Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

[neatoman]

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Announced quite a while ago.

[Andrew NDB]

Very nice.

[CyberCubed]

Remember Metroid Prime 3 came out back in 2007. It's a long, long road. Granted we did have Metroid Other M, and two new 2D games in between (the Metroid 2 remake for 3DS and Metroid Dread).

[Mad Dog McMutt]

This game is a must buy for me. I prefer the 2d Metroids, but I still like the Prime games as well.

[Storm Eagle]

I figured the final announcement in yesterday's Nintendo Direct may be for a Metroid game when I saw that text come on and mention the Galactic Federation, and then Samus' ship appears. I wasn't sure if it'd be Metroid Prime 4, but my eyeballs nearly popped out of my face when the logo came on. It could have been a totally new game other than MP4 or even a remake of something. I actually thought it might be a remake of Metroid Prime: Hunters when Sylus appeared.

[CyberCubed]

Metroid Prime 4 was announced in 2017, there was no reason to think a 3D Metroid would be anything other than that.

[Storm Eagle]

Metroid Prime 4 was announced in 2017, there was no reason to think a 3D Metroid would be anything other than that.

All right then, Mr. Know-It-All.

[CyberCubed]

Pretty much anyone remotely familiar with Nintendo games knew Metroid Prime 4 was literally announced at the beginning of the Switch's lifespan. People have been asking where it was for years, Nintendo restarted development of it, and this is the first time we've seen any footage of it. This game has been absent all generation.

[frank_one]

Yeah, teasing a different new 3d Metroid game while everyone was waiting for Prime 4 wouldn't have made any sense.

[Storm Eagle]

Point taken. I'm just glad that we know it's finally going to happen.

[TigerClaw]

Where does Metroid Prime 4 take place in the timeline?
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Metroid_timeline

So far the timeline in chronological order.

Metroid/Metroid: Zero Mission
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime Hunters
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Metroid 2: Return of Samus/Metroid: Samus Returns
Super Metroid
Metroid: Other M
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Dread

[Andrew NDB]

They better remaster 2 and 3 now.

[CyberCubed]

They likely are, which is why they didn't just dump the Gamecube versions on the store after the direct like they did with Pikmin 1 and 2 (which still have Gamecube graphics instead of Pikmin 4 graphics).

Also would be nice to see Other M and the 3DS Metroid 2 remake remasters on Switch too, and then you'd have most of the mainline games on the same console.

[neatoman]

Where does Metroid Prime 4 take place in the timeline?
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Metroid_timeline

So far the timeline in chronological order.

Metroid/Metroid: Zero Mission
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime Hunters
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Metroid 2: Return of Samus/Metroid: Samus Returns
Super Metroid
Metroid: Other M
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Dread

Likely after Prime 3 but before Fusion, considering the Sylux cliffhanger was in Prime 3 and Samus' armor shows no signs of the alterations in Fusion and Dread. The fact that we actually see Metroids in the trailer is what raises some questions about the exact point. The Prime Trilogy took place between 1 and 2 because this was the point when Metroids still existed in significant numbers, but how much time can actually pass between the first two games is somewhat unclear. It is also worth noting that even though the Metroids are supposedly extinct by the end of Metroid 2, this didn't stop Super, Fusion and Other M from depicting "replica" Metroids. Even the rule that Metroids can't mature off SR388 and the eggs must be harvested from there is bent by Fusion and Other M by having facilities with an artificial recreation of its environment. Basically, if these are "true" Metroids or not is what determines the timeline placement and even then it might be a bit questionable. I'm gonna say they are and this is still before 2.

[Andrew NDB]

It's interesting that while Metroid Prime is up to part 4, the actual core series only surpassed a fourth installment a year and a half ago. Nintendo is pretty weird. Why they wouldn't have a next gen Metroid in the Switch's earliest lineups? And on its face even a Metroid Prime 4 seems "retro" now, unless there's a lot of embellishments.

[CyberCubed]

Metroid has never sold as well as Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Animal Crossing, Kirby, Pokemon, etc...so that's why it doesn't get sequels as often.

We're lucky Nintendo keeps Metroid alive as it is, look what happened to Starfox and F-zero. Metroid is a niche because it's aimed at mostly sci-fi fans and older fans and there's less overlap with that and Nintendo's other franchises. Nintendo basically keeps it going for the hardcore audience.

Remember Metroid completely skipped the N64 generation. It also skipped the Wii-U gen as well. And now we got Metroid Dread and Prime 4 at the tail-end of the Switch's lifespan.

[CyberCubed]

Finished it yesterday. It's a good game but much weaker than Metroid Prime 1-3. You can literally see the troubled development it went through (it was announced back in 2017 for Switch 1), and what took 8 years to come out. The worlds are much smaller and not interconnected as the first games, and the open world desert is literally just there with just a few shrines and items to collect.

Graphics are incredible though, it really puts into perspective how "realistic" or "sci-fi" Nintendo games can look over the usual cartoony styles they use in all their other games.

I'd give Metroid Prime 4 a 7/10, but that might be a bit generous. For reference:

Metroid Prime 1: 10/10
Metroid Prime 2: 9/10
Metroid Prime 3: 8/10

Unironically each new Metroid Prime is slightly worse than the previous, but they're all good games on their own.

[Prowler]

Metroid has never sold as well as Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Animal Crossing, Kirby, Pokemon, etc...so that's why it doesn't get sequels as often.

We're lucky Nintendo keeps Metroid alive as it is, look what happened to Starfox and F-zero. Metroid is a niche because it's aimed at mostly sci-fi fans and older fans and there's less overlap with that and Nintendo's other franchises. Nintendo basically keeps it going for the hardcore audience.

Remember Metroid completely skipped the N64 generation. It also skipped the Wii-U gen as well. And now we got Metroid Dread and Prime 4 at the tail-end of the Switch's lifespan.

You'd think Nintendo would place higher importance on Metroid and Star Fox. They tick, in theory, most or all of the checkboxes of what the average "dudebro" gamer who's into military shooter type of games wants in a video game. They seem like the perfect franchises to tap into that demographic. I feel like Nintendo is missing out on some easy money, there...

Instead... they made Splatoon. Which has been a hit and all, totheir credit. But I don't see the average edgy 15-22 year old "dudebro" who plays games like COD wanting to buy Splatoon. It would look "too childish" for him.

[CyberCubed]

When Metroid Prime 1 came out in 2002 they did market it as a action sci-fi shooter, people constantly compared it to Halo 1 when it first came out. However then Prime 1 came out and it was more of an exploration game where you re-trek through old areas instead of a regular FPS, all the dudebros didn't like it.

Nintendo already tried that, and all the Halo fans didn't care. Metroid Prime 1 is a masterpiece, but it's basically Super Metroid in 3D. People who expected a regular FPS were dumb.

[Prowler]

When Metroid Prime 1 came out in 2002 they did market it as a action sci-fi shooter, people constantly compared it to Halo 1 when it first came out. However then Prime 1 came out and it was more of an exploration game where you re-trek through old areas instead of a regular FPS, all the dudebros didn't like it.

Nintendo already tried that, and all the Halo fans didn't care. Metroid Prime 1 is a masterpiece, but it's basically Super Metroid in 3D. People who expected a regular FPS were dumb.

I see. I guess it just wasn't meant to be, then. Nintendo simply cannot tap into that market that Halo filled back then and whatever COD fills nowadays still.

Medal of Honor Frontline got a GameCube port, though. Isn't that the kind of game dudebros like, too?

[Mad Dog McMutt]

I'm playing this right now and it seems pretty good to me. I'm around 7 hours into it. I think that it definitely feels like a Metroid Prime game and I enjoy it more than number 2 so far.