Topic: Metroid: Samus Returns

It's a very stupid and anti consumer practice they've got going on, locking something as standard as hard mode behind a physical piece of plastic. Anyone who defends that cannot have my respect, because there's no excuse. I never understood the people that wanted - more- to be locked behind them, and I'm going to assume they're just a small minority compared to people who prefer usage like Smash's.

Meh. Higher difficulties never really added much to Metroid games. Just extra damage taken and less damage dealt. At worst it's cheese like Corruption having all hypermode-capable enemies use it at the slightest provocation, forcing you to burn health to take them down. Zero mission halved expansions... but that is kinda pointless when people just avoid grabbing them to add challenge, and in fact that specific game AWARDED such behaviour!

It's a bit disappointing to see them lock such basic extras behind amiibo.

I mean, I fully plan to get them either way because they look cool, but sheesh.

@BLP_Software To be honest, I rather see amiibo go sooner than later. And seeing how the toys-to-life business is slowly falling apart, I'm hoping amiibo will soon follow. I'm not against Nintendo selling physical toys, but amiibo create too many problems. There's a group that doesn't buy amiibo (that's me as well) that wants to see the toys get as little functionality as possible. The last thing I want is paying €15 for plastic toys to unlock some extra stuff. And there's the group that owns amiibo and/or collects them, and they, as expected, want to get as much usage of the things as possible.

But hey, you're right, Metroid isn't the first game that's doing this. Zelda also locked a hard mode behind DLC. At least you don't have to track down a rare toy in real life to unlock Zelda's hard mode...

Five years ago this was the kind of thing we laughed at when other companies like EA and Konami tried to pull things like this. Look were we are now...

I don't even want to think about how they're going to sell Mario Odyssey in pieces to us!

@Operative2-0 The entire purpose of any business in any industry is to make money. You don't do that by being nice.

@Octane I like how everyone tags me just because I said it's damned if you do damned if you don't. I never said I agree, I just stated the situation.

@BLP_Software Don't worry, I only replied

Right and I'm guessing since it's Nintendo nickel and diming us, suddenly it's just that they're a business. But Sony or Microsoft or EA? Totally soulless and unforgivable

I think that being nice does help you in the long run, it creates goodwill, which in turn makes it easier to convince your customers to buy either more games or upgrade to the next console.

@Operative2-0 Never said that about EA, Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, Capcom, Sqaure Enix, Bethesda, Platinum, Activision, Atari....the list goes on.

They are all businesses too. They do what they do to make money.

Look, I simply stated the situation. Business exist for money. They will do whatever they can to do so. Every for profit business does this. Again, stop being arsey for a moment. I never said it was right. I never said I agree or disagree.

I simply said what it is. Stated a fact. My opinion is irrelevant and wasn't even stated. Notice how I said the purpose of ANY business in ANY industry is to make money. That means EVERY business. I'm not painting Nintendo in any different light than any other company.

But if you want to get up in arms and have a go about me for my opinion, here it is: As a consumer I have every right to spend my disposable income that I earn and I have sole control over, on any products, goods or services that fall in line with my wants.

That is the nature of many industries. Capitalism as a whole. Welcome to real life. I never said it was okay or other companies were worse. I just laid out what amiibo is, what happens as a result in that they are screwed either way, and that it is quite literally a fact of the industry.

I never said EA or anyone else was worse nor have I given my opinion on any one company. I don't know where you got that idea, but it's false.

Oh wait. This is NintendoLife and everyone here is automatically a fanboy. Yeah, alright. Nice blanket statement.

@Octane But you also cant build a business model off of that and that alone. Otherwise consumers become entitled, see PS Plus for instance. That good will and free games got a price hike. But they did what businesses do and nickel and dimed people. We may never know why, but its what companies do.

And people are eating it up? Why? Free games. That goodwill can be nickel and dimed later and sadly, in this industry especially where game development costs rise year on year, because consumers expect better and better and the teams want to deliver better and better, means that the extra revenue needs to come from somewhere.

Oh man, this isn't even worth it. The fact that you're trying to defend such blatantly anti consumer acts as "Oh its just a business", which is probably the laziest and most cop out excuse tells me all I need to know about what you think. I just wish less people thought like you.

@DarthNocturnal to me it reads like "here's an excuse for them". And I'm not much for people trying to excuse such awful behavior.

Can you imagine...

"We have decided to launch Earthbound 2 outside of Japan as an HD remake divided in 10 separate chapters, along with its own series of special limited edition Amiibo."

"The base game will cost $20 to download, and each further chapter must be unlocked by scanning an amiibo."

@Operative2-0 You want to know what I think about the whole industry?

I don't give a damn! People can spend their money however the hell they want and the best part is? They do it consciously. So what does that mean? Companies chase the money consumers are willing to spend. Are they wrong to do that? Is it even my place to say?

I don't see why YOU care. You are a drop in the water. One of 7.5 billion. You choose to spend your money how you wish, and sure as hell I wont tell you what to do with it, because its yours. I don't even have expectations for what you do with it. Its not my place to judge you.

I hate cigarettes. I don't spend my money on them. But does my shouting about it do anything? No. Does my lack of spending on them damage the bottom line of the companies? No. I can just be happy not spending it, and then also spending time not moaning about how other people spend their money.

Which I must add is what you are doing. If its so anti-consumer a lot of consumers sure keep these companies afloat. And if it really offends you that much how a company gets money out of you, realise that any Nintendo product you have ever bought also goes to that same well. All a company will ever do, is change how it gets money from you. So if amiibo suddenly tank it will look at what IS selling, and mark that up.

That's what happens. That is the reality. If you want less people to think about it how it is and be damn realistic about it, you can keep deluding yourself that your lack of money to them matters. Because it doesn't.

Personally it would be awesome if any anti-consumer practice was outlawed effective immediately. It wouldn't be better for everyone, because nothing ever will be, but itd be nice.

If they were to say, halve the prices of all their games, thatd be awesome wouldn't it? $30 MSRP. Less money goes in though. Less money to pay people with and expand and invest into new games youd want. So the revenue gap has to be bridged. By what? Nickel and diming.

If investors see revenue or profit fall they get scared, and that devalues a company as they sell. When that happens, you go the way of many companies. There has to be a cutthroat aspect to it in any given capacity because that's what keeps them going.

I admit it would be nice if there were no anti-consumer practices. But I am also not deluded enough to think that any company will just change because someone threw a hissy about how other people spend their money.

If someone has perceived value in a product, they will buy it. That is capitalism. That is how the worlds turns. That is why you probably have a job (If you have a job). You will have to change and make people see different value in things. And again, it would be nice, but please be realistic.

@DarthNocturnal You get it. This is how it is. This is why it happens. It sucks, but that's how it is.

Smash Lucas will unlock the art gallery, and Smash Ness the sound test.

(but only after you beat the game)

And as an special limited limited mini limited amiibo series, we have the original Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo amiibos.

Ness unlocks the hard difficulty mode (and the true ending), Paula unlocks the Easy Difficulty mode, Jeff unlocks the ability to use items in battle and Poo raises the level cap from 20 to 100.

The game stop-exclusive Gold Ness amiibo unlocks the ability to save the game.

They should pay us for these new groundbreaking ideas.

Are you purposely being obtuse?

The hard mode (Master Mode) for Breath of the Wild is included in an Expansion Pass that adds genuinely new content to the base game. This includes a numerous variety of trials, a whole new dungeon to explore, treasure chests, an original story, more challenges, new costumes, items, masks and armour to boot too.

The hard mode for Metroid Samus Returns is locked behind a plastic toy for €15. That’s all it does.

:EDIT: I didn’t even read beyond your original post when I replied, and I am quite pleased to see that I wasn’t the only person who was left baffled at your reply (and further consequence replies).

This. It's not the worst practice out there (I still say how some DLC is handled is way worse), but you would think a basic extra like that would be unlockable without using anything external.

I personally don't feel like it's a huge deal, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

@Peek-a-boo I still feel that locking a hard mode behind a paywall is one step too far. I can't even think of another game that does that. It's been part of almost any Zelda game in the past. I'm fine with story stuff (as in genuine DLC), but I don't like the idea of locking basic functions like that away. It doesn't help that we're forced to buy both DLC packs if we only want one of them. I think that says enough how much Nintendo values the first DLC pack!