**SPOILER** MP3: Thoughts on the ending

[ultraviolet]

I was partaking of a splendid cup of tea old boy, but I do LOVE cookies, thanks! Here you go

I love Ridley as well, despite how it sounded - he was a lot scarier in Other M and I thought he was in Prime 3 as well. My favourite fight in the game is on Norion when you're both falling down that shaft. That had me in awe

Little birdie did creep me out, the fact that it runs away and then it's right behind you. It just stands there, not doing anything threatening, but just that stare it gives you and the atmosphere that had built up. I felt sick when I saw it near the Sector 1 facility, at the time I thought "what could have done that...?" the first impression I felt was that someone killed it - even if the clues of the bones bending outward and the mystery creature suggested otherwise. I had never seen anything like it.

It would be good if Dark Samus and Ridley were in a new game, but without the brainwashing ability she seemed to have, I'd love to see her fight. Like Prime 2, she was scarier when you saw her slaughtering everything. Even if it was only a glimpse, it left an impression.

(sigh) Someday... But Scream was only supposed to be a trilogy as well... Prime 4 could be amazing!

Even if that becomes "Dread" or the long awaited "Metroid 5". Even if Retro Studios were up against it with Prime, I thought they got their act together and did us proud, Prime 1, 2 and 3 are works of art.

I even like Hunters, my only problem is hardly massive though, and that was the other Hunters: they all had the same abilities. Like an alternate form - their own Morph Ball. They could have been totally different but what would the alternative be? So I can't complain really, I suppose that's more for the multiplayer version. If you can play as the others, I don't know so I can only assume. So even though I enjoyed it, I keep thinking maybe I think that because it's Prime but not as I know it. I'm also left-handed so using ABXY to move takes getting used to...

I'm also wrong about Dark Samus too - your name was the clue. I said we only saw her at the beginning and end of Prime 3 and that's not true - we saw her as a (for want of a better word) ghost. Still, that was only a glimpse, but not in the way it was in Prime 2.

[wraithdarksamus]

I suggest we stop handing out cookies, this is getting sad...

And if the hunters in, um, hunters didnt have alt forms like samus' morph ball, we'd have missed out on all those lovely online multiplayer alt spammers. Such lovely people, and not at all cheating. That was a lie. They are EVIL.

[Dark Samus Aran]

Doesnt syluxs ship looked... like it has phazon on it... sorta????

[HYRUL3]

Not really. His ship has always had weird lines and glowing and such. It just looks different from Hunters.

And yes, I believe the ship is Sylux.

[wraithdarksamus]

I'm just going to be random and say its Samus from the future who has come back in time to kill herself. For no actual reason. Very Nintendo.

[G H O R™]

I myself have had a couple of thoughts on the ending. Sylux was my first thought, and i'd say: Why the hell not. He is the most unknown character in the prime series, so getting Samus a fresh rival like Sylux would most certainly not hurt. Besides, the plot could still involve DS. For instance, Sylux might was a creation by DS, programmed to stop the federation by stealing equipement and whatnot. I sure would feel some pressure on me, getting stalked by that horrible electrifier.

Now an interesting logbook scan from GCN Metroid Prime about MP:
"Highly evolved, Phazon-producing life form. The aberration known as Metroid Prime is the source of Phazon, making it immensely powerful. A genetic flaw makes it susceptible to certain weapons for brief periods. Only its head is truly vulnerable: other attacks are a nuisance. Offensively, Metroid Prime has a number of natural and mechanical weapons at its disposal. These include Ultrafrigid Breath, Multi-Missiles, Snare Beams, and Particle Wave Projectors. Its massive strength and barbed carapace make it lethal in melee combat. Recommend maximum firepower when engaging this enemy. combat. Recommend maximum firepower when engaging this enemy.[8] when engaging this enemy. when engaging this enemy."

So even though Phaaze Exploded, there will be Phazon. Phaaze was probably just trying to create another Phazon Source in the Genesis Chamber, were Husks of MP-like creatures can be found.

Before MP "died", she stole samus Phazon Suit. MP also reformed into what we call Dark Samus. So there will still be Phazon in MP4. (or M5) That could potentially be controlling Sylux, or modifying his ship or Lockjaw.

This is also my first post here

[HYRUL3]

Welcome! Love the name, very unique spacing/TM usage, don't think I've ever seen that here before.

[ultraviolet]

See? The whole thing can be interpreted in so many ways. I remember thinking at the end of MP3 "Well, that about wraps it up for Prime." and then one little question mark appeared, and another and another and so I had yet another sleepless night (being an insomniac, it's not exactly hard anyway )

I still have mixed feelings about Sylux - but yeah, why not? There's so much could be explored. Or maybe Sylux's ship was just a prelude to Hunters and nothing more? Who knows? I never paid attention to timelines - they my work brain not make.

I just want to see Dark Samus again - she gave me the biggest feeling of unease on Prime - though some of the mystery's gone she still had a very strong presence. Like how Timelords could sense each other, you always somehow knew she was near and yet, totally powerless like being hunted by the hunter. The SA-X was good, being off topic, but was just a 'Senseless Killing Machine' - Dark Samus has intelligence and it may supass Samus'. Samus can't hypnotise people, can she? Well, she can with the Zero Suit (hoping my girlfriend doesn't read this...)

Now THERE's a thought: (being a Doctor Who geek) Dark Samus hypnotises people, well, Space Pirates - that's a very Timelord trait for (pause for dramatic effect) The Master

(cough) Anyway...

[wraithdarksamus]

Everyone says Metroid and Halo borrow offa each other, but no, Metroid borrows off Doctor Who. (I'm a Who fanboy too y'know)

[HYRUL3]

It couldn't be a prelude to Hunters. Here's the timeline:

Metroid Zero Mission
Metroid Prime
Hunters
Echoes
Corruption
Return of Samus
Super Metroid
Other M
Fusion

I love Doctor Who. *goes to finish the last season*

[ultraviolet]

Good point, maybe then this is a way of retrospectively (whew) introducing Sylux - you know, it wouldn't be a bad idea really would it, the Sylux thing? Maybe someday there could be a "Metroid Prime: Rival Hunters" or something, a little bit more linear than Hunters was - a single villain to focus on rather than a horde of them at once. Or hell, just make it Prime 4 - bring back Phazon, I don't know - it just seems as if there is so much more we've yet to see and although the ending was huge and Prime 3 was arguably the definitive end to Prime (and rather brutal in parts), it just seems like it just CAN'T be over.

I'm hoping that Phazon and Dark Samus are like Daleks in that respect

But Samus is a lot like the Doctor when you think about it - Fusion for example. I can't remember the exact words but how she said she survived reborn as something different - and yet the same. A teensy hint to regeneration maybe? And even though she isn't as mad as him (except the rather sweet and rebellious "Any objections, Adam?" in Other M), she does have that indomitable sense of right and wrong. And she can accept there's a time when you need to pick up a gun and blow s**t up

Both are the direct cause of destroying worlds...

Even though they were first-person shooters, they never felt like that - most first-person shooters I've played are instantly forgettable and Prime just stays with you. Tiny things you overlook first time and you think "what WAS the deal with that?" (there are exceptions of course, like Half-Life and No-One Lives Forever for example). But it's easy to see the impact that Prime has had on many - there's a game I had for PS3 called Timeshift that seemed VERY Prime-ish, I only got it because I love games with a high age rating and it was "18", but even the suit seemed directly influenced by it. But gave it to my sister because it disappointed the hell out of me - but that's another story. Although I don't know WHY she likes it and not Metroid - tastes differ, but it just seems wrong

Another thought, and a rather nice one I think, is the idea of a Metroid 2: Return of Samus remake - in the context of Prime (being typically isolated like Metroid 2 was), it could work well as Prime 4 - it could be a way of injecting Phazon into the later stories (through references or log entries). But a lot would have to be done if it were going to be in the style of Other M because of the expectations for cut-scenes and other characters and such. Just a thought

I think too much

The ending of Prime 3 though, it would be rather tricky to top that one - there's huge and then there's HUGE

[Chris]

No, we don't need Phazon and Dark Samus to return in order to have future games on par with the Prime series, the plot devices were not what made them games special in my opinion. They were fun to play, contained awesome level design, were mostly paced rather well, had tonnes of optional depth to their game universe, brilliant music throughout, wide variety of enemies and some awesome boss battles.

The Metroids and Ridley are already the series' Daleks, we don't need another over used plot device.

I'd love another Prime style Metroid but with a new threat we have not come across before that contains 100% new enemies, I'm getting bit fed up of fighting the same enemies in all Nintendo's franchises.

[HYRUL3]

I agree. Why is it so many people want Dark Samus and phazon back so much? They had three games, now it's time for something else to take center stage.

[Doc Scratch]

One of the enjoyable things about a villain like Sylux is that s/he provides an intelligently human foe; since Metroid has predominantly been about fighting entire species like the Ing or the X, or completely alien foes like Dark Samus and Mother Brain (Not counting the manga), it'd be interesting to see an enemy who is on Samus' level.

The problem with a villain like that, however, is that they can easily become ineffectual when their closer-to-earth emotions are written poorly. Just look at MB; yeah, she had motives and emotions and was understandable, but she was still a terrible villain.

[HYRUL3]

To be fair to human villains in Metroid everywhere, Other M had terrible writing. As long as he's written well it should be fine. Awesome, even.