Topic: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

I'm sorry, the assumption that NPCs are going to be a major part of the game, when none of the other footage has ever had them in any way, when Prime 3 already integrated voiced NPCs as an only occasional part of the game, is really stupid. This is dumb, what are people doing?

Thank god its near release so this can be proven to be a non-issue in mere weeks. I couldn't deal with stupid discourse for half a year over this.

@Suketoudara They don't need to compromise what makes a Metroid game a Metroid game to attract a wider audience. In fact that's more likely to backfire and scare away existing fans.

Saying "it's only part of the game" isn't really much of a consolation because you're still forced to deal with it for that part of the game, so that just means you're going to hate part of the game for the gimmicky un-Metroidvania crap and only part of the game is going to be the Metroidvania gameplay you actually enjoy.

Also muting the NPCs isn't really a good solution because then you can't hear the voice acting for the cutscenes you might actually want to hear. Plus muting them doesn't fix the issue that you're forced to babysit them in the gameplay, wait for them to catch up, and keep them from dying. That's shoved down your throat and no setting will get around that.

There are better ways for Metroid to evolve than this. Experiment with a Mega Man-style progression system where sequence breaks are part of the game and let you collect powerups in any order. Experiment with different types of upgrades like more combo upgrades (as opposed to just the beam combos). Add in a legitimate sidequest system with currency you can use to buy upgrades, expansions, and customization options. Those would be far better modernizations that could expand Metroid's audience without compromising its identity (well, the Mega Man progression might if done wrong, but that at least has potential to still feel like Metroid if done right). They don't need to jump headfirst into this singularity of bland open world areas with snarky MCU-esque NPCs to appeal to a broader audience, that just scares away the original fans and puts it in competition with other generic Western AAA open world adventures and that is a competition Metroid is going to lose.

@kkslider5552000 The other footage has been carefully curated to only show certain sections. In fact I saw a video yesterday (IIRC it was Spawn Wave) where he noticed that some of the clips shown in earlier trailers were from sections where you have McKenzie following you but with the shots of McKenzie cut out. I did notice a while back that they were only showing us specific segments of the game every time, now we know why, this is what they were hiding.

It may be a bit early to render a final verdict on this, but saying "it's only a small part of the game" is equally presumptuous. The fact of the matter is we don't know the exact proportion. But like I said in the post above, any amount of time spent devoted to this nonsense is time you're not spending on fantastic Metroidvania gameplay. And when you're taking a position of "I hope it's not much of the gameplay" you've already lost, that means the mechanic is a net negative for the game in whatever proportion it exists.

This game is so hype- I haven't been this excited in years! I can't even sit still- I'm literally pacing the floor back and forth to wear off all this anticipation.

The music, oh my gosh. I just keep rewatching that overview trailer, can't get enough.

Also, it seems the game now allows you to add a marker to the map similar to Dread. A small detail but appreciated nonetheless.

@Bolt_Strike I do agree that zero aspect of the game should be bad or annoying but I genuinely don't buy it will be an issue for the vast majority of the game or anything I will have any particularly strong opinion about.

If it is, obviously I'll say so when I play it, but I'm going with "it won't" because that just makes more sense. Why after Prime 3 where it had a comparable small amount of voice acting, and Other M which had a lot of voice acting and is a low selling widely criticized game and Dread which seemed to exist to be the narrative opposite of Other M (only voice acting is one heavily digitized voice and one moment in a fake language) would they fall on their faces to do annoying voice acting nonsense for a large portion of Prime 4 and only show it weeks ahead of time from the same company that used voice acting as a major selling point of BOTW at E3 9 months before release?

I mean...its not impossible, but the more logical explanation is...not that. I would be far more surprised if that is actually what is happening here. The most likely worst problem with this is, along with Dread and the recent Mario flowers, it feels a bit more like voice acting is an obligatory checkmark, rather than something to naturally be implemented when it makes sense per game. Voice acting will likely be in this for the bare minimum needed to feel like that checkmark has been hit, and that's the thing to be annoyed with because that's something I actually believe has happened.

I also took some screenshots from the overview trailer. There's some YouTube compression but overall I think they look fine.

Will be editing in some thoughts and observations for each of these.

1 The graphical detail here is incredible. And to think this is a game designed for Switch. Absolutely mindblowing.

2 Love the use of holograms here. Reminiscent of Metroid Prime 2 and the Luminoth holograms.

3 Nice return to form with the various elemental biomes. The thunder biome reminds me of that final area in MP2 with Quadraxis.

4 Look at the detail in the shot where Samus shoots a missile. Incredible art direction in all these shots. The updated scan visor effects are particularly interesting.

5 That detail on the arm cannon! In the frigid environment you can see frost on it. And it radiates a beautiful fuchsia when using charge beam. Also love the morph ball and psychic forms.

6 The contrast between dark and light is striking. That enemy reminds me of the Ing. And the bike is just rad.

7 Absolutely beautiful shots in the desert. Could frame this and hang it on my wall! That last pic is some of the finest art direction I've seen. Notice how the light rays draw your eyes' attention to the Galactic Federation soldier and Samus.

8 Not much to say here except the Galactic Federation soldiers look insanely good in this game. A far cry from Prime 2 and 3.

9 One word comes to mind looking at these screenshots... epic.

@JaxonH
It's probably going to be a day one for me. The last trailer has pretty much sold me, and i actually really like the fact that you're not isolated this time around compared to the vast majority of Metroid games. That's what i loved about MP3 so much, that semi comradary and then having to take out those soon to be infected Bounty Hunters one by one. Putting aside the amazing revolutionary(for it's time)Wii Remote & nunchuck +SB pointer controls, complete tonal shift from MP1&2 and more adventourous vibe overall. MP4 is a beaut' and I'm in love with what little we've heard from it's soundtrack, gorgeous visuals aside. Plus we're getting 120fps @1080p, HDR, HD Rumble 2, And Pro 2 Gyro-Stick aiming.

Still, i wish i could magically experience Prime 4: Beyond in VR with the upcoming Valve Steam Frame wirelessly connected(Via SF's dongle) to that Steam Machine, which supposedly is a little less capable than a PS5, but it's still boasting a lot more power than a Stand alone Quest 3 at least, while 1UPing' NS2(Docked) that seems to have PS4 Pro+ power. SF's Eye Tracking + Dynamic Foveated Rendering/Streaming will help out a bunch at boosting performance too.

Yet I was really hoping for a second higher end model ala' > Steam Machine Pro, with power in between PS5 & PS5 Pro, and a second more expensive VR headset, Steam Frame OLED(Using Micro-OLED instead of LCD). But I love how Valve has allowed for different swapable front-end custom face plates with the SM too. Instead of just rolling with that stock boring all-black design. As is, it looks like an XSX Jr/Mini Edition.

Windows, and just all of the barriers centered around traditional PC's have always put me off. But SM might just get me in. If it had the exact same power as a base PS5, and Steam Frame worked in tandem wirelessly with Steam Machine i would sell my PS5 and PSVR2, IF Resident Evil: Requiem VR Mode doesn't get released for PSVR2. If that winds up being the case, which would totally break my heart(lol) because I have way less interest in playing that one flat, than PSVR2 moving forward will officially have no more Sony & Capcom exclusives, or any exclusives for that matter. it's essentially a semi dated(Thanks to it's lousier fresnel lens clarity, lower pixels per degree, Mura and awful form factor) PCVR solution with only a small handful of exclusives. Don't get me wrong, RE8: Village was incredible, especially those jaw dropping VR cut scenes. It's worth the price of admission alone, even if the experience is somewhat compromised and bottle necked by the limitations of PS5 and the headset, with 60fps reprojection(Motion doubling), inconsist resolution, Mura, etc. But even so, it makes the flat screen version feel like absolutely nothing.

Anyways, I would love to just roll with Switch 2 & Steam Machine, with a couple of VR headsets. I figure, i don't care for 99% of Sony's Exclusives anyways and as much as i love the DualSense's Adaptive Triggers, I cannot stand it's detached-styled rubbery weird D-pad, Symetrical Stick layout and tacky touch pad & Speaker Lights.

It just irks me knowing that SM isn't quite as capable as PS5. Hopefully Valve ends up releases a Pro model in the near future. I don't need a PS5 if PSVR2 wont have any more exclusives on the horizon, and like i said i don't like Sony's Exclusives and more than half seem to be heading towards PC anyways. But then it's even more annoying. What will Valve do to combat PS6 in 2027? Why would I settle for SM for flat gaming in 2027 when the PS6 will be available(worst case scenario, 2028) with far more power? So then I'm right back to NS2 & PS6, with SM being restricted soley for Steam Frame.

The Steam Machine seems like a cute 1 year+ temporary solution as a secondary console to go alongside NS2 for flatscreen gaming until the PS6 arrives. I'm just using it strictly for Steam Frame for a big power boost until a Pro model arrives.

@WaveBoy
Agree 100% about Metroid Prime 4. We're about to be feasting my friend!

You know I'm not into VR, but I'm happy for you getting some exciting new VR developments. I don't play my PS5, XSX, PC or GabeGear anymore, BUT, I'm interested in GabeCube.

I don't mind it being between a Series S and X. Graphics have never been a priority for me- only that games look and run "good enough". I'd use it to rock 1080p 60fps High Settings across the board. No Windows, new controller with dual analog, ability to map gyro aiming, and powerful enough to not worry about new games not running like on GabeGear.

I'm excited to try the mouse aiming in Metroid Prime 4. I'll probably stick with gyro aiming most of the time, but when playing docked I'm open to giving mouse aiming in 120fps a real shot.

@JaxonH

Honestly, looking at those pics specifically for the desert region, I can't help but realize that all the gripes I see about how "bad" the desert looks? Focus on technical aspects of the graphics, like texture resolution. . . rather than on the actual art design. Because the desert looks gorgeous, in its colors and layout and lighting. You'd think it'd be obvious that this matters far more than pixels-per-inch and polygons-per-object, but sadly no.

@metaphysician
I mean, even technically speaking I think the game is impressive. This was designed for Switch, after all. And it's comfortably the most visually impressive game I've seen on the system, especially considering it runs at max resolution and 60fps on Switch. It looks even better on NSW2, but at the end of the day it's a higher resolution version of a Switch game, yet still takes some PS5 games to task.

Add in the phenomenal art direction on top of that and ya... it's quite breathtaking!

Horrible resolution, sorry about that, but wow! Look at that suit!

Spoiler cover for anyone sensitive to such things

Canceled my bestbuy pre-order for Costco as they have the game for $62.99 Switch 2 edition.

If only Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's Slip cover had the same inside out art work, but without that distracting bottom banner slathered in text and with that barcode. I really wanted to get this one physical, along with Kirby Air Riders, which I will, even though I'm 99% Digital these days. DK Bananza, Kirby Air Riders and MP4: Beyond have the most appealing eye catching art work based on what i've seen so far purely for NS2.

@NintendoByNature
Right on

I got email from one of BestBuy's reps asking me if I wanted to reinstate my pre-order from 2018, at a 20% discount, but I ignored it because everytime they send me a new game it has a slice along the spine. Though I could return it to Amazon under that order if it's still sealed. But... nah. Just gonna let it ride.

@NintendoByNature

I wouldn't even bother with the NS1 version > 900p @60fps instead of 1080p + 120fps(or 4K + 60), worse graphics, HD Rumble 1, no HDR support, using the Pro 1 Controller instead of the Pro 2, and whatever else. Not worth it. Even if you don't have a NS2, you're probably better of just holding out for a far more immersive grandos eye sizzling experience.

One of the few men I trust.

That beginning segment shooting Myles lol lol. "Stop!". "You're hurting me!". "Are you enjoying this???" 😆

@JaxonH
Thanks! SF & SM are supposedly landing some time in early 2026, so no later than March I'm guessing. Once they confirm that the SF can in fact connect wirelessly using it's spiffy new dongle to the SM for Steam VR I'm in day one.

Quest 3 still has it's purpose with it's exclusive features like Mixed Reality games, Blumhouse Enhanced Cinema, Theatre Elswhere, and the occasional Exclusive VR Title etc, and it's a blast using it for online shopping with dual or triple screens in it's virtual hub world, be it Amazon, eBay, Etsy ect. But ya, I haven't messed with the GabeGear, never touched XSX, and barely use my PS5 unless it's for PSVR2 on occasion. Heck, the last time i had a gaming PC was like in 1999/2000.

Ever since the death of the Dreamcast(And Sega), I've pretty much just rolled with Nintendo(GameCube, GBA, DSLite etc moving forward, although i bought PS3, PS4 Pro & now PS5, but they've all gathered dust after the initial quick honey moon faze purely for flat screen gaming.), until consumer budget console VR paved the way with PSVR1. It's like the next evolution of the Nintendo Wii & 3DS rolled into one, but unfortunately the platform is drowning in 99% budget indie games. lol

VR could only dream of getting AAA quality highly polished soon to be mega hits like Prime 4. Nintendo, or in this case Retro Studious, who obviously have INsane artistic merit in the bag, which a lot of these indie VR devs simply can't compete with, even if they had the same number of devs and budget. Capcom obviously can, and has with RE7 & RE8 VR, but VR titles like that are extremely rare and scarce.

Anyways, VR-blah blah aside, we've got Kirby frikkin Air Riders(Wish this would of been the launch racer) just around the corner, followed up with Prime 4. Then we've got Mina the Hallower(NS2 version runs at 120fps) and Marvel Cosmic Invasion(4K+60 for NS2) before the year ends. Not to mention Morsels, Terminator 2D: NO FATE, Bubble Bobble Symphony, R-Type Delta: HD Boosted, Shovel Knight: Shovel Knight of Hope DX and Toxic Crusaders both all coming to NS1.

@WaveBoy
Ya know, I'm kinda the opposite for the racers. I'm not too big on Kirby Air Riders yet. At least, not the City Trial. I do like the racing (I played the demo lessons to test the mechanics), but most of all I like the Top Ride mode. Idk why but that really appeals to me more than everything else. That said, I adore Mario Kart World. I only play it occasionally, but when I do, I end up having a blast every single time.

Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment is a lot better than I was expecting. 60fps, more enemies and better visuals goes a long ways vs Age of Calamity, but it's also the mechanics- they're more in depth. Countering danger moves makes it feel less like a button masher and more skill based.

Donkey Kong Bonanza... masterpiece. Nothing else to say.

But right now, I can't stop thinking about Metroid Prime 4. It's become an obsession to an extent. And not by choice. Don't get me wrong, I want to play the game, but this feeling of exuberant anticipation is becoming a bit much. I kinda want it to level off so I can make it these next 3 weeks, but from the time I wake up to when I go to sleep, all throughout the day, I keep getting these nagging thoughts of "don't you wanna watch some gameplay of Metroid?" And I think "No! I've seen it all half a dozen times already! But... also yes? OK fine" > hits YouTube for another Metroid video

Here's a new one I just found. Check it out. Ahhh man... it's utter perfection.

@JaxonH no doubt. $62 for a phenomenal running S2 game is ludicrous. Had to cancel my bb pre-order at that price.
@WaveBoy even for the people who only own a S1, sounds like they're in good hands.