Metroid Prime Federation Force Announced (Next Level, 3DS, 4 Player, Mission Based)

I generally have confidence in next level, but the trailer hardly engenders confidence.

And Nintendo didn't exactly have confidence in it when they gave it 56 seconds and instead spent more time fellating Mario.

1) It's Mario
2) Mario is releasing soon, this is still about a year off
 
Gameplay from the Nintendo Treehouse. Honestly, now that I've seen it played, it doesn't look bad. I see the potential in the game, but using the Metroid title is what most people her are angry about. We wanted an actual Metroid game, but what we got was a spin off that doesn't have Samus in it. Again, the game looks fun, but why call it Metroid?
 
I've seen thoughts like this pop up a few times, and each time I see "just make a 2-D Metroid on 3DS!" it forces me to wonder to myself...just how easy do people seem to think it is for Nintendo to shit out a 2-D Metroid game and actually have it be on par with people's lofty expectations for Super Metroid? If it were that easy, would fans even like it? Or would it get canned as a boring, soulless retread? If you're expecting a quick-turnaround project, it certainly wouldn't be using such gorgeously-detailed pixel art as what's been floating around the topic recently, and if they went 3-D models on a 2-D plane it would probably look like dogshit on the 3DS and folks would complain just as much.

And, again, without Sakamoto's team, exactly who is developing this theoretical game that Nintendo has theoretically approved?

Game development is never easy and no one expects any one to shit out anything, but Nintendo has dropped the ball here. They have had years after the failure of Other M to come up with something to make the fans happy while we wait for a mainline Metroid game. Let's not pretend that it wouldn't be cheaper and quicker to develop HD remakes or a 2D 3DS, and would fill in nicely between waiting on a full on all original Metroid game.
 
I guess with their self inflicted financial troubles they have to keep everything cheap and shitty for a while.

They are an overplayed joke.
 
This game looks like it could be a "would have been better received if it was a different IP" type of game.

Probably. The lack of a real Metroid game just hurts it extra badly.

Even without the above. Still not that much better ,I think
It just doesn't have the charm that Splatoon had when it was first shown at treehouse.
This would probably have been received more like codename S.T.E.A.M if it was a new IP.
 
Gameplay from the Nintendo Treehouse. Honestly, now that I've seen it played, it doesn't look bad. I see the potential in the game, but using the Metroid title is what most people her are angry about. We wanted an actual Metroid game, but what we got was a spin off that doesn't have Samus in it. Again, the game looks fun, but why call it Metroid?

Its not uncommon for Nintendo games to have an idea first, and then be paired with an IP, like Kirbys Epic Yarn. Plus the fps mechanics seem to be directly taken from Prime, with the lock on and boost side-steps and such.
 
I think people are so outraged by this announcement is because unlike Zelda and Mario there aren't a multitude of traditional metroid games getting announced annually.

*Shrug* Most major publishers have their "big gun" franchises. For Nintendo, it's Mario and Zelda (and, I suppose, Pokemon). Metroid isn't on that list. Should it be? I don't know. The franchise's sales figures don't typically point to it being a massive missed opportunity. I also doubt the games released would be as special and the dedicated (albeit comparatively small) fanbase be as adamant if we were getting annualized installments. I don't particularly mind mainline Metroids being a rare, special event compared to the likes of Mario.
 
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I know what I'd prefer. (Source)

Wow, I'd love to play a new Metroid game that looked like that.

The title for this game should just be Federation Force, it doesn't share anything that makes a Metroid game a Metroid game.
 
Hey, what's wrong guys? Hunters was pretty good..
*watcher trailer*
good lord metroid is dead

Agreed completely. Although I love Metroid's sense of isolation, I actually really loved Hunters. I loved the controls and the gameplay and the look of it.

This is just an abomination. If they want to do a spin-off series, fine, just make it serious and artful.
 
Thank you, I don't mean to self promote, I never EVER come into a thread with the goal of doing that, but here's my trailer if you're curious.

I doubt one person can match or even come close to the mechanical level design of Super/Fusion, both room to room but also on the grand scale in terms of backtracking and overall map structure. The way the map opens up gradually in every direction, or how they nail the balance between frustration of not knowing where to go but at the same time don't make it so that it feels you're being guided. I can imagine that is a nightmare to construct.

My first thought watching this trailer is that I can't see shit due to the surrounding darkness, I personally prefer visual clarity in my games. OK if it's just a specific section where you are supposed to have limited vision, but it was like that for the entire trailer.
 
It's not meant to be another Prime situation, though, that's kinda the point. :)
Prime was Nintendo's first attempt to re-imagine the exploration aspects of Metroid in a three-dimensional environment, released alongside a new 2-D game made by the "classic" team that took the game into a more narrative-driven and horror-tinged direction. It was a big push for a franchise that had zero exposure for a long time, it was an enormous gamble, and as we know from the way Retro's story played out, Prime had more than its fair share of bumps along the road.

But Federation Force isn't setting out to do any of that, and it knows it. Just like you said, it's a cooperative, action-focused title that's set in the Metroid universe and borrows some of Prime's control mechanics like the first-person view, aiming setup, lock-on, etc. It's not redefining the genre in any major way (hence why it's not a new IP), and it's not trying to redefine its source material (hence why the "Metroid Prime" part of the logo is comparatively small, and it doesn't even use the iconic screw attack logo like the "main" Metroid games do). It's a game doing its own thing, Nintendo wanted a familiar setting to frame the action in, and Metroid was the closest fit they have amongst their current franchises. Again, it's not that different from how they handle any of their other IPs, but I guess "because it's Metroid" that makes it a much bigger deal than if this had been a Link's Crossbow Training sequel or a Joy Mech Fight reboot or something. It's a sacred cow mentality that's been mostly removed from any other major Nintendo franchise already.

Metroid is absolutely not a sacred cow - as has been said many times, we already saw Pinball and Hunters before. The reason why people didn't complain was because people weren't chomping at the bit to see a new Metroid. This is really the only thing a lot of people wanted to see from Nintendo! It's entirely understandable why they would be miffed. To me, a spin-off should only exist for a series that isn't in a major hiatus. The degree of fineness that exists with this is directly proportionate to how active the Metroid series is. Link's Crossbow Training was fine because Twilight Princess came out, and then Phantom Hourglass came out, and then shortly thereafter Spirit Tracks came out. Zelda was consistent. And heck, that game was just a $20 thing to go along with the Wii Zapper.
 
The thing is, there is a TON of potential for a Metroid spinoff.

I've always thought it would be cool to have a Metroid game that was just puzzle solving and lore. Kind of Metroid x Myst deal.

Exploring a totally forgotten planet and figuring out what happened to those who once inhabited it.
 
Well...alright then. I guess my lack of give-a-shit for Metroid Prime as a subseries keeps me from really getting so worked up, or I'm just wired differently in general. Good luck in the coming years, because for the way you're talking, I think even if they did announce a Metroid Prime 4, for some reason or another it still wouldn't live up to whatever expectation you have built up for it.
Plus it'll be for NX and not Wii U

It all depends on what they will make ofcourse. If they turn it into a board game, yeah, it won't live up to my expectations. If they make a new Metroid Prime, with similar mechanics, atmosphere, sense of scale, look & feel... and update the concept a bit, just like they did with MP2 and MP3 after that, and obviously with stellar graphics, i wouldn't be dissapointed by their effort. Maybe the game could still turn out to be inferior to the other games (i still prefer the original MP over 2 and 3), just like Xenoblade X might turn out to be inferior to the original.

Also, to me MP is as much a "subseries" as the 3D Mario's are. Meaning, not at all. It's the transformation the franchise went through by going 3D.
 
My first thought watching this trailer is that I can't see shit due to the surrounding darkness, I personally prefer visual clarity in my games. OK if it's just a specific section where you are supposed to have limited vision, but it was like that for the entire trailer.

I didn't get that impression at all myself, I thought it was wonderfully moody yet clear. Maybe we have different monitor settings?
 
I want to point out that when developers like Nintendo and Konami drop the ball on beloved franchises like Metroid and Castlevania there is now more options than ever to play games "in the spirit" of the Metroidvania genre. All I have to say is thank goodness for things like Kickstarter, PC, and indie devs, because there is plenty "metroidvania's" to choose from now and in the future. They will never replace Metroid, but it makes it a little easier to wait on the Metroid franchise to return when these games are available.
 
After finishing the Treehouse play, the game looks fun. I know the reaction here is based off the name, but it looks like it's worth a try.
 
One big misgiving I have with this is that the characters don't look like they're as distinct as they were in Hunters. Why not:

The melee unit, who has only minor ranged strength, but excels in close combat and has high defense?

The medic, a pretty played-out idea, but one that would give a fun role for people who like to play that kind of character?

There's a lot you could do, and you could have distinct designs for these character types that set them apart, which would also justify them to make them more realistic-looking.
 
It all depends on what they will make ofcourse. If they turn it into a board game, yeah, it won't live up to my expectations. If they make a new Metroid Prime, with similar mechanics, atmosphere, sense of scale, look & feel... and update the concept a bit, just like they did with MP2 and MP3 after that, and obviously with stellar graphics, i wouldn't be dissapointed by their effort. Maybe the game could still turn out to be inferior to the other games (i still prefer the original MP over 2 and 3), just like Xenoblade X might turn out to be inferior to the original.

Also, to me MP is as much a "subseries" as the 3D Mario's are. Meaning, not at all. It's the transformation the franchise went through by going 3D.

To each their own. If they made what you described, I'd probably be very bored and likely wouldn't buy it. Guess I'm not fan enough.
And I don't mean to call it a subseries as though to imply it's substandard, I'm just literally using that term there to describe Retro's first-person Metroid Prime trilogy to distinguish it from the 2-D entries (you can decide for yourself if you want to throw Other M in with the 2-Ds or consider it its own thing, I don't care). So in that sense, sure, I'd call the 3-D Mario games a subseries since they're also actively pursuing more 2-D Mario games as well.
 
I want to point out that when developers like Nintendo and Konami drop the ball on beloved franchises like Metroid and Castlevania there is now more options than ever to play games "in the spirit" of the Metroidvania genre. All I have to say is thank goodness for things like Kickstarter, PC, and indie devs, because there is plenty "metroidvania's to choose from now and in the future. They will never replace Metroid, but it makes it a little easier to wait on the Metroid franchise to return when these games are available.

Gameplay from the Nintendo Treehouse. Honestly, now that I've seen it played, it doesn't look bad. I see the potential in the game, but using the Metroid title is what most people her are angry about. We wanted an actual Metroid game, but what we got was a spin off that doesn't have Samus in it. Again, the game looks fun, but why call it Metroid?

Looks pretty bloody average to me, gameplay wise, in an ugly turd wrapper. If this was a new IP it would have gotten ignored completely.... So uhhh good choice tying it to Metroid?
 
It's not TRYING to be the main Metroid series. It's a spinoff set in the Metroid Universe. It doesn't have to be anything like main Metroid. They could have made a game about a pirate wielding a laser sword who goes around slicing up Federation Soldiers or a Tourian base builder where you build Tourian and manage resources for the upcoming battle with Samus or made a game where you play as a Etecoon and still called it "Metroid".
Is the Etecoon game, an exploration game?


The trailer for AC: amiibo Festival also has more dislikes than likes.So I'm pretty sure that people are angry at the lack of mainline entries in the franchises, not just because they hate stuff.
 
After finishing the Treehouse play, the game looks fun. I know the reaction here is based off the name, but it looks like it's worth a try.

I almost broke out laughing at work listening to the Treehouse guys stumbling around and panicking because it reminded me exactly of playing co-op games with my friends online. It seems like an awesome co-op game and depending on how many missions there are/how long the campaign is I could see it being great.

And then we get things like this: https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-petition-for-cancelation-of-metroid-prime-federation-force Jesus Christ I don't want to use the "entitled gamer" card but what else do you call that petition?
 
To each their own. If they made what you described, I'd probably be very bored and likely wouldn't buy it. Guess I'm not fan enough.
And I don't mean to call it a subseries as though to imply it's substandard, I'm just literally using that term there to describe Retro's first-person Metroid Prime trilogy to distinguish it from the 2-D entries (you can decide for yourself if you want to throw Other M in with the 2-Ds or consider it its own thing, I don't care). So in that sense, sure, I'd call the 3-D Mario games a subseries since they're also actively pursuing more 2-D Mario games as well.

That's why i said the concept had to be updated, especially since the original is 13 years old. Like Resident Evil 4 was a (major) update.

PS: I also want to add, i'm not a Metroid nut. I just really like some of the games. And for all i care, they can put the franchise on ice for a few years longer, providing that they have something to replace it with. And i'm not talking about Donky Kong or a portable spin-off. Doesn't really have to be set in stone either, just something to adequately fill the void. A futuristic horror game, a Sci-Fi stealth game, a post-apocalyptic RPG... I played Deus Ex HR last year for the first time, and i was really impressed with that game. I would love to see Nintendo do something "like" that (but i don't mean they should make a knock-off obviously).
 
I almost broke out laughing at work listening to the Treehouse guys stumbling around and panicking because it reminded me exactly of playing co-op games with my friends online. It seems like an awesome co-op game and depending on how many missions there are/how long the campaign is I could see it being great.

And then we get things like this: https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-petition-for-cancelation-of-metroid-prime-federation-force Jesus Christ I don't want to use the "entitled gamer" card but what else do you call that petition?

Holy shit what an overreaction. Petition the cancellation of the game because it wasn't what they wanted?
 
If they had really tried, a Federation trooper spinoff could be pretty cool. It just doesn't look the way that it should.

Someone did a mock-up a while back of a similar idea:

metroid__federation_trooper_2d.jpg
 
The thing is, there is a TON of potential for a Metroid spinoff.

I've always thought it would be cool to have a Metroid game that was just puzzle solving and lore. Kind of Metroid x Myst deal.

Exploring a totally forgotten planet and figuring out what happened to those who once inhabited it.

One of my "This will never happen" wishes is for a Metroid game in which you play and explore entirely as the Morph Ball. Like, there's a malfunction in the suit and she can't switch back but you find a bunch of old and new Morph Ball upgrades scattered around wherever you're stranded.
 
After finishing the Treehouse play, the game looks fun. I know the reaction here is based off the name, but it looks like it's worth a try.

It is fun ! It uses the same control set up like on the gamecube, so you have to hold the L button and R to fire. There's lock on, super missiles, jump hover button, only one health bar, no health recharge. So you need a medic to heal you. The game can be very intense if you are outnumbed or encounter a big beast at the wrong time.
 
Is the Etecoon game, an exploration game?


The trailer for AC: amiibo Festival also has more dislikes than likes.So I'm pretty sure that people are angry at the lack of mainline entries in the franchises, not just because they hate stuff.

Not to get too far off topic, but I think Animal Crossing fans were getting their expectations too high, too. Already a 3DS spinoff game in the works and some of AC's other senior staff spending the last couple of years on Splatoon, just like Metroid, who did they think would be left to work on a fully-fledged Animal Crossing Wii U game? :P

But I digress. Maybe the biggest part of why I'm not up in arms over MPFF is because I still feel confident in expecting a more standard-style Metroid game in 2016 or 17 as part of the NX's early lineup. Obviously that was never going to be talked about in this year's E3 conference. I didn't expect Metroid to show up in any form at all.

...also I'm now amused that "MPFF" is this game's abbreviation. Sounds like what a lot of people said when the trailer first hit!
 
I think this could have flown successfully had it been Wii U with a more appealing and distinct art style. The extra juice also could have allowed to open up the levels and increase theur complexity, and have more than a handful of enemiws attacking at a time.

As it is now it looks very average and limited design wise, and graphically very rough and cheap.
 
Man, Sony and Nintendo have had a polar opposite E3. Sony revealing long sort after games, and Nintendo going out of their way to do the literal opposite of what most their fans want.

The backlash against this game wouldn't exists if there was also an actual Metroid game announced. Spin-offs can be a nice diversion to the real franchises, but will never be replacements.

If prior to E3 you'd have told me that Next Level Games was working on a 3DS Metroid, or that Next level Games was working on a 3DS football game, that would have been at the very top of my list of interest. But not like this. Oh god.
 
*Shrug* Most major publishers have their "big gun" franchises. For Nintendo, it's Mario and Zelda (and, I suppose, Pokemon). Metroid isn't on that list. Should it be? I don't know. The franchise's sales figures don't typically point to it being a massive missed opportunity. I also doubt the games released would be as special and the dedicated (albeit comparatively small) fanbase be as adamant if we were getting annualized installments. I don't particularly mind mainline Metroids being a rare, special event compared to the likes of Mario.

That's what I was kind of saying, there wouldn't be this fervent response from fans if Metroid was annualized, but because it's not and because fans are in the dark for 5 years and begging for a new metroid when this spin-off is the answer, of course they're going to be upset. This is in comparison to Zelda and Mario fans who are constantly being satisfied with the traditional Zelda and Mario game, so there's not much of an uproar when something like Triforce Heroes (or Crossbow training) or Mario Puzzles & Dragons is announced because they most likely just got a traditional game from the series.
 
Man, Sony and Nintendo have had a polar opposite E3. Sony revealing long sort after games, and Nintendo going out of their way to do the literal opposite of what most their fans want.

Sony was like the big blue genie from Aladdin, energetic and genuine, while granting your wishes no matter how wild and improbable.

Nintendo was like the sinister Djinn from Wishmaster, taking your heartfelt wishes and twisting them into exactly what you didn't want, all the while smiling.
 
Gameplay from the Nintendo Treehouse. Honestly, now that I've seen it played, it doesn't look bad. I see the potential in the game, but using the Metroid title is what most people her are angry about. We wanted an actual Metroid game, but what we got was a spin off that doesn't have Samus in it. Again, the game looks fun, but why call it Metroid?

I think it actually looks pretty good right there.

It's branded Metroid because we KNOW the game would sell like shit if it were a new IP. Or, if it did, it could replace Metroid.
 
Imagine how devastating this must be for the people working on this game! Regardless of their circumstances, this reception must be morally crushing

Being a long time Metroid fan (one that has played and loved all of them aside from spin offs) I don't really mind this. Metroid has been gone for a long time, but it is and will forever be a great series because of what has been produced. This game will not change that
not that anyone is really saying the contrary
 
I was writing a post about the essence of a series in response to EatChildren, mentioning Tezuka's seemingly bizarre but actually very on point definition of Super Mario Bros about doing certain tasks in a limited time i contrast to Yoshi games, using it as a tentpole to talk about how often people pigeonhole franchises into certain elements that while key factors of what made the originals what they are, are not integral elements to the series, they don't deconstruct it in order to conceptualize the core single gameplay element that binds them together, the one true thing that actually needs to be there for the franchise is what it is. For Metroid it's acquiring different power ups that allow you to progress through the environment. Some series have controversial releases when not all elements are in place, like for instance Metroid Fusion and Mother 3, where some people cry foul because of what a game isn't instead of what it is. While I did end up rewriting a summary, I actually wanna share an interview I found of Sakamoto from 2005 right before Zero Mission released.

It's been a decade since then but I still urge you to read it

During the development of Metroid Fusion, I took into consideration the fact that we’d have players who would be picking up a Metroid title for the first time and tried to make the game easy for them. Nine years had passed since the release of its predecessor, Super Metroid on the SNES, and I figured the type of gameplay in Metroid (wandering around, lost, while searching for secret passages) would be pretty rough on beginners. That’s why I instead chose to emphasize the dramatic aspects and use the game’s story to motivate people to keep playing. I also adjusted the degree of difficulty by restricting the players’ movements, thereby ensuring the game wouldn’t get too hard. In contrast, Metroid: Zero Mission, which we’re currently developing, is a remake based on the original Metroid, so it brings the series’ original style of gameplay closer to the surface.

I experimented with putting some monologues by Samus in Metroid: Fusion in order to put some importance on the drama, but I still don’t know whether it’s right to be taking the series in that direction. I think the true fun of Metroid lies in spending time searching for secret passages and getting yourself hopelessly lost. That’s why I started out by choosing to emphasize the story in Fusion, and now I’m showcasing Metroid’s roots in Zero Mission. If I don’t continue releasing games that feature Metroid’s origins and games that feature Metroid’s story, I won’t get any ideas about where to go next.

Even while we were making of Super Metroid for the SNES, I stuck stubbornly to my decision that there wouldn’t be any dialogue, no matter what. I have to stick to my guns for Zero Mission, as well. It’s too easy to have players wandering around a huge map, indifferent to their surroundings. I have to find a way to spice things up a bit and stimulate their brains. If all we do is extract the essence of Metroid over and over again, every game we release will turn out exactly the same. I try to challenge myself by focusing on developing a new gameplay mechanism every time in order to avoid complaints like that.

When it comes to comparing 2D and 3D games, I can’t say that 3D games are always better. The Super Nintendo was a direct evolution of the Nintendo, but when developers moved from the SNES to the N64, they were forced to change dimensions. When 3D rolled around, my department was in an area separate from the 3D division, so at the time I felt like I was late to the forefront of the new wave of gaming. I felt rushed back then, thinking that if I missed the train now, I might end up being too late. Thinking back, however, I don’t think I had any idea that I would have to change the way I approached video games. All I had was the vague notion that I needed to be at the forefront of video game development. When I made the transition from the Nintendo to the Super Nintendo, I was recklessly pursuing superiority, but thanks to the fact that I was late in moving from the Super Nintendo to the N64, I was blessed with the opportunity to take another look at the fundamentals of what made a game fun and what I really wanted to experience in a game. I was able to see the Game Boy in a new light, and that’s the reason I want to keep focusing on the GBA. The only thing is that if it looks like we’ll need the Gamecube’s specs in order to resolve the themes that Metroid is comprised of, we may need to move the series to that system in the future instead.

I think that the benefits of the original Nintendo were ubiquitous. We had to ask ourselves how we could give players an emotional gameplay experience using the system’s limited specs and expressive capabilities. The Nintendo had a large presence, and developing for the system really forced us to think. If you worked hard at devising tricks, the possibilities became limitless, and the number of games we could have made would have been infinite. Despite the inconvenience, the Nintendo was an interesting tool and a fun toy, an entertaining system that tantalized us with its possibilities.
 
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