The Metroid Thread: BOMB ALL THE WALLS!

[otakujeb]

I'm getting close to the point here where Prime had better click or it's off once again to the Dusty Shelf Of Dropped Games.

I can only do the same "Die 3 times to a boss, beat the boss, then be killed by a minor enemy because I have no health left before I can Save" multiple times, for every single boss. For the love of God, why does it not auto save after you beat a boss?

 

[otakujeb]

I haven't gotten much playtime lately, but Prime sorta clicked, a little, but it's still rough.

- Despite growing up in the era when enemies would respawn if you even slightly scrolled the screen back, I am SUPER annoyed when they respawn here. It doesn't seem consistent-- sometimes I can go two or three rooms away and they will stay dead, sometimes I'll backtrack after one room and everybody's back. It's worse because here in 3D Land enemies are proportionally more of the gameplay loop than the actual traversal, so if you have to backtrack it feels more like "doing it all over again" than "running back through this room I already solved".

- Scanning sucks. I love me some Lore, but stopping dead to scan things is so slow. It's like somebody wanted to recreate how the X-Ray Scope breaks the rhythm of Super, with the added bonus of often having to do it while you're being shot at.

- I'm still struggling with the controls. Shooting Super Missiles either requires not turning your head or using unnatural extra fingers. Motion tilt aiming gives me only a little range-- I have it on but the sensitivity turned down, for fine tuning my aim if I can't lock on to something-- because otherwise my view is flopping around like crazy from just the movement of pushing buttons.

 

[RT-55J]

Are you using the dual-stick control scheme?

 

[FelixSH]

Can't you ignore the monsters? Not all the time, of course, but I vaguely remember just ignoring the monsters, because they are annoying.

 

[otakujeb]

Are you using the dual-stick control scheme?

Yes, with the tilt aim option (sensitivity set all the way down). So I can keep my thumbs on the sticks and use ZR to charge, then R to fire Super Missiles, or take my right thumb off the stick to charge with A and fire supers with R. I know there's another option to switch missiles to X, but that still involves no right stick control. I honestly think it's a fundamental problem with the Prime controls-- holding R to charge a super and A to fire would be more natural.

...On second thought ,that's exactly how Diffusion Missiles worked in Fusion, and I had some control issues with those as well. Maybe the concept of "charging" a shot that is fired with another button is itself flawed.

 

[otakujeb]

Can't you ignore the monsters? Not all the time, of course, but I vaguely remember just ignoring the monsters, because they are annoying.

Yes, but then they shoot me as I run by! 2D Samus can bob and weave, but 3D Samus kind of feels like a tank that can jump. Anything that still draws breath has no problem landing shots on me.

 

[Bongo]

Missiles and super missiles both have homing properties, so if you're locked onto an enemy, it'll hit them, even if your free-aim drifted off target while you were charging the super missile. Metroid Prime 1 being originally designed as a single-stick game means it still has many such affordances.

I preferred using the split joycon controls with high-sensitivity gyro, however. That comes very close to the Wii port controls. But since you're going with dual-stick controls that won't be an option for you.

 

[RT-55J]

Metroid Prime 1 being originally designed as a single-stick game means it still has many such affordances.

Frankly (hyperbolically), I feel that using any control scheme besides the original single-stick is an affront to god's truth. Dual-stick controls throw away a remarkable amount of the game's design and balance (often not in your favor) in the name of shoving the controls into a more familiar paradigm.

 

[otakujeb]

Hmm. I'm not *married* to dual-stick, I just assumed that it would be more natural as it's become the dominant control scheme in the years since. Lord knows I've tried to play other games of similar vintage without it (*cough*Ocarina of Time*cough*) and had a bad time. I'll have to give the others a shot.