Tendo City

i wont get to play it anytime soon so someone please post impressions and dont spoil anything other than tech stuff like graphics and controls plz k thx oh and did anything happen to that weird wii channel for the metroid preview? can you hear samus aran's voice when she's hit/breathing/jumping etc? how are the puzzles? I heard they're more organic and freeform like the first metroid (false walls, fake lava) please post, metroid is very speciol to me, any info is good (yummy) and I saw people buying it today so i feel all kinds of left out... and if you dont feel like typing up impressions just say 'its fucking cool as all hell' and i'll be happy

*formal request for a metroid themed smilie*

We have two threads for it already in Forum 5.

And?

Is something preventing you from going there and checking for yourself?

I've read those threads, but since I haven't played the game there isn't much to say...

Uh...okay?

The release of this game does make me want to finally somehow get through the Phazon Mines (or to the second savepoint, at least) in MP1... so hard...

*tries a couple of times*

Save points over an hour apart in hard games is CRUEL.

Yeah! Still!

Anyway, sometimes you have to question the architects behind some of these places...

<img src="http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2007/20070905.jpg">

A Black Falcon Wrote:The release of this game does make me want to finally somehow get through the Phazon Mines (or to the second savepoint, at least) in MP1... so hard...

*tries a couple of times*

Save points over an hour apart in hard games is CRUEL.

MP1 is not nearly as hard as you make it out to be.

LMAO that's exactly how I picture the Chozo. Oh and thanks for giving me a link to the MP3 threads, I get about 5 minutes to check out the internets on what is probably the coolest game in the universe and that time is so well spent looking for fucking threads. Thank you.

Great Rumbler Wrote:MP1 is not nearly as hard as you make it out to be.

Yes it is. Invisible enemies, that nearly impossible invisible drone boss at the end... my chances of getting through this section are remote, as the record shows. And the rest of the game (before that point) wasn't easy either.

I will say that section you are on is the hardest "run" in the game, and I myself would have appreciated one extra save point somewhere in there, like before that boss, but it isn't impossibly hard.

I think the problem is you've taken so many ridiculously long breaks between play and with this sort of game that can cause your skills to just evaporate away. I'd get in some practice before taking it on again and keep up at it. Yes you may die a few more times, but that's why it's a game. There was a time when you got like 3 lives and were expected to get a bunch more before you could complete a game. Why back in my day...

*3 hours later*

And that's why onions make ya cry. Wait, what were we talking about? Who are you people? Get off my lawn!

Tried again. Managed to barely get past the first Elite Pirate fight, only to get to the 'poison and bombs ambush' room and quickly lose my remaining 20 health.

Quote:I think the problem is you've taken so many ridiculously long breaks between play and with this sort of game that can cause your skills to just evaporate away

That is true, I've played four times in the past two days and gotten farther each time. Still, that invisible drone plane... (okay, I only got to it once. And my cousin was playing most of the time that run, not me, so I never got to it on my own...)

Quote:I think the problem is you've taken so many ridiculously long breaks between play and with this sort of game that can cause your skills to just evaporate away. I'd get in some practice before taking it on again and keep up at it. Yes you may die a few more times, but that's why it's a game. There was a time when you got like 3 lives and were expected to get a bunch more before you could complete a game. Why back in my day...

3d is harder than 2d in some ways, though. I mean, in aiming and stuff... you're right of course, but the good games are balanced so that you actually can finish them. Sometimes I wonder, though... such as the US version of Contra Hard Corps. They took a hard Japanese game, Contra Hard Corps, and made it infinitely harder. Five continues instead of infinite, one hit point per life instead of three, and the removal of the Konami Code for powerups... thanks, Konami. I'll never finish that game. Anyway though, those old games were shorter, total. I mean, if you get a good run you can BEAT most any old Contra or Metal Slug game in an hour or less... modern games are a lot longer, so they need saving. I just greatly prefer save anywhere... forcing me to replay a huge amount of game just because they want to spread the savepoints out so ridiculously far apart isn't nice. An even bigger culprit of this problem is Turok 2... how many hours are there between the save points in that game?

I guess it is kind of funny that I don't really mind there being no saving in Gradius or Mega Turrican or something but I do here, but those games make sense that way, somehow... but the FPS? FPSes started out with save anywhere. In the genre, anything else feels artificially limiting.

Just remember, lock, shoot, strafe! The pirates aren't so bad, are they? Are you lacking energy tanks? I don't remember that particular part of the game (I haven't played through it since its release), but I don't remember having a hurdle so big to leap.

You would hate Metroid Prime 2. I remember many a time cursing at the game and mentally accusing it of cheating in a fluster.

Yeah, that's the main reason I haven't bought MP2.

Quote:Just remember, lock, shoot, strafe! The pirates aren't so bad, are they? Are you lacking energy tanks? I don't remember that particular part of the game (I haven't played through it since its release), but I don't remember having a hurdle so big to leap.

I've got eight energy tanks right now, I believe. And I try to dodge their shots, but it's not easy... the best thing you can hope for is to stun them with charged shots, but they often come two or three at a time...

ABF there are mild spoilers here but some strats that may help you out.

For pirates: Stay Locked, take one down at a time. For Yellow, use super missles (on easy its one hit kill). For purple, launch as many normal rounds as possible and a charged shot. For red (later) normal shots are all you need and for white, one charged shot and a missle jesus krak EXPLODE!

Use the strafe boost, hold left or right while strafing and tap jump twice. It comes in handy alot, like alot alot. What you basically want to do is force your way behind them and plug away, its the best strat for any pirate, unless flying, underwater or facing an elite.

Elites are big hulking idiots, why the pirates put so much faith and money in them I do not understand but hey, i'm not a 6 foot cricket with a hardon for weapons. Switch to thermal, take out that cannon on their back immediately. A super missle or just normal missles will do the trick. Once its gone they lose defense and offence. Make sure his hand is down, if its up they'll suck up your shots. Space jump the ripples they make and dont get anywhere near them. If the hand is up, manual aim to hit their head. Boy that pisses them off. Dont try to get behind them.

Tallon 4 class Metroid and Hunter - Icebeam, icebeam, icebeam. Oh and missle. Dont forget that Metroids will attack anything alive, including pirates. This works in any instance where you face Metroids.

Invisible Drone - Jump out, switch to widebeam, charge up, use the combo (press Y). It takes about 7 seconds to kill it, ya rly. TAKE YOUR TIME getting the powerbomb upgrade and look for swirly parts in the sand underneath where the generator was. If you stand on a swirly spot and use a normal bomb, you can access the core (powerbomb) faster with less maze to traverse. After that, there is a save room right next to you that is newly opened for business. If you dont have the combo for widebeam... leave. I'm like so serious it's like not even funny. Get it, bring it back, kick his shiny metal booty. Call him names while you do it, make fun of his mother, say mean things about his lack of a chin and put funny hats on him also if no one is looking you may consider peeing on him. Girls can pee standing up, but it may get on your leg. If people ask tell them it's Metroid blood. You're Samus Aran, they'll believe you.

Or you can sequence-break and get the X-Ray visor early, turning the Invisible Drone into a major pushover.

Wave beam combo attack, huh... yeah, I don't have that. Or the xray visor of course. *goes to FAQ to find where it is and how to get it*

... yeah, like I'd have thought of looking up some random tower in some random screen for an essential item I need halfway across the map... they really should TELL you these things. I mean, without one of those attacks the invisible drone is ridiculously hard. I know that you're just supposed to figure out all these things (remember exactly what things are in exactly what rooms so that later on you can go back and pick up the stuff you needed other items to get or something), and maybe I just missed this thing earlier, but it would be nice if they'd give you a hint if you've obviously missed an essential item... games like this aren't really playable without FAQs. I just don't find wandering around looking for things I can now do without really knowing if I'm actually going anywhere fun for long... and looking at the whole map trying to find that one door I can now open with my new item is kind of tedious. I know that that's the point of the game, in a way, but still... it's so easy to miss things on that map, and they don't exactly help you very much most of the time.

It's also kind of annoying to have to re-cross the same terrain fifteen times looking for yet another new area opened up off of old ones... in 2d Metroid the areas were smaller so you could get around faster, but in 3d it's more time-consuming.

... huh, and there was a Chozo Artifact there too (the Tower of Light in Chozo Ruins). I seem to have two now.

Anyway, I really shouldn't complain... after all, one of the most annoying things about so many FPSes is the way that they're just a linear succession of cooridors and rooms you shoot through. MP does things differently, and more interestingly... still though, it does get frusterating at times. Having to cross several huge regions to go pick up an item I missed and then go back to where I started just so I can face the next area... I know that 'not giving the players help' is the way games all used to be, but that's not true anymore (for instance, the idea of playing one of those old dungeon-crawler RPGs where there is no automap and instead you are expected to make it yourself on graph paper is such a daunting task that I doubt I ever will... I need ingame mapping... :) (though Etrian Odyssey's 'make it yourself' map is seriously awesome and another great solution to the issue within that genre). MP's hints on where to go next are fine, but that doesn't help with things like this Wavebuster... without it you're shooting blind at a boss you can't see, and that isn't exactly going to go well. Blah... essentially I guess my point is that I wish they'd had more of those "go to location X" things for stuff like this. :) I'd rather not have to use FAQs if I don't have to... it's kind of like fighting games (the progression towards special move lists available in the pause menu instead of just partial listings in the manual) or JRPGs/strategy games (the way they love to hide half of the game system so without an FAQ you have absolutely no idea how to play the game), really, though a bit different. I do like it when a game actually tells me what I'm supposed to be doing. They don't need to be TOO obvious (see: annoyance at all those FPSes which are so blindingly linear), but too obtuse is just as bad.

Or maybe I'm just impatient. I mean, I can't think of a single adventure game I've actually finished without using an FAQ... :) (wait, maybe Curse of Monkey Island? ... probably not, but it's possible... can't think of any others though...) Heck, I even used an FAQ during the first time I played through Ocarina of Time...

Well if you had examined that room you could have noted the architecture and realized you could scale it if only you could jump a bit higher.

As it stands, one other thing to note. Every colored pirate is weak against it's own strength. Yellow taken out with super missiles, as lazy said, but for the others well I always took out the purples with wave beams, and it helped a little because it also stunned them. Do you have the ice beam? Freeze those whities, then break them, thus destroying their will to fight, by destroying their brain. You probably don't have the plasma beam yet, but they don't have much of a stun effect on reds. Still, they tend to be totally obliterated with a charged shot.

Yes though, side dashing while locked on is totally vital to dodging enemy fire.

You will get through this ABF! You shall defeat the Prime Metroid! You shall cause the inexplicable self destruction of any place you go to! You will see the rather disappointing rendering of Samus' face in the first game!

Quote:As it stands, one other thing to note. Every colored pirate is weak against it's own strength. Yellow taken out with super missiles, as lazy said, but for the others well I always took out the purples with wave beams, and it helped a little because it also stunned them. Do you have the ice beam? Freeze those whities, then break them, thus destroying their will to fight, by destroying their brain. You probably don't have the plasma beam yet, but they don't have much of a stun effect on reds. Still, they tend to be totally obliterated with a charged shot.

Well yes, I knew that. It tells you that when you scan the enemies, and I try to scan everything.

Quote:Well if you had examined that room you could have noted the architecture and realized you could scale it if only you could jump a bit higher.

Obviously when I was in that room before I didn't notice the cracked walls on the upper part and scan THOSE... it's not like it told you to go to that room, I think, just through it... yes, I do try to look around when I go to a new room, but I often seem to keep trying to get to places I can't get to yet while I don't notice the things I should be doing, like that part. :)

Quote:Yes though, side dashing while locked on is totally vital to dodging enemy fire.

I'm not very good at dodging shots...

Quote:You will get through this ABF! You shall defeat the Prime Metroid! You shall cause the inexplicable self destruction of any place you go to! You will see the rather disappointing rendering of Samus' face in the first game!

Well, you see it reflected against the visor regularly... :)

If it's a room, there's a thing in it. :D

Also, her face in the visor? That looks great. I'm talking about the end game.

Quote:Yes though, side dashing while locked on is totally vital to dodging enemy fire.

Done how? I'm horrible at dodging them...

Got slightly farther this time, but there are so many enemies and almost no healing items... it's very difficult just to survive. And really annoying the way that I have to keep scanning everything again and again because when you die you lose all of that... :( (should've done it like Etrian Odyssey where when you die you can save your map progress...)

You're horrible at dodging the incredibly slow and poorly aimed shots of the Space Pirates? How???

Are you asking how to side dash? Well the important thing is to press the direction you want to dash BEFORE hitting jump (though you can get the timing down with just a little practice so you can pull it off quick). You NEED to use this ability. How have you gotten this far without it? I'm actually impressed in a way. Oh yes, you can only do this while locked onto an enemy. It's really very similar to Link's side jumping when locked onto enemies in his 3D games.

Quote:You're horrible at dodging the incredibly slow and poorly aimed shots of the Space Pirates? How???

Jumping and moving around doesn't do a good job of dodging their shots... the guys in this section are either the (incredibly annoying) invisible ones with swords who keep hitting me because I miss half the time and they get in close and hit me and then I don't know where they are so I try to run or jump but then they probably hit me another time or two before I manage to hit them or the ones you need to use a specific weapon against and shoot at you, which, yes, hit me too. By the time I reached the Elite Pirate in this section of the Mines I was down to one healthbar (of my original eight)... and the Elite Pirate himself barely touched me. That battle at least I did well in. :)

Quote:Are you asking how to side dash? Well the important thing is to press the direction you want to dash BEFORE hitting jump (though you can get the timing down with just a little practice so you can pull it off quick). You NEED to use this ability. How have you gotten this far without it? I'm actually impressed in a way. Oh yes, you can only do this while locked onto an enemy. It's really very similar to Link's side jumping when locked onto enemies in his 3D games.

Remember how the only way I got past Thardus was by having a friend of mine (at school at the time, this was quite some time ago) beat the fight for me, because every time he charged me in ball form he hit me because I couldn't get out of the way? Yeah. Does that answer your question? :)

I try jumping up or up and over or something to dodge, but it doesn't work well at all... I'm sure I've done the sidedash sometime before, but certainly with no regularity.

(And then there's how I managed to beat Wind Waker without ever becoming competent with the "hit A to auto-attack the enemy" thing... but at least there you had alternatives, most of the time.)

You really need to practice this ability. It is vital for the survival of all that lives.

Jackass/ the dude cant get past the 75% mark in the game and you want him to start sequence breaking.



ABF/ Unless you're holding the gamecube controller with your face there's no way in hell you shouldn't be able to dodge the pirate's shots. You might get a few pot shots here and there with large groups but come on, no one is that bad, a god damn bowl of oatmeal can dodge them. get a pirate by himself and dance for a while until you get it down, watch the animations, listen for audible clues and never stop moving.

Go get the wavebeam combo.

Quote:Go get the wavebeam combo.

Yeah, I did go and get that. It should help if I can actually get to the invisible drone...

Quote:ABF/ Unless you're holding the gamecube controller with your face there's no way in hell you shouldn't be able to dodge the pirate's shots. You might get a few pot shots here and there with large groups but come on, no one is that bad, a god damn bowl of oatmeal can dodge them. get a pirate by himself and dance for a while until you get it down, watch the animations, listen for audible clues and never stop moving.

The ones that turn invisible and charge you and attack with swords are hard... sure if you hit one with a charged shot they're stunned, but if you miss (and with their invisiblity it's easy to miss) they'll hit you hard... and for some reason the power beam pirates seem hard. The time before last I died at the group of three powerbeam pirates past the room that fills with poison (they hide behind some displays and desks and stuff so I was having trouble hitting them...), and the two in the bottom of the room with that huge pillar you rotate (with the three colored tracks on it) always seem to hurt me too (maybe because there's nowhere to hide in that small, round room). Oh well...

All it takes is doing poorly against one group of enemies and you can lose a lot of health.

Are you using the lock-on, ABF?

Of course, though against the enemies that can turn invisible it's only of limited use.

This is true, but my question is this. Have you practised your side jumping while locked onto something?

<img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/09/morphcat-lol.jpg">

That's my favorite mimi, I just wish it was an orange cat. Yunno. Orange. Yellow, too. Glowing.... Maru Mari... I wonder why they didn't keep that. It's the Chozo language for 'Morph Ball' and it's neat but now its morph ball and i'm like.... wth

ABF are you, by chance, making sure you use the infrared visor when you face cloaking pirates? cuz.... you should be using the infrared visor... alot. The yellow's are slightly stronger than the other colors, the red's do more damage though. Dont peashoot the yellows, give them a super missle. They go *ragdoll physics* whoop flop dead and the other pirates sometimes watch him fly through the air and smack in to the wall and you can give them little things to say when they see one flying like 'Oh damn Ron, guess i'll be filing the G-54 Phazon production reports for sector 12 by my SELF tonight."

Ya know, I always thought that, for pirates, they sure are organized. I get the impression that they have simply been designated as pirates by the galactic senate for political reasons and they are more like an alien empire. Mind you, they do engage in "piracy" but if they are hired by their governent to do so, they are more like privateers.

Also, doesn't Samus Aran's name translate to something like Chicken Little?

It could be a pirate empire.

You don't get the infrared visor until later.

Well, I finally managed to do it... and yeah, that invisible drone died in like five seconds to the Wavebuster. A bigger contrast could not be possible between trying to fight it with blind firing and with that weapon...

Pirate Empire makes about as much sense as a Pirate King.

I think that they're just called 'pirates' because they attack and steal stuff from the ... um, whoever the good guys are who run whatever it is that Samus works for. They're probably just some alien race who wants to take stuff... more privateer than pirate?

I guess ABF agrees with me.

Yes, I do. They definitely don't act like traditional pirates...

A comparison might be something like the British and Spanish in the 15-1700s. The Spanish sure would have considered all of those British privateers that were attacking their treasure ships to be pirates... :)

Of course the Space Pirates are also evil, but they're videogame badguys, so they have to be.

A Black Falcon Wrote:You don't get the infrared visor until later.

haha :D so you defeated Thardus without the thermal visor? wait... how the hells did you finish Phendrana without the thermal visor? ... and confusion sets in...?

Huh? ... oh, I meant the X-Ray visor...

............so this entire time you've been fighting the invisible space pirates......... without using the thermal visor?

No, no. The thermal visor is gotten earlier, but while that might help with invisible pirates it doesn't help with the drone. The X-Ray visor is what you get later; it's what you need to be able to see the drone...

I'm sure I have fought invisible pirates with the thermal visor. The thermal visor wasn't the problem when I was fighting Thardus and stuff, not being able to dodge well was...