Topic: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Oh, that's confirmed as appearing in the game itself? Interesting, because if so that's the first actual appearance of the "Cosmic Calendar" in a game, rather than in promotional material.

https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Cosmic_Calendar

I am very curious to see if the actual contents of the game include any references that would let one confirm which games it has to take place after. An explicit reference to Zebes blowing up would be excellent.

Seems like it's going to be a divisive game, even some of the more positive reviews are highlighting that.

I'm looking forward to finding out for myself. Wasn't terribly impressed by what I played at the Switch 2 preview event in April but it was an odd slice of the game to be fair.

I hope they release a demo for it, so I can at least test the Switch 2's 120hz display for something other than a 2D game.

Check out a few screenshots I grabbed from the IGN video review.

And Digital Foundry's analysis, which I think we've all been eagerly awaiting (they say it delivers, both with regard to visuals/performance and in quality of the game itself).

@OmnitronVariant
I agree- a demo would be great. Not for me since I already have it pre-ordered but I always believe demos are good for the consumer, to try a game and see whether it resonates with them. Cause some games are GotY for one group of people, and for others they fail to hold their interest. At least with Prime 4, you pretty much know what to expect if you've played prior entries, but I think there's a lot of people who never tried the series for whom a demo could do wonders. Or even, as you said, to test the 120 fps mode on a proper 3D game (I'm also excited to try that out BTW, specifically for mouse mode though where I believe it would benefit most).

There have been a number of games I thought I would love, that I just... didn't (Kirby Air Riders). And yet others I thought I wouldn't love or for which I failed to grasp the appeal- maybe I thought they looked ok and would be decent enough, but I wasn't convinced would be a masterpiece in my eyes, that I ended up adoring (Mario Kart World).

@metaphysician Federation Force also had the year in the opening video, but tbh I don’t think many people played it haha. It’s listed as 20X6 btw.

My personal theory on the year is that the X is ambiguous and Prime 4’s 20X9 and Super Metroid’s 20X7 could be a decade apart or some other timeframe.
The series hasn’t had the most accurate timeline between games at least. (A Samus Returns video claims it was less than a year since Zero Mission and when Samus goes to eliminate all Metroids and it doesn’t really work to fit all of the Prime games in between that time)

We're nearly at the finish line. Reviews dropping and it looks solid.

@Rahmus I think its a solid 7.5 game based on what I have seen read.
The thing about those high ratings on metacritic which range from 10 (almost perfect) to 9 (also almost perfect) is they are doing the franchise a disservice.
Prime 4 looks nice - given the s1 was the lead platform. The open world desert seems bland though and boring though to traverse through and sort of tacked on to make the game seem bigger?
Either way the game doesnt look perfect or without flaws and giving it such a high score means the devs did everything right, right?
Anyhow I was looking forward to prime4 for years - actually I was expecting it to arrive on the wii u back in the day, and the bad or mediocre reviews and apparent flaws won't make me cancel my preorder. I just hope the devs view critisizm as constructive and deliver a better product next time with the s2 being thenlead platform.

I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel about it, and playing a 2025 game in 2025 at all. But I am mildly concerned because of the review scores.

In most cases, whatever, especially for ultimately a good average by normal standards. I don't know if I said this already but I do think game reviewers are predictable enough that Kirby Air Riders getting like a 79 on Metacritic is significantly more impressive than Metroid Prime 4 getting an 81. I feel by default a competent version of Kirby Air Ride got underwhelming scores and Metroid Prime is, if not as much as 3D Zelda or Mario, a near guarantee of critical acclaim on the basis of Metroid Prime. So it NOT getting as good reviews as I think even Mario Kart did makes me think there's a chance I'll be actually disappointed by it. (note: I'm going into it expecting it to be as great but not Prime 1 as 2 and 3 are, maybe even slightly worse)

None of what I said would matter except the vast, vast majority of time I like the games other people like, often to a pretty similar degree and Kirby Air Ride getting the reviews it did stands out as an exception. And Metroid Prime 4 is the opposite of that, regardless of quality, did not expect the review scores to be this close, reviewers inherently love one and don't care about the other for what they are.

Though obviously nothing would make me happier than by the end of the year praising it as the 2nd best Metroid Prime and laughing at people's takes.

It's currently sitting on 81, so I wasn't far off with my guess at 79.

Ah well, it still looks good enough for me to be picking it up tomorrow. It's been a long enough wait.

I definitely wasn’t expecting the outlet average to be around 80 with Retro at the helm, but unless it were to be resoundingly low (like the 60s), it wouldn’t dissuade me from being excited to play it Day One. It was my most anticipated game this year aside from E33 and Yotei. Really looking forward to it, especially since it coincides with the upcoming slower pace of the Christmas holidays.

There's already a demo for it? Unless you mean a demo that can be downloaded from the eShop and tested on your personal display as opposed to going to an in store kiosk.

I massively over-estimated. I'm pretty surprised it is so low. I suppose my guess matched the NintendoLife review score.

Pretty wide distribution with lots of 6, 7,8,9, and 10.

@JaxonH
Doubt it will for me, purely based on what it's offering in terms of control styles. This is easily the greatest looking & sounding(That soundtrack...) Metroid Prime to date...But, now that VR is a thing, with Steam Frame & Dream Air SE(Especially) on the way, including the demise of the Wii Remote, nunchuck & SensorBar for flatscreen gaming, I can't imagine MP4: Beyond, purely from a control stand point, as much as I enjoy Gyro+Stick aiming with the Pro/Pro 2 Controller, coming remotely close to the experience i had personally with MP3 back in the late 2000's on my oh so awesome 2006 32" FullScreen Sony WEGA CRT(Using componnet cables), using the WRemote, N&SB, back when motion pointer controls were straight up revolutionary when they were implented right.

But whatever, you're in good hands. You're set. You seem pretty content and happy with Gyro-Stick aiming and NS2 Mouse contrls, plus VR makes you nautious & dizzy so i can't imagine it ever being enjoyable or accessable unless you either grow your VR legs or future headests have new tech that can somehow bypass the sickness. The only time i ever got sick in VR was from some low budget indie roller coster game on PSVR2. Never again. lol

Anyways, MP3 on Wii was like a religious experience for me, it's in my top 10 games of all time, even surpassing the SNES original. I'm crazy, I know. But MP4 is in a weird spot for me since I'm so accustomed to what VR can offer, including it's controllers which are an evolution and total upgrade compared to what the Wii did and what it will continue to offer as the technology becomes better and better over time. Friction points will be anihilated, and we'll eventually descend into 4K per eye, Micro-OLED, Wireless Light weight headsets and blah blah.

Future Super Hybrids is the way, similar to what maybe Valve is currently doing. TV, Handheld & TableTop, VR & MR. Everybody wins, and nobody has the right to complain because everybody gets to play how THEY want to play.

@JaxonH
Doubt it will for me, purely based on what it's offering in terms of control styles. But as it stands, this is easily the greatest looking(Art direction is superb, it's striking with so much artistic merit under the hood) & sounding(That soundtrack man, especially in that Avatar-like alien planet towards the first quarter of the game. It's so serine, heavenly and magical.) Metroid Prime to date...

But, now that VR is a thing, with Steam Frame & Dream Air SE(Especially) on the way, including the demise of the Wii Remote, nunchuck & SensorBar for flatscreen gaming, I can't imagine MP4: Beyond, purely from a control stand point, as much as I enjoy Gyro+Stick aiming with the Pro/Pro 2 Controller, coming remotely close to the experience i had personally with MP3(And now Resident Evil Village VR) back in the late 2000's on my oh so awesome 2006 32" FullScreen Sony WEGA CRT(Using componnet cables), using the WRemote, N&SB, back when motion pointer controls were straight up revolutionary when they were implented right. Especially on CRT, since there was zero input lag compared to the motion smearing LED's on the market and Plasma.

But whatever, you're in good hands. You're set. You seem pretty content and happy with Gyro-Stick aiming and NS2 Mouse controls(With the right mouse grip accessory(s)), plus VR as you mentioned makes you nautious & dizzy so i can't imagine it ever being enjoyable or accessable unless you either grow your VR legs, if possible, or future headests have new tech that can somehow bypass the sickness. The only time i ever got sick in VR was from some low budget indie roller coster game on PSVR2. Ya, never again. lol

Anyways, MP3 on Wii was like a religious experience for me, it's in my top 10 games of all time, even surpassing the SNES original. I'm crazy, I know. But MP4 is in a weird spot for me since I'm so accustomed to what VR can offer, including it's controllers which are an evolution and total upgrade compared to what the Wii did and what it will continue to offer as the technology becomes better and better over time. Friction points will be anihilated, and we'll eventually descend into 4K per eye, Micro-OLED, Wireless Light weight headsets and blah blah.

Future Super Hybrids is the way, similar to what maybe Valve is currently doing. TV, Handheld & TableTop, VR & MR. Everybody wins, and nobody has the right to complain because everybody gets to play how THEY want to play.

Also, I Could just use the joy-con 2's detached to mimick the WR&N, with backside DBrand Killswitch grips for improved comfort, but then you're still dealing with those weird none traditional analog sticks, No sensor Bar(Dreal breaker) and then the 2nd analog stick being placed directly bellow the 4 face buttons, rather then diagonally. Ya, I'm repeating myself, but i need Joy-Con 2 Pro controllers, using Pro 2 Analog sticks, a sensor bar and the right stick placed diagonally to B,A,X,Y. Then I'm set! I tried using the detached Joy-Con 1's to play MP: Remastered, docked, and even after all of the motion setting tinkering, they fell flat on their face compared to pointer accuracy, reliability and just the controllers themselves feeling nowhere near as comfortable, ergonomic or quality.

But as is, I'll be playing Prime 4 with the Pro 2 Controller with Gyro+Stick aiming. Even though it also has a negative effect on Samus's in-game arm cannon animations. With either the Joy-Con 1/2's & Wii Remote + Nunchuck, her arm cannon has this 1:1 three dimensional realistic animation going for it, which made it all the more amazing back with MP3 because nothing on XBOX360 or PS3 could do it. With Stick Aiming & Gyro, you lose that realism and the Hand/Arm animations wind up looking clunkier and more artificial. But I'm in the minority, I know. Most gamers still prefer Analog stick aiming these days. It's like opporating a tank nozzle. what is this, 2005?

@JaxonH I'm convinced (and will update my take after I play the game) that Prime 4 will go down as one of the best Metroid games ever made. We know that negativity sells, and Prime 4 was set up for negativity based on the previews. After a few years, we'll probably look back on the Metacritic rating shaking our heads.

@Lazz
Prime 4 already has the best soundtrack, environments, atmosphere and visuals of any prime game to date. But Prime 3, based on my preference still has the greatest Controls thanks to the WiiRemote, Nunchuck & Sensor Bar set to the Advanced Setting. It just feels so natural, seemless and accurate. I still have Prime 3(On Disc) and it's control scheme smokes all of the control schemes found in MP: Remastered on NS1.

I still need to play MP2: Echoes too. Here' s hoping for a NS2 Remaster, with 120fps support, maybe HDR(if done right), HD Rumble 2 and the same Gyro+Stick controls found in Prime Remaster.

Also, I was never head over heels over Prime 1 back on Cube. I had a love/hate relationship with it. I know it's generally considered to be the holy grail of the three, and seems to be everybodies favourite, but it left me feeling glum. Something about it's dreerier descolated murkier isolated atmosphere and overall tone never quite clicked with me, nor did the controls. And don't get me started on the crazy amounts of scanning. I still finished it, but it left me feeling split. I hated most first person based titles until the Wii showed up with pointer controls. Meanwhile, VR takes the first person genre to whole new heights like it has with RE Village VR, even with it's limitations due to the PSVR & PS5 in terms of motion duplication/reprojection at 60fps(Only 90fps can get rid of it), inconsistent 2K per eye resolution, Mura etc.

But ya, 3 had a more adventures nintendo-like spark to it. I loved the short lived comradarry with those other bounty hunters, the Wii Controls, level of interaction with those controls and more linear game structure. Never touched 2: Echoes, but I'll give it a whirl on NS2 once it gets remastered, with 120fps support.

The most memorable moment in Prime 3, was probably Samus breaking out of her morph Ball, staring upwards, only for Ridley to come crashing down which quickly transitioned into a boss battle where you're both descending down that tunnel, with Ridley Draging it's nails against the inner tunnel walls with sparks flying everything, topped with that epic classic boss theme playing in the background. I wish I could re-experience this moment in VR. The Quest 3 could handle MP3 perfectly at 2K per eye @90fps. Quest 3 seems to max out it's specs when dealing with Dreamcast/PS1/GameCube/XBOX generation graphics.

@WaveBoy I had Prime 3 on the Wii - not sure what happened to it . I never beat it, it didn't stick like the original Prime, for me. But I remember the opening, loving it. I'd appreciate another opportunity to play through it.
As for Prime 4 - everything is looking right up my alley. And I LOVE motion controls. The Wii did have some great options that can't really be replicated today.

@Lazz What happened is that you probably burned out on the backtracking to locate all the energy cells. I know that I nearly did, the first time I played it. The game is mostly linear up to that point too, but they decided to make up for it with a vengeance.

Anyway, I feel that it turns what's an exciting adventure through some breathtaking environments - particularly Bryyo and Elysia - up to that point into a bit of a slog, and the last couple of areas feel rather bland into the bargain.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but it you gave up half way you still probably saw the best of it.

@Bolt_Strike Nintendo doesn’t have stores let alone in-store kiosks in Scandinavia, nor most of Europe. So yeah I meant a downloadable demo.