{"id":81997,"date":"2019-02-12T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/02\/feature_please_understand_unpacking_nintendos_vision_for_metroid_prime_4"},"modified":"2019-02-12T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-02-12T17:00:00","slug":"feature-please-understand-unpacking-nintendos-vision-for-metroid-prime-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/02\/12\/feature-please-understand-unpacking-nintendos-vision-for-metroid-prime-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: Please Understand: Unpacking Nintendo’s Vision For Metroid Prime 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Metroid<\/a><\/figure>\n

Nintendo\u2019s announcement<\/a> that Metroid Prime 4<\/a><\/strong> was effectively being taken back to the drawing board wasn\u2019t exactly<\/em> the January surprise fans were hoping for; the sizeable delay to this much-anticipated sequel was an understandable downer for fans.<\/p>\n

Despite disappointment, the video update was met with general acceptance and understanding from most corners of the internet; after a couple of missteps in recent years, more time in the oven is fine<\/em> if it results in the sequel we’ve been dreaming about since 2007\u2019s Metroid Prime 3: Corruption<\/a><\/strong>, the last \u2018proper\u2019 entry in the Prime series. We\u2019ve waited this long \u2013 what\u2019s another couple of years between friends?<\/p>\n

However, reading between the lines, the video communicates a lot more than a mere apology and perhaps points towards a renewed investment in a franchise that hasn’t had the best support of late.<\/p>\n

Please Understand That We Hear You<\/h2>\n

More than simply demonstrating contrition and honourably owning the mistake, the video was also a calculated move to show publicly just how seriously Nintendo regards the franchise and its fans \u2013 to prove that the platform holder is aware and cares<\/em> about Metroid. It\u2019s a curious and arguably necessary move after the much-derided Metroid Prime: Federation Force<\/a><\/strong> caused the franchise faithful to wonder who on earth was calling the shots.<\/p>\n

Nintendo inexplicably chose to reveal Next Level\u2019s spin on multiplayer shooter Metroid Prime: Hunters<\/a><\/strong> at the revived Nintendo World Championships in the guise of side-game Metroid: Blast Ball<\/strong>. Divorced from the brand, it might have been a mildly diverting, inoffensive little game, but Samus fans were hungry. Federation Force? Perhaps it\u2019s some kind of<\/em> Halo ODST<\/em><\/strong>-style spinoff!<\/em> we thought. No \u2013 what we saw was a bunch of chibi-looking bounty hunters running around mini Rocket League<\/a><\/strong>-style arenas playing 3v3 first-person \u2018football\u2019. If that weren\u2019t enough, the fact it was on 3DS was a red rag to an already-peeved<\/em> bull.<\/p>\n

Who knows? Perhaps it was a misguided attempt to woo Japanese gamers to a series they\u2019ve historically been lukewarm on, but regardless of intent, the whole debacle was a spectacular misjudgement that suggested Nintendo had lost its way and completely forgotten what made the franchise special for millions of gamers. The fact that there hasn\u2019t been a solely in-house developed instalment since R&D1\u2019s Metroid: Zero Mission<\/a><\/strong> on the GBA in 2004 only reinforces that argument.<\/p>\n

Please Understand That We’re Sorry<\/h2>\n
\"MSR\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Fortunately, Metroid: Samus Returns<\/a><\/strong> – the fabulous remake of the Game Boy’s Metroid II<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 felt like a make-good for a fanbase desperate for a \u2018proper\u2019 instalment ever since Team Ninja\u2019s divisive Metroid: Other M<\/a><\/strong> in 2010. It was an effective apology, only dampened by its release on the ageing 3DS rather than Switch. With Switch going a long way to winning back the hearts of the \u2018hardcore\u2019 after the waggle of the Wii era, some would argue that Prime 4\u2019s existence indicates a change of attitude towards the franchise.<\/p>\n

Although it had been on many a fan\u2019s E3 bingo card for years, that<\/em> logo’s sudden appearance in 2017 was an uncharacteristically predictable move for a company which prides itself on novelty. That reveal proved once again that you can never quite guess what you\u2019re going to get from Nintendo; Smash<\/a><\/strong> fans crowed for years about King K. Rool, but did we ever really<\/em> expect him to join the line-up? Why the sudden change of heart?<\/p>\n

Please Understand The Numbers<\/h2>\n

Although Metroid\u2019s popularity seems evident \u2013 it\u2019s arguably part of that holy trinity alongside Mario<\/strong> and Zelda<\/strong> in the hearts and minds of western gamers \u2013 the sales reality makes for sobering reading. On paper, it simply isn\u2019t the tentpole franchise fans perceive it to be, especially<\/em> in Japan. Metroid Prime<\/a><\/strong>, for example, might have done well in the west, but back in Nintendo\u2019s homeland it sold just shy of 40,000 copies in its opening week<\/a> and managed around double that in lifetime sales. Despite faring much better in the US, sales still aren\u2019t up there with Mario or Zelda. It\u2019s also worth remembering that even the weighty Game-Of-The-Year entries in those franchises haven\u2019t historically been Nintendo\u2019s biggest sellers either \u2013 the big 3D Mario and Zelda titles do just fine, but are dwarfed in relative sales terms by the likes of Mario Kart<\/a><\/strong>, Wii Sports<\/a><\/strong> and New Super Mario Bros.<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

While (in pure sales terms) Metroid is a rung below Zelda and Mario, sales figures of the Switch instalments of those top-tier franchises show that perhaps that trend is changing. According to Nintendo\u2019s financial reports<\/a>, Breath of the Wild<\/a><\/strong> is the fourth best-selling game on the system with 11.68 million units sold (as of 31st<\/sup> December 2018, including bundles and digital downloads). Super Mario Odyssey<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s 13.76 million sales put it in second place, with only Mario Kart 8 Deluxe<\/strong> selling more (15.02 million). Granted, we\u2019ve yet to see life-to-date sales of New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe<\/strong> which got off to a very healthy start<\/a>, but these numbers are encouraging for fans of huge, expansive 3D games. If Switch really is the happy medium between the casual and the core audiences, perhaps Nintendo believes a strong Metroid entry could bridge the disconnect between fan perception and business reality.<\/p>\n

Please Understand The Competition
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