Yeh, especially in the case of Sega, one may wonder how things would've turned out if they spent all their energy on better products and publisher relationships, instead of on interdepartmental squabbling.
Metroid dread reviews are coming in at 6 a.m. Pacific time, let us have a thread about the game.
- Thread starter Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)
- Start date
Arr It's me, Captain Dalisclock and I'm here to tell you that you can play 90% of all nintendo games with emulators. I learned this knowledge after spending 698 days under the sea with only emulated nintendo games for entertainment and now I'm as sane as any scurvy dog.
So I ploughed through the rest of Dread two days ago. I didn't 100% the game, and don't plan to. Which isn't weird for me, as the only game I've done this with is Samus Returns. Honestly, some of the speed boost/spine shark puzzles are insane.
Anyway, the game is good overall, if not great. Right now, of all the Metroid games I've played, it takes the #3 spot. If I was ranking this game solely on how it does combat, it would take the top spot - Raven Beak is easily one of the best bosses I've experienced in the series from a gameplay perspective. It seems that not content with a three stage Ridley boss fight in Samus Returns, Mercury Steam went with a 4 stage boss fight (5 if you include his X form).
That said, I'm a story guy, and Dread's story (or at least the ending stages of it) don't have me as a happy camper. So now's the point where I start complaining:
-We see chozo ships in dock, so if the X have corrupted every chozo on this planet bar Raven Beak, what's keeping them stuck on the planet?
-What was Raven Beak's plan exactly, beyond "I'm evil?" His stated goal is to bring order to the galaxy, but we haven't seen much in the series that indicates that the galaxy needs any 'ordering.' If anything, Other M mentions how after the destruction of Zebes, things went pretty quiet. Yes, there's other factions out there (e.g. the Kriken Empire), but anyone who's claiming that Raven Beak is a 'deep' villain really needs to take a look at their standards.
-So Raven Beak is Samus's daddy now. Turns out it wasn't just Grey Voice that gave her chozo DNA, but him as well. Um, sure? I can't help but reflect that this takes Samus's 'father figure' count to 5 now (Rodney, Old Bird, Grey Voice, Adam, and now, Raven).
-Why does ZDR explode? How? The only thing I can think of is the thermal system, but apart from that, what triggers the detonation? Also, isn't this the third planet Samus has now destroyed?
-Why does Quiet Robe X allow itself to be absorbed by Samus? I've seen numerous theories, and while some work better than others, I don't think the ambiguity works here. The idea I like best is that somehow, Quiet Robe's original personality was retained, hence why he sacrificed himself to save Samus, but this has holes in it because a) Quiet Robe says nothing, even after demonstrating that his X form CAN talk, and b) if that's the case, why, for instance, didn't the SA-X retain Samus's personality? At least the X chozo being dicks makes sense, since the Mawkin were dicks before being infected.
-I'll give credit to the idea of Samus being the 'last metroid' now, hence allowing the series to retain its title. Her screaming, mutating, and taking down Raven Beak is certainly cathartic.
-TBH, I think the ending feels really rushed, especially since this is meant to be a conclusion to a storyline that's gone from Zero Mission to Dread, chronologically speaking (I noticed that Other M gets a gallery image, but none of the Prime games...huh...). It's so weird, Fusion took its time with its ending and ended on a heartwarming shot, while Dread simply goes "planet goes boom, mission accomplished."
So, yeah. Dread's a good game, but I don't think it's the masterpiece that so many are calling it. Then again, my Metroid tastes are a bit more esoteric than most from what I can tell, so make of that what you will.
Anyway, the game is good overall, if not great. Right now, of all the Metroid games I've played, it takes the #3 spot. If I was ranking this game solely on how it does combat, it would take the top spot - Raven Beak is easily one of the best bosses I've experienced in the series from a gameplay perspective. It seems that not content with a three stage Ridley boss fight in Samus Returns, Mercury Steam went with a 4 stage boss fight (5 if you include his X form).
That said, I'm a story guy, and Dread's story (or at least the ending stages of it) don't have me as a happy camper. So now's the point where I start complaining:
-We see chozo ships in dock, so if the X have corrupted every chozo on this planet bar Raven Beak, what's keeping them stuck on the planet?
-What was Raven Beak's plan exactly, beyond "I'm evil?" His stated goal is to bring order to the galaxy, but we haven't seen much in the series that indicates that the galaxy needs any 'ordering.' If anything, Other M mentions how after the destruction of Zebes, things went pretty quiet. Yes, there's other factions out there (e.g. the Kriken Empire), but anyone who's claiming that Raven Beak is a 'deep' villain really needs to take a look at their standards.
-So Raven Beak is Samus's daddy now. Turns out it wasn't just Grey Voice that gave her chozo DNA, but him as well. Um, sure? I can't help but reflect that this takes Samus's 'father figure' count to 5 now (Rodney, Old Bird, Grey Voice, Adam, and now, Raven).
-Why does ZDR explode? How? The only thing I can think of is the thermal system, but apart from that, what triggers the detonation? Also, isn't this the third planet Samus has now destroyed?
-Why does Quiet Robe X allow itself to be absorbed by Samus? I've seen numerous theories, and while some work better than others, I don't think the ambiguity works here. The idea I like best is that somehow, Quiet Robe's original personality was retained, hence why he sacrificed himself to save Samus, but this has holes in it because a) Quiet Robe says nothing, even after demonstrating that his X form CAN talk, and b) if that's the case, why, for instance, didn't the SA-X retain Samus's personality? At least the X chozo being dicks makes sense, since the Mawkin were dicks before being infected.
-I'll give credit to the idea of Samus being the 'last metroid' now, hence allowing the series to retain its title. Her screaming, mutating, and taking down Raven Beak is certainly cathartic.
-TBH, I think the ending feels really rushed, especially since this is meant to be a conclusion to a storyline that's gone from Zero Mission to Dread, chronologically speaking (I noticed that Other M gets a gallery image, but none of the Prime games...huh...). It's so weird, Fusion took its time with its ending and ended on a heartwarming shot, while Dread simply goes "planet goes boom, mission accomplished."
So, yeah. Dread's a good game, but I don't think it's the masterpiece that so many are calling it. Then again, my Metroid tastes are a bit more esoteric than most from what I can tell, so make of that what you will.
