Hi, I’m Daniel Thurman

Daniel reviews cyberpunk books, games, and more.

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  • This Could Be the Most Complete Metroid History Video You’ve Ever Seen

    While there have been many efforts to document the history of the Metroid series, not many have dared to not only document the main games in the series, but also offshoots and fan games. But METROID – History of a Legendary Franchise by MarcTheCyborg does just that in good measure. The video is extremely approachable, which is perfect for series newcomers who want to dig into the franchise because Dread got them curious. Take a look:

    METROID – History of a Legendary Franchise is a must watch for hardcore Metroid fans.

    The video starts off with a brief history of Nintendo as a game maker before jumping headfirst into the Metroid series. Starting with Metroid of course. MarcTheCyborg then takes on each game in the series chronologically all the way up to Metroid Dread. Nothing is left out. Which means He even goes into some of the interesting side-games and offshoots like Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

    What’s very interesting about METROID – History of a Legendary Franchise, aside from its amazing depth on the entire series, is that it is not afraid to discuss fan games. AM2R is even given its own entire section in the video. This makes for some really interesting viewing. Especially since AM2R is not as well known in the mainstream (i.e. outside of hardcore Metroid fandom) with the developer having been serviced a cease and desist by Nintendo.

    The video seems to be doing well, surpassing MarcTheCyborg’s expectations by quite a lot. His initial goal was ten thousand views. As of this writing, the video has surpassed forty thousand.

    So if you don’t have a lot of plans this weekend, take a little time to give this video a watch. It is pretty long, clocking in at an hour and forty-five minutes. But worth it, I assure you. It’s a well done little gem for fans of the series and maybe even more for newcomers who discovered it thanks to Metroid Dread.

  • Prime 2D is a Sidescrolling Demake of Metroid Prime

    To say that Metroid Prime is beloved amongst Metroid fans would be an understatement. The game, first released on Nintendo GameCube in 2002, is considered one of the best in the series and the first to push the Metroid franchise away from it’s 2D platforming roots. Thanks to the brilliant work of Retro Studios, Metroid was perfectly adapted as a first person adventure game. And now Prime 2D aims to take the game and demake it back to it’s 2D roots.

    While Metroid Prime is loved among most Metroid fans, there are those who still prefer it as a 2D series. A group of dedicated Metroid fans and clearly very talented developers have been busy making Prime 2D a real thing. So real in fact that there is a demo that you can download and play right now.

    The demo is visually stunning, capturing the aesthetic of Metroid Prime perfectly while also changing literally everything else about it in its transition to 2D. It looks like a solid, retro-styled Metroid platformer game akin to Zero Mission or fellow fan-game AM2R.

    The demo allows you to explore some of the Talon Overworld and features some of the power-ups available to Samus in Metroid Prime and the ability to scan the environment with the power suit’s visor. And, I need to say again that this is just absolutely gorgeous. I mean, just *chef’s kiss* beautiful in every way.

    The development team, calling themselves Team SCU, has opted to keep the Metroid name out of the title (for obvious reasons). Assuming the inevitable cease and desist is issued soon, you might want to grab this this demo while it’s available and easy to find.

    And if Prime 2D does get the C&D treatment from Nintendo, we are really looking forward to whatever this game becomes when it gets reskinned. Or whatever else these talented folks make in the future. Team SCU, whoever they are, is worth keeping an eye on we think.

    [Source: Metroid Database]