#am2r

[coldgoldlazarus]

The only way I could understand Lego's sudden C&D is if this is a Samus Returns situation, where they're planning on actually doing something with Bionicle again. Even then I'd still be upset and annoyed, but at least it would be a halfway understandable reason. As-is, though... ugh.

[meeblo]

Played AM2R for the first time recently. It was, as people have said, quite good, though I disagree with takes that it replaces the original Metroid 2. The tone just isn't the same, nor is the pacing or atmosphere. It's a closer match than Samus Returns I'd say, but not a replacement.

Both remakes feel like they're torn between being Metroid 2, remade, and being the first 2D metroid game since Zero Mission all those years ago. Why add an escape sequence in AM2R? Why add a Ridley bossfight in Samus Returns, completely sidetracking the ending and its impact? Why add beam stacking? Why add the speed booster, power bomb, gravity suit, and other upgrades that first debuted in Super Metroid that weren't in Metroid 2? They're not in there because they make Metroid 2 better, or worse, necessarily. They make it more like Super or Zero Mission, the games people have been hungering for more of, justifiably so.

You could argue these changes make for the better game, but they inarguably make the game less similar to the original Metroid 2. In the original metroid 2, the descent into the caverns, the lack of a map, the lack of any visible completion percentage, it all funnels you towards progress. You don't know what you're missing, you don't need to care, you're here with singular purpose and your mission is annihilation. The counter always displays the total number of metroids, and only when paused does it display the area count. AM2R dilutes this, it kills the momentum that carries the original through to its climax. Your metroid counter defaults to the area count first, and the global count in the menu. The map has Zero Mission's QoL features to make backtracking to grab items you couldn't get before a breeze, and the distribution center fast travel facilitates it. But after spending time doing endgame cleanup, you finally get back to the final area and realize that you have no momentum leading into it anymore. It sacrifices the ludonarrative, the verisimilitude, for being more like the more traditional games in the series. This isn't some damning flaw or anything, it's overall fairly minor, but it's indicative of the ways that AM2R does not replace the gameboy original.

All this said, that I'm so harsh on the minute details of AM2R is a testament to how well it overall feels as a Metroid game. It feels like metroid, enough to critique it as a metroid, and as a remake of an older metroid. I almost immediately started another playthrough after I finished, only my urge to replay Fusion winning out more when I grabbed my GBA SP out of the cabinet.

I played what I believe to be the latest community patch if anyone was wondering.

[seven-raccoons]

hey yall i made a metroid discord server!!!

Check out the metroid server :P community on Discord - hang out with 12 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

i made it because im crazy about metroid and i NEED more people to talk about it with!! apparently our community is very small which surprised me?? i hopeyall enjoy!

YOUR MISSION: talk 2 me about metroid..,.....

[it-seemo]

DAY 07 - SCAVENGERS

He just wants a snack.

<- Day 06 | Day 07 | Day 08 ->

[limayde]

29. AM2R

I've heard a lot of people say this is the definitive version of Metroid 2, even over the official remake, Samus Returns.

And now that I've finally played it after all these years... I...don't think I agree with that sentiment.

Don't get me wrong, it is a really good remake of Metroid 2, and it's got a ton of stuff going for it, but so does Samus Returns. The latter easily has the better combat; the melee counter was a brilliant addition to Samus' arsenal. It may be a little more clunky SR compared to Dread, but it's still a very fun mechanic that adds a lot of depth.

The Metroid fights in particular are a lot more fun in SR. AM2R's Metroid Fights are kinda...middling. They're clunky, hard to hit, and only have a handful of things they can do in a fight. Not to mention the abysmal arenas some of these fights take place in. And like, that's...not exactly a great look for a game about fighting Metroids.

Unequivocally, the best thing about AM2R is the atmosphere. They absolutely fuckin' nailed it. The music, the spritework, the varying biomes, the ending?? It's all brilliant and I was constantly wowed every time I found myself in a new location. I'm still mad Samus Returns turned the ending into a glorified Ridley fight. That's the one part you just had to not fuck up and what did you do???

Anyway, I really liked the segments of the game original to AM2R. Getting a Prime-style scan of environments, enemies, and whatnot really fleshes out the world. But unlike prime, you don't have to pause the game to look at things every six seconds!!! Also the "charge to draw pickups to you" is in the game and it's so nice. Why isn't that in the main series?

The addition of the Federation ship on the surface is really cool. You get some insight on the Metroids and why they only reach later stages of life, and a secret boss fight! Oh also you can go to the room Samus visits in Fusion before she gets attacked lmao

I'm not sure how I feel about the other new bosses though, I think the Torizo is fun, but the others are kinda...mehhh?? And then at worst they're the Big fuckin' wheel in the tall corridor.

AM2R is a very fun game, and I'm happy I finally played it, I'm just not convinced that it's as definitive of a version as people claim it to be.

[alligator-with-a-top-hat]

Did you know? On Hard mode, the Omega Metroid bosses in AM2R do five energy tanks' worth of damage to Samus with their claw slashes without the damage reduction effects of the Varia and Gravity suits.

[tilt5951]

everyone can join!

We are the united front against Nintendo's policy about fan projects. We're here to end the age of Nintendo being mean to creative fans! And

[quaddmgd]

finally started a2mr and omg it's so pretty (and very fun)

i'm such a sucker for 32bit style pixel art and lively pixel vegetation in general

the background gradient looks super nice too and reminds me of super metroid's intro/prologue