Now I've heard stories about this one. And by that I mean stories about how no one tells stories about this game, if that makes any sense. You'd think the follow up to one of the most critically acclaimed and influential titles in not only the series, but gaming as a whole, would garner more recognition. But no—it just sorta has this weird aura of neutrality around it. With that it meant that I had absolutely zero clue what to expect when jumping into Prime 2.
What immediately jumped at me was how massively the structure of the world and progression was changed. I remember Prime 1 felt a lot more... loose? What I mean by that is that the world never felt openly restricted. It created a wonderful illusion that didn't make the next critical path immediately obvious. It's admittedly very hit or miss and will definitely not jive with everyone, what with all the back and forth, but it added to the feeling of isolation.
Prime 2 decides to tackle this problem in a way that caught me off guard. It's totally a Zelda game. The world is very segmented, meaning that there are three main areas and each area is tackled consecutively. No need to backtrack, sorta. When backtracking is required, it's made blatantly clear and you just need to enter a teleporter. (with one exception!!!!!!that wasn't very fun).
What this means is that the game's pacing is much smoother, but weirdly makes the world feel smaller and less organic. Which is a shame considering that the backstory with the Luminoth and the Ing is so intriguing. Also did I mention the dark world I completely forgot about the dark world yeah that was pretty random. The dark world was definitely one of the aspects that was out left field for me, even though it seems like such a core element of the game.
I kind of like and dislike its implementation?? It's definitely not your typical dark world schpiel, i'll admit. The way it's handled is really cool, making it an actual hostile environment, with only a sparse amount of light bubbles offering respite. It really sells the feeling that the Ing are a legitimate threat. However, I still can't shake the feeling that the dark world is such an... afterthought?? Which is weird to say because it still feels fully realized even with the technical and time restrictions imposed.
Metroid Prime 2 is a peculiar case. The case of a quality sequel being so overshadowed by its predecessor is so... strange. People are asking for Prime 4 and they still haven't played this one!!!! Perhaps why people aren't as attracted to Prime 2 may be that it doesn't feel as grandiose of a revelation as Prime 1. It's more quality Metroid Prime!! Not a lot to be upset about, but also not a lot to be blown away by.
What immediately jumped at me was how massively the structure of the world and progression was changed. I remember Prime 1 felt a lot more... loose? What I mean by that is that the world never felt openly restricted. It created a wonderful illusion that didn't make the next critical path immediately obvious. It's admittedly very hit or miss and will definitely not jive with everyone, what with all the back and forth, but it added to the feeling of isolation.
Prime 2 decides to tackle this problem in a way that caught me off guard. It's totally a Zelda game. The world is very segmented, meaning that there are three main areas and each area is tackled consecutively. No need to backtrack, sorta. When backtracking is required, it's made blatantly clear and you just need to enter a teleporter. (with one exception!!!!!!that wasn't very fun).
What this means is that the game's pacing is much smoother, but weirdly makes the world feel smaller and less organic. Which is a shame considering that the backstory with the Luminoth and the Ing is so intriguing. Also did I mention the dark world I completely forgot about the dark world yeah that was pretty random. The dark world was definitely one of the aspects that was out left field for me, even though it seems like such a core element of the game.
I kind of like and dislike its implementation?? It's definitely not your typical dark world schpiel, i'll admit. The way it's handled is really cool, making it an actual hostile environment, with only a sparse amount of light bubbles offering respite. It really sells the feeling that the Ing are a legitimate threat. However, I still can't shake the feeling that the dark world is such an... afterthought?? Which is weird to say because it still feels fully realized even with the technical and time restrictions imposed.
Metroid Prime 2 is a peculiar case. The case of a quality sequel being so overshadowed by its predecessor is so... strange. People are asking for Prime 4 and they still haven't played this one!!!! Perhaps why people aren't as attracted to Prime 2 may be that it doesn't feel as grandiose of a revelation as Prime 1. It's more quality Metroid Prime!! Not a lot to be upset about, but also not a lot to be blown away by.