Ugh I want to like this game so much more, but I just fucking can't. This game does so much right. It has such a great atmosphere. I love the world of this game. It truly feels like you're on an alien planet that's on the verge of collapse. The space pirate bases are some of the best areas in all of Metroid in terms of atmosphere. The music is so fucking good, and the combat is so fun. Each ability translates so well into 3d, and the scan log is amazing. Reading up on how the current state of Tallon came to be is so interesting, but the actual gameplay is just so boring.

When you're just progressing and moving to the next area, this game is fun. You're finding secrets and hidden items everywhere, exploring and discovering stuff, fighting great bosses, but once you're done with all of that, you have to back track, a lot. It really ruins the pace of the game. One great example of this is the Phazon mines. I was enjoying the great atmosphere of it all. The areas was so scary and intense, I was loving so much of it, but then I got the power bombs. I now had to go back through all of the same rooms, get the grapple beam then continue out of the Phazon mines to get the x-ray visor. Okay, it's not THAT bad, but it's still annoying, but it doesn't stop there. I now have to go all the way back to Magmoor Caverns to get the Plasma beam. Why? Why couldn't this just be something you get with the grapple in the Phazon Mines? This kills the pace of the game so much it's insane. I stopped one of my sessions here because I didn't want to go all the way back. This wouldn't be much of an issue either if there were plenty of items you could get along the way like the 2d metroids, but there isn't. Samus also moves so slow making that last point not even matter. Idk why we couldn't have had some sort of speed up in this game. Make the speed booster that idk. It's just annoying to enjoy a game so much and then suddenly have all that taken away because of stupid decisions. I really wanted this game to me one of my favorites, but it sadly isn't and that really upsets me. I've yet to play Prime 3, and I always drop Prime 2 in the middle, so I guess the prime series just isn't for me.

A very standard Metroidvania that copies way too much from the CV games. It has so many mechanics from them but executed them so poorly that it just makes for an overall average experience. Though the frustration this game's level design gave me puts it below average for me. This game is bad, and I'm sorry to the devs because I know that they're great people but I just don't like this game. I was hoping for a great igavania, but instead what I got was a frustrating SOTN clone with a very lame story.

This was an enjoyable time, and the story did make me almost cry at times. Shinji's death is something that to this day really gets to me, and I did find myself getting really upset when the main character died near the end. However, a good story doesn't fix my main issue with this game, Tartarus. It's so boring, and I just can't stand it. I used the fast forward function so many times on PPSSPP just to get a move on. I just wanted to keep doing my Social Links and Tartarus just kept going getting in the way. I loved all the characters. Yukari, Junpei, and Shinji are so great and the rest aren't bad either. I've yet to play the answer, but I have watched it, and I loved how they game built upon how the characters are dealing with the loss of their friend, especially Aegis. The movies are great too. I recommend watching all 4 of them. Imo, this game is only worth playing for its story. Everything else is just way to monotonous and dull to be worth experiencing. This 3.5 is really generous, but I didn't want to give a game that made me so emotional such a low relating. Watch a play through online honestly.

It's okay. Getting to different areas with all these random encounters can be a huge drag, a lot the over world has nothing going on in it, and it's so hard to see yourself at times. I got lost so many times because I couldn't see where I was going. Story is alright, but I feel it doesn't incorporate the other characters enough. They mainly just sit around and watch Cloud do things. They have their own archs, but that's not enough to just throw them out after. Red XIII is a great example of this. So much happens with him at Cosmo Canyon, and then after that, he's barely mentioned ever again. I did not like how the story did that because I really liked the character that the Arch set up. This happens with Barret, Yuffie, Vincent, and Cait Sith as well. Also the grinding near the end for proper Materia to fight the weapons is awful. I enjoyed my time here, but it's not something I can see myself replaying.

I'm just not a fan. I find the boost formula to be way to automated to be fun. I never feel like I'm in control. Unlike Sonic Adventure where I can go through the levels in so many creative ways, in Generations, I always feel like I'm going a set path and playing exactly how the game wants me to. That's just not fun to me, and I know there are multiple pathways, but I just don't think they help when the boost is doing everything for me. The missions are also really lame and repetitive. Bosses are amazing though except Time Eater.