Metroid II remake

[ZacharyB]

This game has wall jumping too! And the Space Jump... Poor Spider Ball feels kind of outclassed.

[Volteccer_Jack]

I don't see how the similarities to ZM could be considered a bad thing. It only makes sense to mimic it considering it (and by extension Fusion if they run on the same engine) has the best engine out of all the 2D Metroid games. I mean, even Super feels clunky in comparison to the GBA titles.

Halting forward momentum every time you jump or land is a good thing now, awesome, I wish someone had told me about that change to the definition of good. Having less control of jumps and aerial maneuvers is great too apparently, even in a game incredibly focused on aerial maneuvering. It's the most clunky Metroid game, even including the weird friction-based jumping tricks in Metroid Prime. Damn it, now I'm ranting about Zero Mission again, when all I really wanted to rave about Metroid II.

Pretend for the sake of argument that Zero Mission was my favorite Metroid game; Fusion is a much better successor to Metroid II than this game, so it's not too much of a stretch. I would still find this remake lukewarm at best because almost everything about Metroid II that originally hooked me and got me to play the rest of the series is gone. And it doesn't even have ZM/Fusion's clever bits either. If this had been my first Metroid game I would not be a Metroid fan right now, because it's just a weirdly slow and uneventful action game with enemies who are terribly mismatched to the player's abilities and backtracking every five minutes; the only outstanding feature is the occasionally brilliant level design, and I dropped this before I even got to the really great level design (I'm charitably assuming the developer mindlessly copy-pasted that stuff without thought or care just like he did all the non-boss enemies).

This remake is like a remake of Alien where Danny Glover fist fights the alien and then says "It's just been revoked" right before he roundhouse kicks it, causing it to turn into Sigourney Weaver and start making out with him. Arguably still entertaining, but a complete waste of everyone's time.

This game has wall jumping too! And the Space Jump... Poor Spider Ball feels kind of outclassed.

Tragically the developer has tweaked room shapes in many places which hinders walljumping, and given how much is copied as directly as possible, I have to assume it's deliberate. Extra dumb since infinite bomb jump allows literal flight, so gimping walljump just forces players to use slower methods of travel. It is hilarious that the Zero Mission fan who made this apparently has the same self-defeating design philosophy as the Zero Mission devs.

[The Coop]

This game reminds of the Streets of Rage Remake project. Years of work, then gone in a flash by a take-down order.

[cave hermit]

In any case, at least the game has gained plenty of publicity from game sites, it has already been released to the public, meaning that can never be gotten rid of now, and the Streisand effect is in play here.

[ZacharyB]

Come to think of it, the original had the Space Jump too, didn't it. It was Space Jump's first appearance. Now I'm remembering the funny chainsaw-like sound effect that it had on the game boy, as well has how difficult the timing was to control (at least, to 11-year-old me). Spin jumping automatically kept moving in the direction you pointed it.

It's fun recognizing the areas again. But all of the new touches are great. Fighting metroids in near-total darkness is a thrill.

I'm 4 1/2 hours in so far. The thing that I think separates it most from the original, is the way the ambience changed. The Gameboy version had a kind of introductory tone whenever you entered a new area, then that area's "music" would play (it was often low-fidelity ambient sounds, sound effects barely in musical time. Unique for the time it came out). The music would have pauses of silence sometimes. The silence is missing in this version.

Then, the unforgettable three tones that play whenever you encounter a metroid, followed by the much more hectic music in the Gameboy version. If the metroid were going to evolve, it would pause the action and go through an animation as the music played. This gave you a nice three seconds to go "oh SHIT." Some metroids metamorphosized before you, some didn't. If you snuck up on one, you could see it, but you didn't know if it were going to evolve or not. That's changed in this game too.

All-in-all, for a remake by Nintendo, I would regard these changes as "necessary for the times," like they did some kind of market research with a younger target demographic.

For a remake by a fan, it's a revelation.

[Volteccer_Jack]

This game reminds of the Streets of Rage Remake project. Years of work, then gone in a flash by a take-down order.

If by "gone in a flash" you mean "literally the second result when you type sorr into Google", then sure.

[Stevens]

1st result if you search Streets of Rage remake v5.

[The Coop]

This game reminds of the Streets of Rage Remake project. Years of work, then gone in a flash by a take-down order.

If by "gone in a flash" you mean "literally the second result when you type sorr into Google", then sure.

Way to investigate, Sherlock

Both games were worked on for years by fans. Both games got released after getting a fair bit of attention. Both games had the owners of the IPs quickly contact the remake teams and tell them to remove all download links (aka "gone in a flash"). Both games are only available because fans grabbed them and reuploaded them to other sites after the take downs occurred. And, unless SEGA had a change of heart, both official sites of the remakes don't have download links anymore because of the take down orders/requests.

[Leandro]

Speaking of SOR Remake, I've never got it... Is it good?

[The Coop]

Speaking of SOR Remake, I've never got it... Is it good?

Yes, it is. The visuals, the music (remixes of many SoR series songs + original songs), the controls, the insane amount of content from all three games (plus original content)... it's a big, fun game. Be sure to get v5.0a (I believe it fixes a few bugs from v5.0).

[Skykid]

Speaking of SOR Remake, I've never got it... Is it good?

Great. In addition to The Coop's rundown, the balancing has been tweaked in the latest version, making it play beautifully.

[trap15]

Both games had the owners of the IPs quickly contact the remake teams and tell them to remove all download links (aka "gone in a flash").

Because the owners are legally obligated to do so, lest they lose their ability to enforce the IP in the future. There is no doubt that they knew about these projects before-hand, but since nothing had been released there was nothing to take down. It's pretty likely that they didn't actually mind the project, they just had to send the take-down.

[The Coop]

Because the owners are legally obligated to do so, lest they lose their ability to enforce the IP in the future.

I know this. It's a fun little part of copyright law that people like to forget about when bitching about their favorite fan project getting the ax.

[ZellSF]

They're not obligated to shut it down, they could actually work with the developers and give them a license. There's just no profit in Nintendo for doing what's needed to let this project be allowed. That's all that Nintendo and other huge corporations think about: "Will this profit us?"

Nothing wrong about that, just don't feed into the delusion that Nintendo wanted this to live but was forced to shut it down by the evil lawyers.

[Skykid]

They're not obligated to shut it down, they could actually work with the developers and give them a license.

But that's totally against standard corporate practice. They own Metroid, it's their IP, it's standard practice to protect ownership by going through the motions. They may never remake Metroid II themselves, but they still want to retain the option to do so.

Arranging a license and sharing profit is something that needs to be initiated early, with the impetus on the developer. If they have no intention of doing so, the C&D should be expected regular as clockwork.

[ZellSF]

They're not obligated to shut it down, they could actually work with the developers and give them a license.

But that's totally against standard corporate practice. They own Metroid, it's their IP, it's standard practice to protect ownership by going through the motions. They may never remake Metroid II themselves, but they still want to retain the option to do so.

Arranging a license and sharing profit is something that needs to be initiated early, with the impetus on the developer. If they have no intention of doing so, the C&D should be expected regular as clockwork.

Pretty much what I'm saying though. Yeah it's standard corporate practice. It's not Nintendo being the good guys nor is it Nintendo being the bad guys. There's just an alarming amount of people who try to put anything else into it in an effort to paint Nintendo as good guys or bad guys.

Saying they're obligated sort of falls under that. Because they aren't. It's what they chose to do (and what any competitor would choose). There are plenty of alternatives, there's just no profit in them for Nintendo.

[Skykid]

They're not obligated to shut it down, they could actually work with the developers and give them a license.

But that's totally against standard corporate practice. They own Metroid, it's their IP, it's standard practice to protect ownership by going through the motions. They may never remake Metroid II themselves, but they still want to retain the option to do so.

Arranging a license and sharing profit is something that needs to be initiated early, with the impetus on the developer. If they have no intention of doing so, the C&D should be expected regular as clockwork.

Pretty much what I'm saying though. Yeah it's standard corporate practice. It's not Nintendo being the good guys nor is it Nintendo being the bad guys. There's just an alarming amount of people who try to put anything else into it in an effort to paint Nintendo as good guys or bad guys.

Saying they're obligated sort of falls under that. Because they aren't. It's what they chose to do (and what any competitor would choose). There are plenty of alternatives, there's just no profit in them for Nintendo.

Yeah, we're on the same page.

[BrianC]

Speaking of SOR Remake, I've never got it... Is it good?

Yes, it is. The visuals, the music (remixes of many SoR series songs + original songs), the controls, the insane amount of content from all three games (plus original content)... it's a big, fun game. Be sure to get v5.0a (I believe it fixes a few bugs from v5.0).

There's a 5.1 available now.

[Stevens]

Speaking of SOR Remake, I've never got it... Is it good?

On its own, imo, it is the most complete beat em' up ever made. The amount of content is sickening and that is before you factor in fan mods. Way of the Warrior is particularly excellent.

Here is what you need if you haven't gotten it yet:

http://www.soronline.net/sorr_downloads.htm

Download the first 3 links - the game and the 2 patches (not sure if you need both or just the most recent)

http://www.soronline.net/sorr_cheats.htm

Download the first link. It unlocks everything in game. Enjoy.

[Blinge]

2 hours in and it is basically a Metroid II expansion pack for Zero Mission. Probably not gonna bother finishing it. Rather than do my usual Zero Mission bashing, I'm just gonna lament the complete absence of all Metroid II's atmosphere and most of its charm. I get the impression this was made by someone who hated the original game and thought that it needed to be "fixed".

So.. you'd recommend playing Metroid II then? I was gonna skip it.

[BIL]

Metroid II is the only sidescrolling videogame to make me feel like I'm exploring the cover art of Unknown Pleasures. Monochrome ruins, weird skittery ambience, some memorable sights as well described by ZacharyB above. It shares some of the obvious area copy/pasting of the first game but is a vastly more straightforward affair. Areas are accessed from a central branch, new ones opening up as each is cleared of its Metroid quota. A bit like Fusion in that regard but with 100% less briefing room texts to mash through, a sterling good. Action a little basic but never offensively so. I like it!

Oh, also, to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary, I replaced the battery in my Metroid II cart! Wahoo! Haha no, just kidding, I had no idea it was coming up. Metroid casual tbh. Still, I am pleased with the timing!

[szycag]

You can't use the special Metroid II color palette the GBC had built in if you buy the VC 3DS release, can you? Criminal.

[EmperorIng]

I finally downloaded a copy of the game. my version has/had(?) a glitch that didn't play music until I inspected the music volume in the options menu, but other than that it worked swimmingly.

I haven't gotten too far into the game, but it is already the best Metroid game released in over a decade. I'll admit I like the fluff of lore/logbook entries, and I have noticed occasionally clever things with the level design.

Metroid II, in my opinion, is a really overlooked game that tends to get unfair treatment due to its technical limitations - it's actually a really fun experience.

Even if the remake ventures into its own territory, which I don't begrudge the devs, it is nice to have two different and excellent Metroid games to play as opposed to one!

[Volteccer_Jack]

So.. you'd recommend playing Metroid II then? I was gonna skip it.

Like I mentioned in another post, Metroid II is what got me into the the series. I played the game on a whim because a buddy had a copy and the art on the cartridge looked cool. The amazing atmosphere and world-building in a black and white game with no plot beyond the instruction manual (the only reason I knew Samus was female) blew me away. Most video game levels are just video game levels; Metroid II was the first game I played that felt like an actual place, like it could be a result of natural events and habitations. The game's basic engine creates a slightly leisurely pace but always keeps Samus moving. Enemies neatly complement Samus's methods of attack, so that even the dangerous ones have as little impact on that smooth flow as possible. Many enemies aren't really threatening, they're more like fauna to populate the world and give you something interesting to do during navigation than something meant to harm you. And then as you progress you run into some exceedingly clever level design, primarily because the goal of the game boils down to killing a buttload of Metroids in increasingly intricate/challenging situations.

I will drop a disclaimer that the first two Metroid games aren't for everybody; they're old and sometimes archaic and things like needing to make a mental (or physical) map of the areas, or being unable to crouch in the NES game, are treated as part of the experience and the games are designed around them. I'd personally be fine playing any of the newer games with no auto-map because I actually love that kinda shit, but I don't begrudge them at all for taking some of the pain out of navigation.

That's also a brief summary of the reasons I don't like this remake (or Zero Mission). The Zero Mission engine is almost exactly opposite the Metroid II engine: movement is just start-stop constantly, even doing simple things like running, hopping over an enemy, and continuing to run, like Samus has a fucking stutter or something, and it always feels aggravatingly tense even when casually passing through an empty room. Enemies--especially in this remake because they are copy-pasted from Metroid II--are very mismatched for Samus's abilities, which makes combat less satisfying and interrupts the flow of navigation much more frequently. The atmosphere basically doesn't exist; Fusion's environments were stated in-game to be artificial and still felt more believable than the Zero Mission rainbow caves. I will say the logbook entries in AM2R are very nice, that's one of the things that initially got my hopes up. Metroid II does a very simple and understated job of encouraging exploration; most obvious the harmful lava that lowers as you progress, lots of vertical space begging to be played with, and nooks and crannies everywhere (I vaguely recall hearing that many of these were improvised testing areas that the developers left in the final game). Zero Mission again does nearly the opposite. Environments are colorful but boring, and on the rare occasion that you find a ceiling-less room or an intriguing nook, you are virtually guaranteed to run into a lock requiring some lategame upgrade you don't have yet, so that exploring before you've completed most of the story is a waste of time. The only motivation to explore is a bunch of worthless minor upgrades which are often only apparent as a result of being blatantly labelled on the map, and rather than encouraging you to explore the world, simply encourage an unhealthy preoccupation with completion percentage and backtracking.

Metroid II is a game where you're totally isolated in an alien environment with the explicit goal of erasing a species from existence. Zero Mission is a game where you play as an anime girl and your dad Big Bird helps you blow up a robot pterodactyl. If you think turning Metroid II into Zero Mission was an improvement, my impression is that you missed all of the things in Metroid II that had value. Hence my remark that I think this remake was made by someone who hated Metroid II.

[szycag]

I got the VC version anyways. Loving it on a big bright screen. 10 year old me on the pea green screen couldn't handle it. I kind of see why they didn't end up doing a DX version for GBC, it wouldn't have even done it many favors. It's like Downwell in that regard...

[BrianC]

I have Metroid II on 3DS VC (got it from Club Nintendo, if I remember corrcectly). I grew up playing it on the fat b/w GB before SGB or GBC existed. I like the atmosphere of the game quite a bit. I'm not sure what to make of the emulation. I didn't notice input lag and the games look great in the smaller screen mode (hold select or start before the game loads up), but sound is off in some games (the sound effects in Game and Watch Gallery 3 are off).

[Ed Oscuro]

I just spent a few minutes with the game in Retroarch / gambatte to see what I thought. I feel pretty much like I did at the turn of the millennium...it feels sprawling and aimless, and "jump to aim" is already far from being my favorite game mechanic. It also goes without saying the metroid fights are hardly the most spectacular confrontations ever seen on the good ol' brick. The huge sprite and relatively slow pace of everything - including most enemies and recovery from hit bounce - also isn't really getting me going.

A bit of cleverness on my part led me to quickly uncover bombs, an energy tank, and the Spider Ball in 15 minutes playing blind, but a few more minutes playing around with the spider ball only seems to be underlining my apathy for this particular game. It's a clever little thing but it basically incentivizes players to play in a slow and boring way.

With that in mind I'll check out the remake as soon as I'm able. It feels like a shame to pick up a third party remake without having played through the original but I've just never been able to bring myself to do it.

[ZacharyB]

Now 6 hours in, I managed to acquire the Gravity Suit, but, it makes Samus invisible. It's probably a glitch, but, I'm calling it the Stealth Suit for now. Had fun in the water trying to figure out how to position myself for some Speed Booster jumps. (Effects around the suit are still visible, like the Screw Attack and Morph Ball.) Fortunately, I can change back to the Varia suit when I'm not in water and need to see where I am on the screen.

The game isn't hard, but, unable to use the Gravity Suit's higher defense, it just got a notch more difficult as I progress deeper into the planet... about ready to encounter the Omega metroids.



-------------------

An update... Encountered my first Omega metroid. Tried the Varia suit, but, the armor was too low... Managed to vanquish it with the "Stealth Suit" and more careful gameplay on my next try. That was fun...

[Harpuia]

One of the devs is currently working on a fix for the invisible gravity suit bug, since it seems to be the most common glitch so far.

[Leandro]

I just got the Gravity Suit, glad she didn't turn invisible in my game,

I'm taking this game slowly, don't want it to end...