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Pre-Release Metroid Prime 4: Pre-Release Discussion Thread

Joe said:
Good gracious I just want this game to be shown soon. I can't deal with many more months of this uncertainty.
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April is coming!!!
Oh man now I'm wishing I could play this yesterday already! If it releases this year, the combo Paper Mario TTYD + Metroid Prime 4 would make one of the best years of gaming to me.
 
Cerlinho said:
April is coming!!!
Oh man now I'm wishing I could play this yesterday already! If it releases this year, the combo Paper Mario TTYD + Metroid Prime 4 would make one of the best years of gaming to me.
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2004 🤝 2024
TTYD and an even-numbered Metroid Prime game releasing
 
oldpuck said:
Metroid fans predict that the 10th game in the series will finally be the one that breaks out, betting on 10 million sales.

Nintendo releases Metroid Prime 4 as the ding-dang holiday title on the best selling console of all time.

Prime 4 sells 4 million copies, the best selling Metroid game of all time.

Metroid fans are heartbroken, then enraged. Why does Nintendo always do this to Metroid?! Release it on a dying system? What were they thinking?

@mazi knows what they must do. They step into the quantum leap accelerator... and vanish.

Two years of their lives, spent in the past, using their knowledge of the future to infiltrate Retro studios, they convince Nintendo to make Prime 4 a launch title for Switch 2. Having set right what once went wrong, Mazi leaps into the future.

4 million in sales.

"It just looks like a Switch game? Why did they release it on new hardware without an install base. Why does Nintendo keep doing this to Metroid?"

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. Deeper into the past, Mazi spends a decade learning Japanese before arriving in 60s japan to become mentor to a young Shigeru Miyamoto. "Trust not Bamco with the Bounty Hunter" becomes Mazi's dying words. Miyamoto doesn't understand, assuming it's delirium.

60 years later, Miyamoto will remember their mentor, and abruptly decide that Prime 4 can't be trusted to Bandai Namco, and sends it directly to Retro, two years earlier. Mazi returns to their body in the altered present, where without the reboot delay, Prime 4 releases 2 years earlier. The Switch is at its peak, as is Metroid fandom, with the release of Dread the year before.

4 million in sales.

"Why does Nintendo do this? Everyone at Retro who made the first games are gone, they should have given it to another studio, make it fresh. They just hate Metroid. They hate Samus."

Now Mazi knows the truth. Travelling back one last time, Mazi must kill every alternate version of themselves in order to restore the timeline. They return to 2021, as soon as the Prime 4 thread is opened on famiboards. They post the very first reply.
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vBamUPr.jpeg
 
Christo750 said:
IMO this assumes 2 things:

#1) the 3D Mario game is the "software reason" Switch 2 is delayed and not anything else.
#2) Metroid Prime has the capability of moving systems as a launch title.

If #2 is true, and if Prime 4 is ready for launch, they would just launch Switch 2 this November, ride the holiday bump, AND give the bump to Prime 4 as a cross-gen title. They wouldn't piss off third parties, who I'd imagine are really unhappy about the delay, and they'd have a huge Nintendo game that is likely unlike a lot of other offerings at launch. But a console can't launch on Metroid's back. It is a system seller to a super small niche of people, but it doesn't carry a launch like Mario or Zelda does.

Regarding #1, I doubt it. EPD wrapped Mario Odyssey 7 years ago, only consulted on Mario Maker 2, and was assisted by NST for Bowser's Fury. That team has been full steam ahead on the next 3D Mario for a long time, so I would imagine Mario isn't necessarily the problem. "Launch lineup" could just as well mean they want a 2017 scenario where they have a major new title every month. So if they need to save software for it, why put ANYTHING out this year? Why not save everything for Switch 2? Answer is, as I stated before, people are still playing Switch more than they've ever played any home console or portable this late in it's lifecycle. Maybe PS4 and 360 are passed it. It's unprecedented.

Right now, Switch 2 does not exist and Prime 4 is not announced for it. Retro Studios has been working on this game for 5 years now, and I fully and wholeheartedly agree with you that this game is expensive. Probably the most expensive video game Nintendo has ever produced; beyond any Zelda or Mario. I can armchair analyst all I want, but honestly I don't know how they make their money back on it. I fully believe they just want to get this out the door. I would almost imagine that there isn't a whole lot left first-party that isn't being worked on for Switch 2, so that's why February's VOD was a Partner Showcase and not a full-body Nintendo Direct. If Prime 4 is the last big tentpole, I think it gets a planned unveiling in its own 10-minute presentation in March or April, for release in September.

This is all assuming that it's ready to go. Which given Retro's ability and output lately, it's fully possible it isn't.
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With how many Partner headlines Nintendo had the other day, I suspect that it would've been perfectly within Nintendo's capacity to do a General Direct with the remaining games they have slated for this year, but the sudden delay of Switch 2 threw their marketing schedule into a flux despite them still having obligations to present third party content in a showcase. It's probably why Brazil is now floating rumors of an April Direct; now that Switch 2 seemingly won't be revealed until Summer, they'll most likely be packing up and shipping their remaining Switch 1 announcements ahead of that reveal. I can see us getting Prime 4 there.
 
Christo750 said:
IMO this assumes 2 things:

#1) the 3D Mario game is the "software reason" Switch 2 is delayed and not anything else.
#2) Metroid Prime has the capability of moving systems as a launch title.

If #2 is true, and if Prime 4 is ready for launch, they would just launch Switch 2 this November, ride the holiday bump, AND give the bump to Prime 4 as a cross-gen title. They wouldn't piss off third parties, who I'd imagine are really unhappy about the delay, and they'd have a huge Nintendo game that is likely unlike a lot of other offerings at launch. But a console can't launch on Metroid's back. It is a system seller to a super small niche of people, but it doesn't carry a launch like Mario or Zelda does.

Regarding #1, I doubt it. EPD wrapped Mario Odyssey 7 years ago, only consulted on Mario Maker 2, and was assisted by NST for Bowser's Fury. That team has been full steam ahead on the next 3D Mario for a long time, so I would imagine Mario isn't necessarily the problem. "Launch lineup" could just as well mean they want a 2017 scenario where they have a major new title every month. So if they need to save software for it, why put ANYTHING out this year? Why not save everything for Switch 2? Answer is, as I stated before, people are still playing Switch more than they've ever played any home console or portable this late in it's lifecycle. Maybe PS4 and 360 are passed it. It's unprecedented.

Right now, Switch 2 does not exist and Prime 4 is not announced for it. Retro Studios has been working on this game for 5 years now, and I fully and wholeheartedly agree with you that this game is expensive. Probably the most expensive video game Nintendo has ever produced; beyond any Zelda or Mario. I can armchair analyst all I want, but honestly I don't know how they make their money back on it. I fully believe they just want to get this out the door. I would almost imagine that there isn't a whole lot left first-party that isn't being worked on for Switch 2, so that's why February's VOD was a Partner Showcase and not a full-body Nintendo Direct. If Prime 4 is the last big tentpole, I think it gets a planned unveiling in its own 10-minute presentation in March or April, for release in September.

This is all assuming that it's ready to go. Which given Retro's ability and output lately, it's fully possible it isn't.
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Agreed. They've had 7+ years for a new 3D Mario, it really should be done right now
 
Decoyman said:
With how many Partner headlines Nintendo had the other day, I suspect that it would've been perfectly within Nintendo's capacity to do a General Direct with the remaining games they have slated for this year, but the sudden delay of Switch 2 threw their marketing schedule into a flux despite them still having obligations to present third party content in a showcase. It's probably why Brazil is now floating rumors of an April Direct; now that Switch 2 seemingly won't be revealed until Summer, they'll most likely be packing up and shipping their remaining Switch 1 announcements ahead of that reveal. I can see us getting Prime 4 there.
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I think even a sudden delay wouldn't affect the remaining Switch 1's first-party output or announcement cycle. If anything, with no Switch 2 on the horizon, I'd imagine they'd want to double down on Switch 1 announcements. I think think that aside from Endless Ocean and Prime 4, maybe a remake or two, there's nothing for Switch 1. I'd love to be wrong, cause this year is looking barren.
 
0
BozPaggs said:
If they want it to be a tent pole franchise they've got to treat it as such, market the ever loving fuck out of it. This is the game of the year, buy it or else.
Unless it's the sole first party single player game on launch, the 2witch won't do much if anything to boost sales.
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Metroid will never be popular
eikKFz.gif
 
SpaceGodzilla said:
mynintendonews.com

Retro Studios is now hiring for a product tester

Retro Studios have been working on Metroid Prime 4 for a number of years now and the fruits of their labour could be coming sooner than expected. We heard a couple of weeks ago that journalist Jeff…
mynintendonews.com mynintendonews.com
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They’re constantly hiring product testers.

The only interesting thing about recent Retro job stuff is that they’re filling positions pretty rapidly.
 
There's only one open position on Retro's website. I can't ever recall a time where they've had no roles to fill, even when they were a lot smaller than they are now.
 
0
fami.... i gotta be brutally honest, 7 years is too long, i really need the trailer to blow me away because right now even thinking about seeing gameplay fails to get me hyped like it used to
 
They could literally just show me a jpeg of Prime 4 Samus and I'd be giddy as a gumdrop. That being said, I think the first trailer is gonna be meaty as hell and I'm salivating. I don't think we're too far at this point either!
 
Stay strong, my friends. Some loss of hype may occur here and there, but we must never allow a sense of despair to take hold. Samus wouldn't want that for us. It will soon be seven years since Metroid Prime 4's announcement, meaning we've all grown seven years older, as well. That's something we all share. Do you remember what things were like for you, seven years ago? I do. Good memories and bad. The passage of time can be cruel, but also enriching. We should always appreciate our growing wisdom, maturity, and patience. We should always remember great things can take a long time to manifest. We should always Trust The Process.
 
honestly kinda at the point were I'm actually more interested to know what the hell happened behind the scenes for this game than the game itself
 
SpaceGodzilla said:
honestly kinda at the point were I'm actually more interested to know what the hell happened behind the scenes for this game than the game itself
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Game was announced too early, rebooted before they even really figured things out (lots of games get cancelled at this point instead), then spent the average modern day development time to see the light. We know the story.
 
Decoyman said:
Game was announced too early, rebooted before they even really figured things out (lots of games get cancelled at this point instead), then spent the average modern day development time to see the light. We know the story.
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yeahhh, MP4 was kinda just dumped onto retro's lap so i imagine they had to spend a good bit of time in pre-production. why nintendo didn't start with them to begin with is what confuses me a lot.
 
fluttersusagi said:
yeahhh, MP4 was kinda just dumped onto retro's lap so i imagine they had to spend a good bit of time in pre-production. why nintendo didn't start with them to begin with is what confuses me a lot.
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It doesn't take much to imagine that at one point, Retro was trying to get...."something" off the ground, and so, wouldn't be available.

That Bamco Singapore's version of the game ultimately became something that Nintendo wasn't happy with, and Retro being available after their own individual project(s) got shuttered, along with apparently showing themselves approved with their own Prime concept, just seemed to be a matter of good timing.
 
fluttersusagi said:
yeahhh, MP4 was kinda just dumped onto retro's lap so i imagine they had to spend a good bit of time in pre-production. why nintendo didn't start with them to begin with is what confuses me a lot.
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I think that Retro was still trying to salvage... whatever it was they were working on after Tropical Freeze when Tanabe was first looking for a studio to do Metroid Prime 4.
 
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SpaceGodzilla said:
honestly, i know people hate it was announced so early but if it wasn't, Nintendo probably would have quietly canceled the game when the Namco version was discarded
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True. By publicly announcing it at E3, they essentially had to commit to releasing it one day. I can't think of many big franchise Nintendo games that got announced and then never saw the light of day.
 
SpaceGodzilla said:
honestly, i know people hate it was announced so early but if it wasn't, Nintendo probably would have quietly canceled the game when the Namco version was discarded
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Honestly prefer this purgatory over it being cancelled. Just imagine a few years after the Namco version was cancelled, one of the big time game leakers or Nintendo YouTubers says that Nintendo was, at one point, working on Metroid Prime 4 for the Switch, but then it was scrapped.

The fanbase would go ballistic. The commitment to MP4 from an early announcement may not have just saved the game, but our sanity as well. I for one am glad that we're instead just quietly waiting and trusting the process.
 
Joe said:
True. By publicly announcing it at E3, they essentially had to commit to releasing it one day. I can't think of many big franchise Nintendo games that got announced and then never saw the light of day.
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Donkey kong racing, but that was understandable
 
A June Direct is confirmed. I really feel this is the one.

Brazil said today (and he emphasized it's just an educated guess, so please don't take it as a leak) that he feels Metroid Prime 4 will be releasing on Switch this year, and I tend to agree. It just seems like the time is right.
 
One more Switch Direct for the road in June, together with the previous news of Grubb's Epic Mickey source telling him Nintendo were preparing marketing materials to be delivered by May.

The process is real.
 
June Direct:

  • Metroid Prime 2 Remastered shadowdrops onto the eShop with physical release coming a few weeks later
  • Metroid Prime 3 Remastered announced for release in the 3rd quarter, physical and digital simultaneous release
  • Metroid Prime 4 reveal with a holiday release
 
Jahranimo said:
It's either in the June Direct or the Switch 2 reveal.
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Again, I think you pretty much have to reveal it soon. It likely is the last big thing to carry the Switch's last holiday, while also being possibly the first "Even Better on Switch 2!" cross-gen thing when the successor is shown.

After all, the idea is that you want people to buy Prime 4, either way.
 
Honestly it’s lucky for us Nintendo announced this game way before they should have, because I have a strong feeling they otherwise would have simply canceled it quietly behind closed doors a long time ago. Anyways, pretty great vibes about the June Direct being the time we finally see it. I’ll be ticked off if we don’t get Prime 2 + 3 as well, though.
 
This will be it. 7 years after the initial announcement, we will finally get confirmation of the release date. I've been wrong about when it will show up many times before, but it doesn't matter. I only need to be right once.

Honestly, it releasing in late 2024 or early 2025 isn't that important to me; I just want to see the game in action already. It's been long enough. Please come through this time, Nintendo.
 
SpaceGodzilla said:
he later clarified, that back sometime 2023 that there were gathering marketing material in may, not that something would be shown off in May, and has also said that info could be outdated
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That’s fine. We still believe we will finally see it in June. He still may have been onto something.
 
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Gengar said:
This will be it. 7 years after the initial announcement, we will finally get confirmation of the release date. I've been wrong about when it will show up many times before, but it doesn't matter. I only need to be right once.
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This is the way. #TTP
 
stodesign12 said:
I think the music of Prime 4 is going to be closer to Samus Returns rather than the previous Prime games (or Dread btw). This means modern synths, modern orchestral libraries, many more ambient tracks... but catchy melodies. I hope Kenji Yamamoto is involved.
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Yamamoto better be involved! I would prefer Soshi Abe and Sayako Doi spend time away from Metroid.
 
Aurc said:
Yamamoto better be involved! I would prefer Soshi Abe and Sayako Doi spend time away from Metroid.
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I say often that if there was ever a time for Yamamoto to crack knuckles and get back to work it would’ve been Dread. Unfortunately it didn’t come to pass. I think I’ve accepted that the incredibly stacked OST of Trilogy is behind us and just hope Retro is able to emulate the style/tone/samples of the previous games lol
 
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