After the dismayed outcry of Metroid fans during E3, Nintendo of America's president, Reggie Fils-Amie stepped up to discuss the criticism of the new "Metroid" game. He likened the problems of "Metroid Prime: Federation Force", to what happened when "Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker" was announced, back in the day.

Here's what I would state: we know what our fans want. We will also push the envelope in developing something that we know is high-quality and that we know will deliver in the marketplace. The best example I can give you of this, and I think you will appreciate it, is Legend of Zelda Wind Waker. Remember when that art style was first shown. The uproar from the Zelda community was intensely negative. If there had been social media then, there probably would have been a petition to make that game go away.

...So, the game is developed, becomes one of the most beloved games of all time, one of the most highly-rated games of all time, so I use that example to say: 'We know what we're doing, trust us, play the game and then we can have a conversation.

Look, we know that the fans want a straight Samus Aran game. We also know that the best way to launch a game like that is to surprise and delight them, to give them a launch date, in an environment like this let them play it vs. what other companies do which is to announce a project that you may not see for five, six years. It's just not the way we do things. We know the community wants to see a straight-up Metroid game. We know it.

SOURCE

He states that Nintendo knows that fans want a new Metroid game. Maybe there's still a little hope for a new fully-fledged entry to the franchise.

 

[Foxi4]

At the very least Hunters was correctly themed and was a competent FPS. This looks like a chibi version of Metroid and many are not okay with that. I'll play the game and judge it then, but right now it looks disappointing - it's just not what people were waiting for. It's as if after 5-6 years of a hiatus Konami released Metal Gear Football instead of MGS V - people would be understandably upset.

 

[_Chaz_]

We know what we're doing, trust us, play the game and then we can have a conversation.

Basically what he's saying is:
"Buy the game that you've verbally confirmed that you don't want and we can talk about it after we have your money and positive sales data supporting the idea that you want this game and more like it."

Using Wind Waker as an example is a terrible comparison because, although it looks different from other games in the series, Wind Waker was a traditional Legend of Zelda game. Meanwhile Federation Farce is nothing like a traditional Metroid game and is basically Prime Hunters 2.0. If Wind Waker was Zelda II 2.0, it probably wouldn't have been as well received.

And going by the quote posted, he's completely ignoring the more valid concern. That poor sales of this game will not say "We don't want this game, we've never wanted this game. Give us an actual Metroid game and not a game with the Metroid name slapped on it for sales", and will instead be interpreted as "We don't want Metroid games anymore, they simply do not sell". This is even more likely given the backlash that Other M received, and how that message was received by Nintendo at the time.

All they have to do to test the waters is to remake an older Metroid game in 2.5D. They could dump the project off on Sora Ltd. and have it churned out in no time at all using the Smash Bros. engine and, as long as it wasn't intentionally ruined, it would sell and probably be pretty good. But they don't want to do that.
Instead we get another handheld, multiplayer Metroid shooter. Because Prime Hunters TOTALLY showed that people wanted more of that.

 

[Clydefrosch]

Fans, if you want to play the old metroids so much, just play the old metroids

 

[_Chaz_]

Fans, if you want to play the old metroids so much, just play the old metroids

No criticism allowed.

 

[Clydefrosch]

No criticism allowed.

hey, you can criticize... but there's really a limit to how much you can criticize objectively when all you have is a short video to judge by.

 

[BORTZ]

> developing something that we know is high-quality
>Wind Wanker

Come one Reggie. I know you arent the one in charge of all this stuff, but you are the only face I have to pin my anger.

 

[_Chaz_]

hey, you can criticize... but there's really a limit to how much you can criticize objectively when all you have is a short video to judge by.

I agree, but this more about how they're addressing the criticism, some of which is legitimate. Instead of listening to the fans and correcting anything that may have been misunderstood, they're brushing the issue away with a simple "buy the game from us first".

 

[Cyan]

maybe it could have been named something else.
"let's make a FPS and a space football game" .... it will not sell well, let's call it metroid.


it will be an online-only game?
I'll pass, even if it's in the prime series.

*haven't even read past 3 pages*

 

[Magnus87]

I dont know if it is bad game or not. Its only a Spinoff!

Nobody dies!

 

[elunesgrace]

Look, the Metroid games are probably some of my most favorite games ever (its the reason I even bought a game cube). So believe me, I'm very upset to not see a new real Metroid game, and what they showed certainly wasn't what I wanted.

However, I tend to often cut Iwata and gang some slack because Japanese culture is not like the American mindset. I know we like to picture them 'milking' everything, but anyone who has been to Japan knows that their society doesn't really work like that. If this was a company with their head-office in the US, I'd write them off completely as more garbage from their PR department. But having lived in a few countries I can say that their society will have had an impact on what they did, and the Japanese aren't big risk-takers.

I just wish they'd give the actual reason for the delay (like we found out for F-zero).

 

[hbrickface]

Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice

 

[lolcatzuru]

I honestly feel pretty bad for reggie, i feel like he is out of the loop and someone just hands him a turd like this and he just has to defend it because thats his job, and meanwhile, he know's it's shit.

 

[Deleted User]

Zelda can experiment with things like this because it's always been a serious yet somewhat comical franchise that experiments with different designs.

 

[Apache Thunder]

Comparing to this to the Wind Waker fiasco isn't valid. For one, Wind Waker was mainly a change in art style. But it still features Link as the playable character, and had Zelda in it to some degree. It featured a lot of the mechanics that a Zelda title has like going through dungeons and also has the same kind of story progression that a Zelda game would have.

The Metroid game coming out is just a side show with side games of sort and doesn't feature the main character and for the most part just uses the name and theme of the series. It's a much further departure from the series then Wind Waker was.

If Wind Waker was just a game containing only the side games similar to the side games in Mario Party, but in the style of the Zelda series and wasn't really a main series Zelda game, I could see that being a valid comparison. But that is far from the case.


Long story short, Reggie is wrong and the comparison is invalid.

And I'm not even a Metroid fan.

 

[Garro]

Meh, the chibi does looks very unappealing and off with Metroid, but as long as it keeps the Metroid Prime feel I'm fine with it. And I hope multiplayer was worth not having Samus (probably they preferred 4 random Federation soldiers vs. 4 Samus a-la Zeda Four Sword) in the meanwhile I'll just convince myself this is only a spinoff.

The Blast Ball game looks extremely boring though.

 

[cracker]

All they have to do to test the waters is to remake an older Metroid game in 2.5D. They could dump the project off on Sora Ltd. and have it churned out in no time at all using the Smash Bros. engine and, as long as it wasn't intentionally ruined, it would sell and probably be pretty good. But they don't want to do that.
Instead we get another handheld, multiplayer Metroid shooter. Because Prime Hunters TOTALLY showed that people wanted more of that.

QFT! Metroid fans want more of the same with some tweaks to the upgrades and environments! I think 11 years has been a long enough wait for another 2D Metroid but the Big N doesn't think so apparently. They sure don't act like a company that needs to start making a profit.

With that being said, this might be a good game for FPS fans but the kiddie design might put them off. I bet as soon as it is released there will be people hacking the models to look more like Hunters.

 

[RodrigoDavy]

Wind Waker had an unfair negative reception. Fans wanted a Ocarina of Time-like game but I don't personally find Ocarina of Time art style nearly as appealing. The original gamecube version of Wind Waker is the best looking Zelda in my opinion.

I think the fan backlash is a little misplaced. The problem isn't that Metroid Federation Force exists, but rather that there's no true Metroid sequel. However, one thing I am not particularly fond of is how early Metroid games were all about feeling isolated and now they've been unecessarily introducing more and more characters. A multiplayer game doesn't seen like a good fit for the Metroid franchise at all for me.

I don't care. I would rather get papercuts on my eyeballs than play that game. It feels like a bastardized version of a once great franchise to me - gimme TP or SS style anytime, but wipe Toon Zelda off the face of the Earth. Mind you, I don't expect people to agree with me, I'm well-aware that having good taste is a rare quality these days.

I was talking strictly about the art style, don't mind me - to me Zelda games stopped being even remotely interesting after ALTTP.

Edit: I lie, Season/Ages were great.

Why care about the art style if you don't even like the games? It's like complaining that the cake has no frosting and then saying you don't like cake.

Btw, Seasons and Ages are overrated.

 

[VinsCool]

Wind Waker had an unfair negative reception. Fans wanted a Ocarina of Time-like game but I don't personally find Ocarina of Time art style nearly as appealing. The original gamecube version of Wind Waker is the best looking Zelda in my opinion.

So true! My all time favorite. But Twilight Princess has its points for the best realistic looking graphisms for a Zelda game.

Btw, Seasons and Ages are overrated.

Not quite. Ok they're based on Link's Awakening engine, but gameplay mechanic is really cool, for both games.

 

[RodrigoDavy]

So true! My all time favorite. But Twilight Princess has its points for the best realistic looking graphisms for a Zelda game.

Not quite. Ok they're based on Link's Awakening engine, but gameplay mechanic is really cool, for both games.

I guess I didn't like Seasons/Ages because I think Link's Awakening is way better in comparison. However I always see Oracle/Season being much more praised

 

[VinsCool]

I guess I didn't like Seasons/Ages because I think Link's Awakening is way better in comparison. However I always see Oracle/Season being much more praised

I see Oracle games as improved Link's Awakening engine. They're twin games. You have to complete one to unlock extras on the other, through link cables (hehe the word).
The time travel/season passing concept is original and very cool. I wish some more of the aestetic is made for more Zelda games.

And that's 2 games, twice the fun