E3 2006: More Metroid 3 Secrets Unveiled
New gameplay and release date info inside.
by Peer Schneider
May 10, 2006 - In an interview with the Retro Studios team, IGN Wii learned today that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption will indeed be a launch game for Nintendo Wii. Developed from the ground up for the new platform and its unique controllers, Metroid will arrive alongside The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess offering up a first-party double punch when the console ships this holiday season.
Like its predecessors, the game will not feature an online mode for competitive multiplay -- however, support of the system's 24-hour-connection is under consideration. This would allow Nintendo to push upgrades and additional content to Metroid Prime 3: Corruption owners with wireless connections even when the console is switched off.
Retro Studios also confirmed that Metroid Prime 3 will depart from the light and dark world setup introduced in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and instead feature large areas to explore on multiple worlds. Though Samus will use her new gunship to travel between planets, players hoping to pilot Samus Aran's new gunship may be disappointed to hear that they will not be able to pilot the ship themselves. Travel between areas likely occurs only in cutscene form. That's not to say that the ship doesn't feature a large role in the game, however. Retro hinted at a new visor mode that lets Samus command her ship from the ground. For example, she can use the gunship uplink to blow up obstacles in her way and gain access to new areas.
Though the other visors are still being kept a secret, Retro did confirm that the X-Ray visor will return and play a bigger part in both combat and puzzle solving. Used in conjunction with a new beam that is able to shoot through walls, players will be able to detect obscured enemies and take them out safely.
The developer is also hard at work on polishing the graphics in the game to make it a noticeable step up over the previous titles. Retro has added new bloom effects and much more complex particle systems for even bigger fireworks. The target framerate for the final game is a smooth 60 frames per second.
Look for the complete interview soon.
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YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! launch title baby!
now, while i'm disappointed that you cant fly the gunship, it's a very interesting concept to use it 'remote control' to blast open certain areas, i bet it will make an appearance for boss battles where you have to work between fighting the boss and ordering your ship to perform certain functions. very cool news indeed. retro also says that the graphics are being updated constantly and this is still a prebuild about 80% done and was originally designed for the GC (hence the GC graphics and Wii added special effects). when the rumor of Prime 3 being delayed hit i was seriously upset, but Nintendo is actually going to put Zelda and Metroid out on the same day. Insanity! :D:D:D:D
Gametrailers has some high resolution videos of MP3 that look way better than any of the still shots.
d/l!
i just saw the cool smoke effect from the missles, it looks like that prerendered smoke you see in CG movies, very very cool!
edit - i cant find any HD movies for prime 3, where diid you see them? I'm downloading the gameplay footage now, but looks standard.
I don't know if there's any HD videos out there, the ones I saw were just higher quality than most.
A delay might actually be good though, to improve the graphics... (technical, not artistic, of course. Artistically it's Metroid Prime, which means fantastic.)
Oh yeah, i just watched them, it's definitely prettier. Lighting effects everywhere, bumpmapping, and tons of subtle details. The particles are insane (like the smoke i twas talking about). it's also running at 60 fps! very very happy right now!
from what i can tell, the pirates have attacked a space federation base. there are bodies of federation soldiers and wreckage everywhere, the federation security bots are on patrol but unfortunately are picking up samus as an enemy, the new use of the grappe beam looks flawless; you can grab shields off of pirates, break apart wreckage, rip panels off of access ports, you name it. towards the end of the demo, you find yourself in a very familiar looking area (phendrana pirate base on the tower access bridge) and these flyying pirates are taking potshots at you, once you dispatch them a pirate gunship starts flying around you and blasting while opening its doors to let out some more pirates. during the battle, a weird looking pirate shows up, all glowy and bizarre. it actually causes one of the pirate gunships to crash, and then disappears. Dunno what his problem is, probably the mini boss of that area!
shooting looks really easy, you can either free hand or lock on, aiming where ever you want while walking (instead of having to stand still), this is going to rock, I cant wait 5 months dammit!
I'm glad to see the X-ray visor come back. That was my favorite visor in Prime.
MP3 employs voice-acting as well, though not for Samus of course.
Samus does too have voice acting. SOMEONE has to grunt and scream on cue, just like Link's voice actor.
yeah! i'm hoping for new uses too, the whole 'beam that can shoot through wallls' sounds very... VERY familiar to me :D *COUGHFARSIGHTCOUGH* and used in conjunction with the x-ray visor should allow for crazy gameplay, hopefully it's in the multiplayer too..... hopefully it HAS multiplayer :D
I'd like to see enemies that are invincible and you have to use the x-ray visor to lock on to their vital organs and what not (sorta like the fuckers in RE4), a toned down version of OP basically. i'm willing to bet that this time around, the x-ray visor will show you alot more things, like skeletons of enemies (instead of just Aran's hands :D) and the insides of electronics.
The demo didnt get in to beam switching at all, but i hope it's more than just the d-pad to switch beams. in fact, looking at the screen, it doesnt look like you switch weapons. It may be the Super Metroid style of actually upgrading one beam to uberdome. I hope that's the case.
My theory right now for corruption's main plot is that Prime has become particles, practically invisible and no longer a single entity. It's traveling as phazon and infecting creatures in a very simmilar way to how the X infected things. Instead of needing to mutate a creature over time, Prime can instantly corrupt a creature in to what it needs. i think that's what the weird pirate was in the demo, but time will tell. In the meantime, because of what happened on Aether, the pirates believe that Samus is the one who stole phazon and completely destroyed their base of operation on two planets, which is half true :D The pirates have declared war on the federation and samus aran, this 'multi-world war' means a few things:
1.) We may travel to Zebes, SR388, Aether and Tallon 4 again (Aether being the last location of prime, tallon being its birth place and home to the meteor that started the flow of orange phazon and created prime)
2.) this is the final battle with Prime and the destructon of all phazon (has to be, which means a return to tallon and aether)
3.) This will be the lead in to Metroid 2: Return of Samus which is either going to be released with zero mission style graphics or handled as the 4th Metroid Prime game (Metroid Dread?)
We know that the time line between Metroid 2 and Metroid 3 is fairly quick, so i donnt expect to see another trilogy between those timelines. But between Metroid 3 and 4 (fusion) is probably where the next trilogy for the Prime series will take place.
It could very well be that Prime 3 will contain Metroid 2, in other words the last area of the game is SR388 and the mature metroids are actually explained as phazon mutations. But I doubt this.
Lastly, if you remember, in metroid 3 the pirates were gearing up for another war, or perhaps the war was still in progress. They had created a new super computer to calculate their plans and run the functions of the military bases called the mother brain which showed promise on zebes before it was destroyed by samus (zero mission). now, if memory serves me right, there is a scan log in Prime one or two that says that there are multiple mother computers in the larger pirate bases strewn about the planets. It could be that Corruption will see the return of Mother Brain and even multiple Mother Brain's as you secure and protect each planet from pirate infestation and phazon corruption (see how I did that?). if you're putting the cards together like i am you're probably imagining a final Mother computer that is corrupted by prime, flashbacks of super metroid anyone? :D
Now to complain.
Give us a real screw attack and space jump. Fuck double jumping, the space jump is an infinite jumping ability, the screw attack transfers energy through gyros as you sommersault through the air to make your whole suit a weapon. In prime 3, when i acquire the screw attack, just make it so that when i jump while running, i perform a screw attack automatically. Then later, when i get the space jump boots, i can cross large gaps, reach high places, and sommersault infinitely. i like double jumping actually, just dont call it the space jump! also, for god's sake, walljumping should be available at all times, she doesn't need a powerup for that, nor a special wall type (well, flat :D) and we should have complete control while grappling to the point of being able to spin in circles if the room allows it, and actually let us SWING, no auto swinging!
Now speed boosting and shinesparking are staples of metroid. they are officially in every game except return of samus and the prime series. With these large expansive areas i suspect speedboosting will return, along with speedjumping and hopefully, shinesparking. with the wiimote and attachment, there will be no issue to ccontrolling difficult timing manuevers that shinesparking requires, so please include it. just because samus cant duck in the prime series doesnt mean you have to exclude an entire dynamic of gameplay mechanics.
I think that's it. oh, KRAID, please! giant, ominous, 8 screens worth of Kraid! gaahh *drools*
Here's the thing. Before, pirates were just that, pirates! A small band of mostly the same species that worked together to raid places and were "terrors of the seas... of space". Now it seems they are actually a full on nation unto themselves. But, I think I'd like to see the "pirate" part really come into it's own. Basically, I'm suggesting that each ship is it's own band and they raid each other. Like, take the idea of the previous ones as a very tenuous alliance.
The idea is, for example, the reason the pirates all split up to work on different projects is they were different groups following their own desires, and in fact are struggling to get ahead of each other. Interfaction rivalry could play a part. Hence, they are pirates.
well they already do that to some degree, haven't you noticed that there have been no space pirate leaders? yet they get 'orders' and 'directions'? That's from a mother computer on a different planet in the system (very insect like hive mentality, everything is done for the 'queen'). So far in each of the Prime's we've been on planets where the Pirates have just gotten there within the past year or so, so they're not as dug in. On Zebes (their main headquarters), they've been there for years, so the excavation is extensive, massive tunneling and structure all pirate-built. In fact it's because of samus's first real mission that the pirates looked at other viable planets in the system. But when Ridley was sent to steal the infant metroid as ordered by the newly constructed mother, it became apparent that the pirates were digging back in to zebes after having evacuated it (because of samus)
they're called pirates because they are very locust like in mentality and appearance, they touch down on a planet and rape it senseless. take what they want, what they can use, erect a base and use it while viable and then leave the planet to die. That's how Samus became an orphan and was raised by a chozo avatar.
even high seas pirates have a government of sorts and an orginization. Once you pillage a few locations and build your wealth and area of control, you become a countryless super power until eventually you can overthrow one and claim it.
I see, except I don't recall any references to super computers on each world in the games. I suspected they had basically just high commanders, and the way they communicate with each other at least suggests treason is possible in their species, on a few occasions anyway. If there are other "brains" on other worlds, Samus screwed up because she is supposed to be the breaker of bioengineered super brains.
Check out the scan logs for some funny shit, there's heavy, heavy penalties for space pirates disobeying rules. Cuts in rations for a year, guard duty in phazon mines and a failure to report to active military duty is punishable by death.
they're definitely an organized bunch, treason or mutiny would be dealt with in the quickest most violent way possible :D
They certainly do act like pirates, and not the romanticized image we generally hold. Real pirates are generally not of the Jack Sparrow type. They're killers, rapists, hostage-takers, and thieves on a grand scale.
However, I gotta agree with DJ: They are far more organized than simple pirates, and do act as a governmental entity in some ways, or at the very least, like a Germanic warrior race. They have too much of a heirarchy to be just simple pirates, and they place a clear emphasis on scientific advancement over simple acquisition, with their over-arcing emphasis placed on military power, both serving the interests of conquest and annihilation. If you read the logs, it's clear that their piracy activities supplement scientific research, which in turn supplements their military capabilities. They are soldiers first, scientists second, and pirates... somewhere down the list. They do seem to also participate in some fair trade as well... I remember one log in Prime stating that they found material that was useless to them but could be sold to monks from a religious order on another world because they place value upon it.
I guess, if they really resemble any terrestrial entity, it would probably be the British Empire, with more emphasis on conquest than on mercantilism. What I don't get is why they call themselves Space Pirates... it seems like a deroguatory term that a Federation man would use, one would think they would have their own name.
I'm excited about it, but I doubt I'll buy it. I thought echoes was way too hard.
Supposedly this one will be easier than Echoes... which sounds like a good thing, if that game is as hard as advertised. I had trouble enough with the first game...
A Black Falcon Wrote:Supposedly this one will be easier than Echoes... which sounds like a good thing, if that game is as hard as advertised. I had trouble enough with the first game...
I thought the first game was slightly difficult, but overall I enjoyed it. (Except for that awful Omega Pirate boss...stressed me the fuck out!)
I got a few hours into Echoes and ended up putting it down.
I'll give Corruption a rent when I tire of Twilight Princess, Smash Bros., and Mario Galaxy.
well as long as there's a hard mode i'm happy :D
Echoes on hard mode is like french kissing a dead rhinocerous asshole and I wouldn't have it any other way. But yes, alot of people found it to be a little on the '....FUCK!' edge of the spectrum. i dont want it to be as easy as Zero Mission though. I think alot of people's difficulty with the game came from the bosses anyway. Like chykka and quadraxis who require alot of skill and alot of luck (on hard anyway). But Echoes beautiful depressing landscapes and post-war look along with the wormy formless Ing made for a gorgious game, the light/dark mechanics with the teleporters and 'interspacial objects' was genius, i seriously hope a 'poison' world will return where you have to activate safe zones that are interactive in that you can harm or kill enemies by activating the safe zones by different means. Nothing screams power like firing a lightbeam at a crystal and tempting the enemy inside, or later what you can do with the annhialaterbeam.
As far as the name 'space pirates' that's not actually what their race is called, it's the name that humans gave them. i can see British Empire but also pre-cold war era USSR amd even China or North Korea. I think they're basically a collection of every horrible aspect of government. but they steal, pillage, rape, destroy just like pirates, so the name does work even it doesn't begin to explain their military presense.
I found this on PGC:
Preview: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
The game’s producers and lead designer tell us about the release date, story premise, multiplayer info, control details, and many new abilities!
Written: 05/11/2006
Last updated: 05/11/2006 by Jonathan Metts
Today, we had the golden opportunity to sit down with some of the most important people in the development of the Metroid Prime series: Bryan Walker, Senior Producer; Mark Pacini, Lead Designer; Kensuke Tanabe, Producer for NCL, and Risa Tabata, Assistant Producer for NCL. The topic was of course Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and we learned a great deal about the game.
Perhaps most exciting is confirmation that Corruption is a Wii launch title, and the developers promise that it is just as big and deep as the previous games. And no need to worry about the game being labeled a “First-Person Shooter” in some of Nintendo’s press materials, because this is still very much an adventure game, just now with improved shooting mechanics thanks to the Wii controller. On the subject of multiplayer, Retro isn’t ruling out some kind of support for WiiConnect24, the console’s online service, but they are not interested in going back to the multiplayer mode from Echoes. They definitely want to stress the single-player gameplay as the game’s focus, so there may be no multiplayer at all.
The story completes the Phazon trilogy, with the nefarious substance now spreading across the galaxy. Corruption takes place over multiple planets, which Samus can travel among using her ship. This planet-hopping aspect is part of the game’s non-linearity, so you can go back and forth at will. You don’t actually control the ship in flight, but you can use the Command Visor to call upon it while exploring a planet. The ship can deliver an air strike during tough combat sequences, and it can move large objects blocking the way. The goal, according to the developers, was to give players a way to utilize the ship in ways that make sense in the context of Metroid gameplay.
****I agree with this, but flying the ship, dodging attacks, meteors and using a turret-like gun (think Rogue squadron with the falcon in cock pit view) would be perfect for metroid. Also, make it like mario Galaxy where you can actually see the plannet in the distance from the planet you're on as a small star and just fly to it, no cut scenes, that kinda zelda 'depth' of wow this is huge)
Samus seeks to stop the spread of Phazon and eliminate its presence from the infected planets, even while she herself has been infected with Phazon and becomes increasingly affected by it as the game progresses. Her Phazon infection ties in with the gameplay, as she can now use its energy to enter “Hyper Mode” in either biped or Morph Ball form. While this power is in effect, her attacks are much more potent, but her health is in danger, and she could die if the ability is overused.
The ice-wielding character mentioned in Jonathan’s impressions is not Noxus from Metroid Prime: Hunters, but the character designer on Corruption also worked on Hunters and the first two Prime games, so that explains the similarity. There are several other bounty hunters featured throughout the game, and not all of them are as helpful as the one seen in the E3 demo.
FUCKING GENIUS
In the E3 demo, Samus has some new uses for the Grappling Beam; Retro says that other familiar upgrades will also have surprising new uses. For instance, the X-Ray Visor is returning, but is now more useful when used in combination with a beam that shoots through walls. Screw Attack is returning and will be used much more, since you get it earlier in the game. There will be situations in which you can Screw Attack across a chasm, go straight into a Wall Jump to climb to a higher area, and then fly right back into the Screw Attack in this new area. Also, the Screw Attack will have more uses in combat this time around.
There’s a reason that the E3 demo suggests no method for switching beam weapons on the fly, which was a key feature of the control scheme on GameCube. In Corruption, there is no need to switch beam weapons. They stack upon each other as in Super Metroid, so your beam becomes more and more powerful as you go. This design should also speed up long-distance travel around the environments, because you won’t need to switch weapons back and forth to open doors. The Grappling Beam also has stacked upgrade effects. (longer reach? electrocution? multiple strands? homing?)
The developers have listened to feedback on Echoes and are addressing some of those comments in Corruption. The difficulty will be slightly reduced (many Metroid fans were unable to finish the last game), and backtracking will be made less tedious, while still preserving the non-linear exploration aspects of the Metroid series. Scanning is definitely still part of the game, but the process will be faster, so players who don’t like to scan everything can more easily find critical scans and get them over with. Those who do like to read about every little object will find just as much backstory as in the previous games.
As for control, the development team is closely watching how players react to the E3 demo, as many elements of the control scheme are still being tweaked. For instance, the motion sequence to use the Grappling Beam is not finalized, and they are still considering how to use the accelerometers. Firing Samus’s beam weapon is currently mapped to the A button (with the reasoning that rapidly pressing the B trigger button could create finger fatigue), but that could change (PUT IT BACK ON B FINGER FATIGUE IS FOR PUSSIES, NO ONE GOT FINGER FATIGUE FROM PD). There will definitely be pointer sensitivity options in the final game, just as there are in the E3 demo. The remote’s built-in speaker is not being used at this time, but they have many ideas on how it might be implemented.
*****remember in Alien/Aliens how they used the motion tracker? It would make a beep faster and faster as your approach something that's moving. this would be a great silent hill-like addition to the gameplay and for finding things that are hidden like a powerup or something that kills you :D)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is shaping up to be a huge new game in this venerable series, with completely new control methods and tons of new ideas that push the Metroid gameplay ever further. With this monster and Zelda both available at launch, Nintendo’s Wii will have more blockbusters on day one than most new consoles have within the first year.
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GET OUT OF MY BRAIN RETRO! SUPER METROID IS BACK!!!! i like the term 'stacking' that explains it very well but the question is, will you be able to turn suit functions on and off during gameplay? Command Visor sounds awesome, lack of multiplayer sucks, but oh well, this Metroid is going to be the best one yet by far, maybe even toppling super Metroid, just bring back shinesparking for god's sake!
MP2 was a slightly harder game overall, except for the bosses which were, aside from a select few, weren't that difficult. I actually beat Echoes before I beat the first game.
i feel the same way, but some people found the Chykka and Quadraxis to be near impossible. I ven saw some people play and ignore the safe zones and then wonder why they keep dying... idiots.
though MP2 on hard mode even gave me a rough time here and there, so it's definitely a harder game than MP1. having said that, the Phazon Mines area with it's 3 save stations and miles of networked coridoors inbetween was a tough area to say the least (again, hard mode)
Hopefully hard mode will be available from the start of MP3, its not a big deal if it isnt though.
I never played Echoes on Hard Mode, but it definitely was a difficult game. I didn't have too much trouble with the bosses in the first Prime besides the final boss, but a few of the bosses in Echoes gave me trouble including the guardian of the gravity boost and the Ing Emperor. I wouldn't mind them toning down the difficulty a bit, but really besides the bosses I didn't think Echoes was that much harder than Prime.