7th January 2003, 3:42 PM
VERY different? I know it was taken in a different direction, but it's not some super huge and innovative change that will define all future single-level platforming adventure games. All they did was put more limitations on where you could go. That sure was a change, since in previous games the limitations were much smaller, and depended purely on getting items or skills to get past those limiters, as opposed to Fusion's story based limiter removal, but it wasn't something major that changed the face of Metroid gaming. Could they have done the story without the limitations they used? Well, I submit that they could have, but they would have to redo the map and the areas where the story unlocks based on items you have to get only by going through a story revealing elevator or room. I really don't think it was all that innovative, just a more limited and focused adventure, as you have said. Not a major change, since after a few missions the game opens up a lot more, nor a super small one.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)