Posted on Feb 11th 2020 at 01:00:00 PM by (Pam) Posted under video, review, snes
I somehow managed to go through my whole life never playing a Metroid game... until now. Today I'm talking about Super Metroid. It does some things really well, but there are some things I think could be better, or are unfriendly to new players.
Pam, I already commented on the video, when you posted it originally, but seeing this again, it got me thinking - have you played any of the newer "Metroidvania" games from indie developers? I'd be curious to know what you think about some of those, and whether or not you feel like they do a better job with the mechanics, or the overall game flow.
@MetalFRO: Yes, I love modern Metroidvanias. Hollow Knight and Ori are a couple of my favorites. I also liked Axiom Verge. I do find they handle things like wall jump better and generally feel smoother to control. I do prefer the faster, tighter control of Hollow Knight to Metroid or Axiom Verge. And of course, the newer games also have a lot more buttons to rely on for things like weapon switching and ability use.
Want to comment after watching your video several times now, but to be fair I am one of those that puts Super Metroid on the short list of greatest games all-time. I appreciate your perspective, and many of your points are fair, especially if you're a newcomer to the series. (Space jump can definitely be annoying until you get the hang of it) However, it felt like you omitted one of the biggest positives of the game in your review, and I would like to offer an alternate perspective to one of your criticisms.
First, while you praised the opening, there was no mention of the story arc as a whole. I am surprised that if you enjoyed the opening as much as you did, that the conclusion wasn't just as gratifying. Many regard it as one of the best examples of storytelling through action, and the final boss battle as whole was extremely satisfying for me, as well as other big fans of the game and series.
Second, while I can understand your criticism of special moves not being in the manual, those moves are intended more as easter eggs, the way a secret weapon in an RPG might be regarded. While they do help in traversing the map more efficiently, they aren't necessary to defeat the game. Part of the replay factor of the game is becoming skillful enough to beat it under 3 hours, and the secret moves like 'shine spark' and 'crystal flash' and meant to be discoveries to aid you, much the same way as finding extra energy tanks and missiles. There is a youtube video "The hidden tutorial in Super Metroid" that goes into this in better detail.
I hope you'll take these criticisms in the spirit they're intended, as I know you got a lot of idiotic comments from people who didn't want to think about Super Metroid objectively. As a relative newcomer to the series, I can understand some of your frustrations. I would recommend trying both Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Samus Returns (3ds remake of Metroid II). While Fusion does still have some of the issues that bothered, if you enjoyed Super Metroid you'll find it worth your time. I also think you will welcome the changes made to the controls in the Metroid II remake.
@EZ Racer: Thanks for the thorough comment. Honestly, the ending didn't do a whole lot for me. I enjoyed the excitement of escaping the planet which reflected the escape at the beginning, but the part with the Metroid.... ehh. I had no emotional response to the Metroid almost killing Samus and then not. I've read about how the baby Metroid saw Samus as it's mother and she couldn't bring herself to kill it, but I would not have come to that conclusion myself by what was actually shown at the end of Metroid or Super Metroid.
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