And I may go visit U-Mos now. I was afraid end-game stuff would initialize and I wouldn't be able to collect some items at this point.
Nope, there's still one more thing before you get to the final battle, and it's a task that requires you to backtrack anyway so it's a great time to go back and collect the items you missed.
@Bolt_Strike Well, I don't see much difference in spending a few seconds getting in-game info on a boss, going in blind for a few more minutes trying to find a weakness, or pausing the game and looking up a guide. Scanning abilities always take time in video games, including stuff like Libra in Final Fantasy, spending a turn to learn of weaknesses.
The logbook's main use is keeping important data like lore and creature weaknesses stored for later reference. Not just something that exists to make 100% hard. Many players couldn't care less about finding every detail for 100%, only using the Scan Visor for things that need it or stump them. The rewards for logbook completion also aren't as significant as item-finding; concept art isn't all that exciting to the average player compared to ending bonuses.
But that's where a system like AM2R's is more effective. It automatically provides you with crucial data when you need it instead of making it time limited. This is just more and more reason to de-emphasize scanning.
@Bolt_Strike Maybe for a 2D game that typically rewards speed, but Prime has always been more methodical and delivering sights to behold. Do we really want things to constantly pop up and distract us on our visors?
You wouldn't be complaining about this at all if you weren't a completion nut. They could take out the logbook, but otherwise keep the scanning as is, and you wouldn't have a problem. The way it is now, people are free to pursue or ignore the logbook at their leisure. Making the scanning automatic would just kill the immersion, and at worst make finding secrets too easy if you just learn there's destructible terrain by passing by. Manual scans let you remain involved in discovering them, and finding out what you need since it isn't always obvious like a colour-coded door. Even Other M understood that.
@Bolt_Strike Maybe for a 2D game that typically rewards speed, but Prime has always been more methodical and delivering sights to behold. Do we really want things to constantly pop up and distract us on our visors?
You wouldn't be complaining about this at all if you weren't a completion nut. They could take out the logbook, but otherwise keep the scanning as is, and you wouldn't have a problem. The way it is now, people are free to pursue or ignore the logbook at their leisure. Making the scanning automatic would just kill the immersion, and at worst make finding secrets too easy if you just learn there's destructible terrain by passing by. Manual scans let you remain involved in discovering them, and finding out what you need since it isn't always obvious like a colour-coded door. Even Other M understood that.
I'm fine with keeping scanning the environment, the logbook is the problem. Tying 100% completion in an exploration game to a mechanic that has a limited window to complete just isn't the right way to go about it, exploration games are about freedom and progressing at your own pace so you should be able to come back whenever you want and find all of the things you missed.
For me the scanning in any Metroid Prime is the worst kind of story telling and hint giving they could come up with.
For me, Other M's dialog and storywriting is a paradise heaven compared to the massive amount of scanwork hell you have to do in any of the Primes.
Best was Super Metroid's wordless silent approach.
They could redeem some of the frustration of Primes scanning if they simply don't make any missable.
I love scanning because it really helps to immerse you into your own gameplay. Like, only if you -want- to know more about a particular structure or creature do you even use it. If not, then you don't have to. It's not shoved directly into your face at every chance, breaking gameplay up into unnecessary info snippets. Plus it's just so organically woven into the gameplay and world itself
@Operative2-0 I mean, the reason 2D games don't usually include stuff like that is because they are constructed first and foremost around tight gameplay that encourages you to master it. Stuff like speedruns and low-percent runs aren't just optional pastimes like in Prime, they get you unique endings, particularly the most recent Zero Mission (yeah it's been that long), and Samus Returns seems set on continuing that tradition.
Prime has a more methodical feel, encouraging exploration and rewarding you based on your thoroughness, both directly with better endings and stuff like art, and implicitly by learning a story. But you can still play it hardcore like a 2D game if you so desire.
I personally like scanning. All the information is there if you want to access it, but you can just as easily ignore it if you wish. You have some who are likely playing the game for non-story reasons, whereas you have others like me who like getting background info and lore on everything possible.
I sort of get the argument of having a way in the late game to obtain scans you might have missed, though. I'm going for as many scans as I can, but I'm at the point where I won't reset the game if I missed something.
First thing's first? Sonic Boom.
Just kidding. Not THAT Sonic Boom, but I did find the optional upgrade. This is a pretty fun one, though one that I'll be using sparingly. I also ducked into Dark Aether and tried out the Annihilator Beam on a beacon with some Warrior Ing nearby. THAT, ladies and gents, was fun and very satisfying.
I did poke around Agon Wastes for a little while before heading back to U-Mos. Besides another Missile Expansion, I found another Energy Tank; this took some trial and error (and a lot of patience) since I had to Screw Attack my way into the cubby hole it was in (Don't recall the exact area, but this involved using the Echo Visor to align a light mechanism of sorts. One of the mining areas, I think).
Trekking all the way back to U-Mos, I was awarded with the Light Suit upgrade. Compared to the Dark Suit, I really like the design for this one, and the perks aren't bad, either.
The bad news? U-Mos now tells me that I need to find nine keys to get into the Dark Aether equivalent of the Sky Temple. I spent the rest of my session last night looking for said keys (found 2 so far), as well as more upgrades. I found a few more Missile Expansions, another Energy Tank (up to 10 now), and a Power Bomb upgrade.
My next couple of sessions will likely be item and key searches.
I did poke around Agon Wastes for a little while before heading back to U-Mos. Besides another Missile Expansion, I found another Energy Tank; this took some trial and error (and a lot of patience) since I had to Screw Attack my way into the cubby hole it was in (Don't recall the exact area, but this involved using the Echo Visor to align a light mechanism of sorts. One of the mining areas, I think).
The bad news? U-Mos now tells me that I need to find nine keys to get into the Dark Aether equivalent of the Sky Temple. I spent the rest of my session last night looking for said keys (found 2 so far), as well as more upgrades. I found a few more Missile Expansions, another Energy Tank (up to 10 now), and a Power Bomb upgrade.
Like I said in spoilers, make sure you scan the pillars in Sky Temple Gateway before you return the keys. There are scans there that give you clues for where to find the Sky Temple Keys. Also be sure you've scanned a Flying Ing Cache if you haven't already.
The Sky Temple Keys themselves shouldn't be hard to find because the game gives you several hints on where to find it, both from A-Kul's clues scanned on the pillars and from the Keybearer Lore scanned from certain Luminoth corpses found throughout the game.
And if you're going for 100% item completion, you should end up with 255 Missiles, 14 Energy Tanks, 250 Beam Ammo, and 10 Power Bombs.
Like I said in spoilers, make sure you scan the pillars in Sky Temple Gateway before you return the keys. There are scans there that give you clues for where to find the Sky Temple Keys. Also be sure you've scanned a Flying Ing Cache if you haven't already.
The Sky Temple Keys themselves shouldn't be hard to find because the game gives you several hints on where to find it, both from A-Kul's clues scanned on the pillars and from the Keybearer Lore scanned from certain Luminoth corpses found throughout the game.
And if you're going for 100% item completion, you should end up with 255 Missiles, 14 Energy Tanks, 250 Beam Ammo, and 10 Power Bombs.
Check and check. I've been pretty rigorous in turning on my Scan Visor when necessary, so I caught that all of the pillars could be scanned; plus, the general design of the room more or less hinted that it was important. As for the Flying Ing Cache, I discovered my first one in an area by chance with Hunter Ing after flipping on the Dark Visor. It was perfectly scannable after firing once.
Thanks for the 100% stat references, I'll try to remember to post my current counts after tonight's session.
I'm not sure if I've remarked on this already, but the Prime games (at least so far) have a phenomenal soundtrack. The title music for MPT is now one of my favorite video game tunes, and there are other standouts like Phendrana Drifts and the Hydrodynamo Station.
I've always liked Metroid's music, but the Prime games seem to take it to another level. Fusion's title theme is still the king of the Metroid castle for me, though.
Check and check. I've been pretty rigorous in turning on my Scan Visor when necessary, so I caught that all of the pillars could be scanned; plus, the general design of the room more or less hinted that it was important. As for the Flying Ing Cache, I discovered my first one in an area by chance with Hunter Ing after flipping on the Dark Visor. It was perfectly scannable after firing once.
Yeah, several of them are pretty obvious because the areas you find them in are dead ends with nothing else of interest. But even the ones that aren't are still easy to find if you pay attention to the clues.
Take note of the locations of the Keybearers. Their locations are not coincidental.
For me the scanning in any Metroid Prime is the worst kind of story telling and hint giving they could come up with.
So you would say Metroid Prime Federation Force has the best story presentation of the Prime Series?
Personally, scanning is likely going to be a requirement for me to pick up Metroid Prime 4. I missed that feature in Federation Force, and every Prime game that has had scans has only benefitted from that inclusion. If you want to play a new Metroid game without all the scanning typical of a Prime game, there is Metroid Samus Returns in September. I agree that they should do away with one time scans, since that is the one obvious flaw with the current scan system. It has never been fun to learn near the end of a mission that I missed a couple/handful of scans that I couldn't go back and get.
"The secret to ultimate power lies in the Alimbic Cluster."
If they got rid of scanning they'd just have to replace it with journal entries or audio logs or the world would be meaningless and feel even emptier. I wouldn't mind some Halo 1-style recordings found around the world though. At least a few audio-only recordings would make sense given that it's the future with evil Metroid scientists and all.
Final tally for the evening:
Energy Tanks: 13 (wonder where the last one is....)
Missiles: 200
Beam Ammo: 250 (finally!)
Power Bomb Charges: 7
Temple Keys: 5
It's been awhile since I've played Prime 2, can you still get the clue scans after you've got the sky temple keys?
I like how in Prime 1, getting the artifacts count as the same log book completion progress irrelevant of whether you scanned the clues at the Artifact Temple but of course in Prime 2 they separated the clues and the sky temple keys.
Come to think of it I wonder if the 'new studio' will even write enough log entries. If it turns out to be internally developed at Nintendo... have they ever made a game that dialogue heavy outside of one of their dedicated RPG studios? More than half of Breath of the Wild's dialogue was translated fluff and jokes.
Got to the final boss area of Prime 1 but missing 9 missile expansions and 1 power bomb expansion meanwhile scans are all up to date (only the final boss left). Going back to find the expansions and then I'll finish off the game.
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