Echoes is at minimum in my top 3 Metroid games so I'll take it on modern hardware in any form, but obviously I'd prefer it to be like MPR.
If it is like Pikmin 1+2, then the general reaction is going to be negative no matter what imo given how high of a bar MPR set. If it does turn out 2 and 3 get minimal effort then I doubt Nintendo has remotely significant expectations for it anyway and they just want to make them readily available again.
Let's acknowledge that there is a big gap between "minimal effort" and what MPR did, which is as close to "maximal effort" as possible.
Pikmin 1+2 are essentially emulated with some AI uprezzed textures and cut scenes. MPR is the original game, ported to the Prime 4 engine, with every asset rebuilt, every scene relit, the audio remixed for 5.1 surround sound support, the animation data tweaked, and the camera movements reworked. It is an inch away from a remake.
On the spectrum between those is
Echoes moved to the new engine, with scenes relit, but assets receiving a simple uprez.
Or some assets reworked to use some of the engines more advanced rendering features and the Switch's higher polygon budget.
Or simply paying a "cheaper" studio to rebuild assets to MPR's template, reusing MPR's assets where possible, and skipping some of the little bells and whistles, like the 5.1 surround sound remix.
I don't think Nintendo's expectations
are very high considering their approach to MPR, and I worry that two releases in the same year of an only modestly successful franchise cheapens it, rather than giving it the sort of grand revealing that you might want. On the other hand, considering the priced MPR as a budget title, how in the heck are they going to cut the price further while just giving us the GameCube assets, without softening the blow with something like a collection?
It just feels like a weird release strategy that doesn't necessarily set up MP4 for success, kinda no matter how they slice it. But I want to play the games so I'm happy no matter what!
