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

lemonfresh said:
Does anyone remember the fact sheet from e3 2017 if so the game will be more in line with prime 1 than anything else, unless the changed it completely when moving to retro it does say returning to the roots of the original game, so I'm sure its not open world but same as design as prime 1.


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That was going to be the game made by Bandai Namco. Maybe Retro will do something totally different.
 
I honestly wouldn't put much into that e3 thing anyway, regardless of whether or not that was from before the development reboot. These things are made by the marketing people and likely don't reflect much of the actual development's intent.

(Also, it's been 5 years, things can and do change in the meantime)
 
While the version Namco is making was likely vastly different to what the final product will be, I'm not sure that the game's entire premise and design philosophy would be. Tanabe is pretty hands-on when it comes to Prime and he likely pitched the idea to Namco in the first place. We also know from the Prime Remastered leak in 2021 that Retro designers were already involved before development restarted. It wasn't a case of Retro trying to "steal" the project away from Namco, as what was originally reported.
 
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It is my opinion that the people who saw that 2017 post as "going to be prime 1 but in modern age" took it far too literally.

Aside that the game was rebooted and certainly everything changed, what exactly does that entail? Does it mean the game will featue next to no story? Does it mean that it will be set in a planet with the classic "water earth ice and lava" themes? Perhaps we going to have an expanded key hunt this time, featuring 96 artifacts for us to collect before we can smack the final boss lol.

Particularly, i dont like any of those things. Again, assuming everything hasnt changed to oblivion, id much prefer if it meant "this story will be less of a big space opera and more grounded, something between Samus and Sylux, no, not romantically...as far as we know"
 
ILikeFeet said:
how about a lot of optional areas. and optional areas that you need to beat optional areas to unlock
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and how about a lot of optional areas, and optional areas that you need to beat optional areas to unlock other optional areas, which also have other optional areas, and at the same time there are other optional areas that unlock a big optional area that have other smaller optional areas?
 
SmolSam said:
and how about a lot of optional areas, and optional areas that you need to beat optional areas to unlock other optional areas, which also have other optional areas, and at the same time there are other optional areas that unlock a big optional area that have other smaller optional areas?
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sure. more non-critical path content is a win in my book

I think MP4 will be made to "modern standards" even if it retains a lot of the MP1 style of game design. more story focus over lore, more optional content, maybe even some light rpg elements
 
Mr Doggo said:
metroid has this problem of killing what could become fan favorites in the same game where they appear lmaooo.

God, if there is ONE trend that i hope mp4 smashes to the ground, its this. I want Sylux to be remembered, and remembered well.
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I'd absolutely love for Sylux to ascend beyond the realm of "forgettable Jim Bob multiplayer skin in old DS spinoff". I just hope he's not just a standard human bloke under that helmet, as that'd be rather boring!
 
Aurc said:
I'd absolutely love for Sylux to ascend beyond the realm of "forgettable Jim Bob multiplayer skin in old DS spinoff". I just hope he's not just a standard human bloke under that helmet, as that'd be rather boring!
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Yeah that would suck hard.

Im not a metroid purist, far from it. But i dont want Metroid to become Mass Effect, with dozens of companions and love interests and etc.

I only need one. One character that is like, surprisingly well written (not just for metroid levels) that is very present through the game. Sylux.
 
Aurc said:
I'd absolutely love for Sylux to ascend beyond the realm of "forgettable Jim Bob multiplayer skin in old DS spinoff". I just hope he's not just a standard human bloke under that helmet, as that'd be rather boring!
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To me, Sylux makes the most sense as having a human origin. After all, it's one thing for any number of the Federation's possible enemies to produce a rival to Samus. But a human with his own axe to grind for the Federation? That can have potential, if done right.

That said, I'm sure Sylux will have his own twists to make him interesting and "keep up" with Samus.

In other words, I again am hoping someone at Retro remembers their old plans for some freaky body horror, and utilizes that as an angle for Sylux.
 
I doubt Sylux is human, I think they'll stick with him being from Cylosis. Having nothing dangerous outside of armor/weapons is pretty weak, then again they could go with the experimented on by the GF angle or somethin.g
 
Zeal543 said:
I doubt Sylux is human, I think they'll stick with him being from Cylosis. Having nothing dangerous outside of armor/weapons is pretty weak, then again they could go with the experimented on by the GF angle or somethin.g
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Cylosis could still be a human world though, I suppose. Samus is from K-2L, rather than Earth.
 
Aurc said:
Cylosis could still be a human world though, I suppose. Samus is from K-2L, rather than Earth.
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That or it could play to some aspect of his story.

"Cyclosis", in itself, is a pretty interesting term, with how it refers to the movement of protoplasm within a cell. Another thing that made me think there was some sort of Metroid connection, because Metroids are little "powerhouses" (like mitochondria?) that resemble "cells" in their infant/larval states.
 
lemonfresh said:
Does anyone remember the fact sheet from e3 2017 if so the game will be more in line with prime 1 than anything else, unless the changed it completely when moving to retro it does say returning to the roots of the original game, so I'm sure its not open world but same as design as prime 1.




factsheet-e32017-metrlws0a.png
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To jump back to this real quick and the idea that the new game is going to hark back to the first Metroid Prime specifically, this is actually rather vague on that front; to say that the new game "returns to the First Person Adventure roots of the original Metroid Prime" doesn't give us much to go on aside from it being, of course, first person and having elements of adventure. It doesn't say how the plot will be set up, how the controls will work, the nature of the world construction, or so forth.

The original Prime is a safe point to reference. It's the most "standard" point of contact for first-person Metroid, being often referred to as Super Metroid translated into first person. I've mentioned somewhere around here that the Metroid Prime games are all actually pretty different in a number of ways (for instance, Echoes seeming to lean in more toward a The Legend of Zelda structure and having its own dark world, and Corruption leaning more into the shooter elements and hopping worlds, being a bit heavier on plot); however, it seems safe to say that both of these later entries could have used the same language about their roots.

I do expect the new game to be substantially different as well, and taking this at its word doesn't indicate how different that might be. However, it does reference "the action, isolation and exploration" of the series, which could be a promising sign. Action and exploration could be taken any number of ways, but isolation might offer to reign that in.


ILikeFeet said:
sure. more non-critical path content is a win in my book
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I concur:
Supreme Overlord said:
I suspect it would be merely one element in how the levels are actually laid out and designed, which could offer stronger incentive for taking note of one's surroundings and exploring. Some of it, of course, could just be in making different areas really cool, contextual and environmental cues for the story of the world, or in hiding whole secret segments with optional boss battles and upgrades (and, yes, probably scans for the lore and uncover-the-past nerds) -- bonus: combining these different elements.
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Supreme Overlord said:
To jump back to this real quick and the idea that the new game is going to hark back to the first Metroid Prime specifically, this is actually rather vague on that front; to say that the new game "returns to the First Person Adventure roots of the original Metroid Prime" doesn't give us much to go on aside from it being, of course, first person and having elements of adventure. It doesn't say how the plot will be set up, how the controls will work, the nature of the world construction, or so forth.

The original Prime is a safe point to reference. It's the most "standard" point of contact for first-person Metroid, being often referred to as Super Metroid translated into first person. I've mentioned somewhere around here that the Metroid Prime games are all actually pretty different in a number of ways (for instance, Echoes seeming to lean in more toward a The Legend of Zelda structure and having its own dark world, and Corruption leaning more into the shooter elements and hopping worlds, being a bit heavier on plot); however, it seems safe to say that both of these later entries could have used the same language about their roots.

I do expect the new game to be substantially different as well, and taking this at its word doesn't indicate how different that might be. However, it does reference "the action, isolation and exploration" of the series, which could be a promising sign. Action and exploration could be taken any number of ways, but isolation might offer to reign that in.



I concur:
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This whole post. Goddammit its so great to see people who thought about that as well. You could do the original "Prime" game in a million ways and most of them would be very much disliked by purists, they really should stop trying to quote that.


TheSpaceBetween said:
No one has a problem with Adam in Dread.
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hes fusion ofc.

TheSpaceBetween said:
At least Anthony lived. I hope he comes back.
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Anthony wasnt memorable. He was just a 5/10 in a game where every other character is like a 1/10.Holy shit the "princess" thing was so cringe lmaoo And honestly, i think Sakamoto's depiction of a black male feels stereotyped. Another reason to banish him.
 
Aurc said:
I'm gonna replay Other M eventually, just not sure when. I'm not really in any hurry...
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I replayed every 2d metroid game up to dread's release. Other M was a special pleasure because Dread, even by the few teasers we had, was so vastly better built.

Aurc said:
Gotta agree with this bit especially. I forgot that was his "thing" up until relatively recently, lol 😬
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Im dead certain that Sakamoto is probably some alien that tried to imitate human customs and dialogue and that's why we got stuff like

  • Lyle Smithsonian (that's his name lmaooo)
  • The whole thumb thing
  • Objections, Lady?
  • Princess
  • I was young... young and naive...
Am i wrong to say that the Zucc would probably manage to come with similar stuff, lol?
 
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Mr Doggo said:
Lyle Smithsonian (that's his name lmaooo)
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...I don't even remember this absolute Jim Bob. I'm usually pretty on top of my Metroid lore, but if you'd asked me about this bloke an hour ago, I would have accused you of making up a fake character. I think most of Other M is just a blur in my mind.
 
Metroid said:
Don't forget to hunt down the Deleter
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When Samus and the 07th Platoon arrived at the Exam Center, Lyle was no where to be found. Shortly after the encounter with the Mystery Creature, the soldiers discovered Lyle's body lying in the grass, torn to shreds by an unknown monster. It was likely that this was a result of Little Birdie eating parts of his body (as its blood was trailed from Lyle's corpse), which led to Little Birdie molting into his adolescent form. However, the direct cause of his death remains uncertain: while Little Birdie may have killed him itself, the Deleter could have also killed him and left his body for Little Birdie to devour. This is supported by the fact that the Deleter demolished the Exam Center shortly thereafter, possibly using Lyle's explosives.
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RIP Lyle Smithsonian. I'll avenge you! (no I won't)

character_lyle_smithsonian_transparent.png
 
Metroid fans: Samus's characterization in Other M is the worst shit ever.
Captain N's Samus: Hold my beer

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TheSpaceBetween said:
Hmmmm. I guess yall are kinda right. Ugh, Metroid really needs better writers.
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Fixed to make it what I think is more true.

I like Anthony and wouldn't mind seeing him again. But if he does? I'mm really need Nintendo of America to have some black people up in the Treehouse (or whatever localization team they utilize) to review Sakamoto's writings and give him actual feedback on "how black people actually talk". Better representation through better written characters. That's what I could go for!

Ditto would go for Retro in the case they ever decide to have some BIPOCs in any of their work.
 
OK but hear me out.

Metroid Prime 4's intro. But theres a few Blade Runner Homages.

blade-runner-3.png
blade-runner-2.png
blade-runner.png



Metroid is already heavily inspired by another Ridley Scott franchise, Alien, and dare i say that even in the most recent game (Dread) i feel like there are a few things that look quite similar to a few Prometheus parts.
So i think it would look quite interesting if the game's opening had a few shots that paid homage to BR. Why? It looks cool.
 
I wonder if the suit will finally have somewhat accurate proportions like Dread's. The proportions of the Prime suits always looked a bit silly.

mezvr4yp4xy41.png


eawmmd.png

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SmolSam said:
Isn't concept art the first thing you do when creating a game? I don't know if it's a good sign that the concept artists have finished their work recently...
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I admit I don't know how any of this works but the concept of Retro only finishing the earliest stages of development on Prime 4 has me like:

MItKNKY.jpg
 
SmolSam said:
Isn't concept art the first thing you do when creating a game? I don't know if it's a good sign that the concept artists have finished their work recently...
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Judging by the fact that they have full time, non-contract concept artists at Retro, it makes sense that they would be working all throughout development. We can't know for sure though, we have no idea what their development pipeline is like.

It seems highly unlikely that they would still be in the beginning stages of development 4.5 years into the project.
 
SmolSam said:
Isn't concept art the first thing you do when creating a game? I don't know if it's a good sign that the concept artists have finished their work recently...
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no,things go thought a lot of iterations,plans are always changing and somtimes they need a new character very late in development,there is also paint overs for things that look bad and corrections on characters models,if concept artist were needed just in the beggining there wouldnt be full time concept artists working at studios
 
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