Metroid Prime Trilogy Demands Motion-Control
Why, Nintendo, why?
As it did with the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendo is removing the ability to play with legacy Gamecube controllers from the two Gamecube Metroid Prime games as they appear in the upcoming Metroid Prime Trilogy.
Upgrading the games to work with the Wiimote and nunchuck is, of course, a stellar idea - it will let anyone play the entire trilogy as if all three games had been a part of the Wii catalog all along. That'll definitely sell some additional units.
What isn't a stellar idea - what is, in fact, a pushy and controlling bit of technological dogma - is that Nintendo seems to have removed the ability to play the first two Metroid Prime games as they were designed to be played. Why both control schemes couldn't sit side-by-side seems a bit of a mystery, and would have given players an iota of control over how they wanted to experience games whose value, as part of a retrospective, are tied inherently to their original play experience.
Nintendo, we get it: there are plenty of games on or coming to the Wii to appeal to the core gamer fanbase you've been accused of alienating. You've made your point. But why in the world would you make that point while simultaneously re-alienating that same fanbase, some of whom will be understandably miffed that you won't let them enjoy the games you're selling - at least not as those games were originally designed.
If I'm not mistaken, it's the success of that original design (at least for the first Metroid Prime, if not its sequel) that paved the way for the kind of success that merits releasing all three as a trilogy. Doesn't that at least merit a little room for consideration? What's with the control-scheme control freakishness?
Metroid Prime Trilogy forces motion control on gamers [Ars Technica]
tiny dancer
Posted to Meet-Ups, Miscellany, Video Games on 24 August 2009
· Comments (18)
Other stuff like this: gamecube, metroid prime trilogy, motion control, nintendo, wii, wiimote
considering the 100% backwards compatibility of the Wii, and the overall cost to buy the three off of ebay, this really seems a moot complaint.
Is this a joke?
Wiimote + Nunchuck outperforms Analog any day of the week so why would it make sense? And do all Wii owners have GameCube pads? Nope. Furthermore, can't you forsee calls to tech support asking why Corruption won't work with GameCube pad while the other two do?
Seriously, you want Prime & Prime 2 with Gamecube controls? Try Amazon or eBay and if you can't get them both really cheap, well I'll come 'round your house and give you my own damn copies.
I honestly don't see what the fuss is about. The reason these games were remade is that they were reMADE, not reRELEASED. These games were not just put together on one disc in hopes of reselling something we already have -- they were combined after upgrading the old systems and making them (Esentially..) new games.
I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinions, but it just seems a bit pointless to gripe about the old control scheme not being included when the game was not INTENDED to be played with the old control scheme. This is why it was released on the Wii. Also, agreeing with the previous comment, the Wii is 100% backwards-compatible. If you TRULY wish to enjoy Prime and Prime 2 with old controls, just buy the Gamecube versions. Nothing was updated about these games except their play controls, anyway.
So yeah, my two cents, for what it's worth.
It's important to keep in mind that originally Metroid Prime 1 and 2 were going to be re-released individually for Wii as part of the "New Play Control" series like Pikmin and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. In fact, they were released that way in Japan. So from the start the entire point of remaking them for Wii was to add the control.
And it isn't just a straight port of Metroid Prime 1 and 2. In order add the Wii controls the interface and HUD needed to be changed to be more similar to that of Metroid Prime 3. The method for changing weapons and visors in Metroid Prime 3 with the Wii-remote was very different from how it was done in Metroid Prime 1 and 2, so that interface had to be used. Also, in the trilogy version of Metroid Prime 1 several more lighting effects have been added for bloom lighting, the difficulty level of Metroid Prime 2 has been tweaked, and in both 1 and 2 the character models and environment textures use higher resolution images. The changes, especially the difficulty changes, have been made with the Wii-mote controls in mind, so it would be very difficult to allow for Gamecube controls since that would change the balance of difficulty in these new versions.
Well I was going to say something but it appears everybody beat me to it. Ah hell that's never stopped me.
If you want a Gamecube controller, buy the Gamecube games. These were designed for the New Play Control initiative, and thus are meant to push the Wii-mote front, not the Gamecube front.
Besides, the Wii-mote is a superior method in my book, so why not go with it?
I agree with everyone here.
I'm buying it BECAUSE of the controles! I've never played a game in ego perspective that felt as good and intuitive as MP Corruption. And I'm looking forward to play the other two with the Wiimote, too.
And also, like everyone else has mentioned, the Gamecube games cost less than 5$ together on ebay...
I think Nintendo should have remade Metroid Prime 3 to have Gamecube controls...just saying.
These games weren't remade. Heck, they were barely ported, since the hardware of both systems is almost identical. All they did was jam in the new control scheme into the existing code, probably altering a few spots where Wiimote control wouldn't work. There is really no reason to take out the tried and true control scheme in the process. That's what tiny is complaining about, and I wholeheartedly agree. Nixing features that were there originally just seems stupid. Having the GC versions available for a tenner each is a moot point, why buy these three games individually just to get the original control scheme for two? If you make a collection, keep the bloody features!
I think this is actually a hardware limitation. Nintendo pretty heavily segregates the gamecube hardware and the Wii hardware. It seems likely to me that this is less forcing the new arbitrarily so much that since the games run in Wii mode, they don't have the option to use GC hardware. This is also why they can't make the classic controller and WiiMote work on GC games, you HAVE to plug in a GC controller/memory card (learned this the hard way buying the original Tales of Symphonia and not being able to play it cause I didn't have GC hardware).
It was a stupid design decision, but oh well.
Puh-lease.
Everybody knows that the Wii is made for first person shooters, this is a silly complain if you ask me, if you want to play Metroid with the gamecube controllers go find the gamecube versions. People are buying this because of the new controls, not just because they wanna re-play the games.
@Berth
Actually, Retro Studios did put more effort into the Wii versions of Metroid Prime 1 and 2 than just "barely porting" them. There are the obvious interface changes to accommodate the Wii controls, and several cosmetic changes such as clearer environment textures, but more importantly the difficulty level of the games have been re-balanced to fit the Wii controls. Aiming with the Wii remote is much faster than using the analog stick, and so enemy AI has been altered with that gameplay mechanic in mind. Nintendo did the same thing with Donkey Kong Jungle Beat when it slightly altered some of the levels to better fit the analog stick controls.
If they allowed for use of the Gamecube controller then that would introduce complications since the game wouldn't likely be able to easily switch between gameplay styles at will, and you would need to select a control scheme at the start of the game and would need to restart to change it.
Let me start of by saying that I love your site, I enjoy listening to your podcast but your Wii-bashing is really a bit... sad.
1. It is a game in the "New Play Control" series, the whole idea behind this series is to give new Wii-style controls to existing Gamecube games. Just like with Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the Pikmin games, etc. With none of these remakes can you use the old controls. Why would it be different with the MP trilogy?
2. I MUCH prefer the (Wii) controls of Corruption over the ones used in the Gamecube games. As did pretty much every person I spoke to about the game / every reviewer / etc. I don't think many people would WANT to use the old Gamecube style controls
3. And even if you do, how about putting the old Gamecube disks into your Wii?
It sounds to me like that guy from Ars Technica saw the word "cannot" in the manual and started throwing his toys out of the pram.
Wii-bashing? Really?
Asking for a feature included in the original games is HARDLY "bashing." I play my Wii every day but I don't want to marry the thing... some Nintendo fans really need to RELAX while they read. Give yerself a hemorrhoid with all the hysteria...
I respect the opinions of those who don't mind the feature omission from the first two Metroid Prime games, but I have to cry foul at the "Wii-bashing" complaint.
Calling the Wii a piece of crap would be Wii-bashing. Wishing for original control features in two games I'm personally looking forward to playing on my Wii is, perhaps, the *exact opposite* of Wii-bashing.
My complaint is with a technical decision, it is not an anti-Wii statement. An anti-Wii statement would have gone like this: "I hate my Wii and wish I could play Metroid Prime on a 360." I do not feel that way!
And as for being accused of "Wii-bashing" every time one criticizes Nintendo, isn't that a bit like GW Bush telling Americans that they're unpatriotic for questioning the war? That seems entirely too knee-jerk for me to swallow. We need not all share the same opinion or face branding as "Wii-bashers" unless we follow a policy of "Wii-fascism."
Wishing that Nintendo had made a more inclusive technical decision is NOT Wii-bashing. If anything, it's Wii-idealism.
Okay, maybe Wii-bashing is not entirely reasonable. My apologies.
I do stand by one thing though: the sole intention of the New Play Control series is to remake Gamecube games with Wii controls. To criticise games from this series for not being able to play them with a Gamecube controller is unreasonable.
As far as I'm concerned, the line "You cannot use the Nintendo Gamecube controller... " could (and maybe even should) have been omitted from the manual. I can't help thinking this whole controversy would not have arisen then. Just like it was never a problem that the NPC versions of the Pikmin Games, Mario Power Tennis, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, etc. cannot be played with the original controllers.
Okay, maybe Wii-bashing is not entirely reasonable. My apologies.
I do stand by one thing though: the sole intention of the New Play Control series is to remake Gamecube games with Wii controls. To criticise games from this series for not being able to play them with a Gamecube controller is unreasonable.
As far as I'm concerned, the line "You cannot use the Nintendo Gamecube controller... " could (and maybe even should) have been omitted from the manual. I can't help thinking this whole controversy would not have arisen then. Just like it was never a problem that the NPC versions of the Pikmin Games, Mario Power Tennis, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, etc. cannot be played with the original controllers.
Dandy: No worries! We're all here 'cuz we love games, getting passionate about them is the fun part. :)
You're right about the manual line, I think, and probably about the NPC series in general. I think I'm still sore because I couldn't be lazy and use the gamecube controller to play Twilight Princess on the Wii!
I do think the original controls ought to have been included as a courtesy, or for purism's sake, but you're certainly right that the *point* is to bring Wii controls to the previous MP games. I get such a thrill out of using the Wavebird with the Wii...
:-D
Yeah I Mean Why Would You Buy A Wii Remake That Clearly States And It Has Been That The Game Was Made Soley For Wii Controls Oh And tiny dancer If You Want Twilight Princess With Gamecube Controls That Have A Gamecube Version But I Preferably Want The Original Wii Version Of Twilight Princess And Yes TP Is Likely The Only Wii And Gamecube Game That Had The Wii Version Being The Original
Back On Subject MPT Is Born From Wii Controls Don't Like It, Don't Buy It You Really Should Of Read Up More About It Plus I Don't Like That They Took Out "Damn" But They Did.