Retro Studios took a leaf out of Sega's book - Metroid Primi

[Berty]

As i live in Australia, i just got my copy of Metroid Prime last night and at first i must say that i was very sceptical when i first started playing it. I hated the controls and i really didnt think that the graphics were what they were cracked up to be.

But after playing it for many many hours with differing levels of success i really started to get into it and then i had a revelation. Metroid Prime is very similar in style to the great "Panzer Dragoon Saga".

If anyone out there has played both of these games im shure that they would agree. It has the same atmosphere to the gameplay and the same sense of grandeur to it.

What are other peoples thoughts on the subject?

 

[IceDigger]

If you let me borrow your gc and mp I can tell you

 

[Funkstar De Luxe_vbulletin3_import15967]

Forget your GC, give me a loan of Panzer Dragoon Saga $$$

 

[Tagrineth]

I disagree. The atmosphere in both is sci-fi but the games are nothing alike.

 

[IceDigger]

I still don't have a GC....

 

[Berty]

It this the opened ended nature to the exploration of levels that i am mostly concerned with. There seems to be a real sense of adventure in both games. For example in PDS an MP you encounter new and better species of enemy and you get scored according to how many differtent types of enemy that you encounter.

Both games too tried to make use of really amazing the game player with beautiful alien enivronments that seemed to sprawl on. Additionally, there was alot of reference in both games that there was a really advanced alien civilation that had lived there and died out. However their technology still existed and yet despite the fact that both species had been gone for centuries, this technology was still as advanced, if not more so than the current technology.

Additionally, in both games you would encounter the final enemy throughout the game which would eventually lead to the "Final Showdown" as such (eg Edge Vs Azel) and (Samus vs that Dragon).

but there is more to this debate, namely the music and its use in the creation of atmosphere.

 

[ratfish]

Quote: from IceMan2k on 12:58 pm on June 15, 2003
I still don't have a GC....

Heh, neither do I. I called GameStop yesterday, and they had a used one in for $69. I think it's time for me to pick one up. I've waited the price out long enough.

 

[Tagrineth]

Quote: from berty on 9:45 pm on June 15, 2003
It this the opened ended nature to the exploration of levels that i am mostly concerned with. There seems to be a real sense of adventure in both games. For example in PDS an MP you encounter new and better species of enemy and you get scored according to how many differtent types of enemy that you encounter.

You encounter new and better enemies - name some games where you DON'T please. And you don't get scored according to how many different enemies you encounter in MP, it's just scans, and scanning is 50% or 100%... in between counts for squat.

Both games too tried to make use of really amazing the game player with beautiful alien enivronments that seemed to sprawl on. Additionally, there was alot of reference in both games that there was a really advanced alien civilation that had lived there and died out. However their technology still existed and yet despite the fact that both species had been gone for centuries, this technology was still as advanced, if not more so than the current technology.

I suppose that's one comparison you can draw - they share a large element of massively cliché sci-fi standard-fare plot. The difference being, Metroid did it LONG before Panzer Dragoon.

Additionally, in both games you would encounter the final enemy throughout the game which would eventually lead to the "Final Showdown" as such (eg Edge Vs Azel) and (Samus vs that Dragon).

"That Dragon" = Ridley. And Ridley isn't even the final opponent, he's a classic boss that's four of the five Metroid games out there. Plus you only bump into Ridley a whopping twice before fighting - once in the Space Station, then again you see him swoop over Phendrana.

but there is more to this debate, namely the music and its use in the creation of atmosphere.

Or how about the comparison of a First Person Shooter to an RPG?

 

[Berty]

One thing that metroid prime is not intended to be was a FPS. This was always an intention of the development team for metroid prime. Notice how the controler layout differs from normal FPS? In a way MP is an RPG, If you look at the definition of an RPG is "The Complete Guide to Game Audio" by Aaron Marks, you will see the definition of an RPG.

Dont RPG's work on a system of staticitcs that enable the player to develop? and isnt this the same (although tweaked) in metroid prime regarding the long line of power ups etc.

The only difference is that in MP you play in First person perspective. There are a number of reasons for this, especially if you have any understanding of Post Structuralist theory regarding video game narratives.

Post strucuralist's account for the "active reciever" or game player. That is, "interpretation" of the video game narative is up to the player as well as how the story of the video game progresses.

In MP, the player takes on the role of Samus, the reason in doing this is so that rather than feeling sympathy, the player feels empathy. Instead of narration, the player is involved in first peron exploration. If you want to get into this more that have a look at a book by Lev Manovich "The Language of New Media".

Indeed, MP is not a FPS but an RPG of sorts.

 

[Tagrineth]

Metroid Prime doesn't have any stat system, just items you pick up. Therefore it's not an RPG but an Adventure (hence the appelation that should be used, First Person Adventure or FPA - I just used FPS because many people fight the FPA idea).

 

[Berty]

Here's one thing that i agree with you on, it is ineed a FPA, but dont FPA's feature elements consistent with RPG's. I know that metroid doesnt use stats, i was just using it to make an analogy.

If metroid is a FPA, than how would YOU classify a game such as Fantasy Star Online? More so, what would you classify Panzer Dragoon Saga as?

 

[Tagrineth]

Phantasy Star Online is an Online RPG/Adventure.

Panzer Dragoon Saga is an RPG, why should it be anything else?