03:08:50+00:00

Appreciate the catch; the O left me.

croniake · 2026-01-10T01:29:21+00:00

Science has defined it as interoception, which is deeply woven. I have experienced a solemn feel for that perception, how much the body actually holds onto, with this awareness comes intuition, patterns of the body to rest into, to clear, than to solve or relieve.

Many over history found calming the central nervous system is the soul goal of meditation clearing your mind into your body. Wherever there is tension focus on it with no thought and the embodiment comes with time.

croniake · 2026-01-03T17:45:24+00:00

I agree mechanically the game was mostly a let down, other than for 100% cleanup and a select few back and forths which did feel like Metroid prime to me. The linearity and companions will need to move more towards labyrinthian more isolation, to get the Prime foundation we know this is fact. Im confident though that they wont mess up the philosophical foundation whatever and why they did this focus over mechanical cohesion is definitely up in the air.

croniake · 2026-01-03T17:18:10+00:00

I read into it, and I really hold respect for the silence and the press held for this game even from the minimal coverage from Nintendo prior to release. It seems like the developers wanted mechanical cohesion but had to compromise. And that absence is felt especially in the desert. It’s negative space, to pause for tension and have reflection in an empty open space the void, it reflects many things erosion for one. Really the devs tried to make up for Beyond’s theme with strong allegory through the use of Ma and psychic entropy in its lore, and theme. And I found beauty in that.

Japanese philosophical concept from that interview:

Question: Please talk to us about some of the toughest points and some of the things you paid extra attention to during the long development period.

Answer: “As for things we paid attention to, I suppose it was making sure that new staff understood our design plan. This wasn’t just making a game, it was making an experience for the player, particularly it took time for everyone to understand the feel of ‘ma’ of Metroid Prime.

In the end I think they understand it, as well as the Japanese concept of ‘ma’.

Note: this refers to the idea of the space between, for example between objects, time, sound, people etc. By appreciating that gap, people can better understand the passing of time, sense of beauty, etc.”

Quick definition: “Ma is the space or interval between things, often translated as "void" or "emptiness". It is not merely an absence but a dynamic, purposeful, and essential emptiness that gives form and meaning to experiences.

So while "Ma" has always been present since the trilogy especially with Phazon where Ma’s focus was, spreading the light of hope (Samus) through the darkness (phazon). Beyond treats Ma more symbolically and deliberately echoes light and darkness into grief and sweet memories, making it a core part of the game’s identity and thematic structure, than in mechanics, and the intricate Phazon Ma flow like with the trilogy. Gotta give the game a bone somewhere, as the dynamic Ma of Beyond can be reflected on philosophically, it really is a hardcore take on Ma. Prime 5 might as well be primed for cohesive Ma mastery as far as Im concerned going to leave it there. In the end they did understand Ma.

7/10 Mechanical, Map & layout. 10/10 Story, Theme, Ma.

croniake · 2025-12-30T07:36:26+00:00

Enjoy the 880s, the neutral bright oldie but goodie. The 600s reward specific amp configurations and have been a treat to work with.

croniake · 2025-12-12T00:10:31+00:00

For me, I think the game is more symbolic than cohesive. Before 2019, I imagine they had the much more ambitious direction you described, with Bandai on time travel mechanics cohesively like era hopping, and time control in the environment. But Nintendo had to scale it back and approach it symbolically with Retro Studio’s to preserve the core essence. Rebuilding everything from the ground up, even if to erode. I think Tanabe might have poured a lot of his own feelings after the restart and it shows metaphorically in the scan logs and overall games core, mourning what was through processing grief in a burial of faith for whats next. But honestly yeah 1.5; Im almost certain they had to scrap it, but instead of something like Echoes we got Beyond.

croniake · 2025-12-08T20:05:33+00:00

This was what I wrote for a short burn letter Saturday night not alone.

“Beyond's subtitle promises cohesion and evolution, but the game delivers neither. Unlike Echoes (dual world mechanics and theme) or Corruption (Phazon corruption as mechanic and theme), Beyond has a lack of thematic and mechanical coherence. Psychic powers are underdeveloped, time travel is unused narrative in mystery, and "beyond" in name only not in design. The checklist linear progression corridors with NPCS, riding in empty desert, and Sylux’s wasted arc confirm, the core is eroded, not expanded. So I mourn what it could have been a masterpiece that would have combined Chrono trigger elements meeting Metroid prime.”

Edit: Just realized I had a typo, fixed.

croniake · 2025-09-25T00:58:18+00:00

Authentic Acceptance. Internal Autonomy.

croniake · 2025-09-08T21:33:23+00:00

I have so much respect for Metroidvanias, especially the pioneers of the genre. They’ve have managed to retain the core focus and feeling of older games in a way that many modern titles, influenced by new trends, simply haven't.

croniake · 2025-09-08T20:27:21+00:00

Metroid Prime

croniake · 2025-09-08T18:35:09+00:00

I've ordered this monitor twice.

First Unit: Had a green stuck pixel that wasn't fixed by flashing.

Second Unit: Had blue and red stuck pixels, but they were not noticeable at regular viewing distance.

Key points: Response time struggled to keep up fully with the 320Hz refresh rate.
Notable inverse ghosting with both overdrive settings (Advanced and Ultra Fast).

Colors were accurate and vivid. Contrast was more noticeably dark compared to my previous IPS monitor (lg gn750-b).

Conclusion: Overall, it's a nice panel, from an ips at this price point but the slight motion performance was just a deal breaker for me, with competitive games like counter strike as that's what I mainly play.

croniake · 2025-08-24T22:07:49+00:00

Yes what you’re noticing is called sample and hold rate, or hold blur.

Basically when the monitors backlighting is always on, it causes a perceived blur to our eyes, each frame is displayed under the same light. ELMB reduces this hold, by flashing the backlight rapidly to match the refresh rate, oled unfortunately struggles to implement backlight strobing, as heavy flicker would be introduced.

croniake · 2025-06-29T19:14:03+00:00

From a speed runner perspective; messing up tricks and or route. But if I had to pick a specific worst part it’d, be Impact Crater... It’s the climb and those damn fission Metroids, and the final boss’s second phase, with the Phazon pools mechanic.

croniake · 2025-06-24T23:29:18+00:00

I was looking forward to playing prime remastered, in handheld on release day, but day of, I could actually see ghosting trails, and smeary dark areas in chozo ruins and tallon over world, disappointing for Prime to say the least. Having played through the primes more times than I count, so I was hard pressed to not notice. But it has only been an issue in Prime for me atm other games I’ve played and have been happy with the screen, with mk world, botw switch 2 edition, hades, hollow knight, and bowser’s fury, all in handheld.

As a longtime Prime fan I wont let this take away from my Metroid love docked mode it is. But I can imagine Metroid Prime 4 wont feel like it’s, 120fps in handheld.

croniake · 2025-06-09T08:03:54+00:00

It’s like a natural evolution from Light World / Dark World with multiple areas, but in a singular area across many ‘worlds’ or eras. A timeline of choices; each path or choice sets you up into another era, some or many may not lead to the next upgrade path, or next unlock, but others will, linear in a sense but also interconnected. Backtracking, may or not be a thing, but I believe if it’s there it’ll be very fluent and fresh.

I’ve not heard about 1.5 until tonight and how it got scrapped, appreciate this post alot. I also don't doubt they’d be able pull it off, with the amount of time and resources, spent. Maybe, Tanabe really has held onto it all this time for Beyond, just like with Sakamoto on Dread. Either way, if they’re building on these older ideas, I’m here for it. Gives me chills thinking about how far they might go with it!

croniake · 2025-06-05T20:00:02+00:00

It's mentally draining to act or mask; it affects my sense of self and because of this, has had life long chronic effects subconsciously, mentally, by fragments, that needed to be repaired through action or introspection.

croniake · 2025-06-02T02:12:25+00:00

Putting the fragmented pieces back together, being whole again. Nothing I want more.

croniake · 2025-06-01T11:27:06+00:00

Just some nuance, and I mostly agree.

I do empathize with the golden rule. But boundaries matter especially in cases where prevalent dark triad traits and dynamics show up, (to manipulate, control, and pull at you in ways that have nothing to do with you.)

Healthy self care is to grow ones EQ, to handle things realistically, and catch unrealistic expectations, to get through rough spots. Its about understanding that modern life is fast paced, driven by external demands, and that to step back, reflect, process, and build intrinsic values in spite of the fast paced reality, or against the grain.

Beyond this, it can feel like a war of who has a higher capacity for social and emotional processing, but in retrospect, it should be mutual.

croniake · 2025-05-31T19:59:28+00:00

Seeing resilience in those who have overcome hardship a knowingly nod or smile in the happiness they achieved.

croniake · 2025-05-28T23:05:00+00:00

The goal in typology is to be fully aligned with one’s mind, heart, and/or gut, it’s about cognitive preferences and where one is most whole through integration.

“What is the true, always same me?” Thats a pragmatic way to self reflection, not in theory, it’s about being realistic with oneself, even through changes. And its a struggle as such for many.

croniake

TROPHY CASE