Q&A: Yoshio, Yousuke Hayashi on Metroid: Other M - WIRED

[RidleyScott]

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/06/metroid-interview/

[mental]

With regards to the Prime series, if the team at Retro comes up with an idea that does bring a sequel to the series to fruition, I by all means encourage them to do that. But I’m not directly involved with the Prime games. In terms of the Metroid series stories that I’ve told, the games that I’ve been involved in, I started with the NES Metroid and took it through Fusion. I’m hoping to tie the Super Metroid and Fusion stories together, and until I do that I can’t think about what happens after Fusion, but if the concept does come to me I’d like to continue the story and see how far it can go.

So, it seems like the Prime games are very likely to get shuffled off into an alternate continuity.

[AuroraUnitComplex]

It appears that way, though I guess it's to be expected. Given a title with the distinguishing word being "Prime," it makes sense, since that word is used in mathematics to represent a transformation of a coordinate system or a derivative of some original expression. From a gameplay and narrative perspective, that's precisely what the Prime games are, so we could probably say that it's already in an "alternate continuity" as you described.

After reading these Other M interviews, and especially this one, I find it quite exciting to see how they sound so eager to not only get back to the original equation so to speak, but to also integrate these two new design dimensions into the game with how Hayashi described Project M as Nintendo "making the bloodflow," but Tecmo now the "body," and D-Rockets a new layer of "emotion." A true three-dimensional project, figuratively speaking. Whatever they're doing, Sakamoto sounds quite inspired and excited right now, which has gotten me pumped even more for next year

[Quadraxis]

I don't think they are going to ignore the Prime series completely, but it didn't really have a big impact on the entire series' storyline. Like Sakamoto said earlier, it's just one incident in the bigger chain of events.

[Infinity's End]

Thanks for posting this link, RidleyScott. I updated the MDb front page accordingly.

[EzraSmith]

Even the asians want the Prime games to continue. Cool.

[mental]

I don't think they are going to ignore the Prime series completely, but it didn't really have a big impact on the entire series' storyline. Like Sakamoto said earlier, it's just one incident in the bigger chain of events.

It's a protracted conflict with attacks on core Federation worlds, involving the whole Federation armada. They can work it into the plot somehow, or they can ignore it completely (relegating it to a separate continuity), but if Other M overlaps in time with the Prime games they don't really have any other options.

[RidleyScott]

There can't be only four people from Nintendo working on this... No one from Metroid/Metroid II/Super Metroid is working on this project other than Sakamoto? What about sound work? There has to at least be 10 dudes from Nintendo.

[mental]

I'll certainly be disappointed if the music isn't up to par.

[Steamlord]

I agree. The music is part of what defines the Metroid series. I really liked the whole eerie high-pitched choir type music in the Prime trilogy, which seemed like sort of a throwback to Super Metroid. But yes, all the Metroid music so far has been gorgeous... I hope the music from the Other M trailer isn't in the game itself, though, it didn't really seem to flow very well; seemed kind of choppy and disconnected.

[EzraSmith]

The music is definitely cool, I love the metal remixes from that one band.

[Abodos]

The music is definitely cool, I love the metal remixes from that one band.

Metroid Metal, I believe. Wouldn't it be so cool if MM's music was actually featured in Other M?

As long as Kenji Yamamoto is still doing the bulk of the soundtrack, of course.

[Tetsujin]

With regards to the Prime series, if the team at Retro comes up with an idea that does bring a sequel to the series to fruition, I by all means encourage them to do that. But I’m not directly involved with the Prime games. In terms of the Metroid series stories that I’ve told, the games that I’ve been involved in, I started with the NES Metroid and took it through Fusion. I’m hoping to tie the Super Metroid and Fusion stories together, and until I do that I can’t think about what happens after Fusion, but if the concept does come to me I’d like to continue the story and see how far it can go.

So, it seems like the Prime games are very likely to get shuffled off into an alternate continuity.

Wait, what? Nothing even remotely suggests that.

[mental]

Wait, what? Nothing even remotely suggests that.

Simple deduction. If they're making a game to fill the gap between Super Metroid and Fusion, they will need to either reference the events of Corruption, or else relegate it to an alternate timeline. So far, they do not appear to be referencing Corruption at all.

Edit: ah, I'm an idiot. Corruption falls before Super Metroid chronologically. So never mind.

[Steamlord]

Which is a good thing; it's okay to make an alternate history of a TV show that was around thirty years ago, but not a more recent franchise that's been going (pretty much) strong for over twenty years and stars the same character every time. Making Prime an alternate history would just be annoying at this point, especially since I greatly enjoyed it and completely welcomed it into the Metroid universe.