Interview with Retro Studios

SantaC

SantaC

Member
Really good interview with Retro on Nintendo.com. Here is a snippet:

NP: Are you thinking beyond Echoes? Anything in the hopper?

Karl: We've got 10,000 ideas. Every time you come out of a project you say "man, if I have four more months I'd do this!", and that's always the seeds of whatever you're going to do next.

Mike: Seeds from Prime are in Metroid Prime 2. We were successful the last time, we knew what we didn't have a chance to do last time, we knew what we wanted to do this time, and we have the best people in the industry as far as I'm concerned. We're here approaching the end, so right now we're just focused on making this one good.
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NP: What's it like working at retro? What's a typical day?

Karl: It's a great place to work. From the very start when we got the Metroid license, we were all immensely excited to work on a Metroid title. We're happy with what we've done to it and what we plan to do to it.

Mike: It's very daunting. The Metroid license is a very big deal, and living up to the previous games and making sure that we carry forth the spirit in a way that was perceived as risky was an extremely difficult but very rewarding project to tackle. But, you know, we get here around 5:30 in the morning and make coffee and start working and usually we're here late at night making sure every i is dotted and t is crossed.
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http://www.nintendo.com/gamedev?gameid=m-Game-0000-1699&


Sounds like there will be another Metroid game by Retro. They seem to enjoy the franchise :)
 
PkunkFury said:
Please let them try something new... :(
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I would really want to see them end Metroid Prime with a triology, and it would be perfect with a next generation title.
 
They need to expand and work on more than 1 project at a time. They've established that they know their stuff; multi-task dammit!
 
They should work on an original FPS for the launch of the Revolution IMO. Something that utilizes whatever new functionality Nintendo is designing the Revolution around.

I like the Metroid Prime series, but I wanna see them bust out with an action-oriented FPS title with a full blown multiplayer aspect.
 
Grubdog said:
What if they don't have Revolution development kits yet?
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Then that would mean that none of Nintendo's in-house developers have them, and we know that's not the case
 
I think they should maybe get to work designing a decent control scheme for their games this time around.
 
urgh. Not this argument again. the control SCHEME itself was fine. What people seem to have problems with is not the control scheme, but the fact that samus doesn't move as fast as she does in the 2D metroids, and the dual analog complaint. That's not a control scheme problem. That's a control/gameplay problem.
 
Nerevar said:
I think they should maybe get to work designing a decent control scheme for their games this time around.
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They have “10,000” ideas hopefully one of them fixes the controls


j/k
 
well that about wraps it up for metroid. ten years from now, it'll be remembered as a series of bad first person shooters. :(
 
drohne said:
well that about wraps it up for metroid. ten years from now, it'll be remembered as a series of bad first person shooters. :(
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Or perhaps the highest rated game of this generation? (I mean, seems like a more likely label)
 
Nerevar said:
I think they should maybe get to work designing a decent control scheme for their games this time around.
Click to expand...
Just ´cause it´s to hard to learn for less experienced players? It has a great learning curve for newbies, but when you learn it, it´s like a glove.

I´m glad that Retro Studios didn´t listen to the mainstream who just couldn´t learn a great control!
 
drohne said:
well that about wraps it up for metroid. ten years from now, it'll be remembered as a series of bad first person shooters. :(
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Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 are pretty much the best result you can get from Metroid in 3D. Like castlevania, Metroid is still great in 2D, but the Prime series has convinced me that I can enjoy it in 3D too. N64 Castlevania and LoI on the other hand to draw a comparison...
 
I wish Nintendo would release an Metroid 1,2,3 bonus disc, with updated sprites. Remind people what Metroid was about.
 
Salmon said:
Just ´cause it´s to hard to learn for less experienced players? It has a great learning curve for newbies, but when you learn it, it´s like a glove.

I´m glad that Retro Studios didn´t listen to the mainstream who just couldn´t learn a great control!
Click to expand...

Yes I agree metroid prime did control like a glove

PowerGloveNES01.jpg


wizardlucas.jpg


"I love the power glove it's so bad"
 
IAmtheFMan said:
They need to expand and work on more than 1 project at a time. They've established that they know their stuff; multi-task dammit!
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If I'm remembering right, it wasn't until they began focusing on one project a time that they made anything worthwhile. Didn't they have like, 3 or 4 titles in development at one point?
 
Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 are pretty much the best result you can get from Metroid in 3D.
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That a fact??

For one, I suppose Metroid Prime 3 can't possibly be a better game then?

Most importantly, you're wrong. Metroid in 3D could be realized much, much better than what we've been given.
 
I like the idea of Retro doing another project other then Metroid, the aforementioned FPS would be great, particullary with online and Zoid onboard.
 
Socreges said:
That a fact??

For one, I suppose Metroid Prime 3 can't possibly be a better game then?

Most importantly, you're wrong. Metroid in 3D could be realized much, much better than what we've been given.
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I Disagree. MP2 is already gaming distalllate to pure gaming goodness and they can't acutally make it better (Maybe free look). Aside from building VR sets where the game world you experience as Samus is 360... the game is as good as it gets. It won't improve much in terms of gameplay... story telling however is something they need to work on. I know the whole solo BOUNTY HUNTER thing... I just found it a bit hard to swallow that Samus didn't really need that much convincing to help the Luminoths.
 
Socreges said:
That a fact??

For one, I suppose Metroid Prime 3 can't possibly be a better game then?

Most importantly, you're wrong. Metroid in 3D could be realized much, much better than what we've been given.
Click to expand...

Read again? I said that MP1 and MP2 have nailed the metroid experience perfect in 3D so far. That doesn't mean that another Metroid in 3D can't be improved upon though.
 
I think the control scheme is vital for things like boss battles. Without lock-on it'd be near impossible to pull off some of the crazy circle-strafing necessary to complete the game.
 
I'm happy with MP's control scheme, it works for what it wants to do (and I just got the Xray Visor in MP1, haha Chozo Ghost you are my bitches now).

However I do think they could have added a dual stick control scheme. Then use the triggers for cycling through beams. I wouldn't use it but it'd shut the complainers up or at least show them how it wouldn't work as well as they think, especially in boss battles as ^^ pointed out.
 
I say turn over Metroid Prime Hunters development to Retro now. If NST can pull off what they have in the demo then I would love to see Retro take it to the next level.
 
What are these complaints towards the control system in Metroid Prime? Maybe I've been under a rock for the past several years but I've never really seen people complain about it.

Then again I am not the biggest Metroid fan, played a bit of Super Metroid but I didn't get stuck in till Prime and the control system was just fine. Heck we could've been worse off, it might have been an Abe's Odysee clone (thank fuck it wasn't) or Mario 64 style with a dreadful camera system. I thought dual-analogue was used for shooter-heavy games.. I seemed to do more exploring, jumping and fucking around in Prime then I ever had to shoot stuff.

Remember, it's a first person adventure :lol
 
Are 1st-Person games even possible in hologram?
 
speedpop said:
Remember, it's a first person adventure :lol
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Right, that's why it included the capacity for roaming free-look while moving. Because, you know, an adventure is all about making a control scheme suited only to lock-on combat, not for giving the player the best option for movement.

It's been pointed out in this thread - the control scheme lets the games do two things well. Boss battles and jumping puzzles (due to you being unable to freelook while moving). But claiming that it's perfect for an "adventure" game is denial.
 
Retro has to be my favorite developer this gen. MP and MP2 are just so awesome.

I'd really like to see them work on an original project next, along with Metroid V for Revolution.
 
Sorry to derail the thread, but I think Metroid Prime's controls add to the immersion. Have any of you guys considered that in real life people don't turn their heads backwards while looking forward, they don't walk sideways everywhere like a crab, and they look straight ahead when they jump. In most FPS games you feel like you're a damn robot.
 
Thecontrolschemeisfinegotohell!

Now that that's out of the way... I'd really love to see Retro work on an original property. I keep saying it, but I know it'll never come true, especially after that interview. But they have so much talent in art design and game design that they shouldn't have to fit it around Metroid in every project. What if they had a brilliant idea for a linear game with no backtracking, or a multiplayer based shooter with online play or something? I'd love to see all that they can do, but Nintendo never fails to cling to their franchises. And Retro seems to be the only developer available to work on Metroid. I hope the talent doesn't get sick of the franchise, because they'll probably be working with it for the next several years.

I realize that the studio can expand and that they can work on other projects while doing Metroid, but I think it's safe to say that the talent in the Metroid team will probably stay in the Metroid team. I can only hope that they maintain their quality if and when they release secondary games. I love Nintendo's developers, but I worry for the decisions made on their business side.
 
I hope Retro is having "dual analogue controls" or "third person view" in their 10 000 ideas.
They should play more Soul Reaver and more Rachet too until they finally get what to keep from these game to make the perfect Metroid.
 
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