Four years since Metroid Prime 4 re-started development.

Recap...

1. Apparently, Nintendo hated what Bandai Namco had and forced Retro Studios back on.

2. Speaking of Retro: Gamers and the gaming MSM collectively hated Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze... ON ANNOUNCEMENT (just ask Kotaku on the left), on release too if you're Gamespot and their first review. And further, why we haven't seen a new DK, approaching ten years now.

Well, Switch ain't dying without a Metroid with Dread. I'm gonna laugh if MP4 ends up bombing.

Thoughts, otherwise?

Typical filler to give you an illusion that quality titles are coming. Truth is, ambitious titles cannot be made with 2003 hardware, and it's clear that this was supposed to be one. The game is guaranteed to have been completely delayed by a generation because the current system cant handle it.

Nintendo is also holding the original Metroid Prime for Switch hostage in a cellar somewhere. I guess they must really hate the series.

It's ok, I can fire up the old gamecube.

@hardwenzen: It's true. Nothing ambitious happened until two years ago when the new gen started, rendering everything that came before obsolete. It's why everyone says Battlefield 2 is dated crap, and Battlefield 2042 is the best game evar! Literally everyone says this.

Anyhow, MP4 could potentially come out this year, or it could still be a few years off. None of us know, but I'm fine either way. My backlog is large and my free time is limited.

Not much to say. It's sad that Nintendo gives very little shit about Metroid, among many of their other beloved IPs. Could've been playing MP4 years ago, or a new Eathbound, F-Zero, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Punch Out, Excite Truck, NSMB, Pikmin, etc. But Nintendo decided to be fucking crap instead.

Again, Tropical Freeze happened... don't go all Eric Andre on me over that game now.

Would love to see it come out this year. Would also love to see the previous games get ported to the Switch as well.

And Nintendo for odd reasons can't bother to release a Metroid Prime Collection to make up for the lost of Metroid Prime 4 either. Just give me the damn collection Nintendo.

2D Metroid > 3D Metroid.

But I do wonder what Retro Studios is up to.

@nintendoboy16: lol Nintendo, they are happy enough milking animal crossing and pokemon for all its worth. Now they have a new revenue stream with Nintendo online, don't expect metroid announcing for 2 more years at minimum.

Metroid Prime 4 is a lie. Nothing has been seen from it except an announcement trailer. It was put out to hype a newly released machine. They have been silent on it since. We have seen other Nintendo games be announced and launched in the time this one was announced. Nintendo fooled me on this one.

I expect it to be on Switch 2 along with the definitive edition of Tears of the Kingdom.

Pretty sure they started from 0 and are probably aiming for a multi console release, so yeah, game is going to still take a while. With that being said, and at this point, i wouldn't mind if they cancel the Switch version and focus on a bigger Switch 2 release, but i think there is absolutely no chance that will happen.

I don't think Nintendo cares about the Metroid series because it's not a major success. Metroid Dread was the best selling game in the series, and as of last year it only sold 3 mil units.

Maybe because current gen is still aiming to release on last gen hardware? hello? Kinda obvious. There are no UE5 titles that try to aim for something that wasn't possible on previous hardware.

@blaznwiipspman1: I do not follow your thinking here. They have different studios working on Pokemon and Animal Crossing. Giving Metroid a longer development cycle means it will cost more to make. Finishing the game in four years would cost a lot less than spending six years on it. Nintendo owns Retro. They have to pay their employees that whole time.

Well... apparently it's hard to work with Nintendo, especially when working on Nintendo-owned IPs.

For the same reasons, however, if MP4 does actually come out, it's unlikely it will be a massive stinker.

@hardwenzen: I feel like you didn't quite get my point. Most people would tell you Battlefield 2 is a better game than 2042, or any recent Battlefield for that matter, despite being made for ancient hardware. Well thought out mechanics and smart map design trump all else in this case.

That is even more true for a single-player metroidvania. MP4 doesn't need huge ambition, just good mechanics and a well designed map to explore.

Honestly a game like Metroid Prime is 90% atmosphere... Which requires graphically power and art style and music, its high production, not a quick game to make and dare I say not a game I would attempt to make on such dated hard ware too many corners will be cut.

We need a 1080/60 Prime game on a console with 2-3TFLOPS, not a Switch.

@Grey_Eyed_Elf: That era of Ninendo is over after the GameCube bombed. Besides, we had Prime 3 on Wii. It was just fine without HD hardware. Dread is just fine without PS4/5, One/Series hardware.

It would make more sense if MP4 ended up on switch 2.....I just hope switch 2 is more of a traditional console, one with more power and a proper controller, etc.

You can stop dreaming right now. Nintendo can't compete with the big boys, so they will release something that is about 12y behind its competition when it comes to power, and introduce some kind of a gimmick to lure in the casuals. Since portable gaming is not a fad that's going anywhere, they might not even need a new gimmick. Just release a 20-30% stronger Switch, and call it Switch 2.

At this stage i think it's pretty safe to say that it will be a switch 2 title. Which is probably a good thing too. The switch is pretty much exhausted at this stage.

It would also be a nice title to launch with for the Switch 2. Mario 3D platformer and Metroid Prime 4 on Day one......not too shabby at all (also the best time to put the series more front and centre).

@Grey_Eyed_Elf: I'd argue atmosphere is something modern games lack because they are so focused on graphical fidelity, they need huge teams and outsourcing to get it done. Some of the few AAA games to really do atmosphere well, are smaller budget ones with good art direction and sound design like Control or Hellblade. Even Elden Ring was criticised for looking dated, but still given high praise for it's heavy atmosphere.

Hell, Super Metroid has better atmosphere most of what comes out today. You don't need the best hardware, just people skilled enough to see what they have to work with, and use it effectively.

It suggests to me that either A) Metroid Prime 4 is in development hell or B) Metroid Prime 4 will not be a Switch title, but debut on the next Nintendo game system.

I think this will probably be a Switch 2 game (or possibly cross-gen).

On the subject of the Retro DK games; never was a fan of those.

I seriously doubt this will happen again... the hybrid format is better anyway.

And Switch does have a "proper controller", it's called the Pro controller.

What do mean happened? Yeah, they re-released an old game, for full price. That sucked. It didn't make me want a new DK any less, and adding a baby idiot mode to it didn't do anything for returning players.

@Litchie:

Nah, he's doing his same old shit. Some gamers on the internet complained about Tropical Freeze. Maybe it didn't hit big numbers. Now that somehow makes anyone who enjoyed/wants more DKC a hypocrite.

Just like how you're not supposed to say you enjoyed the Gamecube.

To frame it in his own favorite meme about this.

@ConanTheStoner: Ah yes. Almost forgot. Pretty freakin dumb.

Edit: lol, didn't see the pic at first. Good one.

@ConanTheStoner: Always thought Tropical Freeze was considered one of the best 2D modern platformers.

@kathaariancode:

Yeah it's pretty great. Some really tight challenges too.

There was the complaining around release that Retro made "yet another" DKC when they should have been on Metroid. Then of course GS gave it something like a 5 or a 6, which meant the world to the usual idiots.

That's probably what Nintendoboy is hung up on.

Team Fortress 2 was in development when 56k the was norm.

Like Valve, Nintendo isn't in a habit of putting out shit.

@ConanTheStoner: Ah, I remember it now, then it was reviewed again for the Switch.

Never played it tbh, really didn't like it on the SNES but I've heard only good things about it.

@kathaariancode:

Retros DKCs are definitely worth a go, both are air tight.

Rares SNES DKCs were pretty mid on the gameplay. Great visuals, straight up amazing music, but the actual platforming, meh.

@ConanTheStoner: I hope you realize you posted that to someone who explicitly admitted to disliking Nintendo this gen, to the point where he "agreed" with a certain anti-Nintendo/pro-Sony troll (name starts with 'h' and response to him is like a curse as he will name drop you, to the point of tagging to draw your attention on threads that you had nothing to do with...) several times, aka, another form of "feeding the troll".

@nintendoboy16:

Oh damn, that's terrible.

You mean to tell me that Litchie explicitly expressed an opinion about Nintendos output this gen? And to top it off, replied to conspired with Wenzen about it?

No way a person could want some games from Nintendo while simultaneously being disappointed with their output. What kinda sense does that make, right.

@hardwenzen: I think Nintendoboy meant to tag you.

He hates me so so much. Every time he sees my Nintendo related posts, he covers his eyes and exits the thread. Wouldn't be surprised if i am in his worse nightmares destroying his Nintendo hopium. God this is exciting.🤗

lol

xD

Tropical Freeze was a great game. I finished it when it originally released on Wii U. It was a very challenging game but I don't get the hate

I don't think there was any hate, other than GameSpot's super weird review for the Wii U version. Was an awesome game that most recognized as such.

@Litchie: The pre-release backlash on announcement? It wasn't just here either, it was a widespread reaction. This video has an entire chapter dedicated to that to the point where it's the title. That's what I was talking about.

@nintendoboy16: Ah ok. I wasn't even aware of that. Guess I was too busy being excited for more DKC.

I wonder if Nintendo are gonna let Retro Studios make Samus do any bounty hunting this time. They wouldn't let Retro do that for Metroid Prime 3, because Nintendo doesn't understand what a bounty hunter is. They see Samus as "a motherly space hero" and pretty much only used the phrase "bounty hunter" because they thought it sounded cool. Pretty much the reason why the story stuff in Other M sucked balls.

I think it would be a good thing if Nintendo stayed the hell away from the MP4 development. Maybe give Retro some gameplay tips at most.