What IS Metroid Prime?

[punqsux]

in everyones quest to catagorize everything, people just cant agree about this game...so what do you think?

[wookieballz]

I think genre distinctions are meaningless these days. You've got made-up genres like "Survival-Horror," and then you've got your hybrid "pseudo-RPG-FPS-Adventure-Puzzle/Fighting" genre, and all this other extraneous crap.

Games are games. Some games play differently than others. React accordingly, but don't attempt to classify them. There will ALWAYS be someone who disagrees with you.

[Alpha2]

It's quite obvious.

APFPS.

It's not directly a FPS even though that's the meat of it's presentation, it dosen't rely on constant shooting for the bulk of it's game play. It's about exactly the same amount of exploration as the previous games which where deep with lots of things to find.

EDIT:
I dissagree with you Wookie, You wouldnt claim Time Crisis is the same as RE just because they both feature guns would you? There are action games and adventure games and subgenres for all. Some games fit more than one and some create their own specific niche. Sure Survival Horror was coined by Capcom but every game that plays like it still ends up with the same gener discrpition.

[DenisDFat]

I do not see crap as a choice on the poll.

[greendj27]

I do not see crap as a choice on the poll.

Did somebody forget to take his happy pills today?

[wookieballz]

"Did somebody forget to take his happy pills today?"

Fanboys are never happy.

"You wouldnt claim Time Crisis is the same as RE just because they both feature guns would you?"

No, but there comes a point where the industry coins new and decidedly meaningless terms to classify games that are so wishy-washy in terms of formal definition that it's just not worth giving them any classification at all. I think we've reached that point.

I fully recognize the differences between games. That's not being argued against. All I'm saying is that we should start recognizing these differences without having to give them labels, because these labels have proven to be all but useless.

A key example? Metroid Prime. Is it an FPS? A platformer? An adventure title? All three? Who cares? It's a game, and should just be played the way it was intended.

[DenisDFat]

Fanboy?

Fanboy of what? Good games?

Makes no sense. Is fanboy all you can pull out?

[Alpha2]

Wookie you make it sound as if someone's try to label it so it can be sent off to the gas chambers by storm troopers or something. Don't make a big deal of it, it's just a discussion, not like this actually mean anything to anyone other than they people interested in discussing it.

Some game fit into catagories better than others and some dont fit at all, usually it's because they cross genres like Metroid Prime does.

[javeryh]

There's no choice for "The Most Fun I've Ever Had Playing a Video Game"

[wookieballz]

If you were a fanboy of good games, you wouldn't call Metroid Prime crap. Hell, I'm sick to death of Nintendo, but I still regard Metroid Prime as one of the best games of 2002 (for good reason).

I understand that the matter is subjective, and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But that doesn't mean everyone's opinion is right. Thinking a good game is "crap," for instance.

Maybe fanboy wasn't the right word, though. I'll admit that. "Hater," maybe? I dunno. It's up to you. All I know for sure is that you're no fanboy to good games, because you've got a great game on the wrong list.

[SneakyPenguin]

Fanboy of what? Good games?



your right. theres no way you can e a fan boy of good games and hate metroid prime. so you must be a fanboy of sucky games. or x-box *games*. (you happy now?)

that was being redundant

[wookieballz]

"Wookie you make it sound as if someone's try to label it so it can be sent off to the gas chambers by storm troopers or something."

Uh...no I don't, and it seems to me like you're the one making the biggest deal out of what I said.

It's a total non-issue. Don't dwell on it for too long.

[wookieballz]

~sneakypenguin

That wasn't being redundant. That was being moronic.

Don't start preaching that someone else doesn't know the good games when you don't know them yourself.

Looks like I played the "fanboy" card prematurely. That term doesn't describe DennisD, but it describes you pretty well.

PS: "x box" isn't a game, Einstein. Just thought I'd bring that to your attention, since you can't seem to make that distinction on your own.



Jesus, why are there frickin' fanboys on EVERY gaming forum? That's what mainstream gaming will do to the industry, I guess...

[SneakyPenguin]

erm, i aint a true fanboy. i own all the systems. even xbox and it has the same number of games as my gcn. i was poking fun because it pisses people off. i was successful. and it is my opinion that dennis' opinion is wrong about metroid prime. not saying im right. just think differently

btw: its not a game? it worked fine when i put it im my ps2. gee ill have to make note of that. you're so helpful!

[Alpha2]

Wookie, dude, dial it back a notch no one's trying to make this a big deal here all i did was reaspond to your statment, let it go.

Penguin, just ignore Dennis, he dosent like the game, big fat deal. Frankly from half the posts I've seen of his, he dosent seem to like any game really.

[poormojo]

Part of the problem of labelling a game into a certain genre is that the way we judge games (and really everything) is to compare it to like things.

It isn't fair to compare one type of game against another. Example: I can't say that Mario Kart kicks Halo's ass, or vice versa. They aren't the same thing. They're different kind of games entirely. It's almost like me saying that my PC kicks your car's ass. It's a gibberish statement.

That's why it's difficult, and yet important to classify games correctly.

Is Metroid: Prime an FPS or an Adventure game?

Is it something so new that we need to invent a new genre for it? Like First Person Adventure?

There may be complaints of too many genres being created at the drop of a hat, but occasionally a legitimate new genre rolls out (take Herzog Zwei, or Dune as RTS's) and needs a name.

That's why this is actually a really important gamer question.

This is also the heart of the "Which Console is Better" question. I'd argue that the consoles themselves are totally different genres, and should be treated as such.

[wookieballz]

~Alpha2

There's obviously some miscommunication between us. It's no big deal, so the best thing to do is just leave it as is. You've said your piece, and I've said mine. So, to each his own.

~Penguin

Being sarcastic doesn't change the fact that you called the Xbox a game. But I guess if you get kicks out of pissing people off on purpose for whatever reason, that's the least of your problems.

Geez. And I thought GameFAQs was bad. Guess the only worthwhile forum section on this entire site is the one about deals.

[wookieballz]

"I'd argue that the consoles themselves are totally different genres, and should be treated as such."

Hm...interesting way of putting it.

[Alpha2]

Well I'd say in an effort to not create a new genre(although I've seen the title Firstperson adventure already used several times for it);

MP is simply an Adventure game but played from a first person perspective. Metroid at its roots is an adventure game and the only thing that diverges form that in MP is it's view point.

As for the "Which console is better" argument: it'll never go away because when people can't blow the money to buy all the ones out they have to focus on one and hope that it survives. And in oder to help it they try to convince people it's a worth while purchase, when two opposing sides meet there's always going to be an argument.

[EggViper]

i think its a fps, me and my bro had a long arguement about this, if u c through a first person mode and shoot at things, then its a fps.

[SneakyPenguin]

wookie - then stay there and leave me and my simple mistakes alone (btw, i fixed it, just for you).

eggviper - you have probably one of the most logical responses yet. it works, in its simplicity

lets just make it a fps adventure. it wasnt hard to call deus ex a fpsrpg, so why is this so difficult?

[evilmax17]

i think its a fps, me and my bro had a long arguement about this, if u c through a first person mode and shoot at things, then its a fps.

Have you ever played Ico? You move your character around with the analog stick, you have a club, and can swing it at potential enemies using square. You can jump, and have to jump from ledges and what not to get where you want to go. Would you classify Ico as a platformer, next to games like Contra or Mario Sunshine? (if you answer yes to this question, then your opinion is null and void).

Ico, plain and simple, is an adventure game. Just becuase it shares characteristics with other genres doesn't make it so.

One of the facets of FFX was blitzball, do you see it categorized as an RPG/sports game?

[poormojo]

Thanks, Wookieballz.

(Which is a weird thing to type . . . )

I would claim that the consoles themselves are different genres.

Xbox is associated with shooters, Halo, kick-ass sports games.

Gamecube is associated with Nintendo first-party tiles, which means adventure and platformers.

And the PS2 has become kind of a catch-all, but really has the RPGs locked down as well as, i dunno, fighters?

I need more coffee to keep thinking like this.

[Alpha2]

Egg the thing is in most FP games you dont have much other choice BUT to shoot things! Sure maybe you get the occasional blunt opject but 9 times out of 10 if you;re in a first person perspective it;s to shoot people.

If you're going to label it as one or the other it should be the genre that has the most direct influence on it.

I suppose to some they're going to call it more the style that they prefer though. Some like FPS more so thats what they;ll call it and adventure game lovers will call it that, which is what leads to the creation of a new genre title.

First Person Adventure.

[pimp tyranny]

MP is a good damn game. if you can't recognize its merit, there's something wrong.

[space_rover]

A BAD HALO CLONE


NUFF SAID

[SneakyPenguin]

^ ^ hey wookie where are you now? and you called ME an irrational
fanboy with this crap on the forums. MP is A LOT better than halo can ever be. halo is a mindless shooter. MP is...art.

[msdmoney]

A BAD HALO CLONE


NUFF SAID

Wow do you actually think about these things before you type, Metroid Prime is absolutely nothing like Halo. Ridiculous.

[wookieballz]

~SpacePenguin

Here I am. Thanks for asking.

Anyhow, I don't disagree with you, to a point. As a shooter, Halo was good, but deeply flawed and sloppily executed. It was anything but mindless, however, and the sci-fi backdrop that Bungie crafted just for the game was better than you'd find in most books and movies.

Metroid Prime was the better game overall, though, and definitely a work of art.

In conclusion: space_rover needs to find a new hobby. He doesn't know jack about games.

[sandwiches99]

Time for me to jump on this topic.

In terms of traditional genres, Metroid Prime is an Adventure game through and through, but if you want to most accurately describe it, then call it a First Person Adventure. This is irrelevant to the people that like the game though, its more for the people that didn't and complain about it.

Anyhow, I don't disagree with you, to a point. As a shooter, Halo was good, but deeply flawed and sloppily executed. It was anything but mindless, however, and the sci-fi backdrop that Bungie crafted just for the game was better than you'd find in most books and movies.

I feel that good execution is all that Halo has. Although, I guess the storyline is pretty good too. Why do you feel its sloppily executed?

In conclusion: space_rover needs to find a new hobby. He doesn't know jack about games.

Agreed.[/quote]

[Alpha2]

many people say halo has a level design issue where at a certain point the levels just repeat in a reverse order as a way of takcing on extral play time. If it's true I'd call that pretty sloppy.

Ive never played the game I'm just refering to something I've been told on more than one occasion.

[SneakyPenguin]

you heard right. most of the indoor areas are the same. they actaully make you fight back through the same are you just went through and call it a new lvel. it seems to me they hoped hype would carry it, and that it did.

[danh920]

definitely a little bit of both, it looks like a fps, it doesn't exactly play like one though, it doesn't qualify for who cares either, I must respectfully decline this poll

[sandwiches99]

many people say halo has a level design issue where at a certain point the levels just repeat in a reverse order as a way of takcing on extral play time. If it's true I'd call that pretty sloppy.

Ive never played the game I'm just refering to something I've been told on more than one occasion.

Well, if you've never played the game.. then its difficult to take your statements. But you're in luck and youre absolutely right :). I hate the indoor levels for exactly that reason. Even if the levels didn't go backwards, they still look all the same. Thats why I say there are glimpses of brilliance in the single player--because in the outdoor levels you can see a lot of potential. I guess that just freed up more resources to develop the graphics but more importantly the control, mechanics, and physics of the game. The multiplayer is really where its at despite the strange decision to omit bots.

[GTmaster39]

I like to think of this game as a Maken-X clone.

[BlueStorm781]

I call it a "first-person adventure". It (Metroid Prime) doesn't quite define a typical FPS, and it also doesn't define a typical platformer. But it's in a first person view, and it is an adventure.

[greyzieoriental]

metriod prime should have a FPS control but it controls like go;deneye on the 64 and that sux and halo repeats lvls thats what made it boring but it was fun until it was beaten like most games though

[WhipSmartBanky]

I call it a "first-person adventure". It (Metroid Prime) doesn't quite define a typical FPS, and it also doesn't define a typical platformer. But it's in a first person view, and it is an adventure.

If we used that definition, any FPS that has a story mode and a jump button would be considered a "First Person Adventure!" That would mean the only true "First Person Shooters" would be games like Unreal Tournament and Quake III Arena! :shock:

Yeah, right.

Halo has platforming elements and is one hell of an adventure, yet everyone calls it a FPS. Mace Griffin has heavy platforming elements and is a sci-fi adventure with no multi-player mode. I don't hear anyone saying, "It's not a first person shooter, it's a first person ADVENTURE!" :roll:

As far as Metroid Prime goes, I said it before in another thread, and it was said by someone else earlier in this thread, but I'll reiterate it: you walk around in a first person perspective and SHOOT things. First...Person...Shooter.

Oh, and by the way...if you have an account at GameFAQs, add the Metroid Prime Game Board to your favorites and see what the line reads under "Metroid Prime" in your "Boards" listing.

[evilmax17]

I call it a "first-person adventure". It (Metroid Prime) doesn't quite define a typical FPS, and it also doesn't define a typical platformer. But it's in a first person view, and it is an adventure.

If we used that definition, any FPS that has a story mode and a jump button would be considered a "First Person Adventure!" That would mean the only true "First Person Shooters" would be games like Unreal Tournament and Quake III Arena! :shock:

Yeah, right.

Halo has platforming elements and is one hell of an adventure, yet everyone calls it a FPS. Mace Griffin has heavy platforming elements and is a sci-fi adventure with no multi-player mode. I don't hear anyone saying, "It's not a first person shooter, it's a first person ADVENTURE!" :roll:

As far as Metroid Prime goes, I said it before in another thread, and it was said by someone else earlier in this thread, but I'll reiterate it: you walk around in a first person perspective and SHOOT things. First...Person...Shooter.

Oh, and by the way...if you have an account at GameFAQs, add the Metroid Prime Game Board to your favorites and see what the line reads under "Metroid Prime" in your "Boards" listing.

That would make Ico a contender for one of the best platformers ever, right next to Mario64. You ever play Amplitude? One hell of a shooter isn't it? :roll:

You're defining the different game genre's far too strictly. Look at my previous post. I'll say it again: camera does not define a game's genre! An FPS relies on aiming and ammo management. In MP, THERE IS NO AMMO, and there's a lock on button. Theoretically, any first person game with a lock-on button *Jump button doesn't matter!* could be considered an FPA (although I don't see many metroid prime clones coming out).

In short, if you're going to take such a rigerous classification standard with MP, you have to take it to other games as well. So if you would considder T.H.U.G. a Sports/Driving/Platformmer, or FFX a Rpg/Sports title (or even Amplitude as a Shooter), than I guess you could call MP an fps...

[WhipSmartBanky]

An FPS relies on aiming and ammo management. In MP, THERE IS NO AMMO, and there's a lock on button.

You manage your missile stocks, don't you? Missiles are ammo too.

Pages 12 and 13 of the Metroid Prime instruction manual contain instructions on how to "aim" with the R button and the control stick. You may not "rely" on it, but there are times you MUST use it. You have to at least point in the right direction of the enemy to get a lock-on.

Besides, presence of a lock-on button does not mean it's not a shooter. Metroid Prime is not the only first person shooter to have primary weapons that lock on. Some weapons in Mace Griffin have the ability to lock on and track, by clicking the left thumbstick button. Weapons in other first person shooters can lock on as well.

:roll:

[WhipSmartBanky]

Oh, and for those of you without GameFAQs accounts:

http://www.atari.net/sites/banky/mpfps.gif

That must really eat you guys up every time you visit the message board for your favorite first person "adventure." :lol:

[DRJ555]

There is really no First Person Adventure genra. More like FPS/Action/Adventure/RPG/...

[evilmax17]

http://img3.photobucket.com/albums/v13/evilmax17/Genres.gif

:roll: People get things wrong all the time, what's your point banky? How about responding to my other points instead of focusing on one detail (much like how you're classifying prime). Yes, you can aim in MP, but it's not integral at all. In Gunvalkyrie, you use your jetpack to fly around, would that make it a flight sim? Or in T.H.U.G., there are moments in which you HAVE TO DRIVE A CAR! Is that a driving game?