Retro Studios Stepping Back From Metroid For A Bit

Retro Studios, the makers of the games in the Metroid Prime series, has announced they'll be stepping back from the games for a bit now that Corruption is in stores. Comments from project director Mark Pacini discuss that decision and their interaction with the Wiimote: "I'm sure that there will be other titles created but as far as Retro Studios is concerned, we're taking a break for a little bit. We started with the core ideas of the game ... but we did not receive the information about the Wii controller until well into development. So we got a big surprise, of, hey, this is what we're going to do for the next console. Many things had to be refactored, but actually many things fell right into place. The Wii remote enables us to do things that we hadn't previously done in other Metroid games."

So reaction is mixed

[techpawn]

They where mad that they had to redo things but other things worked better than they thought? I'd rather them take a break and come back to make an even better game

Finally, a Metroid story on Slashdot

[Ang31us]

It's about time!

First of all, MP3C is a game made for gamers...it uses every button on the Wii-mote and Nunchuck AND uses motion sensitivity AND aiming. You already know that the play control is better than any console experience (my trusty mouse is still more accurate). I will NEVER play a FPS using a Xbox 360 or PS3 controller...those controllers SUCK for FPS. In a single-player first-person shooter/adventure I would rather be aiming at the screen with my arm-cannon than moving a mouse because I feel like I'm in the game AND it's sooo much fun!

Secondly, Super Mario Strikers Charged is also a deep and complex game that uses almost every button, function, and feature on the Wii-mote and Nunchuck. Play it online against some highly-ranked players and see how many ways there are to pass, shoot, score, and play defense.

The talk about Nintendo ignoring their hardcore gamer base is utter nonsense. I love both of these games as much as I love Zelda, Resident Evil 4, and Madden on my Wii. Everyone knows Wii Sports is still da bomb...I still box and play tennis and baseball when friends come over (right after the game of Strikers). Put one of those "casual gamers" up against me in Wii Sports tennis or boxing and I'll dispatch them faster than you can say "Nintendo wins the console war."

Re:Finally, a Metroid story on Slashdot

[Pojut]

First, my credentials as a lover of FPS games...I have been playing FPS regularly since Catacomb 3-D [wikipedia.org] came on the scene...in that time, I have played countless FPS games on the PC. My first console FPS that involved actual aiming (Wolfenstein 3D/Doom on SNES don't really count in this instance) was Goldeneye.

Now. While I think for FPS NOTHING will EVER top a solid keyboard/mouse combination, I will also say that the 360 controller is sufficient for playing an FPS. It takes a while, I had to play through four or five first person shooters between Xbox and PS2 to get the hang of using a controller...while I will never be as good with a controller as I am with a K/M combo, I can hold my own in a multiplayer game.

Don't discredit the controller just because it's harder to use...it simply requires a different skill set. Once you get used to it, it works well enough. Again, you can't have the same accuracy and control as you do with a mouse and keyboard, but given enough time you will get comfortable enough with it to be able to just pick up and go.

Re:Finally, a Metroid story on Slashdot

[Ang31us]

Yup, the analog stick on the 360 and PS3 controllers are definitely harder to use in FPSes. I can't hit a moving target when I stand still. I can't even hit a still target that's a few feet away without aiming past it 2 or 3 times before I get the crosshair lined up correctly using any joystick. How am I supposed to hit a target while I run, strafe, and jump around to avoid his shots?

"It works well enough" is not good enough for me. I need to be able to get a head shot in Resident Evil 4 on a moving target 100 yards away using a handgun.

I think that "different skill set" you refer to is patience...honestly, I don't have the patience increase my skill at aiming using such a blatantly inferior control scheme. The analog joystick is to aiming as the digital t-pad is to driving.

They should use the time to make middleware.

[Dorceon]

Seriously, since MP3:C got the controls right, and it does such a good job on the graphics, it seems like licensing the engine out is an obvious step. When you consider that Nintendo owns Retro, and Nintendo stands to benefit from the quality of games on the Wii going up (in both hardware sales to hardcore gamers and in software licensing revenue), not to mention that they can collect engine licensing fees, it seems like an obvious choice.

Re:Finally, a Metroid story on Slashdot

[MemoryDragon]

That doesnt unfortunately change the fact that you have to go through 15-20 seconds of non stoppable animation if you trigger a superstrike, after the 100th time seeing mario jumping into the air you simply dont want to play the game anymore, give me the same game without superstrike animation and it would have been a classic.

It is amazing how such a minor detail can ruin an otherwise excellent game.