What I like most about what Dread has done for the series is how it changes the meaning of the series name. Metroid has always been in reference to the titular creatures, similar to how Aliens (the main inspiration for thr Metroid series) was always in reference to the Xenomorphs. However, Metroid also has another meaning. It has been confirmed in the manga that in the Chozo language, Metroid translates to "Ultimate Warrior." And since Samus is now the last Metroid left thanks to her awakening, not only is she the last "Ultimate Warrior," but now the title *actually* refers to her now going forward with the series. This completely blew my mind once I made that connection. This game has changed the series so much going forward and I am HERE for it!
I had the opposite experience…if anything, I now dread the path forward as it will make Samus weaker and more imbecilic, all the while ruining the series and punishing players that just want to enjoy Metroid. Also, the devs caved in to a meme…
@@MisteRRYouTuby how did they cave into a meme, Samus becoming a metroid has been foreshadowed since fusion. And why would they make her stupid? She's at the absolute height of her knowledge and power at the end of dread
@@MisteRRYouTuby What was imbecilic about her in Dread? I thought the Adam switch was actually done very well in the game, so she didn't seem like an idiot when it happened. As for "weaker", the Metroid's whole shtick is that she starts weak and vulnerable, and by the end becomes unstoppable. I didn't see the EMMI as any different to that. If anything the only thing that frustrated me was how long it took to get morph ball: but if that's the only "weakness" complaint then I think they did pretty damn well.
Ok, so I hope this comment gets some attention cause this is a little funny. The written Chozo language has been the same since it was introduced in Zero Mission and Prime 2, and at first I thought the Mawkin Script seen in Dread was a different script, and I thought it was pretty cool that maybe the different Chozo tribes had a different language characters, while still speaking the same language. But then I saw the two Chozo scripts side-by-side and realized something: it isn’t a different script, it’s the exact same script but the characters are cut into Triangles rather than rounded squares; meaning the Mawkin, at some point, decided that their language needed to be more intimidating and angry, and so wrote them as a more aggressive shape. The only difference between the two scripts, besides the shape, is that the original script translated to English, while the Mawkin script translates into English letters that spell Chozo words.
I was in a terrible place during the direct, my house had flooded, I was in a deadend job under a horrible boss, but then I saw those words, those incredible words: "Metroid 5" I screamed with joy, and beat pillows, jumped off the Couch that was my bed at the time, and shouted with glee. And then the Release Date showed. My Birthday. The Game released on my Birthday. I nearly fainted. And for that, Metroid Dread will always hold a wonderful place in my heart.
When I heard Adam say "do as I say" I immediately said that's not Adam. My brain went into overload. From how much time Raven Beak was watching and controlling us? And now you said it clearly. We have been doing what Raven Beak wanted SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME. Raven Beak is the only Metroid villain that actually gave me chills.
i noticed it immediately, from ADAM calling her Lady in the opening, and instead calling her Samus the rest of the game. I've played them all (yes, even the dumpster fire of Other M), it's just subtle enough to go over a new person's head, but also clear enough us long time fans can pick up on it if we pay attention
When I played through the game I was pissed off. The first screen of the game explains what a Metroid is, yet they added an OP melee counter to the game in Metroid 2. They messed up that game, why wouldn't they mess this one up too? So when Adam stopped calling her lady it was just me groaning. That's not how Adam talks, these developers Didn't READ the lore. The frustration of them keeping QTE in the game and having stupid semi random locations for the EMMI to spawn, the weird requirements for a central processing unit that looked like mother brain, just cause. There was just a lot in this game that broke the narrative and took me out of the experience. But when I found out why, I was even more upset. Because it makes Samus out to be an idiot for not noticing this obvious fact.
@@Mac_Omegaly don't you think it's more likely that she noticed before you did? she couldnt beat raven beak even before losing powers in the beginning, and he had her on the path to train and become even more powerful. even under "adam's" guidance, she was progressing and moving towards the surface. her best shot at survival was likely exactly what she did, and it worked (even if she hadn't quite realized the extent of raven beak's plan from the beginning, what with her latent metroid powers and all). samus, as a mostly silent, yet notably intelligent character, has no one else to talk to but the adam that she knows is false, so she has no reason to tell the player what she is thinking. she finally disperses the illusion only when there was logically no benefit to playing along, when "adam" was essentially just giving her a recruitment speech (or convincing her to surrender). at that point, she knew that she had reached the pinnacle of her ability on ZDR, and even had new metroid abilities as an ace in the hole. raven beak set her into motion with complete intention, from the x parasite broadcast, to the initial fight and removing her powers, to subtly guiding her through the planet and training her against its inhabitants, but he couldnt stop the momentum because he was never truly in control, samus was just playing along. i would say that her only moments of uncertainty in the game are meeting quiet robe (and his death) and discovering her metroid abilities, all else she approached with confidence, knowing she was intended to be able to overcome the challenges i didnt mean to write all that, whoops
The Jaffe Room shall never be forgotten. It has been immortalized. Also loved your sequence breaking story, I was so happy the devs added back sequence breaks.
I got through it no problem on my first run through, my 2nd time though I probably spent half an hour running around trying to remember what I was missing XD.
I normally HATE sequence breaking but, when I play Dread, I *HAVE TO* go get the Grapple Beam and Morph Ball Bombs before fighting Kraid, or else I have no idea how to beat him in his second phase. It certainly helps that that particular sequence break was definitely intended by the devs. That's the main reason I don't like sequence breaks, because I prefer to let myself be guided through a tight, well-made, well-paced experience that the developers intend for me to go through. It's why I tend to actually prefer really good linear games over open world (although I still play and enjoy open world games, I just prefer something like The Last of Us/TLOU2/FFVII Remake/Uncharted/Jedi Fallen Order/etc.) games, because the latter type gives you way TOO MUCH freedom, to the point that it can really screw with the pacing of the story if you get distracted by inane bullshit side content.
We are alike in this regard. I suck at finding what to do and where to go in video games, that's why I could never get into metroidvanias no matter how much I wanted to, I always need a walkthrough to make any progress. I prefer tightly paced liner games where the designers guide me through a liner exciting experience. I personally get 0 enjoyment from getting lost in a world or figuring out where to go.
Hi, TGC! Wikitroid editor here. Just wanted to quickly answer one of your questions here about Corpius/Scorpius. "Corpius" is the canonical name of the boss, since it's used in-game on the map screen and the boss rush mode. Internally, it's called "Scorpius" in the game files; most of the bosses and enemies also have differing names (Drogyga/Hydrogiga, Experiment No. Z-57/Cooldown-X, Raven Beak/Commander, etc.). Since there isn't any sound test or official soundtrack release, its boss battle music doesn't have an official title in published media, so the boss theme's wiki article is called "Boss Scorpius" after the music track's file names in the game's internal data (s_boss_scorpius_001 and s_boss_scorpius_002). Loving your review series, by the way! Even if I don't always agree, I can always appreciate hearing your point of view. You're doing a great job!
52:26 I feel like the chozo-bot fight right after Quiet Robe gets sent to the save room in the sky was a very good call, in the sense that it's the best kind of criticism of the infamous Ridley PTSD scene of Other M. Instead of violently cutting the connection between Samus and the player - by forcing complete helplessness on what most fans would consider to be business as usual for her, Dread lets YOU be flustered by the emotional whiplash and, most likely, styled on by the robot. And when the player eventually overcomes the difficulty spike that is that mini-boss, it is an incredible catharsis that stenghtens your link with Samus. I wouldn't dare to say with confidence that it was the intention there, but "the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better".
I always felt like she was pissed off at that robot for killing the only friend she had on this God forsaken planet... Which basically gives her even more resolve *_[SPOILER ALERT!!!]_* ...to go after Raven Beak.
Yes I believe throwing you into a relatively hard fight against a new enemy after an emotional episode is on purpose Because Samue doesn't have to to mourn or or process things so neither does the player
Bingo, exactly my feeling on this whole scene, even though the difficulty spike was really high and I didn't liked that. Like what Geek Critique mentioned, there should have been maybe a sort of brief scene of Sam's utilizing her Phase Shift ability to dodge the Robo Chozo's attacks before the battle starts to emphasize the necessity of such ability. Other than that, I had no problem with emotional complexity and consequence the whole scenario with Quiet Robe being killed off so quickly after helping Samus. This made me really truly hated Raven Beak all the more, so mission accomplished, Mercury Steam and Sakamoto.
@@-ak-634 I still don't know how much we can credit of Dread to Sakamoto... especially this kind of subtlety that goes AGAINST the one game where he had complete creative control. I don't want to derail that convo with Saka-bashing, but given how over-credited the guy is already, until we have an actual source covering his concrete contribution, I'll stick to thanking Mercury Steam
Whoever first drew or modeled Samus’ Dread standing pose should get an award. That pose and the ways she moves into and out of it tell you literally all you need to know about her
i always loved that Samus took like a slightly uncomfortable amount of time to answer after hearing the plan, always makes me think that she took a bit to remember the words she wanted to say.
When I first played Dread, I didn't assume the inciting incident - the footage of an X-parasite - was genuine, particularly as the Chozo warrior from the intro had blatantly used it to lure Samus to ZDR. It could have been a hoax. Arriving in Elun and realising that, yes, the X are really here, *was* a twist to me. Also, that shot of them escaping was loaded with meaning. Samus Aran is truly having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, having had her butt kicked by a Chozo mega-warrior, trapped deep underground and now there's *this* to deal with too? Everything about this is going to suck. The only known cure for X infection is to kill it with fire, with 'it' here meaning the whole planet (sorry ZDR, there's nothing else we can do for you at this point). What an item to add to today's to do list: 'destroy the planet'.
One of my favorite things about Dread's narrative is how good it is at creating a sense of mystery, but in a particularily dreadful way (the title isn't just refering to the murder robots). It always feels like there's a deeper truth hidden from sight, and finding clear evidence that the X are indeed alive on this planet just feels like another small piece to the puzzle despite how important of a reveal it is. Even when heading to Itorash for the final showdown, you get the sense that something isn't quite right, and it's only when you learn that Raven Beak had been controlling everything through his disguise that it all makes sense. In one instant, Raven Beak went from a rather generic warmongering bad guy to a really interesting antagonist, because he's not just a tough battle opponent, he controls the very perspective with which we see the world around us. On a side note, I'd love to know how Raven Beak managed to contain the X. Whatever he did could give us a hint on how to beat the X without having to destroy the planet if they ever return.
Great summary of the X escaping scene. Ever since seeing it the first time, I can’t help but see Samus adding “destroy the planet” to her mental checklist while watching the X flee with the mentality of “(sigh) crapbaskets...”
'Destroy the planet *beat* AGAIN.' I am 100% sure Samus must be getting sick of that solution. Probably heard that 'nuke from orbit ' meme and screams internally.
Raven Beak probably cleansed much of the surfaces and subterranean environments with advance weaponry and lured the X over to where Elon is to contain them within the stasis cage. Given his aptitude with military intelligence and resources, he would have made a very nice bait for power-hungry parasites, so it make sense that they would go after him. Unfortunately for him, his people couldn't be saved as they're no way as powerful as he is. And remember the critters in the tubes up on Hanubia? They're for reseeding and repopulating the ecosystem in case Raven Beak won the first round against X and second round against the unleashed X as well as capturing Samus. Hell, Raven Beak made sure to lace the whole world with bombs in case he loses to either X or Samus so that either or both would never leave alive as one final act of his retribution. Man, he's written so damn well for a video game villain.
I've always gotten the impression from Dread that Kraid vs Samus is basically an encountered filled with all the one-sided, doomed hatred of of Ahab and the Whale. Only, in a reversal of what might be expect, it's _Kraid,_ not the protagonist, who plays Captain Ahab. Samus's body language gives the impression that to her this is just a job: a foe she's fought, overcome, and moved past long ago. She all but _relaxes,_ when she recognizes Kraid. Meanwhile, with Kraid, there's a sense that this is _Very_ personal. From the squint of recognition to the defiant (futile) final strike
Samus casually charging a beam and firing it into Kraid’s mouth made me love Samus so much more, and convinced me that Dread is also the funniest Metroid game.
Can't help but love how that plays out in the cutscenes. He however kicked my butt a few times before I learned about the early Morph Bombs skip, did that, and finally beat him the first time with the alternative fight solution, finally started to get good at the controls for later bosses but finding a unconventional solution for my first difficulty wall was seriously satisfying
Fun Theory: The Mawkin were the ones to leave behind the Aeion abilities from Samus Returns, and Raven Beak uses the same ones from that game in his fight against Samus. This is also why Aeion abilities don't appear in Metroid 1, Super, or Fusion (aside from retcons), as Samus doesn't interact with any elements of Mawkin Chozo society. Fantastic video! Absolutely loved the series. Actually got me to take my own NES out of storage and give it the old boil trick to get it working again!
I'm a game developer who experienced first hand a problematic work environment. The best thing you can do is call attention to bad working conditions and shame the people responsible. Boycotts don't do anything other than give bad faith actors something to hold over their employees' heads.
This. If you're not the worker don't make unilateral decisions about how to best fight for the worker. There were legitimate reasons why during the writers and actors strikes this past year that they actively discouraged consumer boycotts.
Adding to this: Do not review bomb. Add a disclaimer to a written review at the very start highlighting the problems and shame the people at the top for creating such environments, but don't say that the devs who had worked under such conditions did a bad job unless they did a bad job. You don't know how that will negatively effect those devs going forward, for review bombing something because crunch or other problematic things happened in the work place.
So, I've gotten a couple'a comments saying things like this (most of them in much less-friendly terms than yours, thank you for being kind!), so I guess this is as good a place as any to clarify: My intention with that section was NOT to call for a consumer boycott or any other sort of group action. As a game player, I know from seeing numerous attempts at public boycotts over the years that they're not effective. All I wanted to say was that if this sort of thing happens again with the next game, I *personally* don't want to buy it, play it, or make videos about it. And that's not because I think my actions (or lack thereof) will hurt the publisher or get them to change anything. I know it won't make a difference to their bottom line. The only reason I wouldn't do it would be for myself, and my own peace of mind. And, best-case scenario, if I can say, "I'm not making a video on the new Metroid, and here's why," maybe that'd help shine a little more light on what's going on.
Boycotts DO work. It's just that they are a start, not the end game. It is a message to people in powerful positions that further actions will be taken should they decide not to listen to the people they serve.
The interesting wrinkle with Raven Beak is that he builds off previously established lore (albiet only mentioned in the manga I believe?) that the Chozo were saiyan/viltrumite style world conquerors, actively spreading their empire across the galaxy using their superior technology as their greatest weapon, before they became enlightened and regretted their past actions, turning to protecting life and promoting peace instead, being one of the key species to help found the Federation, which was a species diverse government from the outset. This turn also coincided with some kind of "genetic degradation" that led to them losing the ability to fly, during their peak all Chozo had the natural ability to soar through the skies, this indirectly adds context to why the Space Jump even exists, it may be a technological substitute for a lost physical ability. And then there's Raven Beak, head of a tribe that is very clearly "clinging to the old ways" within wider lore context, a real "make the Chozo great again" type, and he, with that obsession with the glory days of the Chozo, ends up being the only one to find some way to _regrow_ those lost wings, likely a genetic experiment he had placed quite a lot of time and emphasis into getting done, egotistically saving it only for himself. This also ties into the impetus for the Power Suit, the armor Samus wears, the same kind the Mawkin all wear, it was what the Chozo donned during their original era as a warrior race empire, someone wearing it is fully capable of taking down entire planets worth of life precisely because: _That is Exactly What it Was Designed to Do._
@@yourehereforthatarentyou He would have had to have been one of the last to be born to that era, relatively young. Similar to how Putin is a remaining vestige of communist Russia. There's also the fact that one of the Chozo memories explicitly shows him without the top of his armor, so he isn't hiding his wings until his boss fight, he literally grows them right then and there.
@@Cri_JackalI thought that maybe he just had those wings because he's the "king" kinda like bees but what you say makes sense, that would explain why he rips off his wing like he doesn't care (i mean, other than to look fucking cool)
I never read the manga, but seeing just why Raven Beak is so cleverly capable of wiping down entire planets and was so effortlessly beat Samus, TWICE, while ACTUALLY KILLING HER BRIEFLY, is insane.
1:29:17 Oh my God you used the AM2R remix version of that track , from that moment the baby Metroid hatched...I hope Guasti was watching because damn! It fits perfectly with that montage of all those iconic scenes from all the classic games, tying the greater story together. Nicely done!
I never knew how much I needed that image in my mind until The Geek Critique served it up on a silver platter. Samus spent the whole series fighting against forces that would use the power of the Metroids for evil purposes, and now faced with the toughest of them all and on the verge of defeat, she remembers all that the Hatchling did for her and decides she's not gonna go out like this after having come so far. The Hatchling didn't sacrifice itself and grant Samus its power just for it to be used to conquer the galaxy. The ultimate warrior is meant to use its power to protect the galaxy and ensure it sees peace, and as a threat to that peace, Raven Beak is due for peak obliteration.
Ive got to say, That primal scream at the end by Samu's was amazing props to her VA for that one. Also I didn't know about the drama sounding the production cycle thanks for pointing that out.
Soo real quick as I’m only 3 minutes into the video. As a Metroid fan who had to wait many many years for a new game, there’s no “deserving” for any new title in this series. You deserved this game as much as the rest of us did, no matter the wait time. We’re just glad you’re here in this journey with us
Also: no Metroid fan on the planet would want a game knowing the circumstances the developers went through to make it. I was oblivious to this fact, and it makes me sad that it was even an issue. Dread is a fantastic game, one that made me get back into the series as a whole. Those people deserve to not only get paid, but their names should undoubtedly be in the credits. It’s a real shame they arent
Buying a previous game does not mean you ‘deserve’ a new one. Nintendo is kind of a bitch over re and de makes. But nobody DESERVES a new one. Its okay we got one but its kinda coulda been more metroid and less lords of shadow
@@aaronko3480 Exactly. If we don't lock this person up immediately and make an example out of it, others could follow, and then the internet could become a nice place! Horrible!
There's no need to sympathize with Jaffe for getting frustrated. Getting lost or not noticing a solution isn't the problem. The reason he got skewered is because of his arrogance, asserting his position as a developer as a position of absolute authority on what good game design is, and refusal to stop digging himself deeper in the hole. Which, dread isn't the only example of this either. He reaps what he sows.
There's definitely been a few instances thruout metroid that were sorta irksome to me (the false wall in SMs lower norfair and fairly inconspicuous destructible blocks in fusions AQA) tho never to the point where it angered me since it taught me to think outside the box and really scrutinize the rooms in metroid, but the jaffe room is so painfully obvious that I can't help feeling immense schadenfreude towards the guy bashing dread because he and he alone couldn't acknowledge one of the most clearly communicated environmental obstacles in the game
For the Metroid Dread reveal, I guess for fans the reactions went from "Oh YES a sequel to Fusion!" to, well... Arlo's live reaction that was so epic a fan animated it.
I just looked up the Arlo Dread reaction vid (animated and original) and OMG you were not lying lmao. His reaction alone makes anyone want to go out and get the game... lol perfect reaction
I was driving a truck for my job during the direct but had just parked for a lunch break when Dread was revealed, when I tell you that I SCREAMED in excitement.
I was in tears at the last 10 minutes when everything gets recontextualize. As a long time fan of 30 years old this game was everything and I was soo excited to hear Geek Critiques thoughts on it. Thank you so much and happy holidays to you all ❤️
I love his interpretation of her role as the last Metroid where she's the living legacy of the Chozo and the Hatchling. The Metroid storyline ends with Samus obliterating the embodiment of everything that ever hurt her as the embodiement of everything that ever helped her.
1:15:40 This is a real phenomena. Some sleep scientist I watched a while back said that it's believed that if something was challenging you in the day, your brain just runs simulations of it while you sleep. And it's way more efficient than waking practice. So after sleeping on it, you come back objectively more skilled.
It's been a great boon in learning difficult tech skills for me after I figured this out. Just sit with a difficult problem for a few hours and the next day it's easier. I wish I knew this in high school where difficult tasks were just frustratingly cast aside.
I honestly believe Dread is my favorite 2D Metroid. The boss fights alone are so much fun, and I love how the game has a plot with a bit more to chew on than other 2D metroids. It’s not perfect, no game is and depending on what you like about 2D Metroid then Dread might not resonate with you like it did with me. Also, Samus is just such a badass in this game. She gives off DoomGuy levels of no fucks given.
Nobody cares about my working conditions in the office; so I I really don’t care about the working conditions of these video games being made to the degree that it would make me NOT buy it if I wanted to play it.
Its also become my favorite. I never thought a game could dethrone Super for me, but I love the fluid motions of samus in dread, movement just feels excellent and the boss fights are really good and hitting those parrys are so satisfying. Everytime I go back to another Metroid, I just wanna play Dread
I don’t know how often it’s stated but man the way you sync up music to points you make adds so much to the review. The music swelling with the mention of the speed booster was so satisfying to hear and accurately captures the wonder of the upgrade. Incredible work here!
This is my favorite video by you, TGC. I've been watching your videos for a few years now, and never have I watched any video so many times in such a short time. Every time I finish it, just like when you beat your favorite games, all I can think is how much I wanna watch it again. Every part enriches the rest, and every moment is so well crafted and presented, it just never gets old.
Dude I portioned this out over the past few days (because it's the last new TGC Metroid for what will be years) but it is your best yet. The attention to storytelling, the diverse volume of music (basically every minute a new track for 90+ mins!) which also matches the mood is just so enjoyable -- my favs were at 1:29:00 & ofc Kenny Omega's theme at 20:18. And ya popped me huge at 26:44, can't believe I kinda got to be part of a TGC!! A winner is youuuu 💚
Regarding the Ice Missile / Ice Beam thing, Samus still has the weakness to ice she inherited from Metroids. She is still unable to use the ice beam. Personally, I like that change. Before, switching between the regular beam and ice beam was always awkward. Giving the ice effect to missiles instead really streamlines the gameplay.
Video games, don't need narrative to be great. Oftentimes, I prefer not to deal with cutscenes or those worse scenes where the game makes you follow a character while they talk--But Metroid, wouldn't be quite the same without its narrative, often told mostly through the environment and gameplay, Dread proves how important narrative _can_ be to a game and series. A 35 year long story told mostly without text or voices, all through the exclusive strengths of a video game and its compatibility with the idea of narrative itself, ended with one of the most exciting stories of any video game -- Dread, wouldn't have been as good without the story. It would have been fun, but it wouldn't have been as exciting, as engaging. _This is the storytelling I want future Metroid games to strive for._ And I just realized all this thanks to this video, I realized why I was so desperate to finish this game my first time, why I was so ready to continuously play this one between shifts at work -- I loved the game itself, _but I was motivated to see the ending of it as soon as I possibly could. I had been waiting most of my life for the conclusion to this story afterall._ This also helped me realize the inherit weakness of Metroid Prime 3/Other M. Both games have _great_ stories, but neither of them tell stories like a Metroid game. Other M is structured like a horror movie, while Prime 3 takes inspiration from the more generic side of video game storytelling, they are worse games than they could be, due mostly to their lack of understanding as to what makes a good Metroid story -- Metroid Dread makes no such mistake. It doesn't let you get into Samus's mind, doing so would insult her character. It let's you understand her thoughts through body language and her actions, _it shows, not tells._ The exposition in this game is infrequent, and told appropriately based on the plot and characters. Super Metroid may still be my favorite Metroid game, but Dread did not disappoint me when I played it in any real way. _I love this game._ And this video helped me pinpoint exactly why.
Hmm. I really can't disagree with the topic of the comment. Dread does it's narrative very well, even though I think the Story, when analyzed really isn't that big of a deal and kind of a let down. But I do have a problem whenever I hear people claiming Prime 3 is worse, because it doesn't uphold the holy Metroid Gameplay Bible. For example: Something that always struck me the wrong way was the fierce argument that Prime 3 lost exploration... but most other Metroid Games are linear to an extend as well, Sequenz breaking excluded (Though I can hardly call Dreads "Sequenz Breaking", when it was developed that way). And you still explore the new areas and the world whenever you begin to search for Scan Data, Items, Energy Cells and yes even the Main Story, though you explore the Story only during the first playthrough. And on a Lore level you also Explore the Worldbuilding of the Metroid Franchise. The Federation and the Pirates, with their Military, Navy and one of their Homeworlds. The Bryyons, the Elysians, the other Hunters... There's much to explore for a lore sucker like me. But I get that this part is a more personal reason and is not at all part of any criticism. (I'm still hoping to see more of the Kriken Empire ;D) And the more cutscene heavy moments of Prime 3 really aren't that big of a deal. I understand that some people are very impatient, or don't like having to watch cutscenes for various reasons, but that makes the Problem you have a *You* Problem and not a flaw of the game.
@@TurKlack My mention of Prime 3 isn't the story it tells, it's HOW the story is told. It tells a lot more than it shows. The cutscenes in Prime 3 are great, but the presentation feels less like a Metroid game, and more like any other space-themed shooter. I love Prime 3, in some ways its my favorite of the three games. I love its narrative too, it does a great job at finishing the story of the first two games--But it certainly makes you sit through a lot more dialog-centric cutscenes than Prime/Echoes. That's not always a bad thing, I just don't find it to be a good fit in a series known for its environmental story telling.
Ah. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I must agree then that Prime 3 is indeed more stereotypical western Sci-Fi. Though only for the Cutscene heavy moments, like the two Battles between the Federation and the Pirates. @@SdudyoyO
Metroid even HAVING a narrative makes it stand out from just about every other Nintendo series, where even at their most story-driven they don't usually have this much continuity between titles. But thanks to the experimental nature of the series it still happened, and makes it stand out even more.
52:26 wow, as a BIG story over gameplay guy, I'm very happy they did make the fight with quiet robe's killer an actual playable boss fight, heck to me this is one of the biggest advantages of video games, a tv show would just have you watch the main character beat the killer but because it's a video game you actually get to play it, YOU get to avenge their death, and to me that creates such a strong resonance between gameplay and story, I wouldn't have it any other way, in stark contrast to the fight with Corpius where I fealt like the game had given me no reason to care and so I found the fight to be a slog more than anything, but with Robe's killer I had every reason to care, and so I ended up loving the fight, despite how many times I died during it (and that was a lot of times, I struggled with this thing quite a bit on my first encounter, but I was having fun the whole way), I probably would have fealt robbed if the game had "played itself", so to speak, in that moment.
What a VIDEO. This is the ultimate Geek Critique for me, just as Dread is in my opinion the ultimate Metroid game. Maybe not the best, but without comparison in scale, tension, consistency (POWER GRIPPERS NEVER DIE) and emotion. I sincerely hope Metroid gets another game (hmmm, i wonder how the idiots at the Federation will take to someone with invincible Metroid powers running around completely unchecked, kinda seemed like they sent Samus in to die with that unusual bounty...), and if Mercury Steam does take it on, I *sincerely* hope they get a top-to-bottom reevaluation of how they run things. Dread was the first Metroid game I got to play when it released, and I know I wouldn't have been as compelled as I was by it without you, without your videos. I was up in the wee hours of the night clutching my controller as I thrashed again and again at the seemingly unclimbable boss walls. I got actual finger cramps from holding that missile button and for the first time in my several years of Switch ownership induced joycon drift just from throwing myself at Z-57 for two hours before sleeping on it and then kicking his teeth in. I was screaming at my TV like a five year old "THAT'S GRAY VOICE" and kicking myself for not noticing the Adam twist and my jaw hit the floor when I saw the Metroid Suit. What an incredible, spectacular game. This feels full-circle, and it being the first Metroid TGC with my name in it feels so utterly fitting. Thank you, Geek Critique, for introducing me to this wonderful series that I can say with pride I have beaten every 2D entry in. Now, onto Prime for me! Looking forward to the re-critiques! EDIT now that the video is fully out: Merry Christmas everyone!
This is one of the best Christmas presents I could have asked for this video was absolutely worth the wait. I’m very glad you took the time to talk about the games terrible development and working conditions because everyone who worked on this masterpiece of a game deserves to be credited for it. I also love how you took time in the review to talk about the Jaffe room that made me chuckle alot.
Something that I wanna add about the music section of the video is that the Prime series followed Hip's idea of sound effects and music being hard to distinguish really well. Themes like Chozo ruins or Sanctuary fortress make it hard to tell what is a sound effect or what's part of the song unless you listen to the song on its own. But despite that, it didn't prevent its composers to make a bunch of bangers, same as Nestroid.
Yeah, while I am fairly certain the Dread composers genuinely attempted to follow Tanaka's ideas, I'm not sure they fully understood them. Prime's composers very much did.
1:29:17 Bruh you didn’t have to have me in tears like that. Awesome work as always! I’m glad I contributed as a supporter for this one. You deserve it.
Need to issue a correction here: the Teleportals do NOT, in fact, become connected if you find all of them. Instead, they become connected after you beat the final, golden Chozo Warrior right before Itorash. I know this first hand because I actually tested it. I went out of my way to find all the Teleportals before that fight, and they still didn't link together, and then I tried several other things to basically narrow it down to that one single variable. So, yeah, you don't have to find all the Teleportals in order to connect them, you just have to beat the Chozo Warrior in Hanubia.
The Covarr inserts are honestly such a brilliant way to capitalize on and rectify the original Fusion controversy. Not to mention, the beautiful continuity. Love it! Side note, I remember seeing your comment on Game Maker's Toolkit's video and I'm pretty sure I even left a like. Seems like eons ago.
It really is an interesting case of doubling down, without telling everyone they were wrong about the original incident. They both owned up, and now it’s basically a fun in joke
I feel the whole thing was blown out of proportion a bit and not something TGC needed to apologize for, but I totally understand his sentiment on why the joke didn't land and especially his guilt for all the shit Covarr got. I'm glad we were able to turn it into something positive in the end, and the guy that asked Covarr to track down and apologize to the tree that produced the oxygen he used to say the bit about the Federation keeping Samus weak is still the funniest shit I've ever heard from a TH-cam commenter.
I really love Samus' reaction to seeing Kraid. When she first enters the room, her guard is up, because she doesn't know what to expect. Then Kraid steps into view, and Samus' posture relaxes, as if saying, "Oh, it's just you." Some people argue over whether this Kraid is the same one from Super and/or Zero Mission, or if "Kraid" is just a species of creature Samus has encountered more than once. I absolutely believe this is the same character from Super. Kraid is so enraged at the very sight of Samus that he finally breaks out of his bonds after being stuck there for who knows how long.
Yo, those 5 first minutes were so valuable and important. Thanks for taking the time to expose this reality to us. I don't follow game news closely so this could easily could've been lost.
Was gonna say this. It’s easy to forget all the people who make Product(TM) possible, but it’s so much better to remember them. I can only hope MercurySteam makes that better choice next time.
I (and most other people here) have been waiting for this review the second we finished the game ourselves. Genuine catharsis. (Just wondering, will you cover, what little there is to cover, of Prime Hunters?) Small nitpick, in the final cutscene, it's not Quiet Robe that stops Samus from absorbing the ship energy, it's actually Adam.
Masterpiece of a critique here. As a longtime fan it feels like you grew with this series in so many ways. Happy to support you man, hope this video hits 1 million+ as it rightfully deserves !
Something worth mentioning on the ABSOLUTE INCOMPETENCE of the federation. They have a reason. They are failures at every single step...HOWEVER the reason they always do things their ways (and mess up) is because of what Samus is. Samus is a bounty hunter. A FORMER soldier. By federation standards, they don't want to deal with her. "Why pay a bounty hunter, when we, the federation, have all the resources we need. Just make something better than some bounty hunter" Thats why we always see that the federation tried something before calling Samus. In super metroid we have remnants of the federation trying to take care of it. Samus is never the first choice, and half the time, Samus just kind of "gets involved" and is never officially hired.
Metroid Dread is good but it would be better if it featured a cartoon blue hedgehog as the protagonist, multiplayer co-op gameplay, 12 zones of classic side-scrolling gameplay, "Sonic" instead of "Metroid" and "Superstars" instead of "Dread"
What I think is really cool about the EMMI zones in particular is that, yes, you can stealth through them and probably will for a few playthroughs, there's actually a way to mad dash through every EMMI Zone if you know the route and what you're doing. Eventually, you can get to the point where you rarely, if ever, actually use the Phantom Cloak inside of EMMI Zones.
I watched the whole video. This game literally got me through the hardest anxiety attack in my life. It was so engaging that it helped me forget the pain for a while and focus on getting better and finally beating Raven Beak.
@@runforest I was. In fact, it was anxiety caused because of a medication given to me by a doctor ironically and a terrible mismatch. It was temporary, medically induced anxiety, not something that required therapy, and frankly one of the worst months of my life. I'll be frank. You don't know the first thing about me. When someone is being vulnerable and just simply expressing what something means to them, decent human beings don't make fun of them.
1:22:24 i love the blank, unfocused stare Samus has as she just breathes here. It's incredible how well they managed to convey her freaked out with thoughts running faster than her shinesparks, all without words or facial expressions.
I'm just starting this vid. As a lifelong fan of gaming, the industry and Metroid since the early 80's, I appreciate the opening to this video. I wanted to be a programmer to work on games, but ultimately switched industries cause there were some things about programming and such I didn't care for. So I appreciate all those who work tirelessly and share their talents to beings us games we love. They deserve to be noticed and treated better. Now, back to the video for me. (Also, I believe Metroid was the reason I discovered your channel and have been a follower since and at times even a patreon subscriber)
As a person who himself didn't grow up with the Metroid franchise, having only gotten into the series about 4 years back with Samus Returns and my first attempt at Prime 1 on the Wii, I'm on my true journey through the series as I am currently playing every game possible with so far only the original Metroid, Samus Returns, Prime 1 Remastered and Dread under my belt, I can proudly call myself a full on series fanboy, because I just absolutely LOVE this series. Granted I do have quite a ways to go playing every other game in the franchise, I am just loving this journey so far. And speaking of journeys, watching your retrospective on this franchise (at least on the games I've personally played and beaten, mind you) has taken my on quite the odyssey and the way you meticulously describe what makes the series so special to you speaks volumes to your dedication on the labor of love that has been this series retrospective itself. I'll be happy to watch the videos of the other games you've done retrospectives on which are the games I've yet to play and beat, but once its done, I'll be somewhat sad knowing this right here will be the last Metroid video you do until we get a new entry which could still be YEARS down the line. Regardless, I want to thank you for showing such love and compassion to a series that once felt dead and gone from the public eye. One that has had a great comeback with Dread and Prime Remastered. And it's channels like yours that show just how much people want more Metroid.
Idt absorbing the X at the end suppresses the Metroid powers, but passes on the knowledge to Samus on how to control it, remember back in fusion when the X are being explained it's said that they are also capable of absorbing knowledge and the throha tribe has the knowledge on how to control Metroids, so I think when Samus absorbs quiet robe she gains that knowledge which means the metroid absorbing power can still be utilized in the future.
Incredible episode. I truly embraced Metroid as a franchise because of your original videos, and by the time dread came out, I had a blast playing through. One of my favorite memories of this game was figuring out that a 0% run was completely possible, and then spending the next few days trying my hardest to beat it (surprisingly, Escue was the boss that gave me the most trouble, aside from the final boss). That experience of figuring out the 0% challenge made me feel grateful, not for being a "hardcore gamer" or whatever, but grateful for having the chance to play this series and game. Thank you Geek Critique and all the hard working devs at Mercury Steam!
Firs time I ever did the patreon for a video like this. Been looking forward to this, and it's really well made! I love how you brought the left-hand thing full circle that was hilarious. This game is definitely one of my favorite Metroid games, if not my absolute favorite of the 2D games. The way the combat, exploration, story, and just everything came together was awesome. Hooe things are well!
Had a huge smile through this entire episode, been waiting for it since Dread released and honestly didn't want the episode to end lol. Its been 2 years and I'm honestly still not sure how to feel about Dread, I got lost a lot on my first playthrough the same way you described, but when revisiting it a few months ago I rarely if ever got lost. Regardless, I had a blast on that first playthrough, I loved the new upgrades, especially the Flash Shift and how they reworked the speed booster, every boss was super memorable, the ending sequence just blew me away and I SO hope draining enemy health with Samus' new power is something we can do in the next 2D game. Its easy to say I loved the game but I never could pinpoint whether it was one of my favorite games or just a game I enjoyed. I think that this video really helped me pinpoint what I liked about Dread and why, and while I'm still not completely sure to what extent, helped me realize that I truly do love this game, and that it is one I'll fondly remember and keep going back to for years to come. Thank you so much for the critique! Looking forward to seeing your re-critiques of the other 2D games as well. Sidenote, the person who said "play Ninja Gaiden Black" on the discord server is based af
To this day, three years later, the primal fury Samus exhibits when she unleashes her Metroid power is unmatched. It is absolutely insane. She truly embodies every player who struggled with a boss fight and wants to see him utterly obliterated.
Also he’s so cool and strong you’d definitely lose if you fought him again. Maybe you should just give up and join him, I’m kidding I’m kidding… unless?
Funnily enough, I actually left to go do something around when the “intermission” part of the video started, only to find my Metroid Dread Samus figma on my doorstep after months of waiting. Very much looking forward to finishing setting that up later. Anyhow, Dread was basically my first “new” Metroid game as well, since I got into the series with Samus Returns when it came out. I also was introduced to your channel via those original Metroid reviews, and I remember watching them constantly to see what I had missed with the series up to that point. This whole redux has been so nostalgic to me, since they remind me of a formative time of my teenage years when I was trying out a lot new series for the first time. I thank you for all of this amazing critiquing, and watching this alone made me want to pop in and experience Dread all over again
I got into your channel through Sonic, and got into Metroid through your channel. The first thing I thought about after playing dread was “I just need to know what josh thinks”. Banger video. Seen it already on the patreon but felt the need to leave a comment here. Keep doing what you’re doing, Josh. I absolutely love the channels like yours that focus on why people love gaming to begin with.
My single favorite moment in the entirety of Dread is Kraid’s introduction. Samus being on guard until she sees the threat then very visibly _relaxing_ once the threat’s identified, then calmly just shooting the angry dragon in the mouth with all the arrogant air of someone saying “shut up, nerd” just _oozes_ confidence in her abilities and skills. She _knows_ Kraid isn’t a threat to her, not really, and it shows in every cinematic he’s involved in. Even his death showcases it, with that last projectile he fires off as he’s dying that Samus just sidesteps like she’s walking around someone on the street. The entire fight really is just 👌sublime, but the intro is definitely my favorite part
I think you may have mistook correlation for causation in your point about boss rooms taking a little longer to load. It's unlikely that the devs handpicked which door transitions take longer to increase suspense for bosses (or whatever other reason they might have; I can't think of anything other than that, which is another point against that theory); the longer black screen is very likely actually a longer load screen. What's more likely the case is that the longer load screen comes mostly from a more intricate room design. Boss rooms tend to have intricate designs, but you can still have non-boss intricate rooms (the boss's model and AI script also likely contribute some, but so would the elaborate sea-lab background and its custom destruction script) I don't think we can conclude that there would have been a boss before the gravity suit just from the longer load screen
It's always a long wait for one of these videos and it's always always worth it. Seriously, you and Kovar (spelling? sorry) do a fantastic job on these videos (and anyone else involved). They're comprehensively beefy and lengthy, which is how I'd like videos I need to wait for to be, and just so well written and edited with all the best possible clips and music choices accompanying the dialogue that could have been chosen. And I have learned long ago since the first retrospective of yours I watched that I don't need to worry about you having left anything out. You always bring it up eventually and at all the right moments. Well done on this video, your other videos, and your channel. You've earned whatever success and/or notoriety/reputation you have gotten or still can get. Just wanted to let you know.
I'll admit I had a "Jaffe Room" moment my first time. After getting the Spider-Magnet, I got stuck in the EMMI room. I did blow a hole through the wall but my thought process wasn't to keep shooting, it was that was the ONE correct spot to shoot and I need to find the Morph Ball. I did a few laps around the map before turning the game off after getting a frustration headache. Came back the next day and found the solution almost by accident. EDIT: Okay, I paused the vid to write this I wasn't expecting the same thing from you!
My moment was the screwattack. I completely missed it after beating Experiment No Z-57. Throughout most of the game I went through each session making progress, however after beating Experiment No Z-57 I went back to take on the Wave Beam E.M.M.I, not realizing I needed to go back and get the screw attack to proceed.
The room didn't get dubbed the Jaffe room just because he got stuck there. Loads of people probably did. It was done because he got stuck there and used the experience to mouth off to an audience about why the game supposedly is bad and sucks and led him to ragequit, when he had really just forgotten about basic controls/fundamentals and just wanted to try to save face. That level of meltdown combined with being at least a somewhat known gaming/public figure is apparently what it takes to get Metroid rooms named after you.
Let me tell you a story I have kept to myself until now. A story of which, I can be considered the main character: It’s October 2021. Locked within this house, loosing track of days, and depression and anxiety pestering like it’s nobodies’ business. Home School? Well that’s not going well. After failing to properly revise for a test it must be re taken to not be plastered with a D grade, and the necessary revision notes are nothing short of a mess. But that pales in comparison to this truly atrocious physical state. Servere Eczema hit like a freight train this year, and doctors won’t consult you due ti the ongoing global pandemic, rendering this individual “not as important”. In spite of that, skin is flaking, Body is tearing, Immune system is over acting and it’s not being medically consulted correctly. It’s been like this for well over 1 to 2 years now; and While far from the case, it feels like the verge of death... And then, an online order arrived. A meager Nintendo Switch game that has been anticipated by many. One excited response later, perhaps this will be a source of relief? Anything is worth a shot at this point. This life is one in shambles, so something may as well be thrown at the wall to see what sticks... And then... Metroid Dread blew all of my expectations away. Everything in this game came together for me. Every note hit with Perfection. I didn’t think there would be a Metroid game to surpass Super, but Colour me a Filthy Liar. i couldn’t help but bray it over and over and over again. It was all so cathartic so clever so lovingly crafted so Lore re-Thinking and the sort of game that doesn’t get made in the 2020s yet deserves to be. For a while, it was my ultimate source of happiness. And to some extent, it still is. Despite my prior exaggeration, I don’t believe this is a perfect game (ghavoran looking at you). It’s not the game I have the single most nostalgia for. And there are games which I would consider all time greats over it. And yet, Dread means more to me than any other game I’ve ever played. My life has gotten better since then, but it was with me at my lowest point. It was why I was alive for a while. And It’s one of few games I have 99% happiness while playing. Metroid Dread is special. Metroid Dread rules. Metroid Dread deserves the Masterpiece label over so many other games in my eyes. And, one final comment to cement my emotion and connection to this incredible franchise... My favourite video game of all time, is Metroid Dread.
Glad you're doing better now, and that Dread helped. Also one of my absolute favorite games ever. I'm 40 now, so Super Metroid was the game I played during my awkward high school period. Personally I place Dread right alongside Super and Prime as my favorite games.
22:35 "Oh! So THIS is where that huge monster statue's mouth leads to! But, I mean, I can't go in the really hot area, so surely I need to go back and search for a way to get that weird red machine on the map... Maybe that gives me the heat protection suit! This is just like that morph ball tunnel in Super Metroid!" "Oh! So THIS is what's in that hot room! But, I mean, I can't go below the barrier into the lava, so surely I need to save this for later and search the new hot rooms I unlocked in Artaria and Cataris... Maybe that gives me a lava immunity upgrade! It's just like that morph ball tunnel in Super Metroid!"
Hey- good on you for talking about the problems the developers faced. And yeah, this is why I think criticisms that Dread is TOO handholdy are absurd. It's true that it guides the player quite a bit- personally, the one and only time I got lost, was when I RECOGNIZED where the game was trying to lead me, but I went "Wait, wait- this CAN'T be right, I can't need to leave this area THIS quickly, there has to be something else here" only to hit dead ends, and eventually realize that my initial hunch was correct. But the ability to recognize where a game is guiding you is a SKILL, and one that not everyone is great at! /I/ had no problems, but friends of mine did! Loads of people did! And making the game complicated enough to befuddle players who are that good at recgonizing the path forward, would've made it utterly LABYRINTHIAN to anyone else. And I still wound up losing the path! It wasn't til like, playthrough 5 or 6 that I realized I'd been overlooking a path the game wanted me to take, to get the cross bombs earlier than I did, where on previous playthroughs they were always my very last item acquired before the power bombs. Speaking of sequence breaks, there's quite a bit I could say about- Huh? What? Oh, we're being cut off by the Power Rangers end music? Alright, let's give it a moment, then. ... SO! Sequence breaks! Dread has 'em... but honestly? I'm not a fan. And the biggest problem with them for me, is that, for the most part? They require you to take a detour from the game's intended path. I'm sure speedrunners have math'd it out, but they don't FEEL like they save me much time. In Super Metroid and Zero Mission, I sequence break all the time. I turn the like, 3 trips from Brinstar and Norfair that you need to make in the game's normal path, between getting the high jump and the grapple beam, into just one. Zero Mission, I frequently nab the Varia Suit early with some bomb jumps- I even once nabbed it without even getting bombs yet. In these games, the sequence breaks are right along the path that you're following anyway. They save time. But in Dread, I did some sequence breaks for the sake of testing them out... and it kinda felt like that's all they were there for. I didn't feel like I was saving time, just... following a different path. One that wasn't laid out for me, in maps that are a lot more twisting, needing to follow a guide to remember where things are. I got the grapple beam and bombs early, but they weren't just right there, they weren't things I could just grab while I was here and save myself a trip back later, they were things i had to go out of my way for, and lead to MORE trips back. It FEELS like the sequence breaks are there, just to say that there are in fact Sequence Breaks. ...I did like nabbing the Gravity Suit early, though. That changed things up a bit more, and lead to some more difficult boss fights as I didn't have tools I was supposed to. I also nabbed it a bit early on my most recent playthrough, too- though I wouldn't really call it grabbing it early, so much as just, grabbing it quicker, as I got it when I was supposed to, progression-wise; - I just skipped having to go through the underwater sequence without it.
I've always had a problem with replaying games, even those I truly loved. Mods for the most part didn't cut it - either they didn't change much, and I still get bored, or the game becomes something new. But Dread was unique. I beat it on normal, thoroughly cleaning every location. And after the credits, after I saw that my save slot had a proud "100%" on it, I immediatelly made another one, this time on hard mode, and did it again. And again. Without mods, without any alternations to the game whatsoever, I beat it 5 times. It's, to this day, the only game that made me passionate about replaying it, and I dunno why or how. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or the subtle dev-made sequence breaks, or even it's gameplay. My first playthrough was almost a year ago. And to this day I'm having a blast (this time on an emulator), going back and forth between vanilla and randomizer playthoughs. And while Dread on itself has some noticable problems, I, too, believe it is a pinnacle Metroid experience. Can't wait for what comes next for 2D Metroid, and can't wait for Prime 4. Side note, the randomizer is a blast in Dread. I'm using a Randovania mod, which includes teleportals in it's logic, allowing some pretty bizarre upgrade and location paths. It's logic can be changed drastically, and has an amazing, newbie-friendly entry level. QoL changes are amazing, too (the intro-recap is skipped, some atmospheric cutscenes that don't serve any purpose on subsecuent playthoughs are deleted, every room has a name, a death counter, and energy parts give 25 energy each being the noticable ones.)
Metroid Dread really got to me because it took a lot of music from Super Metroid, my first videogame *ever*, I know people say that's a con, but to me it really strengthen how much I love this series.
i first got into the metroid series at 13, and your videos on it were one of my favorite things to watch back then. seeing this on my feed brought me back, and your videos have improved vastly, but it still has that good ol' style. glad to see your stuff again after half a decade
Dread did an amazing job of replicating my memory of what it was like to play Super/Fusion when they were new. Normally nostalgia's view is so rose colored it's easy to be let down by remakes/revivals of beloved series but with this they really did hit the sweet spot of making me feel like a ten year old renting Super Metroid when it first released.
The mere announcement of this game got me to be a fan of the Metroid franchise. I always respected it, but seeing a bunch of fans bundle together in joy over the announcement of a long lost Metroid title and seeing the initial development story behind the game when it was announced made me want to play each mainline 2D game before Dread came out… I’m glad I did. I am now a proud fan of Metroid.
I am so fucking ready for this video. Posting now and editing as we go. Edit 1: The wait, relinquishing of the name to the ether, and subsequent "WHAT THE FUCK" of Dread's actual reveal is something that to this day I still have to legit tell myself wasn't just some fever dream or the weirdest fantasy ever. I sat in a Discord call that reacted to the game's casual reveal and the double or nothing impact of the slick typeface "METROID 5" and that initial E.M.M.I chase down to the "Dread" subtitle reveal might have actually taken some years off my life because of how thoroughly "aint NOOOO way" it was for me. I was already a canonized Metroid fan from the days of getting Prime 2, Zero Mission and Fusion around the same time in 2004ish and had gotten to live through everything since in real time so those real days where Metroid was little more than a fun thing to pepper into nerd talks with friends like "man, when's the next one" especially post Other M were always chock full of wonder when it came to this mythical title. I was convinced at some point that even if Metroid 5 happened, the "Dread" name was just going to be something for the dustbin of time to look on fondly. To loudly get a declaration that not only was 2D Metroid back on the menu but it was legit THE Dread and also acting as a paradigm shift and tour-de-force for what 2.5D side scrolling action gaming could be was mindboggling. Edit 2: Oh my god this bit about the devs; its so rough seeing enthusiasm be used so rampantly for projects of passion and then not getting people their deserved dues. I was one of those kids hopped up on hopium in his youngest years wanting to "work at Nintendo" because "the little man running in the screen" in Super Mario Bros. My decisions to stay away from this industry come from all of the stories of people just contributing to the infinite growth/wealth of the corporations that make this hobby tick to be rewarded with lasting damage to their health, no credit and no justice. Edit 3: This Jaffe bit as the lead into the difficulty curving is great. That said, I'm definitely a creature of Megaman Zero-s, Devil May Cry (3 specifically), and various other "schmove and slice/shoot" games so the way Dread manages to both capture the essence of dynamic fights from games of my yesteryear while simultaneously acting as a peek into some magic looking glass where Megaman games got to go full hog with modern technology/game design sense or Treasure titles a la Gunstar Heroes got budgets and all the TLC possible made for a very strange Fall 2021 where every following run of Dread I had just made some part of my brain go "this is where so many of my favs could have gotten and it's not fair they don't or didn't get that chance" Edit 4: The personality that was given to Samus in this game (mostly) wordlessly is master class. I have always had a specific reservation with how often the fandom wants to see Samus as a character that is just "femme Doom Slayer" but at the same time didn't argue that much with the suggestion as its still very rare to have a woman lead in a fiction just be Built Like That™. Dread manages to toe along an impressive line between "I am 30 or 40 something at this point and do not fucking CAAAARE" and "ooh, shiny rock/cool animal" alongside the reverence shown with the scenes with Quiet Robe. You just know that she was in a state mentally of "I'm nice like that" in a few bits too along with the legendary "FUCK YOU DAD" that comes about by endgame. The Kraid moment is absolutely standout too where you could almost make the case that internally, hidden behind the emerald glow of her visor she was legit just making a face of sheer disappointment like someone checking the fridge late night for something they knew wasn't in there just based off the body language. "Oh it's just you again." Edit 5: Burenia is a *very* cool biome. Something brought to my attention as recently as a month ago was that the entire journey during Dread's run until Hanubia is underground so there's an added "whoa" factor to the whole region as having an eternal hurricane like situation take place in a cave deep under the crust of ZDR. Did the Mawkin Chozo terraform this space specifically to be like that or is it just an anomaly of the planet? The universe will never know. EDIT 6: YOU ACTUALLY DID EARLY PULSE RADAR ON YOUR FIRST PLAYTHROUGH? I didn't realize how perfect it would be to have at that specific timeframe of a playthrough until I started innovating my own favorite route through the game incorporating sequence breaking, realized that was a thing and then thought "damn, that'd have been fucking rad at that point in the first go around". At the same time, that is *really* a testament to how well choreographed the game is that it could provide any kind of player something like that to keep them feeling their way forward however gracefully. Edit 7: I really wish if more of Dread's music was like Burenia/Burenia Depths too honestly. Also, Gravity Suit has to be MercurySteam's favorite suit with how awesome they keep making it look. I just wish if the lit up parts adopted Prime's ice blue/electric blue coloring, that'd have gone crazy on this design. Edit 8: I do want to point out with the claw grip thing that its kind of beautiful that when Samus finally recognizes and embraces what her new "power" was about, she immediately goes for the head with it. I'm sure the baby Metroid is looking on from somewhere proud of its mom. Thirty five years later and they finally cashed in on the folks wondering where "Metroid" is or joking about "What's a Samus?" How many times had it been brought up that the word "Metroid" was of Chozo origin and literally meant "ultimate warrior?" Exceptionally amazing writing. Now that we're talking about Raven Beak, that was easily the best boss battle and overall encounter I'd had for that year and possibly the couple of years beforehand. That is a whole villain that deserves to be up there in Nintendo's stable of greats. What an amazing sequence. Edit 9: God it's amazing to also hear you mirror the sentiments I had upon the finish of Dread. I have always held Prime 2 and Zero Mission at the highest level of enthusiasm for "thoroughly ideal Metroid" games. I also have a bit of striking out against the grain where I think that for all of Other M's warts and lasting damage, I always felt like its biggest lingering "sin" was how back in the day, it really burned fans of this series so badly that no one would dare even suggest injecting any form of further action perspective into the series; folks wanted Super Metroid or Prime and that was **it**. Instantly upon Dread's completion, it felt like someone had tossed a bomb through a sheet glass window into my innermost thoughts on the series as a whole, raided the place, went to MercurySteam and developed something that had just confidently took a new spot of just being the ideal situation. It delivered on the concept of a "higher action"/action showcase Metroid that Other M wanted so badly to be. It recognized that you could and should be challenged not just to navigate and infer your way around a world of ZDR's breadth and depth, but to compete against various forms of hostiles that are gunning for your existence in narrative all while providing the best upward curve of firepower and options in the series since Echoes (for me personally). Dread even manages to do the impossible and inspire more and more runs because of its slick movement systems, presentation and a number of streamlines (skipping most cutscenes in later playthroughs) while making the average playthrough to completion hover in a manageable range much like Zero Mission so you just feel like you could do another run every time you finish it. Hell, this video really has me thinking of popping the game back in for the God knows how many-eth time here. This video really did not disappoint. You've grown so much with your critique and delivery of said criticism. Thank you for the wonderful Christmas gift!
lmao dude, I was just watching that E3 in my chair casually and they say "here's some news for Metroid" and im all "oh shit cool, Prime 3 info?" then i get slapped in the face with METROID 5 and just immediately begin spinning in my chair in disbelief, like it really was such a ITLL NEVER HAPPEN ITS BEEN TOO LONG moment so DEFIED. it was beautiful.
I'm kinda wondering why people think early Pulse Radar was so rare... I did it on my first playthrough too, and that wasn't even during the part where I got lost for 5-6 hours. (I'm not kidding, after getting the Ice Missiles I ran multiple circles across the _entire fucking map_ trying to figure out what the fuck I was supposed to do with the thing.)
I've been a Metroid fan since I first played Super at the age of 6, and knowing that it was the third in the series certainly set me on a childhood mission of wearing my parents down to turn visiting yard sales into something of a weekend habit as I sought out the other two. I played them in reverse order, and loved them, and the quest to find them filled most of the drought between Super and Fusion for me, while also allowing me to come across a bunch of other old NES and later SNES games being sold for pennies on the dollar, so while the first console I played was the SNES by the time I got Metroid 1 I was very familiar with the OG NES and was able to temper my expectations accordingly and love it for what it was, staying up nights bombing tiles, discovering the screw attack on my own and feeling like I'd unlocked a cheat since I was able to get it relatively early compared to the other two games.... And yet, I got stuck at that same Spider Magnet wall in Dread. Not only that, I got stuck again at the beginning of Cataris where you just need to shoot left of the elevator. Ah, how I'd fallen. I got Jaffe'd twice at the beginning of the game. Though, I didn't get upset at the game for having these elements that have been there since the first game in the series and tutorialzed at the start of the game like that certain someone. I just felt silly, and a bit sad that I'd become so rusty at my favorite series. I skipped AM2R, amd even Samus Returns despite buying it with the full intention of playing the hell out of it, but between work and nerve damage in my hands worsening I'd kept putting it off. But, while I only found myself holding a controller a few days of the year by the time Dread came out, well, I was one of those people that got hyped about that leak, that scan log, and then eventually made peace with the fact that it was never coming only to be blindsided by that reveal and feel young again. Then I played it and felt old as those two walls showed me just how rusty I'd become. After that, though, I didn't get stumped that hard again, though the limits of my energy and use of my hands made the final boss take 3 evening gaming sessions to beat, and while I got frustrated at points, looking back I wouldn't have had it any other way. They said that while it doesn't necessarily mean this will be Samus's final mission, it is the end of the Metroid arc that began all the way back on the NES, and what a way to close it out! The battle against the SA-X in Fusion was over quickly, but going up against Raven Beak really felt like a climactic duel against an evil analog of the protagonist should be. I usually felt those kinds of battles in Metroidvanias ended up feeling like let-downs, but Dread knocked the concept out of the park. I love how he uses the Aeon abilities from Samus Returns against you, even though I'd only seen them from watching others' gameplay. It was grueling, but such a fitting boss for the finale of a story and gaming arc older than even myself. By day 3 it was like a deadly dance, and that victory felt earned. And, while I hope to see Samus embark on a new mission, and face brand new threats, and that with enough Gabapentin and time I'll be able to play through it with my own hands, I am satisfied with how they wrapped up this arc from both a narrative and gameplay perspective.
There's a logbook entry in the original North American release of Metroid Prime that has forever stuck with me, of the Chozo referring to the Sanctuary they crafted to shield the Impact Core, ending with "Those who respect and honor these relics will know the friendship of the Chozo. Those who deface or destroy them will know our wrath, unfettered and raw." And while it was....expunged from canon via the Trilogy re-release, that last line stuck with me for a specific reason. Raven Beak is the pinnacle of everything that defiles the concept of the Chozo to Samus. The Chozo as Samus is shown are kind. They help the downtrodden, they saved her and elevated her to a form that has allowed her to protect the galaxy they loved and cherished, all at her own request. They have guided her on her journey, though her armor, though their various relics and upgrades, and, even though their failings, they still send hope for the future of the universe. And then Raven Beak, one who worships at the altar of Power, intends to use every bit of that legacy and defile it. To turn her DNA, the DNA of the Metroid Hatchling that saved her life, into a weapon to claim the galaxy, to make others suffer as she did. And so, for that one moment, when the Metroid DNA within Samus awakens, we get to see that Wrath, Unfettered and Raw. We see Samus, for the FIRST time, not struggling, like she had with Raven Beak prior. Not confident, like she was against monsters like Kraid, that had threatened countless lives before she took him down in the past, but full of absolute RAGE. And that scream, that unending, unyielding scream of defiance and rage and hate, is the single most CHILLING thing to happen in Dread. Seeing the depths that Raven Beak sunk to, and would sink to, was one thing...but FINALLY getting him to see the absolute consequences of his actions, delivered by the Avatar of Vengeance for the Thoha Tribe, has forever become one of my favorite moments in all of gaming. (Also, the unlockable Chozo Memories files, earned for beating the game, imply that the Mawkin had taken Kraid from Zebes before it blew up, at some point after Samus defeated him.)
I was thinking about this game again the other day so I was happy to see such a nice video about it. That scene where Samus finally speaks gives me chills every time. Not just because it's one of the few times we've ever heard her speak as the confident adult she's become, but because it's a conversation in a language she likely has not heard or had reason to speak in who knows how many years. In a series where she's been content with non-verbal gestures as answers to others, I can only imagine her choice to speak was one that was immensely personal and says so much about her feelings and identity while barely having to say anything at all. It was nothing short of incredible.
I just wanted to say that I grinned like a maniac when I heard the "Legend Of The Hidden Temple" music while you described the options for proceeding through Olmec's tem-er, the planet.
This was perhaps my most wanted Geek Critique video ever. I was desperate to hear it from the moment Dread was announced, especially after the entire saga of original Metroid critiques. And just like the game itself, no matter how long it took, it was a worthy conclusion! You've honestly outdone yourself with this video, and I'm definetly going to be rewatching it again and again, as well as most likely replaying Dread again. As someone who wasn't there for the launch of any Metroid game, since I didn't really become a fan until after Other M, and didn't even get around to Samus Returns, I was still acutely aware of how much legacy the series had, to the point where Samus Returns' reveal still amazed me. And that goes doubly for this game's reveal. I can only hope that, whatever comes next for Metroid, it's as good as this is. All that being said, major props for addressing the elephant-in-the-room that is Mercury Steam. Some cynical types might say it's pointless to expect change, but giving up and forgetting changes nothing, and the people who made this game deserve respect for their work. Every last one of them. Also, just in case the title/thumbnail ever changes, I'm gonna comment on it. After watching, I just now realised this video is subtitled "The Geek Critique". And considering where this channel first got a lot of attention from, it's very fitting to consider this "THE Geek Critique". Though, like Metroid, I have no doubt that whatever comes next, it's gonna be just as enjoyable~ Best of luck with whatever your next season is, Josh, if you happen to read this!
The thing with the workers, I feel the best way to handle it is to be extremely vocal about it and call it out when able, and make sure it is known, but also to buy the game if it is good. It's a difficult situation as a consumer for stuff like this, because not buying it punishes not only the people responsible for the bad behavior, but also those were the victim of it, and in many cases the parent company (like Nintendo in this case) can and probably would take the wrong message and just not make any more Metroid games for another dark age because "it didn't sell well, must mean no one wants it." Instead of "This company we worked with had bad business practices, let's go elsewhere." You do what you think is right if what you described happens, no judgements here, but getting the message out and making sure it's talked about and condemned by everyone is the first step I feel. I'm glad Mercury Steam got their second chance to make their vision of a Metroid game, and it's brilliant in my eyes. However I want to see a new team handle things now. Metroid 6 is going to be something entirely new, now freed from the story the past 5 games were telling. I want to see a new team handle everything, see where the series goes with completely fresh eyes behind the development. Thanks for making sure the story of the workers gets out there, it just sucks the situation with how the industry works isn't as simple as we wish it to get better conditions and not potentially lose what we want to get out of it too.
Omg the wave of nostalgia that came to me when you started talking about the speed booster, and DiC Sailor Moon music started playing in the background. I thought I was tripping for a minute lol
Been working on designing my own game for over a year now (all story/theory at this stage), and something in this video lead me onto a tangent, and gave me a big breakthrough on some key parts of the story. The jigsaw has been coming together quite well, but this tangent feels like i have just connected a few big chunks and made the image clearer. So, want to directly thank you for indirectly helping me 😁
Metroid Dread is such an insanely good game. While I was disappointed they didn't go the route fusion did with it's ending, I pretty much expected that since that ending was an error on the localization's part. It's not my favorite Metroid game, but it's still a damn good one. Mercury Steam has really showed with their two games that they doing their damndest to repair the damage Other M and Federation Force did and you can tell they really care and understand Samus.
(24:54) funniest thing is I had little problem in my first playthrough, but somehow in one of my later runs, I thought I softlocked in lower burenia, forgetting about the obscured diffusion charge beam block beyond the massive "whale" tank room. I think this is all just the beauty of how Metroid can make a fool out of us, it's just part of the fun
MAN your reviews are epic. It's the next best thing to a playthrough with developer commentary. It's experiencing the game all over again with extra insight, and in less time. Thanks so much for the incredible effort you put into these!
What I love about Dread is that it doesn't make any mentions of the events of Other M, so it can considered non-canon! WHICH MEANS ADAM IS A GOOD GUY AGAIN!!! And considering Other M contradicts every single piece of Metroid lore, be it from the games or the 2003 manga, it should, indeed, be considered non-canon.
Appreciate you putting the people who made this game first. The Metal Gear Solid comparison is so good! Your interpretation of the story made me realize the metroid are Samus’s chosen family.
Calling the Metroid her “chosen family” just made me imagine Samus in her power suit sitting at an empty table looking down at her lap with a banner that says “FAMILY REUNION!” in the background.
One thing that made me realize just how much work was put into this game was the fact that the Chozo language... was a proper language. There are grammar and speech rules to it, just like the D'ni language from the Myst series. It's not just "English but with glyphs instead of letters". It's incredible.
Am I the only one who's a little upset he didn't mention that, if you get bombs before fighting Kraid, you get a unique way to defeat him? Edit: Scratch that, he mentioned it at 1:17:50. Sorry, The Geek Critique.
Thanks for giving that early reality check about the developer situation ( and the call back to it at the end). Dread is an amazing game, but it was made with a lot of blood, sweat and tears and some was shed unnecessarily. The re-contextualization of the Jaffe situation was also a good call- I do remember getting immensely stuck on the purple E.M.M.I. section...by completely missing the obvious solution( it was related to the spider climb section on the ceiling if I remember correctly), so I resonated a bit with you getting lost a lot. Jaffe should have handled it better, but the situation itself can happen to anyone. And this is coming from one who only really played Fusion and then Metroid Prime 3 before this so I don't have the "old Metroid muscle memory" excuse to fall back on (though this game did give me a nice feel of what the older games feel like since it feels like a mashup of Fusion, Samus Returns and Super). Another insightful part of the video was the music critique-the possible intent that most of the music (barring the call-backs to older themes and the awesome final boss theme) is not really memorable because it is meant to emulate being natural to the environment helped re-frame things a bit for me. And, I do feel that one critique was missed here that connects a bit into the second half of the game showing its seams a bit: the fact that you fight the mawkin soldiers (robotic, real or X-possessed) a LOT in that second half. Combined with the ideas that a boss or two may have been cut leading to the upgrades being by their lonesome and this point sticks out a bit more in my opinion-that the overuse of these mini-bosses in the second half might have been a bit of a cover for that cut content. (and of course, good call on just leaving the post-final boss scene on its own; anything said would just detract from how balls-to-the-wall awesome it is.) Overall, a skillful, insightful critique of this game and definitely worth the long wait!
one of the best feelings you can get on youtube is when you come back to an old channel you remember from years ago and discover that they've grown along with you
Your analysis of the potential missing "gravity suit" boss was very compelling... I now wish I could have fought a foe I never imagined before. Well done.
Honestly, I think the long load time might have been the Switch struggling to run the huge Gravity Suit room. The whole sequence (and area) gives off a serene, meditating vibe too. A boss fight would have taken away from it.
Imma just say this. As both a D&D DM and ametuer game dev. One of the hardest things to accomplish is nudging players in the right direction without outright telling them what to do. Before I starting making campaigns and designing dungeon puzzles I used to hate markers and waypoints in games… and now while I still do I 100% understand why. It’s never fun being lost of unsure what to do, and often it is better to error on the side of being too direct rather then not enough. All of this makes me give huge props to Dread for managing to guide the players without markers.
What I like most about what Dread has done for the series is how it changes the meaning of the series name.
Metroid has always been in reference to the titular creatures, similar to how Aliens (the main inspiration for thr Metroid series) was always in reference to the Xenomorphs.
However, Metroid also has another meaning. It has been confirmed in the manga that in the Chozo language, Metroid translates to "Ultimate Warrior."
And since Samus is now the last Metroid left thanks to her awakening, not only is she the last "Ultimate Warrior," but now the title *actually* refers to her now going forward with the series.
This completely blew my mind once I made that connection. This game has changed the series so much going forward and I am HERE for it!
I had the opposite experience…if anything, I now dread the path forward as it will make Samus weaker and more imbecilic, all the while ruining the series and punishing players that just want to enjoy Metroid.
Also, the devs caved in to a meme…
@@MisteRRYouTuby how did they cave into a meme, Samus becoming a metroid has been foreshadowed since fusion. And why would they make her stupid? She's at the absolute height of her knowledge and power at the end of dread
@@adamswing6115 You and I clearly saw two different things…
@@MisteRRYouTuby What was imbecilic about her in Dread? I thought the Adam switch was actually done very well in the game, so she didn't seem like an idiot when it happened.
As for "weaker", the Metroid's whole shtick is that she starts weak and vulnerable, and by the end becomes unstoppable. I didn't see the EMMI as any different to that. If anything the only thing that frustrated me was how long it took to get morph ball: but if that's the only "weakness" complaint then I think they did pretty damn well.
another alien similarity, since ripley 8 is also part xenomorph
Ok, so I hope this comment gets some attention cause this is a little funny. The written Chozo language has been the same since it was introduced in Zero Mission and Prime 2, and at first I thought the Mawkin Script seen in Dread was a different script, and I thought it was pretty cool that maybe the different Chozo tribes had a different language characters, while still speaking the same language.
But then I saw the two Chozo scripts side-by-side and realized something: it isn’t a different script, it’s the exact same script but the characters are cut into Triangles rather than rounded squares; meaning the Mawkin, at some point, decided that their language needed to be more intimidating and angry, and so wrote them as a more aggressive shape.
The only difference between the two scripts, besides the shape, is that the original script translated to English, while the Mawkin script translates into English letters that spell Chozo words.
Imagine that. The Chozo have an angry font similar to what we might use for a horror movie poster.
I was in a terrible place during the direct, my house had flooded, I was in a deadend job under a horrible boss, but then I saw those words, those incredible words:
"Metroid 5"
I screamed with joy, and beat pillows, jumped off the Couch that was my bed at the time, and shouted with glee.
And then the Release Date showed. My Birthday. The Game released on my Birthday. I nearly fainted. And for that, Metroid Dread will always hold a wonderful place in my heart.
That's awesome! The game delivered all the hype in spectacular fashion when you needed it most.
Heck yeah! Hope things have improved a lot for you since then!
It's a game bro. Relax.
@@nosouponheadimagine being a bitch because someone found joy in something
Lucky sob. I wish that was my birthday gift from the universe.
Dread really needed a surprise mean bean machine boss battle to be peak in my eyes.
It needed its own Raiden moment to elevate it from masterpiece to Magnum Opus
And it starts out with "Snooping as usual, I see?"
Nah, pinball boss.
@@CoryDambach
Mecha Ridley, Diggernaut, Quadraxis, Golden Torizo, B.O.X., The Tester, etc.
Or at least a sonic spinball style boss
When I heard Adam say "do as I say" I immediately said that's not Adam. My brain went into overload. From how much time Raven Beak was watching and controlling us? And now you said it clearly. We have been doing what Raven Beak wanted SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME. Raven Beak is the only Metroid villain that actually gave me chills.
i noticed it immediately, from ADAM calling her Lady in the opening, and instead calling her Samus the rest of the game. I've played them all (yes, even the dumpster fire of Other M), it's just subtle enough to go over a new person's head, but also clear enough us long time fans can pick up on it if we pay attention
When I played through the game I was pissed off.
The first screen of the game explains what a Metroid is, yet they added an OP melee counter to the game in Metroid 2. They messed up that game, why wouldn't they mess this one up too?
So when Adam stopped calling her lady it was just me groaning. That's not how Adam talks, these developers Didn't READ the lore.
The frustration of them keeping QTE in the game and having stupid semi random locations for the EMMI to spawn, the weird requirements for a central processing unit that looked like mother brain, just cause.
There was just a lot in this game that broke the narrative and took me out of the experience.
But when I found out why, I was even more upset. Because it makes Samus out to be an idiot for not noticing this obvious fact.
@@Mac_Omegaly don't you think it's more likely that she noticed before you did? she couldnt beat raven beak even before losing powers in the beginning, and he had her on the path to train and become even more powerful. even under "adam's" guidance, she was progressing and moving towards the surface. her best shot at survival was likely exactly what she did, and it worked (even if she hadn't quite realized the extent of raven beak's plan from the beginning, what with her latent metroid powers and all). samus, as a mostly silent, yet notably intelligent character, has no one else to talk to but the adam that she knows is false, so she has no reason to tell the player what she is thinking. she finally disperses the illusion only when there was logically no benefit to playing along, when "adam" was essentially just giving her a recruitment speech (or convincing her to surrender). at that point, she knew that she had reached the pinnacle of her ability on ZDR, and even had new metroid abilities as an ace in the hole. raven beak set her into motion with complete intention, from the x parasite broadcast, to the initial fight and removing her powers, to subtly guiding her through the planet and training her against its inhabitants, but he couldnt stop the momentum because he was never truly in control, samus was just playing along. i would say that her only moments of uncertainty in the game are meeting quiet robe (and his death) and discovering her metroid abilities, all else she approached with confidence, knowing she was intended to be able to overcome the challenges
i didnt mean to write all that, whoops
@@sundertooth1666 Metroid Fusion wss the first Metroid game I played, and more than chilled I felt excitement to feel all that tension.
When I first played this game, I knew something was off when he kept remarking how weak Samus was, and how she couldn't stand a chance.
The Jaffe Room shall never be forgotten. It has been immortalized. Also loved your sequence breaking story, I was so happy the devs added back sequence breaks.
I got through it no problem on my first run through, my 2nd time though I probably spent half an hour running around trying to remember what I was missing XD.
I normally HATE sequence breaking but, when I play Dread, I *HAVE TO* go get the Grapple Beam and Morph Ball Bombs before fighting Kraid, or else I have no idea how to beat him in his second phase. It certainly helps that that particular sequence break was definitely intended by the devs. That's the main reason I don't like sequence breaks, because I prefer to let myself be guided through a tight, well-made, well-paced experience that the developers intend for me to go through. It's why I tend to actually prefer really good linear games over open world (although I still play and enjoy open world games, I just prefer something like The Last of Us/TLOU2/FFVII Remake/Uncharted/Jedi Fallen Order/etc.) games, because the latter type gives you way TOO MUCH freedom, to the point that it can really screw with the pacing of the story if you get distracted by inane bullshit side content.
We are alike in this regard. I suck at finding what to do and where to go in video games, that's why I could never get into metroidvanias no matter how much I wanted to, I always need a walkthrough to make any progress. I prefer tightly paced liner games where the designers guide me through a liner exciting experience. I personally get 0 enjoyment from getting lost in a world or figuring out where to go.
Fuck David Jaffe. To me, there's no mystery behind why he's not allowed to develop games anymore.
He is just a salty old $&@“ he isn’t no gamer
Hi, TGC! Wikitroid editor here. Just wanted to quickly answer one of your questions here about Corpius/Scorpius. "Corpius" is the canonical name of the boss, since it's used in-game on the map screen and the boss rush mode. Internally, it's called "Scorpius" in the game files; most of the bosses and enemies also have differing names (Drogyga/Hydrogiga, Experiment No. Z-57/Cooldown-X, Raven Beak/Commander, etc.). Since there isn't any sound test or official soundtrack release, its boss battle music doesn't have an official title in published media, so the boss theme's wiki article is called "Boss Scorpius" after the music track's file names in the game's internal data (s_boss_scorpius_001 and s_boss_scorpius_002).
Loving your review series, by the way! Even if I don't always agree, I can always appreciate hearing your point of view. You're doing a great job!
His full name is Corpius Scorpius
@@caraprism9074lol
52:26 I feel like the chozo-bot fight right after Quiet Robe gets sent to the save room in the sky was a very good call, in the sense that it's the best kind of criticism of the infamous Ridley PTSD scene of Other M. Instead of violently cutting the connection between Samus and the player - by forcing complete helplessness on what most fans would consider to be business as usual for her, Dread lets YOU be flustered by the emotional whiplash and, most likely, styled on by the robot. And when the player eventually overcomes the difficulty spike that is that mini-boss, it is an incredible catharsis that stenghtens your link with Samus.
I wouldn't dare to say with confidence that it was the intention there, but "the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better".
Yo, that's a damn-good interpretation!
I always felt like she was pissed off at that robot for killing the only friend she had on this God forsaken planet... Which basically gives her even more resolve *_[SPOILER ALERT!!!]_*
...to go after Raven Beak.
Yes I believe throwing you into a relatively hard fight against a new enemy after an emotional episode is on purpose
Because Samue doesn't have to to mourn or or process things so neither does the player
Bingo, exactly my feeling on this whole scene, even though the difficulty spike was really high and I didn't liked that. Like what Geek Critique mentioned, there should have been maybe a sort of brief scene of Sam's utilizing her Phase Shift ability to dodge the Robo Chozo's attacks before the battle starts to emphasize the necessity of such ability. Other than that, I had no problem with emotional complexity and consequence the whole scenario with Quiet Robe being killed off so quickly after helping Samus. This made me really truly hated Raven Beak all the more, so mission accomplished, Mercury Steam and Sakamoto.
@@-ak-634 I still don't know how much we can credit of Dread to Sakamoto... especially this kind of subtlety that goes AGAINST the one game where he had complete creative control. I don't want to derail that convo with Saka-bashing, but given how over-credited the guy is already, until we have an actual source covering his concrete contribution, I'll stick to thanking Mercury Steam
Whoever first drew or modeled Samus’ Dread standing pose should get an award.
That pose and the ways she moves into and out of it tell you literally all you need to know about her
I love that the “To Be Continued” gag is just left in the full version
It just fits too well. It might as well be the Jojo's "To be continued..."
i always loved that Samus took like a slightly uncomfortable amount of time to answer after hearing the plan, always makes me think that she took a bit to remember the words she wanted to say.
lmao she probably hasn’t spoken chozo in a solid few years or more so i could see that actually being the case
Fr lmao !!
Dying on the final boss repeatedly, going to sleep and beating it the first try was my experience with Sonic Superstars.
Genichiro Ashina for me
Burnt ivory king from DS2 for me, if that counts
Elden Rings Malenia for me, but not after a night, but two months without touching the game entirely.
Yooo same lol
It’s crazy how your brain continuously fights the boss while your not playing. The next day trick almost always works. I beat a lot of bosses that way
Samus' thoughts: 'Okay, there's a large threat here, lets bring everything and...oh, it's just Kraid. Well, time for chores, I guess.'
When I first played Dread, I didn't assume the inciting incident - the footage of an X-parasite - was genuine, particularly as the Chozo warrior from the intro had blatantly used it to lure Samus to ZDR. It could have been a hoax. Arriving in Elun and realising that, yes, the X are really here, *was* a twist to me.
Also, that shot of them escaping was loaded with meaning. Samus Aran is truly having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, having had her butt kicked by a Chozo mega-warrior, trapped deep underground and now there's *this* to deal with too? Everything about this is going to suck. The only known cure for X infection is to kill it with fire, with 'it' here meaning the whole planet (sorry ZDR, there's nothing else we can do for you at this point). What an item to add to today's to do list: 'destroy the planet'.
One of my favorite things about Dread's narrative is how good it is at creating a sense of mystery, but in a particularily dreadful way (the title isn't just refering to the murder robots). It always feels like there's a deeper truth hidden from sight, and finding clear evidence that the X are indeed alive on this planet just feels like another small piece to the puzzle despite how important of a reveal it is. Even when heading to Itorash for the final showdown, you get the sense that something isn't quite right, and it's only when you learn that Raven Beak had been controlling everything through his disguise that it all makes sense. In one instant, Raven Beak went from a rather generic warmongering bad guy to a really interesting antagonist, because he's not just a tough battle opponent, he controls the very perspective with which we see the world around us.
On a side note, I'd love to know how Raven Beak managed to contain the X. Whatever he did could give us a hint on how to beat the X without having to destroy the planet if they ever return.
Great summary of the X escaping scene. Ever since seeing it the first time, I can’t help but see Samus adding “destroy the planet” to her mental checklist while watching the X flee with the mentality of “(sigh) crapbaskets...”
'Destroy the planet *beat* AGAIN.'
I am 100% sure Samus must be getting sick of that solution.
Probably heard that 'nuke from orbit ' meme and screams internally.
Raven Beak probably cleansed much of the surfaces and subterranean environments with advance weaponry and lured the X over to where Elon is to contain them within the stasis cage. Given his aptitude with military intelligence and resources, he would have made a very nice bait for power-hungry parasites, so it make sense that they would go after him. Unfortunately for him, his people couldn't be saved as they're no way as powerful as he is. And remember the critters in the tubes up on Hanubia? They're for reseeding and repopulating the ecosystem in case Raven Beak won the first round against X and second round against the unleashed X as well as capturing Samus. Hell, Raven Beak made sure to lace the whole world with bombs in case he loses to either X or Samus so that either or both would never leave alive as one final act of his retribution.
Man, he's written so damn well for a video game villain.
Now I'm imagining Samus constantly yelling "bad day" through the self-destruct sequence, just like Jackie Chan.
I've always gotten the impression from Dread that Kraid vs Samus is basically an encountered filled with all the one-sided, doomed hatred of of Ahab and the Whale. Only, in a reversal of what might be expect, it's _Kraid,_ not the protagonist, who plays Captain Ahab.
Samus's body language gives the impression that to her this is just a job: a foe she's fought, overcome, and moved past long ago. She all but _relaxes,_ when she recognizes Kraid. Meanwhile, with Kraid, there's a sense that this is _Very_ personal. From the squint of recognition to the defiant (futile) final strike
Samus casually charging a beam and firing it into Kraid’s mouth made me love Samus so much more, and convinced me that Dread is also the funniest Metroid game.
Can't help but love how that plays out in the cutscenes.
He however kicked my butt a few times before I learned about the early Morph Bombs skip, did that, and finally beat him the first time with the alternative fight solution, finally started to get good at the controls for later bosses but finding a unconventional solution for my first difficulty wall was seriously satisfying
Fun Theory: The Mawkin were the ones to leave behind the Aeion abilities from Samus Returns, and Raven Beak uses the same ones from that game in his fight against Samus. This is also why Aeion abilities don't appear in Metroid 1, Super, or Fusion (aside from retcons), as Samus doesn't interact with any elements of Mawkin Chozo society.
Fantastic video! Absolutely loved the series. Actually got me to take my own NES out of storage and give it the old boil trick to get it working again!
I'm a game developer who experienced first hand a problematic work environment. The best thing you can do is call attention to bad working conditions and shame the people responsible. Boycotts don't do anything other than give bad faith actors something to hold over their employees' heads.
This. If you're not the worker don't make unilateral decisions about how to best fight for the worker. There were legitimate reasons why during the writers and actors strikes this past year that they actively discouraged consumer boycotts.
Facts
Adding to this: Do not review bomb. Add a disclaimer to a written review at the very start highlighting the problems and shame the people at the top for creating such environments, but don't say that the devs who had worked under such conditions did a bad job unless they did a bad job. You don't know how that will negatively effect those devs going forward, for review bombing something because crunch or other problematic things happened in the work place.
So, I've gotten a couple'a comments saying things like this (most of them in much less-friendly terms than yours, thank you for being kind!), so I guess this is as good a place as any to clarify:
My intention with that section was NOT to call for a consumer boycott or any other sort of group action. As a game player, I know from seeing numerous attempts at public boycotts over the years that they're not effective. All I wanted to say was that if this sort of thing happens again with the next game, I *personally* don't want to buy it, play it, or make videos about it.
And that's not because I think my actions (or lack thereof) will hurt the publisher or get them to change anything. I know it won't make a difference to their bottom line. The only reason I wouldn't do it would be for myself, and my own peace of mind.
And, best-case scenario, if I can say, "I'm not making a video on the new Metroid, and here's why," maybe that'd help shine a little more light on what's going on.
Boycotts DO work. It's just that they are a start, not the end game. It is a message to people in powerful positions that further actions will be taken should they decide not to listen to the people they serve.
The interesting wrinkle with Raven Beak is that he builds off previously established lore (albiet only mentioned in the manga I believe?) that the Chozo were saiyan/viltrumite style world conquerors, actively spreading their empire across the galaxy using their superior technology as their greatest weapon, before they became enlightened and regretted their past actions, turning to protecting life and promoting peace instead, being one of the key species to help found the Federation, which was a species diverse government from the outset.
This turn also coincided with some kind of "genetic degradation" that led to them losing the ability to fly, during their peak all Chozo had the natural ability to soar through the skies, this indirectly adds context to why the Space Jump even exists, it may be a technological substitute for a lost physical ability.
And then there's Raven Beak, head of a tribe that is very clearly "clinging to the old ways" within wider lore context, a real "make the Chozo great again" type, and he, with that obsession with the glory days of the Chozo, ends up being the only one to find some way to _regrow_ those lost wings, likely a genetic experiment he had placed quite a lot of time and emphasis into getting done, egotistically saving it only for himself.
This also ties into the impetus for the Power Suit, the armor Samus wears, the same kind the Mawkin all wear, it was what the Chozo donned during their original era as a warrior race empire, someone wearing it is fully capable of taking down entire planets worth of life precisely because: _That is Exactly What it Was Designed to Do._
i thought the implication was that raven beak was just that fucking old. old enough to where he still has wings, i mean
@@yourehereforthatarentyou He would have had to have been one of the last to be born to that era, relatively young. Similar to how Putin is a remaining vestige of communist Russia.
There's also the fact that one of the Chozo memories explicitly shows him without the top of his armor, so he isn't hiding his wings until his boss fight, he literally grows them right then and there.
@@Cri_JackalI thought that maybe he just had those wings because he's the "king" kinda like bees but what you say makes sense, that would explain why he rips off his wing like he doesn't care (i mean, other than to look fucking cool)
Should photoshop a red hat onto him
I never read the manga, but seeing just why Raven Beak is so cleverly capable of wiping down entire planets and was so effortlessly beat Samus, TWICE, while ACTUALLY KILLING HER BRIEFLY, is insane.
1:29:17
Oh my God you used the AM2R remix version of that track , from that moment the baby Metroid hatched...I hope Guasti was watching because damn!
It fits perfectly with that montage of all those iconic scenes from all the classic games, tying the greater story together.
Nicely done!
I never knew how much I needed that image in my mind until The Geek Critique served it up on a silver platter. Samus spent the whole series fighting against forces that would use the power of the Metroids for evil purposes, and now faced with the toughest of them all and on the verge of defeat, she remembers all that the Hatchling did for her and decides she's not gonna go out like this after having come so far. The Hatchling didn't sacrifice itself and grant Samus its power just for it to be used to conquer the galaxy. The ultimate warrior is meant to use its power to protect the galaxy and ensure it sees peace, and as a threat to that peace, Raven Beak is due for peak obliteration.
Ive got to say, That primal scream at the end by Samu's was amazing props to her VA for that one. Also I didn't know about the drama sounding the production cycle thanks for pointing that out.
Soo real quick as I’m only 3 minutes into the video. As a Metroid fan who had to wait many many years for a new game, there’s no “deserving” for any new title in this series. You deserved this game as much as the rest of us did, no matter the wait time. We’re just glad you’re here in this journey with us
Also: no Metroid fan on the planet would want a game knowing the circumstances the developers went through to make it. I was oblivious to this fact, and it makes me sad that it was even an issue. Dread is a fantastic game, one that made me get back into the series as a whole. Those people deserve to not only get paid, but their names should undoubtedly be in the credits. It’s a real shame they arent
I believe this level of positivity is illegal on the internet.
New or old, we all enjoyed this game together.
Buying a previous game does not mean you ‘deserve’ a new one. Nintendo is kind of a bitch over re and de makes. But nobody DESERVES a new one. Its okay we got one but its kinda coulda been more metroid and less lords of shadow
@@aaronko3480 Exactly. If we don't lock this person up immediately and make an example out of it, others could follow, and then the internet could become a nice place! Horrible!
There's no need to sympathize with Jaffe for getting frustrated. Getting lost or not noticing a solution isn't the problem. The reason he got skewered is because of his arrogance, asserting his position as a developer as a position of absolute authority on what good game design is, and refusal to stop digging himself deeper in the hole. Which, dread isn't the only example of this either. He reaps what he sows.
There's definitely been a few instances thruout metroid that were sorta irksome to me (the false wall in SMs lower norfair and fairly inconspicuous destructible blocks in fusions AQA) tho never to the point where it angered me since it taught me to think outside the box and really scrutinize the rooms in metroid, but the jaffe room is so painfully obvious that I can't help feeling immense schadenfreude towards the guy bashing dread because he and he alone couldn't acknowledge one of the most clearly communicated environmental obstacles in the game
They finally incorporated Samus’ left hand. My life is complete.
For the Metroid Dread reveal, I guess for fans the reactions went from "Oh YES a sequel to Fusion!" to, well... Arlo's live reaction that was so epic a fan animated it.
I just looked up the Arlo Dread reaction vid (animated and original) and OMG you were not lying lmao. His reaction alone makes anyone want to go out and get the game... lol perfect reaction
I was driving a truck for my job during the direct but had just parked for a lunch break when Dread was revealed, when I tell you that I SCREAMED in excitement.
I was in tears at the last 10 minutes when everything gets recontextualize. As a long time fan of 30 years old this game was everything and I was soo excited to hear Geek Critiques thoughts on it. Thank you so much and happy holidays to you all ❤️
I love his interpretation of her role as the last Metroid where she's the living legacy of the Chozo and the Hatchling. The Metroid storyline ends with Samus obliterating the embodiment of everything that ever hurt her as the embodiement of everything that ever helped her.
1:15:40 This is a real phenomena. Some sleep scientist I watched a while back said that it's believed that if something was challenging you in the day, your brain just runs simulations of it while you sleep. And it's way more efficient than waking practice. So after sleeping on it, you come back objectively more skilled.
It's been a great boon in learning difficult tech skills for me after I figured this out. Just sit with a difficult problem for a few hours and the next day it's easier. I wish I knew this in high school where difficult tasks were just frustratingly cast aside.
I honestly believe Dread is my favorite 2D Metroid. The boss fights alone are so much fun, and I love how the game has a plot with a bit more to chew on than other 2D metroids. It’s not perfect, no game is and depending on what you like about 2D Metroid then Dread might not resonate with you like it did with me.
Also, Samus is just such a badass in this game. She gives off DoomGuy levels of no fucks given.
Nobody cares about my working conditions in the office; so I I really don’t care about the working conditions of these video games being made to the degree that it would make me NOT buy it if I wanted to play it.
@@BrainWasherAttendent what a horribly myopic & egotistical view.
Its also become my favorite. I never thought a game could dethrone Super for me, but I love the fluid motions of samus in dread, movement just feels excellent and the boss fights are really good and hitting those parrys are so satisfying. Everytime I go back to another Metroid, I just wanna play Dread
@@KruelAidManno just honest and real. Everyone is lying about caring about things.
@@BrainWasherAttendent ah yes, the "I'm an a-hole so everyone else is" cliche. You're so prosaic.
I don’t know how often it’s stated but man the way you sync up music to points you make adds so much to the review. The music swelling with the mention of the speed booster was so satisfying to hear and accurately captures the wonder of the upgrade. Incredible work here!
I am so impressed that you managed to get the scan pulse the way you did...
This is my favorite video by you, TGC. I've been watching your videos for a few years now, and never have I watched any video so many times in such a short time. Every time I finish it, just like when you beat your favorite games, all I can think is how much I wanna watch it again. Every part enriches the rest, and every moment is so well crafted and presented, it just never gets old.
The best compliment you can give me is that I love replay value so much that I've somehow infused my videos with it. Thank you! :D
Dude I portioned this out over the past few days (because it's the last new TGC Metroid for what will be years) but it is your best yet. The attention to storytelling, the diverse volume of music (basically every minute a new track for 90+ mins!) which also matches the mood is just so enjoyable -- my favs were at 1:29:00 & ofc Kenny Omega's theme at 20:18. And ya popped me huge at 26:44, can't believe I kinda got to be part of a TGC!! A winner is youuuu 💚
Hearing Battle Cry really was a "wait... is that.... IT IS!" moment
Regarding the Ice Missile / Ice Beam thing, Samus still has the weakness to ice she inherited from Metroids. She is still unable to use the ice beam. Personally, I like that change. Before, switching between the regular beam and ice beam was always awkward. Giving the ice effect to missiles instead really streamlines the gameplay.
Video games, don't need narrative to be great. Oftentimes, I prefer not to deal with cutscenes or those worse scenes where the game makes you follow a character while they talk--But Metroid, wouldn't be quite the same without its narrative, often told mostly through the environment and gameplay, Dread proves how important narrative _can_ be to a game and series.
A 35 year long story told mostly without text or voices, all through the exclusive strengths of a video game and its compatibility with the idea of narrative itself, ended with one of the most exciting stories of any video game -- Dread, wouldn't have been as good without the story. It would have been fun, but it wouldn't have been as exciting, as engaging. _This is the storytelling I want future Metroid games to strive for._
And I just realized all this thanks to this video, I realized why I was so desperate to finish this game my first time, why I was so ready to continuously play this one between shifts at work -- I loved the game itself, _but I was motivated to see the ending of it as soon as I possibly could. I had been waiting most of my life for the conclusion to this story afterall._
This also helped me realize the inherit weakness of Metroid Prime 3/Other M. Both games have _great_ stories, but neither of them tell stories like a Metroid game. Other M is structured like a horror movie, while Prime 3 takes inspiration from the more generic side of video game storytelling, they are worse games than they could be, due mostly to their lack of understanding as to what makes a good Metroid story -- Metroid Dread makes no such mistake. It doesn't let you get into Samus's mind, doing so would insult her character. It let's you understand her thoughts through body language and her actions, _it shows, not tells._ The exposition in this game is infrequent, and told appropriately based on the plot and characters.
Super Metroid may still be my favorite Metroid game, but Dread did not disappoint me when I played it in any real way. _I love this game._ And this video helped me pinpoint exactly why.
Hmm. I really can't disagree with the topic of the comment. Dread does it's narrative very well, even though I think the Story, when analyzed really isn't that big of a deal and kind of a let down.
But I do have a problem whenever I hear people claiming Prime 3 is worse, because it doesn't uphold the holy Metroid Gameplay Bible. For example: Something that always struck me the wrong way was the fierce argument that Prime 3 lost exploration... but most other Metroid Games are linear to an extend as well, Sequenz breaking excluded (Though I can hardly call Dreads "Sequenz Breaking", when it was developed that way). And you still explore the new areas and the world whenever you begin to search for Scan Data, Items, Energy Cells and yes even the Main Story, though you explore the Story only during the first playthrough.
And on a Lore level you also Explore the Worldbuilding of the Metroid Franchise. The Federation and the Pirates, with their Military, Navy and one of their Homeworlds. The Bryyons, the Elysians, the other Hunters... There's much to explore for a lore sucker like me. But I get that this part is a more personal reason and is not at all part of any criticism.
(I'm still hoping to see more of the Kriken Empire ;D)
And the more cutscene heavy moments of Prime 3 really aren't that big of a deal. I understand that some people are very impatient, or don't like having to watch cutscenes for various reasons, but that makes the Problem you have a *You* Problem and not a flaw of the game.
@@TurKlack My mention of Prime 3 isn't the story it tells, it's HOW the story is told. It tells a lot more than it shows. The cutscenes in Prime 3 are great, but the presentation feels less like a Metroid game, and more like any other space-themed shooter.
I love Prime 3, in some ways its my favorite of the three games. I love its narrative too, it does a great job at finishing the story of the first two games--But it certainly makes you sit through a lot more dialog-centric cutscenes than Prime/Echoes.
That's not always a bad thing, I just don't find it to be a good fit in a series known for its environmental story telling.
Ah. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.
I must agree then that Prime 3 is indeed more stereotypical western Sci-Fi. Though only for the Cutscene heavy moments, like the two Battles between the Federation and the Pirates. @@SdudyoyO
@@TurKlack It's all good! I didn't make my point very clear in my comment!
Metroid even HAVING a narrative makes it stand out from just about every other Nintendo series, where even at their most story-driven they don't usually have this much continuity between titles. But thanks to the experimental nature of the series it still happened, and makes it stand out even more.
52:26 wow, as a BIG story over gameplay guy, I'm very happy they did make the fight with quiet robe's killer an actual playable boss fight, heck to me this is one of the biggest advantages of video games, a tv show would just have you watch the main character beat the killer but because it's a video game you actually get to play it, YOU get to avenge their death, and to me that creates such a strong resonance between gameplay and story, I wouldn't have it any other way, in stark contrast to the fight with Corpius where I fealt like the game had given me no reason to care and so I found the fight to be a slog more than anything, but with Robe's killer I had every reason to care, and so I ended up loving the fight, despite how many times I died during it (and that was a lot of times, I struggled with this thing quite a bit on my first encounter, but I was having fun the whole way), I probably would have fealt robbed if the game had "played itself", so to speak, in that moment.
What a VIDEO. This is the ultimate Geek Critique for me, just as Dread is in my opinion the ultimate Metroid game. Maybe not the best, but without comparison in scale, tension, consistency (POWER GRIPPERS NEVER DIE) and emotion. I sincerely hope Metroid gets another game (hmmm, i wonder how the idiots at the Federation will take to someone with invincible Metroid powers running around completely unchecked, kinda seemed like they sent Samus in to die with that unusual bounty...), and if Mercury Steam does take it on, I *sincerely* hope they get a top-to-bottom reevaluation of how they run things. Dread was the first Metroid game I got to play when it released, and I know I wouldn't have been as compelled as I was by it without you, without your videos. I was up in the wee hours of the night clutching my controller as I thrashed again and again at the seemingly unclimbable boss walls. I got actual finger cramps from holding that missile button and for the first time in my several years of Switch ownership induced joycon drift just from throwing myself at Z-57 for two hours before sleeping on it and then kicking his teeth in. I was screaming at my TV like a five year old "THAT'S GRAY VOICE" and kicking myself for not noticing the Adam twist and my jaw hit the floor when I saw the Metroid Suit. What an incredible, spectacular game. This feels full-circle, and it being the first Metroid TGC with my name in it feels so utterly fitting.
Thank you, Geek Critique, for introducing me to this wonderful series that I can say with pride I have beaten every 2D entry in. Now, onto Prime for me! Looking forward to the re-critiques!
EDIT now that the video is fully out: Merry Christmas everyone!
Happy holidays! Take care!
This is one of the best Christmas presents I could have asked for this video was absolutely worth the wait.
I’m very glad you took the time to talk about the games terrible development and working conditions because everyone who worked on this masterpiece of a game deserves to be credited for it.
I also love how you took time in the review to talk about the Jaffe room that made me chuckle alot.
My favorite thing about Dread is how many bosses you can completely cheese with the Speed Booster if you're skilled enough. "Gotta go fast" indeed.
Something that I wanna add about the music section of the video is that the Prime series followed Hip's idea of sound effects and music being hard to distinguish really well. Themes like Chozo ruins or Sanctuary fortress make it hard to tell what is a sound effect or what's part of the song unless you listen to the song on its own.
But despite that, it didn't prevent its composers to make a bunch of bangers, same as Nestroid.
Yeah, while I am fairly certain the Dread composers genuinely attempted to follow Tanaka's ideas, I'm not sure they fully understood them. Prime's composers very much did.
1:29:17
Bruh you didn’t have to have me in tears like that.
Awesome work as always!
I’m glad I contributed as a supporter for this one.
You deserve it.
Need to issue a correction here: the Teleportals do NOT, in fact, become connected if you find all of them. Instead, they become connected after you beat the final, golden Chozo Warrior right before Itorash. I know this first hand because I actually tested it. I went out of my way to find all the Teleportals before that fight, and they still didn't link together, and then I tried several other things to basically narrow it down to that one single variable. So, yeah, you don't have to find all the Teleportals in order to connect them, you just have to beat the Chozo Warrior in Hanubia.
The Covarr inserts are honestly such a brilliant way to capitalize on and rectify the original Fusion controversy. Not to mention, the beautiful continuity. Love it! Side note, I remember seeing your comment on Game Maker's Toolkit's video and I'm pretty sure I even left a like. Seems like eons ago.
It really is an interesting case of doubling down, without telling everyone they were wrong about the original incident. They both owned up, and now it’s basically a fun in joke
@@MarcusTalks1 Agreed. Not that it was really a huge deal anyway. I definitely use the word "controversy" very loosely.
I feel the whole thing was blown out of proportion a bit and not something TGC needed to apologize for, but I totally understand his sentiment on why the joke didn't land and especially his guilt for all the shit Covarr got. I'm glad we were able to turn it into something positive in the end, and the guy that asked Covarr to track down and apologize to the tree that produced the oxygen he used to say the bit about the Federation keeping Samus weak is still the funniest shit I've ever heard from a TH-cam commenter.
This coming from someone who dislikes Samus Returns.
@robertkenny1201 Honestly I don't know what you're talking about but yeah, I don't like Samus Returns either.
I really love Samus' reaction to seeing Kraid. When she first enters the room, her guard is up, because she doesn't know what to expect. Then Kraid steps into view, and Samus' posture relaxes, as if saying, "Oh, it's just you."
Some people argue over whether this Kraid is the same one from Super and/or Zero Mission, or if "Kraid" is just a species of creature Samus has encountered more than once. I absolutely believe this is the same character from Super. Kraid is so enraged at the very sight of Samus that he finally breaks out of his bonds after being stuck there for who knows how long.
Yo, those 5 first minutes were so valuable and important. Thanks for taking the time to expose this reality to us. I don't follow game news closely so this could easily could've been lost.
Was gonna say this. It’s easy to forget all the people who make Product(TM) possible, but it’s so much better to remember them.
I can only hope MercurySteam makes that better choice next time.
+
I (and most other people here) have been waiting for this review the second we finished the game ourselves. Genuine catharsis. (Just wondering, will you cover, what little there is to cover, of Prime Hunters?)
Small nitpick, in the final cutscene, it's not Quiet Robe that stops Samus from absorbing the ship energy, it's actually Adam.
Actual Adam. Crazy to think Samus hadn’t talked to him since the beginning of the game in reality.
Masterpiece of a critique here. As a longtime fan it feels like you grew with this series in so many ways. Happy to support you man, hope this video hits 1 million+ as it rightfully deserves !
Something worth mentioning on the ABSOLUTE INCOMPETENCE of the federation. They have a reason. They are failures at every single step...HOWEVER the reason they always do things their ways (and mess up) is because of what Samus is. Samus is a bounty hunter. A FORMER soldier. By federation standards, they don't want to deal with her.
"Why pay a bounty hunter, when we, the federation, have all the resources we need. Just make something better than some bounty hunter"
Thats why we always see that the federation tried something before calling Samus. In super metroid we have remnants of the federation trying to take care of it. Samus is never the first choice, and half the time, Samus just kind of "gets involved" and is never officially hired.
Metroid Dread is good but it would be better if it featured a cartoon blue hedgehog as the protagonist, multiplayer co-op gameplay, 12 zones of classic side-scrolling gameplay, "Sonic" instead of "Metroid" and "Superstars" instead of "Dread"
What I think is really cool about the EMMI zones in particular is that, yes, you can stealth through them and probably will for a few playthroughs, there's actually a way to mad dash through every EMMI Zone if you know the route and what you're doing. Eventually, you can get to the point where you rarely, if ever, actually use the Phantom Cloak inside of EMMI Zones.
Loved that intro. This industry needs real reform
I watched the whole video. This game literally got me through the hardest anxiety attack in my life. It was so engaging that it helped me forget the pain for a while and focus on getting better and finally beating Raven Beak.
Bro, seek therapy don't rely on a game lmao wtf
@@runforest I was. In fact, it was anxiety caused because of a medication given to me by a doctor ironically and a terrible mismatch. It was temporary, medically induced anxiety, not something that required therapy, and frankly one of the worst months of my life.
I'll be frank. You don't know the first thing about me. When someone is being vulnerable and just simply expressing what something means to them, decent human beings don't make fun of them.
I have to say, the one thing I noted about Raven Beak's intro at the beginning of the game: it's a cinematic depiction of how his first phase works
1:22:24 i love the blank, unfocused stare Samus has as she just breathes here. It's incredible how well they managed to convey her freaked out with thoughts running faster than her shinesparks, all without words or facial expressions.
I'm just starting this vid. As a lifelong fan of gaming, the industry and Metroid since the early 80's, I appreciate the opening to this video. I wanted to be a programmer to work on games, but ultimately switched industries cause there were some things about programming and such I didn't care for. So I appreciate all those who work tirelessly and share their talents to beings us games we love. They deserve to be noticed and treated better. Now, back to the video for me. (Also, I believe Metroid was the reason I discovered your channel and have been a follower since and at times even a patreon subscriber)
As a person who himself didn't grow up with the Metroid franchise, having only gotten into the series about 4 years back with Samus Returns and my first attempt at Prime 1 on the Wii, I'm on my true journey through the series as I am currently playing every game possible with so far only the original Metroid, Samus Returns, Prime 1 Remastered and Dread under my belt, I can proudly call myself a full on series fanboy, because I just absolutely LOVE this series. Granted I do have quite a ways to go playing every other game in the franchise, I am just loving this journey so far. And speaking of journeys, watching your retrospective on this franchise (at least on the games I've personally played and beaten, mind you) has taken my on quite the odyssey and the way you meticulously describe what makes the series so special to you speaks volumes to your dedication on the labor of love that has been this series retrospective itself. I'll be happy to watch the videos of the other games you've done retrospectives on which are the games I've yet to play and beat, but once its done, I'll be somewhat sad knowing this right here will be the last Metroid video you do until we get a new entry which could still be YEARS down the line.
Regardless, I want to thank you for showing such love and compassion to a series that once felt dead and gone from the public eye. One that has had a great comeback with Dread and Prime Remastered. And it's channels like yours that show just how much people want more Metroid.
Idt absorbing the X at the end suppresses the Metroid powers, but passes on the knowledge to Samus on how to control it, remember back in fusion when the X are being explained it's said that they are also capable of absorbing knowledge and the throha tribe has the knowledge on how to control Metroids, so I think when Samus absorbs quiet robe she gains that knowledge which means the metroid absorbing power can still be utilized in the future.
Incredible episode. I truly embraced Metroid as a franchise because of your original videos, and by the time dread came out, I had a blast playing through. One of my favorite memories of this game was figuring out that a 0% run was completely possible, and then spending the next few days trying my hardest to beat it (surprisingly, Escue was the boss that gave me the most trouble, aside from the final boss). That experience of figuring out the 0% challenge made me feel grateful, not for being a "hardcore gamer" or whatever, but grateful for having the chance to play this series and game. Thank you Geek Critique and all the hard working devs at Mercury Steam!
Firs time I ever did the patreon for a video like this. Been looking forward to this, and it's really well made! I love how you brought the left-hand thing full circle that was hilarious.
This game is definitely one of my favorite Metroid games, if not my absolute favorite of the 2D games. The way the combat, exploration, story, and just everything came together was awesome.
Hooe things are well!
Fun fact: When they released Metroid Prime Trilogy, the version of Prime 3 in it removed the log entry that mentioned the Dread project
Had a huge smile through this entire episode, been waiting for it since Dread released and honestly didn't want the episode to end lol.
Its been 2 years and I'm honestly still not sure how to feel about Dread, I got lost a lot on my first playthrough the same way you described, but when revisiting it a few months ago I rarely if ever got lost. Regardless, I had a blast on that first playthrough, I loved the new upgrades, especially the Flash Shift and how they reworked the speed booster, every boss was super memorable, the ending sequence just blew me away and I SO hope draining enemy health with Samus' new power is something we can do in the next 2D game. Its easy to say I loved the game but I never could pinpoint whether it was one of my favorite games or just a game I enjoyed.
I think that this video really helped me pinpoint what I liked about Dread and why, and while I'm still not completely sure to what extent, helped me realize that I truly do love this game, and that it is one I'll fondly remember and keep going back to for years to come. Thank you so much for the critique! Looking forward to seeing your re-critiques of the other 2D games as well.
Sidenote, the person who said "play Ninja Gaiden Black" on the discord server is based af
"Sidenote, the person who said "play Ninja Gaiden Black" on the discord server is based af"
Hey, that was me! Just doing God's work ;)
@@DarkWingSpartanyou is based af
To this day, three years later, the primal fury Samus exhibits when she unleashes her Metroid power is unmatched. It is absolutely insane. She truly embodies every player who struggled with a boss fight and wants to see him utterly obliterated.
It's actually just unresolved anger from that time she got hit in the head from a rock from a Thardus deathblow.
ADAM: "I heard that Raven Beak has an 8-pack. That Raven Beak is shredded."
Also he’s so cool and strong you’d definitely lose if you fought him again. Maybe you should just give up and join him, I’m kidding I’m kidding… unless?
Funnily enough, I actually left to go do something around when the “intermission” part of the video started, only to find my Metroid Dread Samus figma on my doorstep after months of waiting. Very much looking forward to finishing setting that up later.
Anyhow, Dread was basically my first “new” Metroid game as well, since I got into the series with Samus Returns when it came out. I also was introduced to your channel via those original Metroid reviews, and I remember watching them constantly to see what I had missed with the series up to that point. This whole redux has been so nostalgic to me, since they remind me of a formative time of my teenage years when I was trying out a lot new series for the first time. I thank you for all of this amazing critiquing, and watching this alone made me want to pop in and experience Dread all over again
I got into your channel through Sonic, and got into Metroid through your channel. The first thing I thought about after playing dread was “I just need to know what josh thinks”. Banger video. Seen it already on the patreon but felt the need to leave a comment here. Keep doing what you’re doing, Josh. I absolutely love the channels like yours that focus on why people love gaming to begin with.
My single favorite moment in the entirety of Dread is Kraid’s introduction. Samus being on guard until she sees the threat then very visibly _relaxing_ once the threat’s identified, then calmly just shooting the angry dragon in the mouth with all the arrogant air of someone saying “shut up, nerd” just _oozes_ confidence in her abilities and skills. She _knows_ Kraid isn’t a threat to her, not really, and it shows in every cinematic he’s involved in. Even his death showcases it, with that last projectile he fires off as he’s dying that Samus just sidesteps like she’s walking around someone on the street. The entire fight really is just 👌sublime, but the intro is definitely my favorite part
I think you may have mistook correlation for causation in your point about boss rooms taking a little longer to load. It's unlikely that the devs handpicked which door transitions take longer to increase suspense for bosses (or whatever other reason they might have; I can't think of anything other than that, which is another point against that theory); the longer black screen is very likely actually a longer load screen.
What's more likely the case is that the longer load screen comes mostly from a more intricate room design. Boss rooms tend to have intricate designs, but you can still have non-boss intricate rooms (the boss's model and AI script also likely contribute some, but so would the elaborate sea-lab background and its custom destruction script) I don't think we can conclude that there would have been a boss before the gravity suit just from the longer load screen
If I recall correctly, all other Chozo Soldier boss rooms load normally once the boss was defeated, but that one still stays the same.
@@speedude0164they don't need to have all the stuff around a boss encounter, they're far simpler rooms
It's always a long wait for one of these videos and it's always always worth it. Seriously, you and Kovar (spelling? sorry) do a fantastic job on these videos (and anyone else involved). They're comprehensively beefy and lengthy, which is how I'd like videos I need to wait for to be, and just so well written and edited with all the best possible clips and music choices accompanying the dialogue that could have been chosen. And I have learned long ago since the first retrospective of yours I watched that I don't need to worry about you having left anything out. You always bring it up eventually and at all the right moments. Well done on this video, your other videos, and your channel. You've earned whatever success and/or notoriety/reputation you have gotten or still can get. Just wanted to let you know.
I'll admit I had a "Jaffe Room" moment my first time. After getting the Spider-Magnet, I got stuck in the EMMI room. I did blow a hole through the wall but my thought process wasn't to keep shooting, it was that was the ONE correct spot to shoot and I need to find the Morph Ball. I did a few laps around the map before turning the game off after getting a frustration headache. Came back the next day and found the solution almost by accident.
EDIT: Okay, I paused the vid to write this I wasn't expecting the same thing from you!
My moment was the screwattack. I completely missed it after beating Experiment No Z-57. Throughout most of the game I went through each session making progress, however after beating Experiment No Z-57 I went back to take on the Wave Beam E.M.M.I, not realizing I needed to go back and get the screw attack to proceed.
The room didn't get dubbed the Jaffe room just because he got stuck there. Loads of people probably did. It was done because he got stuck there and used the experience to mouth off to an audience about why the game supposedly is bad and sucks and led him to ragequit, when he had really just forgotten about basic controls/fundamentals and just wanted to try to save face. That level of meltdown combined with being at least a somewhat known gaming/public figure is apparently what it takes to get Metroid rooms named after you.
Fun fact
Mercury initially wanted to remake Metroid fusion instead of Samus Returns
Which is probably why Dread is a lot like fusion
Let me tell you a story I have kept to myself until now. A story of which, I can be considered the main character:
It’s October 2021. Locked within this house, loosing track of days, and depression and anxiety pestering like it’s nobodies’ business. Home School? Well that’s not going well. After failing to properly revise for a test it must be re taken to not be plastered with a D grade, and the necessary revision notes are nothing short of a mess.
But that pales in comparison to this truly atrocious physical state. Servere Eczema hit like a freight train this year, and doctors won’t consult you due ti the ongoing global pandemic, rendering this individual “not as important”. In spite of that, skin is flaking, Body is tearing, Immune system is over acting and it’s not being medically consulted correctly. It’s been like this for well over 1 to 2 years now; and While far from the case, it feels like the verge of death...
And then, an online order arrived. A meager Nintendo Switch game that has been anticipated by many. One excited response later, perhaps this will be a source of relief? Anything is worth a shot at this point. This life is one in shambles, so something may as well be thrown at the wall to see what sticks...
And then...
Metroid Dread blew all of my expectations away.
Everything in this game came together for me. Every note hit with Perfection. I didn’t think there would be a Metroid game to surpass Super, but Colour me a Filthy Liar. i couldn’t help but bray it over and over and over again. It was all so cathartic so clever so lovingly crafted so Lore re-Thinking and the sort of game that doesn’t get made in the 2020s yet deserves to be. For a while, it was my ultimate source of happiness.
And to some extent, it still is. Despite my prior exaggeration, I don’t believe this is a perfect game (ghavoran looking at you). It’s not the game I have the single most nostalgia for. And there are games which I would consider all time greats over it. And yet, Dread means more to me than any other game I’ve ever played. My life has gotten better since then, but it was with me at my lowest point. It was why I was alive for a while. And It’s one of few games I have 99% happiness while playing. Metroid Dread is special. Metroid Dread rules. Metroid Dread deserves the Masterpiece label over so many other games in my eyes.
And, one final comment to cement my emotion and connection to this incredible franchise...
My favourite video game of all time, is Metroid Dread.
Glad you're doing better now, and that Dread helped. Also one of my absolute favorite games ever. I'm 40 now, so Super Metroid was the game I played during my awkward high school period. Personally I place Dread right alongside Super and Prime as my favorite games.
22:35
"Oh! So THIS is where that huge monster statue's mouth leads to! But, I mean, I can't go in the really hot area, so surely I need to go back and search for a way to get that weird red machine on the map... Maybe that gives me the heat protection suit! This is just like that morph ball tunnel in Super Metroid!"
"Oh! So THIS is what's in that hot room! But, I mean, I can't go below the barrier into the lava, so surely I need to save this for later and search the new hot rooms I unlocked in Artaria and Cataris... Maybe that gives me a lava immunity upgrade! It's just like that morph ball tunnel in Super Metroid!"
Hey- good on you for talking about the problems the developers faced.
And yeah, this is why I think criticisms that Dread is TOO handholdy are absurd. It's true that it guides the player quite a bit- personally, the one and only time I got lost, was when I RECOGNIZED where the game was trying to lead me, but I went "Wait, wait- this CAN'T be right, I can't need to leave this area THIS quickly, there has to be something else here" only to hit dead ends, and eventually realize that my initial hunch was correct.
But the ability to recognize where a game is guiding you is a SKILL, and one that not everyone is great at! /I/ had no problems, but friends of mine did! Loads of people did! And making the game complicated enough to befuddle players who are that good at recgonizing the path forward, would've made it utterly LABYRINTHIAN to anyone else.
And I still wound up losing the path! It wasn't til like, playthrough 5 or 6 that I realized I'd been overlooking a path the game wanted me to take, to get the cross bombs earlier than I did, where on previous playthroughs they were always my very last item acquired before the power bombs.
Speaking of sequence breaks, there's quite a bit I could say about- Huh? What? Oh, we're being cut off by the Power Rangers end music? Alright, let's give it a moment, then.
...
SO! Sequence breaks! Dread has 'em... but honestly? I'm not a fan. And the biggest problem with them for me, is that, for the most part? They require you to take a detour from the game's intended path. I'm sure speedrunners have math'd it out, but they don't FEEL like they save me much time.
In Super Metroid and Zero Mission, I sequence break all the time. I turn the like, 3 trips from Brinstar and Norfair that you need to make in the game's normal path, between getting the high jump and the grapple beam, into just one. Zero Mission, I frequently nab the Varia Suit early with some bomb jumps- I even once nabbed it without even getting bombs yet. In these games, the sequence breaks are right along the path that you're following anyway. They save time.
But in Dread, I did some sequence breaks for the sake of testing them out... and it kinda felt like that's all they were there for. I didn't feel like I was saving time, just... following a different path. One that wasn't laid out for me, in maps that are a lot more twisting, needing to follow a guide to remember where things are. I got the grapple beam and bombs early, but they weren't just right there, they weren't things I could just grab while I was here and save myself a trip back later, they were things i had to go out of my way for, and lead to MORE trips back. It FEELS like the sequence breaks are there, just to say that there are in fact Sequence Breaks.
...I did like nabbing the Gravity Suit early, though. That changed things up a bit more, and lead to some more difficult boss fights as I didn't have tools I was supposed to. I also nabbed it a bit early on my most recent playthrough, too- though I wouldn't really call it grabbing it early, so much as just, grabbing it quicker, as I got it when I was supposed to, progression-wise; - I just skipped having to go through the underwater sequence without it.
I've always had a problem with replaying games, even those I truly loved. Mods for the most part didn't cut it - either they didn't change much, and I still get bored, or the game becomes something new. But Dread was unique. I beat it on normal, thoroughly cleaning every location. And after the credits, after I saw that my save slot had a proud "100%" on it, I immediatelly made another one, this time on hard mode, and did it again. And again. Without mods, without any alternations to the game whatsoever, I beat it 5 times. It's, to this day, the only game that made me passionate about replaying it, and I dunno why or how. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or the subtle dev-made sequence breaks, or even it's gameplay.
My first playthrough was almost a year ago. And to this day I'm having a blast (this time on an emulator), going back and forth between vanilla and randomizer playthoughs. And while Dread on itself has some noticable problems, I, too, believe it is a pinnacle Metroid experience. Can't wait for what comes next for 2D Metroid, and can't wait for Prime 4.
Side note, the randomizer is a blast in Dread. I'm using a Randovania mod, which includes teleportals in it's logic, allowing some pretty bizarre upgrade and location paths. It's logic can be changed drastically, and has an amazing, newbie-friendly entry level. QoL changes are amazing, too (the intro-recap is skipped, some atmospheric cutscenes that don't serve any purpose on subsecuent playthoughs are deleted, every room has a name, a death counter, and energy parts give 25 energy each being the noticable ones.)
Dread would have been better if it was a DS game with chunky DS models.
I would love to see that Demake someday. Maybe modding will be good enough one day that someone can do model swaps to lower poly models.
Someone's gotta be working on something like that
Metroid Dread really got to me because it took a lot of music from Super Metroid, my first videogame *ever*, I know people say that's a con, but to me it really strengthen how much I love this series.
Sorry if it's been mentioned already, but you can slide under the cross bomb boss when it rears up. Just incase anyone needs some help on it.
i first got into the metroid series at 13, and your videos on it were one of my favorite things to watch back then. seeing this on my feed brought me back, and your videos have improved vastly, but it still has that good ol' style. glad to see your stuff again after half a decade
Dread did an amazing job of replicating my memory of what it was like to play Super/Fusion when they were new. Normally nostalgia's view is so rose colored it's easy to be let down by remakes/revivals of beloved series but with this they really did hit the sweet spot of making me feel like a ten year old renting Super Metroid when it first released.
The mere announcement of this game got me to be a fan of the Metroid franchise. I always respected it, but seeing a bunch of fans bundle together in joy over the announcement of a long lost Metroid title and seeing the initial development story behind the game when it was announced made me want to play each mainline 2D game before Dread came out… I’m glad I did. I am now a proud fan of Metroid.
I am so fucking ready for this video. Posting now and editing as we go.
Edit 1: The wait, relinquishing of the name to the ether, and subsequent "WHAT THE FUCK" of Dread's actual reveal is something that to this day I still have to legit tell myself wasn't just some fever dream or the weirdest fantasy ever. I sat in a Discord call that reacted to the game's casual reveal and the double or nothing impact of the slick typeface "METROID 5" and that initial E.M.M.I chase down to the "Dread" subtitle reveal might have actually taken some years off my life because of how thoroughly "aint NOOOO way" it was for me.
I was already a canonized Metroid fan from the days of getting Prime 2, Zero Mission and Fusion around the same time in 2004ish and had gotten to live through everything since in real time so those real days where Metroid was little more than a fun thing to pepper into nerd talks with friends like "man, when's the next one" especially post Other M were always chock full of wonder when it came to this mythical title. I was convinced at some point that even if Metroid 5 happened, the "Dread" name was just going to be something for the dustbin of time to look on fondly. To loudly get a declaration that not only was 2D Metroid back on the menu but it was legit THE Dread and also acting as a paradigm shift and tour-de-force for what 2.5D side scrolling action gaming could be was mindboggling.
Edit 2: Oh my god this bit about the devs; its so rough seeing enthusiasm be used so rampantly for projects of passion and then not getting people their deserved dues. I was one of those kids hopped up on hopium in his youngest years wanting to "work at Nintendo" because "the little man running in the screen" in Super Mario Bros. My decisions to stay away from this industry come from all of the stories of people just contributing to the infinite growth/wealth of the corporations that make this hobby tick to be rewarded with lasting damage to their health, no credit and no justice.
Edit 3: This Jaffe bit as the lead into the difficulty curving is great. That said, I'm definitely a creature of Megaman Zero-s, Devil May Cry (3 specifically), and various other "schmove and slice/shoot" games so the way Dread manages to both capture the essence of dynamic fights from games of my yesteryear while simultaneously acting as a peek into some magic looking glass where Megaman games got to go full hog with modern technology/game design sense or Treasure titles a la Gunstar Heroes got budgets and all the TLC possible made for a very strange Fall 2021 where every following run of Dread I had just made some part of my brain go "this is where so many of my favs could have gotten and it's not fair they don't or didn't get that chance"
Edit 4: The personality that was given to Samus in this game (mostly) wordlessly is master class. I have always had a specific reservation with how often the fandom wants to see Samus as a character that is just "femme Doom Slayer" but at the same time didn't argue that much with the suggestion as its still very rare to have a woman lead in a fiction just be Built Like That™. Dread manages to toe along an impressive line between "I am 30 or 40 something at this point and do not fucking CAAAARE" and "ooh, shiny rock/cool animal" alongside the reverence shown with the scenes with Quiet Robe. You just know that she was in a state mentally of "I'm nice like that" in a few bits too along with the legendary "FUCK YOU DAD" that comes about by endgame. The Kraid moment is absolutely standout too where you could almost make the case that internally, hidden behind the emerald glow of her visor she was legit just making a face of sheer disappointment like someone checking the fridge late night for something they knew wasn't in there just based off the body language. "Oh it's just you again."
Edit 5: Burenia is a *very* cool biome. Something brought to my attention as recently as a month ago was that the entire journey during Dread's run until Hanubia is underground so there's an added "whoa" factor to the whole region as having an eternal hurricane like situation take place in a cave deep under the crust of ZDR. Did the Mawkin Chozo terraform this space specifically to be like that or is it just an anomaly of the planet? The universe will never know.
EDIT 6: YOU ACTUALLY DID EARLY PULSE RADAR ON YOUR FIRST PLAYTHROUGH? I didn't realize how perfect it would be to have at that specific timeframe of a playthrough until I started innovating my own favorite route through the game incorporating sequence breaking, realized that was a thing and then thought "damn, that'd have been fucking rad at that point in the first go around". At the same time, that is *really* a testament to how well choreographed the game is that it could provide any kind of player something like that to keep them feeling their way forward however gracefully.
Edit 7: I really wish if more of Dread's music was like Burenia/Burenia Depths too honestly. Also, Gravity Suit has to be MercurySteam's favorite suit with how awesome they keep making it look. I just wish if the lit up parts adopted Prime's ice blue/electric blue coloring, that'd have gone crazy on this design.
Edit 8: I do want to point out with the claw grip thing that its kind of beautiful that when Samus finally recognizes and embraces what her new "power" was about, she immediately goes for the head with it. I'm sure the baby Metroid is looking on from somewhere proud of its mom. Thirty five years later and they finally cashed in on the folks wondering where "Metroid" is or joking about "What's a Samus?" How many times had it been brought up that the word "Metroid" was of Chozo origin and literally meant "ultimate warrior?" Exceptionally amazing writing. Now that we're talking about Raven Beak, that was easily the best boss battle and overall encounter I'd had for that year and possibly the couple of years beforehand. That is a whole villain that deserves to be up there in Nintendo's stable of greats. What an amazing sequence.
Edit 9: God it's amazing to also hear you mirror the sentiments I had upon the finish of Dread. I have always held Prime 2 and Zero Mission at the highest level of enthusiasm for "thoroughly ideal Metroid" games. I also have a bit of striking out against the grain where I think that for all of Other M's warts and lasting damage, I always felt like its biggest lingering "sin" was how back in the day, it really burned fans of this series so badly that no one would dare even suggest injecting any form of further action perspective into the series; folks wanted Super Metroid or Prime and that was **it**.
Instantly upon Dread's completion, it felt like someone had tossed a bomb through a sheet glass window into my innermost thoughts on the series as a whole, raided the place, went to MercurySteam and developed something that had just confidently took a new spot of just being the ideal situation. It delivered on the concept of a "higher action"/action showcase Metroid that Other M wanted so badly to be. It recognized that you could and should be challenged not just to navigate and infer your way around a world of ZDR's breadth and depth, but to compete against various forms of hostiles that are gunning for your existence in narrative all while providing the best upward curve of firepower and options in the series since Echoes (for me personally). Dread even manages to do the impossible and inspire more and more runs because of its slick movement systems, presentation and a number of streamlines (skipping most cutscenes in later playthroughs) while making the average playthrough to completion hover in a manageable range much like Zero Mission so you just feel like you could do another run every time you finish it. Hell, this video really has me thinking of popping the game back in for the God knows how many-eth time here.
This video really did not disappoint. You've grown so much with your critique and delivery of said criticism. Thank you for the wonderful Christmas gift!
lmao dude, I was just watching that E3 in my chair casually and they say "here's some news for Metroid" and im all "oh shit cool, Prime 3 info?" then i get slapped in the face with METROID 5 and just immediately begin spinning in my chair in disbelief, like it really was such a ITLL NEVER HAPPEN ITS BEEN TOO LONG moment so DEFIED. it was beautiful.
I'm kinda wondering why people think early Pulse Radar was so rare... I did it on my first playthrough too, and that wasn't even during the part where I got lost for 5-6 hours. (I'm not kidding, after getting the Ice Missiles I ran multiple circles across the _entire fucking map_ trying to figure out what the fuck I was supposed to do with the thing.)
I've been a Metroid fan since I first played Super at the age of 6, and knowing that it was the third in the series certainly set me on a childhood mission of wearing my parents down to turn visiting yard sales into something of a weekend habit as I sought out the other two. I played them in reverse order, and loved them, and the quest to find them filled most of the drought between Super and Fusion for me, while also allowing me to come across a bunch of other old NES and later SNES games being sold for pennies on the dollar, so while the first console I played was the SNES by the time I got Metroid 1 I was very familiar with the OG NES and was able to temper my expectations accordingly and love it for what it was, staying up nights bombing tiles, discovering the screw attack on my own and feeling like I'd unlocked a cheat since I was able to get it relatively early compared to the other two games....
And yet, I got stuck at that same Spider Magnet wall in Dread. Not only that, I got stuck again at the beginning of Cataris where you just need to shoot left of the elevator.
Ah, how I'd fallen. I got Jaffe'd twice at the beginning of the game. Though, I didn't get upset at the game for having these elements that have been there since the first game in the series and tutorialzed at the start of the game like that certain someone. I just felt silly, and a bit sad that I'd become so rusty at my favorite series. I skipped AM2R, amd even Samus Returns despite buying it with the full intention of playing the hell out of it, but between work and nerve damage in my hands worsening I'd kept putting it off. But, while I only found myself holding a controller a few days of the year by the time Dread came out, well, I was one of those people that got hyped about that leak, that scan log, and then eventually made peace with the fact that it was never coming only to be blindsided by that reveal and feel young again. Then I played it and felt old as those two walls showed me just how rusty I'd become. After that, though, I didn't get stumped that hard again, though the limits of my energy and use of my hands made the final boss take 3 evening gaming sessions to beat, and while I got frustrated at points, looking back I wouldn't have had it any other way. They said that while it doesn't necessarily mean this will be Samus's final mission, it is the end of the Metroid arc that began all the way back on the NES, and what a way to close it out! The battle against the SA-X in Fusion was over quickly, but going up against Raven Beak really felt like a climactic duel against an evil analog of the protagonist should be. I usually felt those kinds of battles in Metroidvanias ended up feeling like let-downs, but Dread knocked the concept out of the park. I love how he uses the Aeon abilities from Samus Returns against you, even though I'd only seen them from watching others' gameplay. It was grueling, but such a fitting boss for the finale of a story and gaming arc older than even myself. By day 3 it was like a deadly dance, and that victory felt earned. And, while I hope to see Samus embark on a new mission, and face brand new threats, and that with enough Gabapentin and time I'll be able to play through it with my own hands, I am satisfied with how they wrapped up this arc from both a narrative and gameplay perspective.
There's a logbook entry in the original North American release of Metroid Prime that has forever stuck with me, of the Chozo referring to the Sanctuary they crafted to shield the Impact Core, ending with "Those who respect and honor these relics will know the friendship of the Chozo. Those who deface or destroy them will know our wrath, unfettered and raw." And while it was....expunged from canon via the Trilogy re-release, that last line stuck with me for a specific reason.
Raven Beak is the pinnacle of everything that defiles the concept of the Chozo to Samus. The Chozo as Samus is shown are kind. They help the downtrodden, they saved her and elevated her to a form that has allowed her to protect the galaxy they loved and cherished, all at her own request. They have guided her on her journey, though her armor, though their various relics and upgrades, and, even though their failings, they still send hope for the future of the universe. And then Raven Beak, one who worships at the altar of Power, intends to use every bit of that legacy and defile it. To turn her DNA, the DNA of the Metroid Hatchling that saved her life, into a weapon to claim the galaxy, to make others suffer as she did.
And so, for that one moment, when the Metroid DNA within Samus awakens, we get to see that Wrath, Unfettered and Raw. We see Samus, for the FIRST time, not struggling, like she had with Raven Beak prior. Not confident, like she was against monsters like Kraid, that had threatened countless lives before she took him down in the past, but full of absolute RAGE. And that scream, that unending, unyielding scream of defiance and rage and hate, is the single most CHILLING thing to happen in Dread. Seeing the depths that Raven Beak sunk to, and would sink to, was one thing...but FINALLY getting him to see the absolute consequences of his actions, delivered by the Avatar of Vengeance for the Thoha Tribe, has forever become one of my favorite moments in all of gaming.
(Also, the unlockable Chozo Memories files, earned for beating the game, imply that the Mawkin had taken Kraid from Zebes before it blew up, at some point after Samus defeated him.)
I was thinking about this game again the other day so I was happy to see such a nice video about it.
That scene where Samus finally speaks gives me chills every time. Not just because it's one of the few times we've ever heard her speak as the confident adult she's become, but because it's a conversation in a language she likely has not heard or had reason to speak in who knows how many years. In a series where she's been content with non-verbal gestures as answers to others, I can only imagine her choice to speak was one that was immensely personal and says so much about her feelings and identity while barely having to say anything at all.
It was nothing short of incredible.
I just wanted to say that I grinned like a maniac when I heard the "Legend Of The Hidden Temple" music while you described the options for proceeding through Olmec's tem-er, the planet.
make sure to beat the second and third phases so you can get the Ankh…wait, wrong Olmec
This was perhaps my most wanted Geek Critique video ever. I was desperate to hear it from the moment Dread was announced, especially after the entire saga of original Metroid critiques. And just like the game itself, no matter how long it took, it was a worthy conclusion!
You've honestly outdone yourself with this video, and I'm definetly going to be rewatching it again and again, as well as most likely replaying Dread again. As someone who wasn't there for the launch of any Metroid game, since I didn't really become a fan until after Other M, and didn't even get around to Samus Returns, I was still acutely aware of how much legacy the series had, to the point where Samus Returns' reveal still amazed me. And that goes doubly for this game's reveal. I can only hope that, whatever comes next for Metroid, it's as good as this is.
All that being said, major props for addressing the elephant-in-the-room that is Mercury Steam. Some cynical types might say it's pointless to expect change, but giving up and forgetting changes nothing, and the people who made this game deserve respect for their work. Every last one of them.
Also, just in case the title/thumbnail ever changes, I'm gonna comment on it. After watching, I just now realised this video is subtitled "The Geek Critique". And considering where this channel first got a lot of attention from, it's very fitting to consider this "THE Geek Critique". Though, like Metroid, I have no doubt that whatever comes next, it's gonna be just as enjoyable~ Best of luck with whatever your next season is, Josh, if you happen to read this!
The thing with the workers, I feel the best way to handle it is to be extremely vocal about it and call it out when able, and make sure it is known, but also to buy the game if it is good. It's a difficult situation as a consumer for stuff like this, because not buying it punishes not only the people responsible for the bad behavior, but also those were the victim of it, and in many cases the parent company (like Nintendo in this case) can and probably would take the wrong message and just not make any more Metroid games for another dark age because "it didn't sell well, must mean no one wants it." Instead of "This company we worked with had bad business practices, let's go elsewhere." You do what you think is right if what you described happens, no judgements here, but getting the message out and making sure it's talked about and condemned by everyone is the first step I feel. I'm glad Mercury Steam got their second chance to make their vision of a Metroid game, and it's brilliant in my eyes. However I want to see a new team handle things now. Metroid 6 is going to be something entirely new, now freed from the story the past 5 games were telling. I want to see a new team handle everything, see where the series goes with completely fresh eyes behind the development.
Thanks for making sure the story of the workers gets out there, it just sucks the situation with how the industry works isn't as simple as we wish it to get better conditions and not potentially lose what we want to get out of it too.
Omg the wave of nostalgia that came to me when you started talking about the speed booster, and DiC Sailor Moon music started playing in the background. I thought I was tripping for a minute lol
Been working on designing my own game for over a year now (all story/theory at this stage), and something in this video lead me onto a tangent, and gave me a big breakthrough on some key parts of the story. The jigsaw has been coming together quite well, but this tangent feels like i have just connected a few big chunks and made the image clearer. So, want to directly thank you for indirectly helping me 😁
1:01:15 thank you for noticing that the doors closed behind Samus. I’ve seen so many people blame Samus for letting the X out
Metroid Dread is such an insanely good game. While I was disappointed they didn't go the route fusion did with it's ending, I pretty much expected that since that ending was an error on the localization's part. It's not my favorite Metroid game, but it's still a damn good one. Mercury Steam has really showed with their two games that they doing their damndest to repair the damage Other M and Federation Force did and you can tell they really care and understand Samus.
(24:54) funniest thing is I had little problem in my first playthrough, but somehow in one of my later runs, I thought I softlocked in lower burenia, forgetting about the obscured diffusion charge beam block beyond the massive "whale" tank room. I think this is all just the beauty of how Metroid can make a fool out of us, it's just part of the fun
MAN your reviews are epic. It's the next best thing to a playthrough with developer commentary. It's experiencing the game all over again with extra insight, and in less time. Thanks so much for the incredible effort you put into these!
What I love about Dread is that it doesn't make any mentions of the events of Other M, so it can considered non-canon!
WHICH MEANS ADAM IS A GOOD GUY AGAIN!!!
And considering Other M contradicts every single piece of Metroid lore, be it from the games or the 2003 manga, it should, indeed, be considered non-canon.
Appreciate you putting the people who made this game first. The Metal Gear Solid comparison is so good! Your interpretation of the story made me realize the metroid are Samus’s chosen family.
Idk why but the MGS comparisons made me really happy too
Calling the Metroid her “chosen family” just made me imagine Samus in her power suit sitting at an empty table looking down at her lap with a banner that says “FAMILY REUNION!” in the background.
Haha, yes!! Make it happen, Nintendo! That’s the Metroid lore we really care about.
I would love to hear you critically examine hollow knight like you have with Metroid
One thing that made me realize just how much work was put into this game was the fact that the Chozo language... was a proper language. There are grammar and speech rules to it, just like the D'ni language from the Myst series. It's not just "English but with glyphs instead of letters". It's incredible.
Am I the only one who's a little upset he didn't mention that, if you get bombs before fighting Kraid, you get a unique way to defeat him?
Edit: Scratch that, he mentioned it at 1:17:50. Sorry, The Geek Critique.
Thanks for giving that early reality check about the developer situation ( and the call back to it at the end). Dread is an amazing game, but it was made with a lot of blood, sweat and tears and some was shed unnecessarily.
The re-contextualization of the Jaffe situation was also a good call- I do remember getting immensely stuck on the purple E.M.M.I. section...by completely missing the obvious solution( it was related to the spider climb section on the ceiling if I remember correctly), so I resonated a bit with you getting lost a lot. Jaffe should have handled it better, but the situation itself can happen to anyone. And this is coming from one who only really played Fusion and then Metroid Prime 3 before this so I don't have the "old Metroid muscle memory" excuse to fall back on (though this game did give me a nice feel of what the older games feel like since it feels like a mashup of Fusion, Samus Returns and Super).
Another insightful part of the video was the music critique-the possible intent that most of the music (barring the call-backs to older themes and the awesome final boss theme) is not really memorable because it is meant to emulate being natural to the environment helped re-frame things a bit for me.
And, I do feel that one critique was missed here that connects a bit into the second half of the game showing its seams a bit: the fact that you fight the mawkin soldiers (robotic, real or X-possessed) a LOT in that second half. Combined with the ideas that a boss or two may have been cut leading to the upgrades being by their lonesome and this point sticks out a bit more in my opinion-that the overuse of these mini-bosses in the second half might have been a bit of a cover for that cut content.
(and of course, good call on just leaving the post-final boss scene on its own; anything said would just detract from how balls-to-the-wall awesome it is.)
Overall, a skillful, insightful critique of this game and definitely worth the long wait!
one of the best feelings you can get on youtube is when you come back to an old channel you remember from years ago and discover that they've grown along with you
Your analysis of the potential missing "gravity suit" boss was very compelling... I now wish I could have fought a foe I never imagined before. Well done.
Honestly, I think the long load time might have been the Switch struggling to run the huge Gravity Suit room. The whole sequence (and area) gives off a serene, meditating vibe too. A boss fight would have taken away from it.
Imma just say this. As both a D&D DM and ametuer game dev. One of the hardest things to accomplish is nudging players in the right direction without outright telling them what to do. Before I starting making campaigns and designing dungeon puzzles I used to hate markers and waypoints in games… and now while I still do I 100% understand why.
It’s never fun being lost of unsure what to do, and often it is better to error on the side of being too direct rather then not enough. All of this makes me give huge props to Dread for managing to guide the players without markers.