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DF Retro: Metroid Prime - Nintendo's first-person masterpiece

Hrm still getting some stutters here and there (especially when you load a new area) in the Ishiiruka build but I guess it's better than before.
What are your specs?

I'm using a 5820k + GTX980ti + 16gb ram and running the image from an SSD. Have now played more than two hours and it's just buttery smooth without any stutters.

Since it's emulation, it's likely more sensitive to hardware. I was kind of surprised by how well it works on there. Dolphin 5.0, though, still stutters for me.
 
Since it's emulation, it's likely more sensitive to hardware. I was kind of surprised by how well it works on there. Dolphin 5.0, though, still stutters for me.
Runs well for me, but I don't find the depth of field option you were talking about in the video. Apart from that, what do you recommend in terms of graphics settings? E.g., tessellation and such things.
 
I'm using a 5820k + GTX980ti + 16gb ram and running the image from an SSD. Have now played more than two hours and it's just buttery smooth without any stutters.
I hope that someday they add a "load the iso into ram" option like many emulators do. At least for GC games.
 
Good video. Thanks.

Can we get an episode on final fantasy 2(IV)? It has a bunch of versions and a remake.
 
I took a 100% walkthrough from a website and reformatted it in table form. The whole game fits in an eight page document. This format really makes the level design stand out even more!

It is incredible how the game is connected and how it flows when you are collecting everything the game has to offer. Even the artifacts are integrated into the natural pacing of the game.
 
I have to admit, despite owning the game for a few months (found a great deal on it), I've never played Metroid Prime, but it's an impressive game, visually, and I've never heard a bad word about the game play. A very interesting analysis and a game that I will, hopefully, play at some point. It's not like I don't have a GameCube to play it on. Might give it a go over new year.
 
Great video, I had no idea that Retro was founded by the former head of Iguana Entertainment. The comparison's between Turok and Metroid Prime is an interesting one.

I also remember that cancelled sword melee game. I actually thought it looked pretty cool.

Metroid Prime made incredible use of the GameCube hardware. I actually remember buying the Metroid Prime Collection on the Wii as a Christmas present for my younger brother. I don't think he knows how rare it is.
 
What a nice way to wake up this morning.

Thanks dark10x! :D

I should continue my game on Trilogy via Dolphin...thanks for the motivation as well.
 
What are your specs?

I'm using a 5820k + GTX980ti + 16gb ram and running the image from an SSD. Have now played more than two hours and it's just buttery smooth without any stutters.

Since it's emulation, it's likely more sensitive to hardware. I was kind of surprised by how well it works on there. Dolphin 5.0, though, still stutters for me.

Ah nevermind after playing for a while it's definitely much better than before now.
 
Awesome video. I guess I never realized it ran at 60 FPS. Thank god there was no voice intro in NTSC. That's weird and just doesn't fit the type of game.

Once it starts to snow, I'll have to start replaying it. Every year since the first time I played it, I'd just go through Metroid Prime when it snows. Phendrana Drifts is perfect. Maybe I should finish Prime 2. I dropped it recently due to dying to that fish boss.
 
For some reason the Ishiiruka build runs quite a bit worse for me, it's a difference between a locked 60 for regular Dolphin with some minor stuttering (it's better in later builds, at least for me) or getting framedrops all the way down to 40 in Ishiiruka.

It has a nasty habit of dropping to the high 40s whenever I charge the beam, for example, which is kind of unacceptable :P.
 
Oh man I know what I'm doing when I go back home. Gonna put my new 1070+i7 6700k to action with this bad boy.

Any benefits of emulating the Wii version instead of the gamecube version? Widescreen perhaps? Can you play dual-analog on the Wii version with Dolphin?
 
It's insane how well the visuals of this game hold up today

Metroid Prime, Wind Waker, and Mario Sunshine are the only games that made it out of that generation still looking great today
REmake graphics was and still is a beautiful masterpiece on the gamecube.

That box with a handle was a fucking beast.
 
Great episode. I also recommend playing the Prime series on Dolphin. These shots are actually from Prime 2.

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I'm kinda interested to replay this on Dolphin aswell. But I also have the game on my Wii U. What do people prefer? Classic or Wiimote controls? I'm actually not a big fan of the latter to be honest.
 
Dark10x, can you do a video about FEAR someday?
I'm playing it again, and it's amazing how well it holds nowadays. The AI still feels unmatched compared to many AAA fps nowadays and the shadowing tech feels like Doom 3 Lite.

Back to Metroid Prime:
It's a master piece, and the emphasis on Geometry makes it scale so well to higher resolutions. One day I would wish to play that game as a true FPS (Mouse and Keyboard) but I doubt that will ever happen in any official form.
 
Such a damn amazing series. The Scan Visor is one of my favorite innovations (that ive never seen elsewhere in a game).

Retro Studios has been utterly wasted on Nintendo since the Prime series.
 
I also forgot to add:

I think one of the things that add to the imerssion, or did back in the day was the way the Helmet HUD was built, and how it incorporated perfectly due the smooth curve... with CRT screens.

It really made you feel THERE.
 
Such a damn amazing series. The Scan Visor is one of my favorite innovations (that ive never seen elsewhere in a game).

Retro Studios has been utterly wasted on Nintendo since the Prime series.

Their DKC games have been fantastic, and they're also technical marvels in their own right. Despite the losses they've taken over the years, including losing their lead engineer when he left to form Bluepoint, their tech prowess is still top-notch.
 
Such a damn amazing series. The Scan Visor is one of my favorite innovations (that ive never seen elsewhere in a game).

Retro Studios has been utterly wasted on Nintendo since the Prime series.
Absolutely not. The Returns games are amazing.

That said the Prime Trilogy is probably my favorite series ever made and honestly might be Nintendo's most brooding and atmospheric series ever. Everything in Prime is perfect and is tied with RE4 as my favorite game ever.
 
The Switch better get a new Metroid, Nintendo can't continue to ignore one of their best franchises.

Thanks for another great Retro!
 
Metroid Prime is one of the most impressive games of that generation. and still can look good to this day!

i would like to see more RDF on Super Mario Galaxy. Resident Evil.God of War,
 
The Switch better get a new Metroid, Nintendo can't continue to ignore one of their best franchises.

Thanks for another great Retro!

Emily says that most of the people that made Metroid Prime are either no longer at Retro nor interested in making another Prime game :(

they could make a great new series though
 
You know how much my mind was absolutely destroyed when I saw fog, sweat, condensation, and a mirrored face for the first time in real time in Magmoor? I mean goddamn.
 
It needs to be said that the developers made an amazing looking game for its time, and also had 60fps. Metroid Prime still holds up today. Nowadays, ages age repeatedly and can't age as well as something from the early 2000s.

Emily says that most of the people that made Metroid Prime are either no longer at Retro nor interested in making another Prime game :(

they could make a great new series though

Why do people want to tied Retro down with 1 franchise? Let them do something new. They already made 3 amazing Prime games. The 2 DKC games were also amazing. I want to see Retro do something new, or tackle a new franchise.
 
Another brilliant video!

I've scrutinised the Metroid series for various write-ups and research, but I knew DF Retro would give a different and engaging perspective. I love the technical details detailed throughout - the wireframe view was very insightful - as were the changes visible with Dolphin emulation.

I also like the way context is provided - I did not know the link between the Turok developers and Retro Studios, and it really does explain a lot. One thing viewers might want to look into more is Turok 2, which bridges the gap between the Turok FPS mechanics and Metroid Prime - Turok 2 is a fantastic first-person metroidvania, with upgrades to your physical abilities granting access to new areas when re-visited - the structure of upgrades, backtracking and discovery is absolutely mandatory for gameplay completion. (Granted, I haven't played it in years so can't say how well it has aged, but it was a stunning exploration game in its era.)

I was really pleased to see the Soul Reaver nod too - SR's streaming loading technique is replicated so very well in Metroid Prime. I'm not saying that the Metroid staff ever played Soul Reaver at all, just that great minds think alike.

Would you consider a look at Metroid Other M, or is Wii too contemporary to be retro?
I'm not a fan of that game's content, but I've never seen any informed technical scrutiny of it. In various posts, I have asserted that I believe Metroid Prime to be a technically superior product (and that Metroid Prime Trilogy on Wii was therefore more technically capable than Other M), but in truth I have nothing to evidence this, or know-how as to how such a comparison could be made. It would be interesting to see the Prime Trilogy and Other M contrasted for FPS, textures, polygons, loading, etc. As I say though, I understand if this is outside the definition of Retro study.

A fantastic video, please keep it up!
 
One of the major advantages of the original GameCube NTSC release is that it's the easiest version for sequence breaking. On a first playthrough this won't mean much, but later playthroughs are a lot more fun once you start messing with the order of events.
Surprised at John's reaction to the introduction speech, didn't realise that wasn't there in the NTSC version. There's also an ending speech in the PAL version, is that present in the NTSC version?
Nope! I was pretty surprised too when I learned about the voice acting. Can't say I'm fond of them.
 
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