As the Creator of the Retro Metroid Dread Manual, It's an honor to have it featured in the vid for a small bit! It warms my heart to be even a small part of Metroids' History. I also hope whoever owns the manual enjoys it!!
Beautiful manual. As an old gamer (39) I miss the days of full color manuals with story elements hidden within (similar to the original Metroid). Well done.
Manuals like this remind me of childhood. I still remember looking over and over at the Super Metroid manual when I was a kid. I would try to draw the pictures in the game manuals, and that is what got me into art. Just know that now you are probably doing the same for a lot of kids and creating wonderful memories! =)
Metroid Prime 2 will forever be my favorite. Such a beautiful game with a beautiful atmosphere and soundtrack overall as well. How the game didn’t gain massive popularity over the others will always baffle me but I have always had the most fun with Echoes. Such an amazing game 🖤💜
I love how this video has tons of fans from all over the world, and it spans from children to adults and everyone love each person that took their time making a fun little biography of their experiences.
The issue with the Ridley scene in Other M isn't that Ridley is a traumatizing character to Samus, its that Samus has fought Ridley at least 3 times at this point in the series canon.
And the scene doesn't even make sense for Samus as a character. She has been through a lot by then, and it's not one get easily overwhelmed by emotions. Fusion explored Samus' vulnerable side perfectly already. Not only she was at her weakest, after a near-death experience, she was forced to be accompanied by an AI that has the personality of someone who was very close to her. We see her being way more introspective in that game in a way that makes more sense.
Yeah that guy talking about Samus being human at 58:10 was so infuriating and condescending. It was clear he had no idea wtf he was talking about but the smug way he acted like he did. Ugh..
Twice, not three times. And after Super Metroid Samus thought Ridley had actually kicked the bucket so she had a massive weight off her shoulders, it was actually a really good way of showing ptsd, you think your nightmare is over only to wake up one day and find out its still happening, it makes you feel helpless and induces panic attacks
Metroid is definitely Nintendo's "quality over quantity" franchise. Unlike their other heavy hitters, there really isn't a _bad_ game in the series. There are some that might feel unintuitive to modern audiences or that released at a bad time, but none of them are inherently poorly made. Some are considered the absolute best games of all time. Despite the internet's (sometimes justified) hate for Other M's story, Federation Force's release window, or Samus Returns "killing" AM2R, this entire series still plays out like a "Best of" album. And that's _damn_ impressive.
It's not just the story in Other M that's bad. Although it does suck. But the lack of open freedom, underwhelming world designs, the stupid upgrades not being authorizes, some clunky combat and the heavy forced of linearity is what makes the game pretty dull. I would like to see if Nintendo does another third-person style 3D Metroid game again if they wanted to have an different 3D Metroid game that isn't an first-person adventure. And if they do, it needed to take out parts that works in Other M and fix or improved on alot of things that didn't work in Other M. Who knows. I hope that is the case if that happens.
i think other M's fatal flaw was in their characterization of samus. Her struggles with PTSD are relevant and critical, i think that aspect was fine and i even wish it was explored deeper. the issue that seems to cut deepest is how samus put her orders above her own self-preservation. that alone fundamentally discards her characterization throughout the entire Metroid franchise. it contrasts very poorly with how samus defies all authority, uncovers dark secrets, and upends the entire BSL station in fusion without any authorization, just to survive.
I'm honestly hoping we get a continuation of the story after Dread in about 3 to 4 years, possibly in Prime 4, but maybe in another 2D Metroid game. Please Nintendo, it'll print money if it's good like Metroid Dread!
Five if you count the manga and the Prime games. By the time of Other M, Samus shouldn't be scared of him, she should be pissed that he refuses to stay dead
after Super Metroid Samus thought Ridley had actually kicked the bucket so she had a massive weight off her shoulders, it was actually a really good way of showing ptsd, you think your nightmare is over only to wake up one day and find out its still happening, it makes you feel helpless and induces panic attacks
@@CMRetroGaming i do think for Other M, if Sakamoto wasn't giving the directions for the va rather than a va coach (which is the standard even when Other M was created) it would have also helped, but they should have shown Ridley killing her family and her saying she thought she killed him on Zebes, there should have been a scene for after care after the fight with Ridley had ended. Its just a shame that Sakamoto basically killed Metroid with Other M
Well done! It's impossible to watch this and not want to pick up a Metroid game immediately after. Thanks for letting me be a part of this amazing project!
AMAZING! Love that you talked about every Metroid game, some documentaries (or documentary series) I've watched only talk about the 2D games, or just the Prime games, or skip over Pinball or Other M or Federation Force. You did it all. This was great
OMG!!!! I loved this! Metroid is one of my favorite series of all time! I think the Prime trilogy as a whole is probly among the top games for the amount of times I have played through them! I used to play through the entire trilogy (Whether the separate games or the collected trilogy) once a year...
Great docummentary, I love hearing all the diverse opinions of the metroid community. I think we are still on the early years of appreciation of Metroid Dread, its full reputation still has a lot of space to grow. We know that it is one of the best metroid games, but I don't think we have fully grasped what does it mean to have a game comparable in quality to super metroid. Now people are starting to recognize it as one of the best Metroidvanias ever made, one that deserves to be in that conversation alongside super metroid, SOTN, or the great indies like Hollow Knight and the Ori games. But I honestly believe that one day we might see back at it as one of the best games of all time. At least I think it belongs in that group. I mean just by the fact alone that it has one of the smoothest most satisfactory controls and animations of any 2D platformer, let alone metroidvanias. Or how it is an achievment of game design how the invisible hand of the developers seemlessly guides you arround the map without a single way point or anything of the sorts. It is a linear game (like every metroid game to some extent) but with the option of non-linearity through a lot of intentional sequence breaks, which is sadly not something I can say about games like Metroid Prime, which is pretty much strictly linear up until the artifacts. And I personally really appreciate its brevity, while other nintendo series went for larger more padded adventures in Mario Odyssey and BOTW that are painful to replay. Metroid Dread is condensed, every moment of gameplay tigthly designed. Specially if the metroid series goes in a different direction, I think we will continue to look back at Dread with more and more admiration. Another Mercury Steam 2D Metroid game is the game I want to see the most. But even then I feel unsure that it could surpass Metroid Dread, it feels like lightning in a bottle. Honstely I would be willing to bet that the next 2D Metroid game is probably a dread-style super metroid remake. Just on the basis of how the industry generally works.
Sat through the whole thing and it's worth every minute of it. Seriously, it's one of the best documentaries about Metroid ever. Congratulations and thank you! Ps: ending with the main theme by Metroid Metal made me smile a lot! Kudos!
27:05 I love how Fusion explained its existence due to the events in Metroid 2. For those that don't know, the Metroids kept the X population in check. Since Samus destroyed the Metroids. X no longer had its predators to keep it in check.
After watching this twice (once alone and once with my partner) I can safely say that this video was worth the hype and the wait! You've done such an incredible job from pacing, to all guest commentary involved, to the sheer level of celebration for this historic franchise - amazing video all-around! I don't think you can watch this video and not want to play a Metroid game. I feel like the best videos not only stand the test of time, but also feel like a gift to the viewer, and this feels like a gift to not only fans of the series, but of videogame fans in general.♥️
Commenting to get this algo chugging, possibly the best metroid video I've ever seen and was super thankful to guest. What a wonderful thirty seconds it was. - Bro
what i'd love to see in the next Metroid game is Samus has been captured and the opening title with that haunting voice "The last Metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace" and its her escaping the GF, shit would be amazing
The 6 Bounty Hunters and Multiplayer in MPH were some of the coolest characters and gameplay designs added to the Metroid franchise and universe. I know we'll see them all again in this decade.
For me, the atmosphere and feeling of isolation is the most distinct feature and I'm glad everyone else mentioned it. I'm not opposed to expounding on her character a bit so long as they nail the execution. I personally think showing her as a child when she sees Ridley is appropriate. I'm no Metroid buff but: 1) Watched her parents killed in front of her as a child. 2) After finding a new family in the Chozo and training to become strong she watched them die as well, being powerless to stop it. 3) Military history where apparently she did things she's not proud of. 4) IMO Metroid II is about genocide; YOU are a monster more dangerous than the Metroids. 5) After saving the last one, she is STILL powerless to stop the baby Metroid from being captured and dying. Her presence decimates entire ecosystems. She is directly or indirectly responsible for the destruction of entire planets. Samus is death incarnate and everything she touches, including the things she loves and tries to protect DIES. How could this NOT screw with your head? She's almost cursed; this person with immense power but is never powerful enough to save the people you love. Spending THAT much time in isolation also is not healthy. I see a character whose entire life is one trauma after the other and has enough genocide to make any dictator blush. Yet, she is always portrayed as a stoic and having empathy. So what gives? What makes her tick? How screwed in the had is she and how does all of this effect her outlook? How does she FEEL about any of this, and how does she keep the strength to keep going? You can't tell me if they NAILED that, and answered those sorts of questions by giving Samus a voice and letting us inside her head, that it wouldn't be an amazing game. You don't want to remove all of the mystery of the character (like they did with Boba Fett) but touching on all of this would make for really great character development.
I think the reason that Metroid is still the benchmark of Metroidvanias is because Metroid games nearly always excel at every aspect of the core design. Plenty of similar games succeed in a few, or some, or even many aspects, but rarely do games put as much care and polish into every aspect as Metroid does. With very few (notable) exceptions, Metroid games are such beautifully cohesive wholes, where atmosphere, progression, character advancement, and game play all mesh perfectly and compliment each others so well.
To me Prime 2 IS the best Metroid game. I don’t care about critics or what other fans say. That dark killer atmosphere and all of the killer boss battles , and the games overall challenge and total improvement over the first one. This game is awesome.
I finally managed to chip through this behemoth and this is indeed your Magnum Opus, Brendan. I mean holy heck this was such a wonderful watch that touched and enriched me throughout the near-2 hours runtime. The excellent editing, pacing, camera work are all exquisite. My first Metroid game was Metroid Prime. As a kid browsing through IGN and GameSpot in early 00s with a newly purchased Gamecube, I wanted to get the best games for the system. I remember seeing Prime getting 9.8 and 9.7 respectively, which at the time were MUCH difficult to get, so even with my disdain for First Person games (at the time), I asked my grandmother to buy it while she was visiting in the US. I got 10 GameCube games and Prime was around them. I loved it, and I will always remember the gauntlet of final bosses from Meta Ridley to the titular Metroid Prime. I played Metroid Prime 2 later, but I think the game that I truly loved from 2004 was Zero Mission. My friend owned it at the time and I borrowed it from him. I do admit that at the time I thought the game was too short. It was the age where replay value was a key element that effects a lot of mindsets. However, when I replayed the game in 2021 in preparation for Dread, I found that small issue non existent. The brevity of Zero Mission is one of its best qualities. It uses its time wisely and doesn't cumber the player with needless backtracking, making it a great game to replay. Prime was my favorite game of 2002, Dread was my favorite game of 2021. Super Metroid is one of the best games of the 16-bit generation and would've been my #1 game of that year (if Sonic 3 didn't exist). My biggest praise I can give to the Metroid series is that it's one of the most consistently great game series of all time. Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Kirby and many more are known to have the black sheep installments that fans are divided with. However with Metroid, especially with its mainline titles, you can have the argument that one is the best game in the series, and that notion would be widely accepted. When the "worst" of the series lingers on an 8.5-9, they have done an amazing job. Where should Metroid go from here? Honestly? It should just go. I don't like to speculate the future because half of the fun with games is the surprise element. In a game series like Metroid where exploration is key, I want Nintendo, Retro, Mercury or whoever is behind to just do their thing and immerse me. I think the series is in good hands and the success of Dread means that the future is brighter than ever. As a newly established fan, I can't wait to see what's in store!
Yeah, hearing everyone's various thoughts was was definitely the highlight of the project. I wish I could've just made it a 4.5-hour video to include all the answers--I may do some "bonus" videos of the full-length interviews down the line.
I had to be three or four when I first saw the opening of Metroid prime and I was instantly hooked on the series. Watching my brother navigate the horrifying Frigate Orpheon and fighting the Parasite Queen with one of the most hauntingly jarring scores instantly intrigued me into the worlds of Metroid. After that I fell in love with the atmosphere and gameplay of this franchise. I’ve played every game released from NES to Prime Remastered and in all honesty I think I love Metroid more than Mario and Zelda. Though I love the other two, Metroid caught my imagination, scared me and intrigued me like no other franchise and has become one of my all time favorite game series! Thanks for making this as a lovely retrospective on the history and impact of Metroid. I’m so glad Nintendo has been doing so much recently to give it the respect it deserves, it’s an amazing franchise!
This is such an interesting flavor of documentary; usually when i think about documentary, i think about dry facts, statistics, insight from professionals and experts all wrapped up in a neat and interesting package. Having such subjective and at points emotional accounts as the main focus was such a breath of fresh air for me, i dont think ive ever seen any other documentaries like this, but id love to. facts are cool, but seeing how the source material of a medium has impacted its different parts of fanbase is just fucking delightful. awesomely done!!
I really appreciate that! In hindsight, “documentary” is maybe a stretch and something like “retrospective” or “celebration” may have been the better word to use, but the goal was to put it together like a documentary and present it as such. I’m glad it you enjoyed it :)
Its so strange to me, as a Metroid fan who has been with the franchise since day 1, playing the original Metroid on the NES and thinking "wow this is so cool" to look at how other people got into the franchise. For me it was that simple, being given a controller and told to go explore. To see other people not get into the franchise until Zero Mission was out, the boom in popularity with Super Metroid. When I was in the Army I got half my barracks playing Metroid Fusion, we would sit in rooms together playing and helping each other to find secrets. Its impressive how much of an impact this franchise has had on gaming, and yet I'm convinced that Nintendo hates Metroid. Their 30th Anniversary gift to fans? A cease and desist letter to the AM2R developer.
Great video! I've been on a Metroid video binge since I played Prime Remastered, and this documentary might be my favorite watch. Would love to see more like this with other Nintendo franchises!
What a fantastic documentary! My first experience was watching my older brother play Super Metroid when I was 7. I only remembered the introduction, and what I only saw as the creepy pterodactyl monster. Fast-Forward to when I was 12 or 13: I had this fun little game: Nintendo Land for the Wii U. I remember this one game: Metroid Blast: a fun mini-campaign with shooting aliens, which just so happened to have that same pterodactyl monster and gold armored character, which I learned was named Samus. The amount of fun I had with that mini-campaign led me to the larger Metroid Series, and I eventually bought a copy of Metroid: Other M. When I played that game, I was pumped. Even though I knew the game wasn't really popular among the fanbase, it really changed how I played games forever. It made me feel like games could be epic adventures, with fun characters and action. And thus, I inevitably bought Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. I loved the series even more the more I played the series, and I became so invested into the larger lore of the universe. But at the time, I was still in high school. It was during the second drought, there were very few games in the series, and all I heard was negativity, knowing the amount of hate when Federation Force came out. But I was re-inspired to be a fan again when I saw something incredible in 2017: Metroid Prime 4 and Metroid: Samus Returns. I was so happy. I remember pre-ordering Samus Returns and being excited for it every day of the week until it showed up. I loved the game and I was very confident about the future. But for a few years after, I felt like it was almost irrelevant, as during University, I changed. I grew up, games felt irrelevant. I thought playing games was a remnant of my naive young days. I felt like I had no confidence in myself. But a few years ago, I replayed Metroid Prime for the second time on my gamecube, and I regained my confidence! Playing Metroid Prime again inspired me to really love what I love about Metroid, and about science fiction! And with Dread and Prime Remastered, I cannot wait for more! Really love this focus on the community! SEE YOU NEXT MISSION!
I love this! You and everyone else sharing your Metroid stories is exactly why I made this documentary. I actually went through a similar time in university as well; I barely played many games my first couple years except the Prime trilogy, Portal 2, and (coincidentally) Mass Effect 3. For me, Dark Souls and Skyrim were to catalysts that got me back into gaming in a big way, and it's cool to hear it was going back to Prime that reinspired you.
It usually for me, depends on certain times in my life that re-inspire me to play certain games. Be it a milestone in my life, people leaving, needing to be inspired, and in the case of Metroid Prime: Needing to compensate for isolation during a global pandemic in the winter. Metroid helps me appreciate nature more because of that, like how Mass Effect helps me appreciate the value in humanity, and how all sorts of games give me something worth appreciating in life, especially as I'm taking on more responsibilities in life.
Amazing! I was hoping to see a bit more about AM2R since the community focus of this video was so strong, but I understand why you stuck with the official games. I love this series so much and cannot wait to see what we get next.
I actually reached out to Milton Guasti (the creator) but unfortunately couldn’t make it work. I’d love to do something specifically on AM2R in the future.
Oh my god bro, i watched some of your other videos, and im definitely watching this one tonight after work. AMAZING WORK dude im in love with your well researched and passionate videos. I wish you great luck with your game project and im definitely following your journey from now on.
This video is amazing!I wish I were making content while you were making this. The ONLY Metroid game I’ve beaten is Hunters! The online matchmaking was so cool, and there’s still a community that run custom servers to play the game. It might be… *equips sunglasses* Primed for a Remake™️ Seriously though, I admire your perseverance in putting all this together. I couldn’t imagine how much planning went into this!
58:09 - "People dislike that, that Samus would show vulnerability at all." No lol, people disliked that moment because Samus has fought Ridley SIX times prior, and has never before shown anything close to how she reacts in Other M. For a brief moment, the game behaves as if it's a prequel, and Samus is encountering Ridley for the very first time.
Hey, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! As for next videos, I have some more mini documentaries on some newer games dropping in a few weeks, and am working on a longer scripted video about some older RPGs. There are also some larger projects I'm slowly chipping away at in the background, too. So definitely lots of cool stuff in the works :)
Metroid 2 is still a good exploration game, as I got lost and actually executed a sequence break by barely making it through acid, then restoring my health at respawning enemies afterwards, and exploring more. Metroid 1 was tough to beat, as it lacked mapping and any way to figure out where you were. Super Metroid is the game that cemented it as AWESOME. Metroid Zero Mission and Fusion showed us updated 2D Metroid is still alive. The Prime series was a masterclass on adapting a 2D franchise to 3D. Metroid 2 Remastered was proof of concept for 3D based 2D Metroid. And Metroid Dread is a capstone to the series, and potentially the beginning of what could be a new era in Metroid, with new enemies and new powerups based on new environs/etc.
I barely watched half the video, but I just have to comment. Thanks for the great work, this documentary is amazing Edit: Now fully watched it. I dig every second of it
Great Series Retrospective. And even though AM2R isn't an official game in the series, I thought it was a missed opportunity to not cover it in this retrospective. I can't help but feel that AM2R was a strong catalyst in the creation of Samus Returns for 3DS.
Metroid Prime has been my most immersive game. If I ever got virtual reality hardware, it would be for this game. Even anaglyph 3D increases the immersion drastically. Metroid’s worlds are a playground, and tools like randomizers add freshness with every play. You get good at the tricks you can do, while your mind learns how to create a mental index and database of where you can go and what you desperately need to make more progress. Door lock randomizers increase this depth, along with changing elevator destinations. The world can constantly be adapted to keep the playground fun.
I paused and stared at the special thanks screen for a solid 10 minutes. I even gasped when I first saw it LOL. I'm very honored ☺️ What a great documentary. It was so well put together and I loved going through each game and hearing from so many people that I respect so much in the gaming/content creation space. Metroid means a lot to us and you really captured that through this. Bravo!
My cousin got me into Super Metroid. I later spent my life savings ($160 lol) on a GameCube the day after Christmas because it came with Metroid Prime. Such great memories
This video is amazing! I watched through the whole thing cuz I love hearing people’s stories about Metroid! I’ve wanted to be a fan for years but only beat my first game in the franchise in 2020😅 which was Samus Returns (and I had that since launch) but when Dread got announced I acquired & beat all 2D Metroid games and got Dread’s special edition on day 1!!!
i agree with the metroid being the most gritty of Nintendo IPs. While i agree with most of what was said, not all , this was a fantastic video. Its sad that you have so few subs, because you deserve more.
My uncle had a game that he didn't understand enough to like. He gave my brother that game. I started playing this game, and I'll never forget my time exploring the chozo ruins, getting to magmoor caverns and being confused with how to proceed because I didn't know about the varia suit.
Metriod fusion makes me feel like a detective. Figuring out why the x parasites are attacking, what the SAX is capable of, and what the Federation is hiding. Stumbling by upon new clues that lead to the new discoveries, and finding the scary truth about both the x parasites and the Federation.
I feel like I'm the only Metroid fan that's still waiting for Metroid: Another M. Half kidding, but I would like to see a studio like Mercury Steam try a third person style Metroid again. Maybe they could somehow integrate that into a Super Metroid remake?
A great companion piece to this video is one that explores how so much of Other M's story was lost from the original Japanese version. If the story had been kept true to the original, it would likely have been much better received.
Such a good video. Loved it so much. Metroid is to this day, my favorite franchise. My cousin gave me his NES before going into the army and it had the usual staples, Mario Bros, Zelda, Castlevania, a couple baseball games and in that list was Metroid. And i was amazed at how fun it was. Played like Super Mario by going to the sides of the screen, but had items to help you like Zelda. Two games I already loved. Played every metroid since except Federation Force
5:55 - this particular tune has been remixed a fair number of times. One of my favorites is "Samus Strut" from OCRemix.... not to be listened to without a solid subwoofer.
My first interaction with the franchise was Prime which was bundled with the Gamecube and although I would never play it for some years I loved watching my older brothers and our cousin playing it and exploring Tallon IV and looking at the architecture, biology and history of the world unfortunately no one else but me was interested in anything else but finishing the game also Echoes was the first Metroid game which I managed to get to the end but never finished it.
A Prime game where you actually do bounty hunting an use the money to upgrade your ship and weapons would be really cool. Maybe even compete or colaborate with the other bounty hunters
Even just playing off of Dread and going into new environments, enemies, and power ups that Samus directly absorbs would be awesome. But... yeah. An open world Metroid game with varying upgrades and area unlocks would be great too.
58:37 Ugh, I kinda hated how this "when you think about it" segment got so much time. Especially without any sort of counter-argument. It's an excuse that could conceivably have worked if the scene was in Zero Mission, but not at a point where Samus has fought Ridley three times (in the main timeline) and killed him twice. At the end of the day, it's part of a series of plot points and characterizations that seem to stem from Sakamoto's paternalistic attitude towards Samus.
I love the Metroid series but sometimes i wonder what an actual off day for Samus would be like? Does she have a favorite meal maybe something in her earlier days with the chozo race? A hobby instead of wiping out space pirates and x parasites? Or is she just a straight badass 24/7 with no rest ? These thoughts keep me up at night lol nah jk
My take on other m ridley moment is samus would respond with rage that the thing she killed already in revenge for her mother, father, and grey voice deaths were avenged and..he just came back. I feel they should have done the flashback of the scenes and not just have samus have a break down than canonically she already had in the metroid mangas.
This is awesome, Metroid 2 was the first one I played extensively, I had a tiny bit of time with M1 but I was going through struggles when M2 came into my life and it kind of became my life for like a year and got me though a lot, Super Metroid is probably still my favourite to play but M2 has a special place for me.
