Monday, April 19, 2004
The ball part is great
About six weeks ago I looked at my huge collection of games - 28 this generation - and realized, in disgust, that I hadn’t won any of them except for the sports titles. I vowed then and there to not buy another new game until I went back and won some of the classics in my collection. I started off with Star Fox Adventures, since I’m a Rare whore, and found out the game was actually pretty good. Then, I immediately broke my promise by borrowing Knights of the Old Republic. Since I didn’t actually buy it there was no problem, but I clearly broke the spirit of the law. The game kicked lots of ass, though, so it was worth it.
Now, I’m back in my own collection again with Metroid Prime. Upon firing it back up I was shocked to see I had only played about five hours of the game. A mere five hours, what was I thinking? This game was drooled upon by critics everywhere and I remember having fun with it the first time. What could have prompted me to stop playing after only getting 20% into the game?
One word: frustration. The game is one of the more frustrating games I have played this generation that does not involve a cartoon kid on a boat. Sure, it’s classic Metroid just like I grew up with, but there’s something different about it that makes normal Metroid moments seem aggravating.
Take, for instance, the most standard feature of every Metroid title: backtracking. Metroid is founded on the principle that levels are too restrictive and therefore offers you the entire game world from the very beginning… but you need to find the appropriate equipment to move around. From different weapons to cool little attachments for your Morph Ball, the game has you traveling the planet in search of these items so you can move further into the planet and get even more items. That’s how every Metroid game is set up and, until Metroid Prime, I loved the formula.
In this game, I find the backtracking tedious and annoying. Maybe my mind still hasn’t fully adjusted to these new fangled 3D games, but I’ll be damned if I can remember what room I need to go to and how the heck I get there. After acquiring a new item I find myself searching the map in vain, trying to remember where I’m supposed to use it now that I have it, but not quite being able to figure out which of four possible rooms I have to go to.
Most of the game is trying to figure out where to go instead of actually figuring out the puzzles in a room or fighting enemies. I love the combat engine in this game, it’s a blast fighting the bosses especially. And, when I actually know where I’m going, it’s quite fun traversing the environment. But, at least at the point in the game where I currently am, I’m finding the other aspects of the game more annoying than fun. Overall, the good does outweigh the bad, which means I will still play through it. I’m just hoping that eventually the game gets better. Maybe at a certain point I’ll finally get all the items I need and then just be able to go through the worlds without having to worry about coming to doors I can’t open or pits I can’t cross.
Now, I’m back in my own collection again with Metroid Prime. Upon firing it back up I was shocked to see I had only played about five hours of the game. A mere five hours, what was I thinking? This game was drooled upon by critics everywhere and I remember having fun with it the first time. What could have prompted me to stop playing after only getting 20% into the game?
One word: frustration. The game is one of the more frustrating games I have played this generation that does not involve a cartoon kid on a boat. Sure, it’s classic Metroid just like I grew up with, but there’s something different about it that makes normal Metroid moments seem aggravating.
Take, for instance, the most standard feature of every Metroid title: backtracking. Metroid is founded on the principle that levels are too restrictive and therefore offers you the entire game world from the very beginning… but you need to find the appropriate equipment to move around. From different weapons to cool little attachments for your Morph Ball, the game has you traveling the planet in search of these items so you can move further into the planet and get even more items. That’s how every Metroid game is set up and, until Metroid Prime, I loved the formula.
In this game, I find the backtracking tedious and annoying. Maybe my mind still hasn’t fully adjusted to these new fangled 3D games, but I’ll be damned if I can remember what room I need to go to and how the heck I get there. After acquiring a new item I find myself searching the map in vain, trying to remember where I’m supposed to use it now that I have it, but not quite being able to figure out which of four possible rooms I have to go to.
Most of the game is trying to figure out where to go instead of actually figuring out the puzzles in a room or fighting enemies. I love the combat engine in this game, it’s a blast fighting the bosses especially. And, when I actually know where I’m going, it’s quite fun traversing the environment. But, at least at the point in the game where I currently am, I’m finding the other aspects of the game more annoying than fun. Overall, the good does outweigh the bad, which means I will still play through it. I’m just hoping that eventually the game gets better. Maybe at a certain point I’ll finally get all the items I need and then just be able to go through the worlds without having to worry about coming to doors I can’t open or pits I can’t cross.
// posted by Tom @ 10:09 PM 
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]