And another thing about Metroid

[Sacred Jellybean]

Metroid NES has aged like ass. No angled aiming, can't even KNEEL and shoot, no maps. Then you're in Norfair where every room is identical to three rooms ago. And talk about being stingy with energy. 5 units at a time, all you have to do is kill seven enemies or so before they drop one. Enjoy, don't get your ass kicked all in one place!

I could deal with the difficulty but man this game is grim. Don't know if I can push myself through it.

On the other hand, Zero Mission swooped in and did it justice by adding all of the above necessary QoL improvements. I don't know how they can rightfully call it a remake. Even the map is different.

NES:


Zero Mission:


Like look at this shit. What in god's name are they talking about? The only commonalities between this and its predecessor are things you find in every metroid game: morph ball, bombs, missiles... it's its own goddamn Metroid game, not a remake of one. Don't sell it short.

This isn't how you market things. This must have been intended for something else. Maybe Nintendo felt collective shame that one of their most beloved franchises had a rough beginning. And they wanted to honor the late Gunpei Yokoi's spirit by perfecting his creation. How I, myself, would react to a person honoring my name by making a newer, better version of my creation that shits all over the original, I guess I don't know. Seems kind of passive aggressive.

[Dark Jaguar]

That's certainly AN interpretation!  I mean, it's a remake in the sense it's got more or less the same original story and locations, but yes it's a dramatic reimagining with improvements seen in later entries put in.  It also walks back from the very narrative and "guided" design of Fusion, but I do still think it forces a few too many glowing markers on the map for my taste.  I like a good wander, after all.  I've also become less and less a fan of that "sneaking mission" section near the end.  I appreciate eventually finding out that I can "break out" of the pirate ship and explore all the old areas again, so that does make up for it a bit.  All that said, on the whole it's one of the best in the series.

I still appreciate Metroid NES for what it was, and how it was the first of it's kind so yes, it's a bit rough.  It does pretty much require you to draw your own map though, which I did way back when.  There are user created mods that add in maps as well.

Oh, it's worth adding one more complaint, and that's the password system.  Now, I have the Famicom version, the one released on a floppy disk, and I certainly appreciate that this one allows you to save.  Considering just how little text there is, if I'm going off official releases, it's kind of the better way to play that version in some ways, load times aside.  That said, even restoring puts you right back on whatever the last major elevator you took was.  It's a pretty long walk, but at least not as bad as Zelda 2.

I have a lot of nostalgia for Metroid 1, and it invented a genre, but let's face it, there was a lot to learn on how to do these games.  I don't think there was any passive aggressiveness being done there.  Someone coming along and doing what you did, but better?  I'd be nothing but proud of that, because let's face it.  They are STILL doing what Gunpei did.  I mean, would a scientist get mad that another scientist took their discovery and took it further?  That's the attitude I have for game design.  If Metroid Zero Mission has seen further, it's because it stood on the shoulder of a giant.

Not to mention Gunpei also dramatically improved his own game.  Super Metroid is basically the story of Metroid, again.  Back to the original planet, the same original locations plus new ones, the same end boss, with a twist.  He did it himself to his own game, dramatically improved it in every possible way.  Then again, Super Nintendo entries in Nintendo's own series had that quality, didn't they?  Every last one was like a "return" to the first entry, but improved in every way.  Earthbound was Mother 1 all over again, but better.  Link to the Past was Zelda 1 all over again, but better.  So on, so forth.  Heck, Super Mario Bros 3 was Super Mario Bros 1 all over again but better.

[Sacred Jellybean]

"Interpretation" is a generous way to describe me talking out of my ass :) The passive aggressive thing was mostly a joke, I just came here to bitch about the NES version.

Gah, I didn't even realize until last night that Mother Brain is not the end of Zero Mission. It's not an unfair assumption, is it? iirc in both Super Metroid and Metroid 1, the game culminates with her defeat, the last part just being a race to escape to your spacecraft. It wasn't until I went online looking for guides to find power bombs that I realized there are still a few "chapters" left.

I got my ass whooped by Mother Brain. Now I'm not one to complain, but I was starting to think that this game was actually a little too easy, as annoying as Metroid 1 is. So getting humbled was actually kind of refreshing. And I'm happy to see it extends after that.

Agreed about Super Nintendo going on to improve its predecessors. I replayed LttP recently and felt its greatest accomplishment was building upon and improving Zelda 1. For starters, it has a map that isn't just a blank rectangle. Fancy!

[Sacred Jellybean]

Okay. First of all.

Holy shit that stealth portion! Many spikes of cortisol and yelling at the TV, but not in a bad way. Just enough frustration to know you're having fun. Almost like the stealth parts of Metroid Dread but less tense and ultimately less challenging. But I love it! Was just complaining about this game being easy, so.

Mmmm, it felt masterful to finally get my powers back and absolutely rage back against the space pirates in plasmacated retribution. Zap zap, you fucks.

And BY THE WAY. What the fuck did that Chorizo elder think it was doing, capturing a copy of me and using it as a shield to trick me into abusing myself? I thought those bastards raised me. Now the time comes when we not only have a chance for a heartfelt reunion, when I just so happen to be at my most vulnerable and they can help me, they create a sadistic game of alternately zapping me with lightning and teasing me by flashing an orb that I have 0.25 seconds to react to and shoot?? Sons of bitches! These Chozo Chicardos got some 'splainin to do. I otherwise disown them and turn my back on them.

AND FINALLY, it feels damn good to finally get the other powerups that are my due and proper. Certainly it's the end of the game and that's a little sad that I can only now enjoy the power of the space jump (which btw is much less janky than in Super Metroid, thank god) and the gravity suit and the power bombs. But I'm still so happy to finally have them, fully powered up, lock and load.

But one or two seem missing... there have been times where there's one of those blocks that gets destroyed when you sprint through it with the power run thingy. But it's like a singular block. As though you need to be a ball when you rocket through it. And there isn't any of those power receptacle thingies nearby that punt you like a pinball. As though Samus needs to initiate it. And doing the trick where you run and kneel and press a direction doesn't work either. idk maybe I just suck.

I'm at mechanical Ridley but have to be a good citizen and quit so I could get 7-9 hour so sleep and be a productive member of society. But damn, this game actually just got exciting enough that I didn't want to put it down.

[Weltall]

So I've never really liked the original Metroid, which I think is a ton of obviously wonderful ideas and concepts, ultimately undone by the game itself. The controls are just far too soft and floaty, the password function is terrible, and having to slowly rebuild your health from nothing every time just sucks.

But, Zero Mission is one of my favorite games ever, fixing every single problem I have with the original.

But one or two seem missing... there have been times where there's one of those blocks that gets destroyed when you sprint through it with the power run thingy. But it's like a singular block. As though you need to be a ball when you rocket through it. And there isn't any of those power receptacle thingies nearby that punt you like a pinball. As though Samus needs to initiate it. And doing the trick where you run and kneel and press a direction doesn't work either. idk maybe I just suck.

So, when you build up the energy necessary to Shinespark, immediately roll into a ball and jump. When you do, Samus will pause for a fraction of a second soon after jumping; that is your cue to select a direction (left, right, up), and she will Shinespark, in ball form, in the direction you indicate. Remember that you can aim this into an incline, I'm sure there is at least a handful of times you have to, in order to get 100%.

[Dark Jaguar]

You can backtrack now with your new powers if you like SJ.  It involves finding a certain pipe and remembering how you got to the underwater section in Super Metroid.

[Sacred Jellybean]

Yep, I had found that :) unfortunately, I didn't feel like maxing out my powers and figured I had enough to beat Mecha-Ridley. Once that was done I kinda lost interest. Awesome game though, glad I played it.

I don't like the idea of companies renting out games instead of selling them but Nintendo Online has been great for this so far. There are all sorts of games I never caught before, and I think one-and-done will be enough. Plus there are others where I have the hard copy (Metroid, Zelda for NES), but replaying them on Switch is just easier. No swearing and blowing into the cartridge and trying to get the NES to work. Plus these will actually save, so that's nice. The batteries are probably dead on all my old cartridges.

On saving, it's also neat to create checkpoints anywhere so I can skip long, tedious parts of games that I'd need to redo every time I die. Which, as it turns out, is a lot! Star Tropics is harder than I remember :/ then you've got your Ecco the Dolphins, which were intentionally made to be difficult so people didn't rent it once and beat it over the weekend. Screw that, I'm cheating.

[Dark Jaguar]

I don't mind a rental service, as an option, but not exclusively.  Frankly, Nintendo has become the MOST anti-consumer of video game companies in the past decade.  From their increasing aggression towards fan works (and eroding the very concept of fair use) to suing over software patents to what they're doing with the Switch and the Switch 2, it's becoming very hard to defend them.... so I won't.  They're indefensible.  Yes, they aren't doing the horrible things EA or MS or Sony are doing...  No, when Nintendo screws you over, they go their own uniquely Nintendo way to do it.

So, I've been playing older Nintendo games lately.  Knowing a lot more about their history, I realize now just how horrible Nintendo was to littler companies back in the day, behind the scenes, but at least when I buy a used physical copy of Devil World, that game's mine and I didn't pay Nintendo a red cent.