Discussion Metroid Prime: Your Preferred Control Method (Stealth Mouse & Keyboard Support Begging!)

[manfromthedam]

I've been revisiting Prime Remastered lately, doing an Easy mode playthrough to alleviate all the button mashing in combat & boss fights, and having a blast. Surprisingly, I didn't try pointer controls in my previous playthrough because folks had mentioned it was more laggy than the Wii's implementation of it, so I gave it a go and what do you know: I LOVE it.

Prime isn't a very fast paced game, so having a little bit of delay with the pointer isn't much of an issue for me. It's just so comfy to aim with precision with a flick of the wrist. I'm discovering it's part of why I love Mario Galaxy and Skyward Sword so much.

However, in a surprise twist, when I learned there was a way to play Metroid Prime with mouse and keyboard using Primehack I gave it a go in an effort to also experience Prime 2 and 3 for the first time (back when they released on the Wii I didn't "get" Metroidvanias yet). And it's ALSO delightful, but for a completely different reason. Being able to play Prime 3 like Doom 2016 or Unreal Tournament - double jumping over enemies while aiming quickly and freely - is transformative. Of course, it also fits Prime 3's more actiony sensibilities.

I'm very curious what control options Retro offers for Prime 4. If they have the same options as Remastered I'll probably do a pointer playthrough first. However, in the off chance they also allow for USB mouse and keyboard support, I'll have a difficult time choosing!

Curious what folks over here are using.

 

[k samedi]

Just give me pointer or tank controls or both. I think the tank controls really make sense for console FPS. Never seen any other game do it.

 

[Aurc]

Wiimote + Nunchuk is elite. I played Prime Remastered with gyro aiming, but it wasn't anywhere near as intuitive. I'm sure mouse and keyboard are as good, if not better than the Wii control scheme, but I've only ever played these games on Wii and Switch.

 

[Irene]

As much as I've stanned for pointer cotrols ever since the Prime Trilogy release, I actually ended up preferring double analogue when it came to Prime Remastered.

 

[Metroid]

I'm a Gamecube boomer. I've played Prime 1 with all 4 of these control types and think they're all good, but I can't get the original control scheme out of my mind

 

[WonderLuigi]

Dual analog stick for me. Just played 2 and 3 also through PrimeHack and there is nothing like free camera control. But I bet mouse + kb is insanely good too!

 

[BowserIsMyFather]

Double analogue control all the way.

If they could nail something that replicated the Corruption controls and built/improved on them, that may change.

 

[carbvan]

Pointer controls are the only true way to play since the arm canon moves realistically when aiming. It's so silly that the arm canon doesn't move at all unless you target with the other control schemes. Doesn't Samus' arm get tired?

 

[BotenAnna]

I last played these games on Primehack. I like to avoid using KB+M injection in games like these, mostly because if you're remotely proficient with that option you'll usually break the balancing wide open. Neato that it's there for people that want it or for accessibility reasons. I just use dual stick with the extra camera binds instead.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

I've played all the official releases and find pointer controls to be the most intuitive but prefer dual analog with gyro for the comfort. Having to constantly point at a screen in a game like this is not a dealbreaker but a bit of a hassle. At least when I'm trying to be comfortable in front of the big screen.

 

[Kool Savis]

My vote goes to classic dual analog controls with gyro. Should have its own voting option btw.

 

[manfromthedam]

Should've added: handheld the pointer-style controls don't really work so in that configuration I use dual analog which works very well. It's just a little more stiff than pointer (or mouse!).

I last played these games on Primehack. I like to avoid using KB+M injection in games like these, mostly because if you're remotely proficient with that option you'll usually break the balancing wide open. Neato that it's there for people that want it or for accessibility reasons. I just use dual stick with the extra camera binds instead.

That's a good point, they're balanced for a more static player. I don't really mind combat being a little more breezy myself, I'm mostly in it for the vibes anyways.

I've played all the official releases and find pointer controls to be the most intuitive but prefer dual analog with gyro for the comfort. Having to constantly point at a screen in a game like this is not a dealbreaker but a bit of a hassle. At least when I'm trying to be comfortable in front of the big screen.

I can see that, it very much depends on seating position and what's comfortable. The upside to Switch using gyro for the pointer instead of IR is that you can centre it however you like - even in funky positions that allow for more comfort.

 

[OctoSplattack]

Pointer controls on the Wii were amazing, but after trying them for a few minutes on Switch, I quickly moved over to dual analog + gyro.

 

[GPKs3]

I thought I would end up going pointer controls 100%, but when I tried dual analog w/ gyro I was hooked. It's my preferred method now. Regardless, I sure hope all the control options featured in Remastered will be present in Beyond.

 

[Armoured_Bear]

As much as I've stanned for pointer cotrols ever since the Prime Trilogy release, I actually ended up preferring double analogue when it came to Prime Remastered.

You are me.

 

[Zeal543]

Pro controller dual stick + gyro camera option.

 

[Prophet64]

I loved the Wii pointer controls from Prime 3 and then subsequently the Prime Trilogy release. Haven't tried the Switch version controls at all. Pretty much dislike the original Gamecube controls.

Tangentially related, I was kinda disappointed in seeing the lock-on feature back in the Prime 4 reveal trailer. I really dislike how rigid the camera gets, it just looks and feels so unnatural despite how much easier it makes things.

 

[BlackthornOrion]

Pointer controls were fine when I played through on WiiU, but geez did my wrist tend to get tired quickly. Had to play through the Trilogy in like 1 hour bursts or my arm would be sore for the rest of the day

Quite frankly, mouse+keyboard is something I'll never get why people prefer; like, on an intellectual level I understand it's "better" for some games, but I will never choose to use it so long as there's literally any other option provided. In my book, M+KB is for things like YouTube or Excel, not video games

I'm not inherently opposed to tank controls, but I never played the original Prime and so have no nostalgia or muscle memory for that control scheme; gimme dual analog any day

 

[manfromthedam]

Pointer controls are the only true way to play since the arm canon moves realistically when aiming.

Oohh this is a good point, that might be a big contributor to why I like pointer controls so much!

Quite frankly, mouse+keyboard is something I'll never get why people prefer; like, on an intellectual level I understand it's "better" for some games, but I will never choose to use it so long as there's literally any other option provided. In my book, M+KB is for things like YouTube or Excel, not video games

It's definitely something I inherited from playing so many arena shooters back in the day: I really like how independent M+KB controls makes movement from aiming, in particular combined with Prime's double jump. It also allows me to forego locking on entirely which is a plus.

I also have a very nice armchair that doesn't require me to sit behind a desk when gaming with M+KB which increases comfort by a mile! Sitting behind a desk gaming is a slog after an entire day of sitting behind a desk working or hanging around on a forum

 

[Marce-chan]

Dual analog + gyro feels like heaven. Metroid Prime Remastered felt super great to play this way and I hope Prime 4 doubles down on that as the main scheme.

 

[Turrican3]

folks had mentioned it was more laggy than the Wii's implementation of it

They're not laggy, just basically broken due to the constant need to recenter/reset gyro.

Having said that, I obviously understand from a gameplay perspective this is almost a cheat for a game designed around a target lock mechanics, but I just can't help but feel pointer controls are just too intuitive and comfortable to not use them wherever possible.

 

[Luggage]

Wii controls for me. I like the dual analog that they used for Remastered, but I was disappointed that the pointer control option didn't seem to work that great for me when playing on the Switch

 

[Evil Lucario]

The Federation Force control scheme (yes, that control scheme is in Prime Remastered) is actually pretty good. Tank controls, but you use gyro to enable looking around. This is my preferred method in handheld mode, as it's a neat compromise between the original control scheme and modern controls.

But you can't really go wrong with any of them. I primarily use the Wii controls when playing docked, but dual stick + gyro is very good as well.

Keyboard + mouse feels weird though, because of how button mappings work so either the UI is weird or actual combat is weird. Not a bad way to play but it's still mostly a patchwork implementation.

 

[balgajo]

Dual analog + Gyro for me. Btw, I think the game does a poor job presenting this option. Almost went for another control scheme because I dislike dual analog without gyro. Keyboard + mouse would be nice but not sure if I'm willing to bring my Switch to my computer monitor.

 

[manfromthedam]

Dual analog + Gyro for me. Btw, I think the game does a poor job presenting this option. Almost went for another control scheme because I dislike dual analog without gyro. Keyboard + mouse would be nice but not sure if I'm willing to bring my Switch to my computer monitor.

Agreed, it takes some fiddling to get there but it's a great default option as many people will be comfortable with that layout - did my first playthrough that way! For Prime Remastered, however, I disliked how fiddly changing visors and beams is with that setup. That's a breeze with the pointer.

 

[Discokuningas]

Dual analog with gyro. It's the best way to play first person games. Especially if there's shooting involved.

 

[oldpuck]

I feel like folks playing with pointer controls live in another universe from me. I've never once been able to accurately aim at anything with pointer controls. Playing Skyward Sword, I'd be rotating through menus pointing at the wall behind me. No amount of recentering ever did any good.

I'd love to play Prime with pointer controls. I'd be over the moon if they were just laggy. But I must have some curse, I couldn't even get use the channel menu on Wii to accurately open a game.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Pointer controls are easily the best option.

I feel like folks playing with pointer controls live in another universe from me. I've never once been able to accurately aim at anything with pointer controls. Playing Skyward Sword, I'd be rotating through menus pointing at the wall behind me. No amount of recentering ever did any good.

I'd love to play Prime with pointer controls. I'd be over the moon if they were just laggy. But I must have some curse, I couldn't even get use the channel menu on Wii to accurately open a game.

The Wii's pointer controls used infrared lights as a reference point. Other sources of IR light, like for example Christmas lights, could interfere with it.

 

[oldpuck]

Pointer controls are easily the best option.

The Wii's pointer controls used infrared lights as a reference point. Other sources of IR light, like for example Christmas lights, could interfere with it.

I didn't own a Wii, I only played at a friend's house. His ability to use it greatly exceeded mine. The moment I held the remote, no matter how steady my hand, the thing seemed to drift in a circle till it was stuck on the right side of the screen. It eliminated me from buying one

I've never had a playable motion control experience that was anything more than a waggle.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

The controls that each game was specifically designed for (tank for 1 & 2, pointer for 3).

 

[SiG]

Dual Stick + Gyro is the closest analog (pun intended) to mouse and keyboard.

1:1 Gyro tracking (with variable sensitivity settings) is usually how I play FPS games on Switch.

 

[grobla123]

Primehack or Gyro for sure. Didn't mind the Wii IR control scheme either. Going back to gamecube single stick only is rough for me, so much stop and start to look around or aim.

IR is peak, but I like having 2 sticks and regular controller as well. I'd love to have both, gyro just isn't as good for point aiming, but good enough for some minor adjustments on stick.

 

[Pokemaniac]

I didn't own a Wii, I only played at a friend's house. His ability to use it greatly exceeded mine. The moment I held the remote, no matter how steady my hand, the thing seemed to drift in a circle till it was stuck on the right side of the screen. It eliminated me from buying one

I've never had a playable motion control experience that was anything more than a waggle.

Actually, you mentioned Skyward Sword, was that the only Wii game you tried? The pointer system in that game is fairly bespoke, and works a lot differently from pretty much every other game on the platform, Prime trilogy included. Most Wii games are driving the cursor primarily via the IR camera in the Wiimote, but Skyward Sword is actually primarily leaning on the gyro in the Wii MotionPlus (closer to how Switch games typically handle pointers), with the IR only used (IIRC optionally) as a backup to attempt to mitigate gyro drift.

In my experience, the failure modes of the pure IR aiming that was more common on the Wii tended to look more like jittering than drifting.

 

[oldpuck]

Actually, you mentioned Skyward Sword, was that the only Wii game you tried? The pointer system in that game is fairly bespoke, and works a lot differently from pretty much every other game on the platform, Prime trilogy included. Most Wii games are driving the cursor primarily via the IR camera in the Wiimote, but Skyward Sword is actually primarily leaning on the gyro in the Wii MotionPlus (closer to how Switch games typically handle pointers), with the IR only used (IIRC optionally) as a backup to attempt to mitigate gyro drift.

In my experience, the failure modes of the pure IR aiming that was more common on the Wii tended to look more like jittering than drifting.

I only played Skyward Sword on switch. My Wii games were World of Goo, Lost Winds, and a little bit of Prime Trilogy

 

[Pokemaniac]

I only played Skyward Sword on switch. My Wii games were World of Goo, Lost Winds, and a little bit of Prime Trilogy

Weird. I'm still broadly inclined to blame environmental factors (IR was really reliable when it worked, but it didn't exactly take a lot to trip it up), but it's impossible to tell what was going wrong at this point.

Gyro pointers on Switch generally aren't going to work as well as IR on Wii did when it was working, but the pointer style in Prime Remastered did probably the best that could reasonably expected to mimic it with a Joy-Con, and I'll be really disappointed if Prime 4 doesn't have that as an option.

 

[Brock Reiher]

The game is built around a Game Cube controller. I think people who don’t play the intended controls with the intended controller are the same people who say the controls are outdated or the combat is boring. There’s nothing better than hearing those shoulder buttons click as you cycle through lock on targets and mash the big green button. Playing with any other option is like playing Mario 64 without the N64 controller.

 

[xtoc]

I dont see metroid as an fps game. So its fine like the remaster one.

 

[Horror Kid]

Wiimote Pointer was the best (when it worked without interferences, which was mostly the case in my setup).
Gyro is good but never as good as the pointer controls.

Can't play Ego-Shooters with the classic Gamecube controls.
I play every FPS with Mouse & Keyboard on PC but I am not sure if I would on Switch, if made possible as an alternative.

 

[Kool Savis]

... Playing with any other option is like playing Mario 64 without the N64 controller.

I actually played SM64 HD with my JoyCons and think it worked fine

 

[oomoepoo]

I've always been a staunch defender of pointer controls. But dual analogue and gyro in the remaster is fantastic too.

 

[Tangerine_Cookie]

Dual analog plus gyro felt amazing when I played through the game, and was basically a refined version of one of the single things I wanted then to take from Federation Force (Both the single analog and dual analog with gyro control schemes were available there).

Pointer controls worked pretty well on the Wii (for me at least*), and they're serviceable enough on the switch remaster, but the reality is that they're not that needed in MP1 at least, and dual analog + gyro feels comfier. If they port MP3, I'm curious how well this would hold up.

* I spent a couple weeks after getting the Wii basically moving around lamps and sources of light and installing blinds to prevent sunlight from screwing up with the IR sensor. Which I don't think was something a lot of people did, or should have had to, honestly.