Topic: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

There must be a point somewhere between ambient sounds and music where people decide which is which. However I guess the point is people were looking for better music in the overworld section to make that section more entertaining and not needing to buy a amiibo to get it, a proper orchestral score.

After looking at Switch 2 graphics again I'm not convinced there is anymore texture detail in its graphics but of course graphical features like HDR also add to the overall image quality. However even at this point I would say an emulated Switch 1 Metroid Prime 4 provides the best visual image quality just because its rendering at full 4K 60fps with no visual cheating. From what I understand the Switch 1 version on Switch 1 hardware is outputting docked at 720p-1080p with 900p being the most common resolution. It's a huge upgrade to bump that up to true 4K when emulated. The Switch 2 manages 1440p docked at 60fps but with a 4K hud. I think we need to be realistic about the Switch 2 performance level. It has roughly 3x the CPU performance of Switch 1 and about 5-6x the GPU performance of Switch 1 docked however we don't yet know Switch 2 GPU performance in portable mode, it has the potential for 1.2-1.3 Teraflops in portable mode but realistically probably well below that in order to achieve its current battery life. Probably sub 1 Teraflop. I'd estimate around 700-900 Gflops. The original Switch in portable mode was something like 40-200Gflops but the core real GPU performance i.e. where most games were at is probably around 70-140 Gflops so they could provide decent battery life. We won't know the true figure until the Switch 2 is hacked and we can see how much each game is using in power etc. We can roughly work it out though based on battery runtimes of various games, the mainly 10Nm chipset and a display panel with no overdrive enabled. My point is the Switch 2 is not strong hardware however its strong enough to provide a good game experience but not really push graphic limits. However I would argue that many of the graphic improvements of PS5 and PC etc are not really enhancing the games that much but still if graphic fidelity is important to you then emulated Switch 1 looks much better than Switch 2 I would say.

Examples of Battery Runtimes (Approximate):
Mario Kart World (High Settings): ~2 hours, 30 mins
Cyberpunk 2077 (Quality Mode): ~2 hours, 1 min
Fortnite (Medium Settings): ~2 hours, 13 mins
The Witcher 3 (Backwards Compatibility): ~2 hours, 55 mins
Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Version): ~2 hours, 53 mins
Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 1 Version on Switch 2): ~4 hours, 36 mins
Super Mario Wonder: ~3 hours, 54 mins
Metroid Prime Remastered: ~4 hours, 50 mins (less than OLED, better than launch Switch)
Dave the Diver (Indie): 4-5+ hours

Youtube just suggested a new video to me which was true 1080p on original Switch 1 docked and true 720p in portable mode for the original Switch but of course at 30fps not 60fps and that isn't with overclocking. In theory I guess on a overclocked Switch 1 you can get 1080p and 60fps docked and 720p and 60fps portable maybe. Interesting that someone has created the mod so quickly. In the before section the docked performance at 60fps was switching between 900p and 800p thereabouts.

Emulating Prime 4 isn't "much better" than NSW2. It's just not. Search the reddit threads and you'll read all about the hitching and visual glitches and stuff like that, and I checked screenshots and ya it looks good but NSW2 just looks perfect and runs flawlessly. There's no advantage whatsoever, only drawbacks. Visually it does look good but it's not better and when you account for all the problems and drawbacks (lose all the controller options and hybrid advantage and perfect performance and flawless visual image without artifacts) it's not even worth it imo. There's just nothing to gain over the NSW2 version.

On an another forum someone called the games story and lore to be deep. I on the contrary found it to be very simple. The person wouldn't care to elaborate further and left me dumbfounded.

What are your thoughts about the lore and story?

I love spiderball. And this game has all kinds of spider rails and psychic spider rails late game. There was a shrine puzzle with a literal maze labyrinth of psychic spider rails on the inside of a spherical dome. I don't want to spoil it so I'm not sharing any screenshots from that.

@Retrodouche
I wouldn't say "deep" as Metroid games never have "deep" story and lore, but it does have story and lore, and it's a better game for it. The lore is expected, and at least a simple story is expected. I wouldn't say it's so much the story itself that is great, but it's enough to keep you engaged, and the characters are so likeable, I just enjoy any time I get a cutscene with them or a scripted gameplay segment.

I'd say story is definitely a step up from Prime 1, probably equal to Prime 2 and 3, but more enjoyable to me because of the characters. The lore I'd say is decent, but a bit weaker than Prime 2 lore. So overall it evens out.

This is the least fun part of the game, and where I'm currently 'stuck' because it's sooo frustrating

@Retrodouche nintendo games don't tend to be very deep beyond "I'm 14 and this is deep" story telling.

Prime 4's plot is kinda irrelevant cause none of the characters or creatures have any form of importance and adding them/cutting them out changes absolutely nothing in metroid's timeline. While the game's own plot is some of the most cartoonish nonsensical stuff (the ancient civilian started their era of technology around this bike when there's no areas but the factory and desert its relevant for)

Could say that about the other primes too ig but prime 4 doesn't even have relevance within its own prime circle, phazon is gone and past prime you already know GF was just using samus anyways with the direction fusion went and then other m prior to fusion's plot. It makes sylux feel super redundant if you know, you know.

Hey guys, kind of stuck in flare pool. This is my second trip back after finishing the ice belt. I still can’t cross the bridge or make any progress. Any tips?

In the interest of fairness I should have stated the game isn't working flawlessly but when you take a screengrab its clear the visuals are hugely upgraded and definitely better than Switch 2 however they are still working on full compatibility but they have gone from only small sections working to pretty much the whole game working with glitches and it probably won't be long before the game experience is flawlessly emulated. Pretty much every Switch 1 game looks better emulated than on Switch 2 even with upgrade packs because you can get 4K 60fps and it just gives you a amazing visual upgrade. However personally I'm not the sort of person that always has to have the best graphics. My PC isn't top end, its more mid-range lower spec. It's enough to run Switch 1 games at 4K 60fps but if there are mods/patches that require further power from the host pc perhaps mine isn't quite up to it.

@NintendoByNature You'll have to cross the lava on a vehicle … but ViOLa can't do it (yet).
Too little or too much of a hint?

Btw: Does anyone know how to conceal spoilers in comments?

apologies for mentioning this again but thought that now that people have had a chance to play the game more would be a better way to find out...

but has anyone ended up being able to unlock the radio feature without the amiibo, since ive heared conflicting info, around launch people were saying that you could unlock the feature by through in-game methods however ive also heard that all that does is unlock more songs for the radio and in order to actually unlock it you need said amiibo.

@jfp
If you want to conceal spoilers, you can use the following command. Write [spoiler], at the start of the content you want to conceal. And write [/spoiiiler] at the end of the spoiler. Of course, you should write spoiler, at the end, instead of spoiiiler. I did it, because I did not want to trigger the spoiler command.

@Jhena Thanks a lot!

@jfp thanks, I did some reading last night as well. Sounds like I’m not even in the right area at this time and have to trek back to a previous location? Kind of odd you can visit pool twice but need to leave because you aren’t equipped yet. Wondering if I should just ditch flare pool for now and go to a different key location?

@Araquanid Yeah Nintendo and deep stories don't belong in the same sentence. That's why I was left wondering what this person ment with a deep story/plot

@NintendoByNature
Have you been paying attention to Myles when out in Sol Valley? He won't chime in with a hint for the next area you should go to unless you've been out there for 4-5 min, but you should be doing that anyways to get those green crystals. Every time you head to a new area, take 5-10 min to cruise around and get more green crystals, no only to make the end game fetch quest irrelevant but because as you fill up the tank back in Fury Green you gain upgrades to your shot. Really slick upgrades- and the sooner you get them the better.

The other benefit is Myles will chime in during that time. I think there was a time or two he wouldn't tell me specifically where to go- he'd just say, "maybe you should explore previous areas now", but after 10-15 min he finally said, "have you tried Volt Forge?"

@JaxonH ahhh so he will eventually tell you. I have been cruising around sol valley actually after reading about the fetch quest. I actually enjoy it to tbh. I’m just glad I didn’t miss something that was right in front of me. I’ll head back to green fury for upgrades then make my way to volt forge

I've had a pretty good experience with not having to backtrack so far. I guess I am taking my time - because so far (in the volcano) I've had no issue knowing where to go. I'm glad that I've read from others that you can get upgrades by visiting the main hub, returning the crystals as you progress...I would have otherwise missed doing this. One thing that I've noticed - in past Prime games it was pretty obvious where to go - but I would have not thought that I needed to go to Volt Forge to get the Viola Suit Upgrade . But after going there, it makes sense.

@Lazz
I think that's why having Myles chime in after a bit is so clutch.

Back in Prime Remastered, I remember not knowing where to go next, and I ended up exploring the underwater section, making my way deep, deep into that area, only to be blocked off by a ledge too high for me to jump up or grapple to. It was 45 minutes I explored, and then I had to backtrack all of it once I turned around. That sort of thing permeated the prior trilogy.

This game can be just as obtuse with regard to not knowing which specific area to head to next, but where Prime 4 succeeds when prior games didn't is respecting the player's time. Myles will at the very least indicate the area to explore. You'll have to get there and explore it on your own, but it's not completely hands off to where you could waste an hour or two exploring the wrong areas because how could you possibly know...

Btw, what specific beam upgrades do you have thus far? I got a more powerful beam shot, which I should have gotten way sooner but I hadn't been dumping off my crystals, making several bosses way more difficult than they should have been. I also got a way to speed up my psychic control beam by like 5 fold. It's crazy fast now if I hold the B button to speed it up.

Oh, and I've found upgrades for all my beam weapons, not just the initial upgrade to do a charge shot worth 5 ammo but a super shot that costs like 10-20. And I've discovered 3 additional Vi-O-La boosts which, when combined with the ultra-fast regen from the amiibo good once per day and only expires if you leave Sol Valley, I'm essentially boosting from one end of the desert to the other non-stop.

@JaxonH I've upgraded from gems once - one beam boost. I've found 3 boosts I believe, for Viola. I've upgraded the Ice and Fire beams once, but no large charge shots yet. And my psychic control beam is still base level. But, I'm only in the Volcano - quite a bit behind you.

Also, I saw another post about music in the desert. I was listening to IGN's voice cast this week, and they mentioned that there is no way that they have found to unlock the radio outside of the Amibo. It was an interesting listen, as two of the hosts really liked Prime 4, while Logan, I believe, hates it. I appreciated challenges to his complaints (normally they do not really challenge each other) - but it was an interesting take. I'm surprised this game is as divisive as it is...but that's what 18 years of waiting and expectations will do.

@Lazz
Logan loves it. It was Seth who hated it. But his take was completely unhinged. He was flying off the handle because you scan stuff. Like lol... come on dude.

He was losing his mind over the most benign things- things that are what makes the game good, and not only not liking them, but sent into a fit of rage about it. And that's when I realized people like him... I hate to say it, but it's time they hang up their hat and exit the fanbase stage left. I'm not denying his right to how he feels, but clearly this series isn't for him, at all, so it's time to pack it up and leave the franchise to those of us who don't get triggered into a derangement syndrome over basic gameplay aspects like scanning and backtracking.

What really got me was when he was criticizing masked loading screens, and seriously throwing a tantrum about it, when Logan challenged him and said that's how the series has always been. He praised Prime Remastered and said nothing of the masked loading transitions! His response? "Well that game was decades old- we shouldn't have to deal with that in 2025". And I thought... hold up. Even if that's true, the fact is it didn't bother you in Prime just a couple years ago. And now you fly off the handle about it? Would you rather stare at a black screen instead? We haven't progressed to the point of ZERO loading in games, contrary to popular belief. They are a reality. Hating a game for having loading, and masking it so you're not staring at a loading screen, is the most asinine thing I've ever heard.

They said Brian Altano is loving the heck out of it, and that's who I really wanted to hear from, but for whatever reason he wasn't able to come on. The other guy who usually does PS/Xbox discussions, with the mustache, who is a big time Metroid fan, they said he's also loving it.