I thought the cut off was 8.8 not 9.
Regardless a 7.9 rating isn't fantastic, but it's hardly subpar.
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Nintendo Defends Art Style Of Controversial New Metroid Game
- Thread starter Poetic.Injustice
- Start date
I thought the cut off was 8.8 not 9.
Regardless a 7.9 rating isn't fantastic, but it's hardly subpar.
Those excuses are nothing but bullshit.
It quite sad to see Nintendo demonstrating once more that they don't care about Metroid fans at all, and still want us to buy the game.
I really feel insulted by Nintendo, everytime they show something about this horrible game.
And Nintendo knew from the beginning what Metroid fans have been asking for in many years. they knew fans didn't want this, and wouldn't like this, but they didn't care at all.
It quite sad to see Nintendo demonstrating once more that they don't care about Metroid fans at all, and still want us to buy the game.
I really feel insulted by Nintendo, everytime they show something about this horrible game.
And Nintendo knew from the beginning what Metroid fans have been asking for in many years. they knew fans didn't want this, and wouldn't like this, but they didn't care at all.
Chittagong
Gold Member
I didn't realise the outrage was about art style / graphics, I thought it was because the game just feels a bit shit and a poor continuation of the Metroid franchise we haven't seen since Wii days.
I'm ignoring the Prime games because they aren't mainline games and are drastically different than the mainline games.
Super introduced in game narrative, Fusion made it a focus, Other M took it further. It was a step in the direction, not a leap but it started in that direction. Same with linearity, Metroid and Metroid 2 felt like open worlds to me but Super felt more like a bunch of connected areas with backtracking, I'll adnit that might be up to perception though
The Samus was a blank state statement comes up because that's what her character was. She was a sex object who went around killing enemies and had zero back story aside from being an elite bounty hunter. They later reconned a backstory in but she was never defined as a character with a personality.
And for the record I'm not defending Other M, I'm saying that it expanded on issues and trends from earlier games (In some cases inflating them into issues) and it's not as out of line with the rest of the series as you guys want to think it is. The game built on it's predecessors and was overseen by the series head who had been with the series since the first game (he skipped 2 though). It's not a good game, but it doesn't exist in a vacuum separate from the rest of the series.
Well, it's that too
blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Sure. As long as you don't equate your personal opinion to universal truth.
Me, personally, I'd take FF on the wiiU any day.
GhostTrick
Banned
I have a lot of troubles you'd take FF over a classic Metroid Prime style game with classic artstyle or a classic 2D Metroid game. Really.
I just can't imagine someone saying at reveal "OH SHIT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED !!! "
Now let's be fair: This game looks like low tier 3rd party shovelware game. It's not because of the 3DS. It's because it has a low budget and a shitty artstyle.
When games such as Kid Icarus Uprising, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil Revelations, Monster Hunter Stories, Youkai Watch, EX Troopers, Ironfall exists on 3DS, I can't conceive the hardware is at fault here.
UnemployedVillain
Member
Nothing alike. Wind Waker was different art style, but Zelda was never all serious and it clearly wasn't dumbed down
GhostTrick
Banned
So serious.
Yes, it is. If you can't tell the difference between this and the horror born from a Lego and a Mii, there's nothing we can do for you.
Aldric
Member
That's actually true. MH Stories especially looks pretty good even on such weak hardware and that's thanks to its artstyle. FF's art direction really is the worst of both worlds, it's too cartoony to fit in the Metroid universe and at the same time it's not cell shaded and not colorful enough to smooth out the technical flaws.
Look, I'm not filled with blind hatred towards Federation Force like a lot of Metroid fans. I was generally willing to give it a chance, until we learned how utterly half-assed the single player mode is.
But this is an absolute bullshit justification for the chibi art style. Metroid Prime Hunters did just fine with normal proportions and an art style similar to the console Prime games back on the original DS in 2006. That game didn't have any problem with keeping enemies on screen, and it didn't even have a wide screen like the 3DS.
What's really sad is that Hunters was not only a full generation behind Federation Force, but Hunters was an early DS game when they were still figuring the system out and Federation Force is a late 3DS game after they've had years of experience on the system - and despite this, Hunters is arguably more visually appealing than Federation Force.
Hunters is probably the best looking 3D game on the DS. It comes damn close to capturing the look and feel of the console Prime games. Rendered in HD with an emulator, it almost looks like it could pass for a Gamecube game with low res textures.
Whereas Federation Force looks kinda bland all around. Even if you ignore the chibi art style, the environments aren't very interesting and it's technically unimpressive. It almost looks technically on par with Hunters. Which is astounding, considering Next Level's other games include beauties like Punch-Out Wii and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
Anyway, I guess I kinda got off track here. What I really wanted to say is: Tanabe, don't make up excuses for going with the chibi style and reasons why it was supposed to be better for gameplay. Just tell us, "Hey, we wanted to do something different for this spinoff, so we went with a chibi style."
And frankly, as far as all the complaints go, I don't think the chibi style is where the issue with the game's look lies. I also don't know exactly what it is as I'm not an artist, but I think they could've made the chibi style work if they'd done it right.
But this is an absolute bullshit justification for the chibi art style. Metroid Prime Hunters did just fine with normal proportions and an art style similar to the console Prime games back on the original DS in 2006. That game didn't have any problem with keeping enemies on screen, and it didn't even have a wide screen like the 3DS.
What's really sad is that Hunters was not only a full generation behind Federation Force, but Hunters was an early DS game when they were still figuring the system out and Federation Force is a late 3DS game after they've had years of experience on the system - and despite this, Hunters is arguably more visually appealing than Federation Force.
Hunters is probably the best looking 3D game on the DS. It comes damn close to capturing the look and feel of the console Prime games. Rendered in HD with an emulator, it almost looks like it could pass for a Gamecube game with low res textures.
Whereas Federation Force looks kinda bland all around. Even if you ignore the chibi art style, the environments aren't very interesting and it's technically unimpressive. It almost looks technically on par with Hunters. Which is astounding, considering Next Level's other games include beauties like Punch-Out Wii and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
Anyway, I guess I kinda got off track here. What I really wanted to say is: Tanabe, don't make up excuses for going with the chibi style and reasons why it was supposed to be better for gameplay. Just tell us, "Hey, we wanted to do something different for this spinoff, so we went with a chibi style."
And frankly, as far as all the complaints go, I don't think the chibi style is where the issue with the game's look lies. I also don't know exactly what it is as I'm not an artist, but I think they could've made the chibi style work if they'd done it right.
Nintendo shouldn't have to defend anything because they shouldn't be making bad products. But they are.
They should. This is an extreme version of their "make a game and slap a franchise on it". It's doing a disservice to Metroid.
Simbabbad
Member
I don't see them as "defending" here but more as "explaining", even though they do lower themselves by having to explain the obvious to a handful or rabid, entitled fanboys.
We're talking about Metroid, right? The series about an alien purple pterodactyl part of the Space Pirates that breaths fire and can fly in space?
You want me to go through all the pulp ridiculous things in Metroid?
I can't really take a series that has a woman running around with that or a bathing suit in space fighting aliens seriously. If you can perhaps that's your problem.
GhostTrick
Banned
People are trying to act like Metroid is SERIOUS BUSINESS and always has been. I'm pointing out that it isn't.
This. How dare we not be pleased by that game ?
As someone previously said, the lack of understanding of Metroid fanbase by Nintendo is truly mind-boggling, especially considering the number of good and successful metroidvania the last few years.
And it's not like the game will be a gameplay masterpiece. By all accounts, it will probably be mediocre to play.
Aldric
Member
l sincerely hope you're working in marketing for Nintendo because seeing you pop up in every FF thread to whine about people not liking this game is sort of sad if you do it for free.
A compromised art style was inevitable when they decided to make this game for the OG 3DS, but it's just one of many problems. A 4 player co-op game could easily work with Metroid but Federation Force is just a crude shooting game with a Metroid flavour.
A game where a team of Federation troopers navigate classically complex Metroid environments using team work as a substitute for Samus' super powers, that sounds cool. But that isn't what this game is doing.
A game where a team of Federation troopers navigate classically complex Metroid environments using team work as a substitute for Samus' super powers, that sounds cool. But that isn't what this game is doing.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
Same here, but this is not the fault of Next Level Games. Nintendo producers usually act as directors of their games, and this is Tanabe's idea and vision through and through (he is not hiding about this either) and all the fault lays on him. Next Level here are the grunt workers sadly.
Look, I love the MAIN idea of Federation Force.
But the problem with it is that is done in a super bad way (and not only the graphics are the problem here). Would have loved to see something of a good classic 1 to 4 players game (if 1 the rest are controlled by the CPU), where 4 memeber of the Galactic Federation with actual personality and character designs (with dialogs ala Left4Dead or the Star Wars game with the Clone soldiers), need to go after Samus after the events of Fusion to take her to trial. They visit different planets Samus has visited in her persue, and they start thinking they are doing the right thing, but start uncovering that Samus is really the good guy here, while the Federation is doing some shady shit. You dont even need Samus to show until the end when it saves your ass.
And then add a multiplayer game of 4vs4, or 4vs waves of enemies.
Simbabbad
Member
You're arguing there is no relation between Metroid and Zelda? Really?
They're extremely close gameplay-wise, and mostly, the tone is the same. Zelda roots into archetypical pulp medieval fantasy without ever taking it too seriously, focusing mostly on gameplay, and Metroid roots into archetypical pulp SF fantasy without ever taking it too seriously, focusing mostly on gameplay.
A movie with the designs of Ridley, Kraid, the "space pirates", Mother Brain or the antigravity vampire jellyfishes known as Metroids would make theatre rooms roar with laugher. Again, arguing that Nintendo doesn't treat seriously enough an SF series where a bounty hunter (!) has an alien purple pterodactyl that breaths fire and can fly in space as arch-enemy, that's, excuse me, pathetic.
Complete bullshit. He explains right there that they remarked it was difficult to see what was going on with normally proportioned enemies on the 3DS, and Next Level games has a typically cartoon style anyway.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
The graphics are not the only problem of the game. The game looks bad, and thats probably the most resposability NLG had with the game (although, wait a moment... they actually KNOW how to make GOOD cartoon graphics, so its still not an excuse for the shitty artstyle they probably where imposed), the rest of the game, conceptualisation and gameplay, falls into Tanabe. He is not even trying to hide this is his baby.
Linkstrikesback
Member
I mean, resident evil somehow made it work in two different games, while keeping the style of other games and the relatively normal proportioned enemies weren't hard to see at all.
It sounds more like NLG were the wrong studio to make a metroid title. I'm still little bitter hey weren't making Luigi's mansion 3 or another punch out.
Theanine3D
Member
I would have had a lot of fun with this game on Wii U
I don't care about the artstyle. As long as it plays like the Metroid Prime games, I'm in.
But the controls...
After suffering through Resident Evil Revelations and Kid Icarus on 3DS, there's no way I'm playing another shooter (first person or otherwise) on a handheld again.
I don't care about the artstyle. As long as it plays like the Metroid Prime games, I'm in.
But the controls...
After suffering through Resident Evil Revelations and Kid Icarus on 3DS, there's no way I'm playing another shooter (first person or otherwise) on a handheld again.Linkstrikesback
Member
But the controls...
Revelations was fine if you used a circle pad pro. There is a very good reason it came bundled with it initially in Europe for a few pennies more.
I can't play blast balls demo though. The controls feel terrible. Prime trilogy ruined me, it's wiimote like pointing or bust for me now.
Please don't use metacritic scores to support any argument on any topic. Ever.
Simbabbad
Member
You don't know any of that yet. Reviewers I trust give good previews and are even annoyed of the negative image a handful of haters give this game online, and I loved what I tried in Metroid Blast Ball, the Federation Force training was much more fun than I thought.
Also, not only you don't actually know yet the strong and weak points of this game, you have no clue about who did what. I know it's the usual here to blame everything a western studio does on the Japanese directors, but it doesn't become any more true.
Completely different games. The pacing isn't the same, the view isn't the same, there is teamwork here, enemies fire, there are platforming elements...
So you wanted straight sequels? Yuck.
It controls exactly like Metroid Prime, so it's quite different from RER and totally different from KI.But the controls...
Linkstrikesback
Member
When it became apparent that what they were making was something I absolutely didn't want, I went to thinking 'I wish they were making sequel to games I know they can do well instead', yes.
If you don't think on a personal level ' I wish developer A was making a game I want rather than a game that I don't want' isn't a reasonable perspective to have, I'm not sure what to say.
blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
When did that become an either-or scenario, though?
Disagreed.
If you ever manage to look beyond the art style, game does not look worse than any of those you listed. Actually, I'd dare say animations-wise it's among the best, easily beating some of the titles on your list.
So, basically Metroid is officially dead and will only be used to give a big name to small game ideas going forward.
Please don't do this.
So serious.
Please don't do this.
matrix-cat
Member
I would play a proper Metroid Prime game that looked like this. I think it's pretty ugly, but I've played uglier games. The problem for me is that this just isn't a Metroid game. Online co-op shooter isn't a genre I'm interested in, no matter the trademarked name in the title. It's so disappointing that, after all these years, the only Metroid game Nintendo is making is one that doesn't do any of the things I like about Metroid games.
GhostTrick
Banned
No, I'm arguing there's no relation between Federation Force being not serious and Other M being not serious.
GhostTrick
Banned
Refreshment.01
Member
That's what makes the Other M intolerance so unfair. It was Nintendo/Sakamoto doubling down on what set Metroid Fusion apart, even if Other it's not in the same quality level.
Fusion gathered a lot of praise from the press and decent sales. Yet all the hate is directed towards Other M, when in reality that's a cross that should be shared by both.
test_account
XP-39C²
Does that mean that Donut Drake will make a reapperance if theres a Uncharted multiplayer game comming for the Vita?
Seriously though, it does make sense with such a design choice, especially with the lower resolution on the 3DS.
Queue jokes about Sony making more Vita games.
Its about the artwork and artstyle though, not what you do in the game. Metroid has never ment to be some chibi/cute kinda game in terms of artstyle. Not saying that this is exactly the goal for Federation Force, but Metroid's artstyle has been made to be more "serious" in that regards.
SporeCrawler
Member
Its next level games. They have not dissapointed me since mario strikers
eXistor
Member
I wouldn't care that this game existed if there were still actual Metroid games coming out. Like how I didn't care when Mteroid Prime Pinball was released or even Hunters. This is like not making Zelda games and for the very first time in years and years after a failed Zelda, coming back with Tri-Force Heroes. Not a bad game by any means, but it's not a real Zelda game. It's baffling why they're naming it Metroid at all, are they really this dense?
LegendofLex
Member
It's almost like customers have tastes and preferences that aren't being honored with the latest product in a line that they used to really enjoy.
This happens to lots of franchises over time and sometimes causes them to die. No need to attack unsatisfied fans over it.
I don't care about the artstyle. As long as it plays like the Metroid Prime games, I'm in.
But the controls...
I mean...the controls are basically just Metroid Prime GameCube controls. Not sure what you'd be missing out on here.
RPGCrazied
Member
Its not Metroid. Nothing about it looks like Metroid should, sticking space pirates in there and slapping Samus as a cameo doesn't make it a Metroid.
I'd rather take an Other M sequel than Federation Force.
I'd rather take an Other M sequel than Federation Force.
blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Haha. You're really winding yourself up against this game, aren't you?
1) This "shovelware-tier" game has the verbatim mechanics of metroid prime, nothing more, nothing less.
2) This "shovelware-tier" game has 3+ characters on screen 99% of the action time (3 teammates + enemies*). Oh, and it's not a turn-based RPG.
3) I've beaten both RE:R and Ironfall - the two games of your list closest in gameplay mechanics to FF. Neither of them has better animations than FF. Moreover, the busiest RE on the 3ds - RE:Mercenaries falls back to low-fps animations whenever the enemies are not in player's immediate vicinity. FF does not do that.
* if the FF tutorial is any indication, could be a dozen of space pirates at a time.
This is what happens when you dont have or dont allow much community interaction. You end up surprised by how people act when you just don't pay enough attention to your potential customers.
CaptainLoveline
Member
The funny thing is, with everyone asking for new IPs from Nintendo this would of gotten waaaayyy better reception as a new IP. I'm just gonna say this, but if it's an established franchise don't mess with it in a way where it looks less like what it's representing otherwise you'll end up with a clusterfuck experimentationthon, like what happened to a certain hedgehog with it's 5 way-split fanbase.
They should of announced a Prime 4 or something though, just so that the fans didn't have to get angry. I'm not a fan of Metroid, but I wanted to put my 2 cents on the matter regardless.
They should of announced a Prime 4 or something though, just so that the fans didn't have to get angry. I'm not a fan of Metroid, but I wanted to put my 2 cents on the matter regardless.
Linkstrikesback
Member
Lets not say things we're going to regret later.
mikefrails
Banned
And FF7 isn't Final Fantasy 1 and 2.
You don't get to decide when a series stops evolving.
The Resident Evil games are also 4-5 years old and Ironfall is an indie game developed by three people.
To be fair I've not played either of them but Ex Troopers seems the most direct parallel and that game craps all over Federation Force on a technical level.
I'm not even that down on Federation Force. It'll probably be a decent game at least because NLG is a solid developer.