Among entertainment media video games are unique in that they have a barrier of entry. Anyone who is literate can read a book, and pretty much anyone can watch a movie (sometimes you don’t even need to know the language), but a video game requires a certain level of hand-eye coordination and a set of specialized knowledge. This barrier of entry is both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand this keeps gamers from sharing their hobby with non-gamers. It’s no secret that not too long ago a “gamer-girl” was considered a mystical creature, as rare and sought after as the mythical unicorn. However, on the other hand this barrier makes it so that all gamers share a common set of skills and knowledge.
A gamer can watch someone else playing a game and infer a good deal more information about how the game is played and how fun they may find it than a non-gamer could infer from the teaser on the back of a book or from a movie trailer. Interestingly enough, this knowledge is compounding. Someone who has played three games can infer more about how a fourth game works without playing it and can learn how to play it quicker than someone who has only played two games.
To demonstrate this ability I am going to link to a teaser-video for an upcoming game and tell you everything I can about it. I have read very little about this game and its mechanics, though I do know a bit about the developers involved and the series the game is from. When I am using outside information like this I will make a note of it. Shall we begin?
A gamer can watch someone else playing a game and infer a good deal more information about how the game is played and how fun they may find it than a non-gamer could infer from the teaser on the back of a book or from a movie trailer. Interestingly enough, this knowledge is compounding. Someone who has played three games can infer more about how a fourth game works without playing it and can learn how to play it quicker than someone who has only played two games.
To demonstrate this ability I am going to link to a teaser-video for an upcoming game and tell you everything I can about it. I have read very little about this game and its mechanics, though I do know a bit about the developers involved and the series the game is from. When I am using outside information like this I will make a note of it. Shall we begin?
0 seconds - ***Information I already know about this game: This is the latest Metroid game for the Nintendo Wii. The game is being developed by the same studio that made the latest ninja gaiden series on the Xbox and I believe Xbox360 (and the PS3 ports). The Metroid series has the player taking the role of Samus Aran, a female bounty hunter in space that has a number of unusual abilities gained from both her suit of armor and her childhood being raised by the Chozo (mystical bird people). The games have been both 2-D sidescrolling games and 1-st person shooters (technically). In both cases the Metroid games have put an emphasis on exploration and a distinct sense of loneliness. Story has never been a particular concern of the Metroid series, and the enemies usually consist of indigenous life-forms and space pirates. This latest Metroid game is supposedly going to have a focus on the story. That’s about what I know so far.***
0:20 - Everything so far has been in-game cutscenes. No actual gameplay footage. ***Upgraded suit suggests that this is early in the game before the player loses their upgrades (a Metroid staple).***
0:20-0:23 - Some kind of throw technique. Player likely has to run up and press a button combination and then the game goes into a canned animation (player input does nothing). Probably breaks through enemy guard, if enemies can guard. May also be only useable on enemies who have been “stunned” in some way. Upper left corner shows in-game HUD (heads-up display). First bar and the 84 refer to current health. ***Small dot below 84 represents extra bar of life from an e-tank.*** 9/12 with the small missile icon is current missile ammo (previous Metroid game knowledge helped recognize that there were missiles and what the icon was, but I could have discerned it from the missile icon without having played a Metroid game before). ***Blue bar that turns gold during the attack represents how charged the gun is. Throw may not be as uninteractive as previously believed. The player may be able to charge the shot while the animation is playing.***
0:23-0:24 - Mini-map in upper right shows current location and a zoomed in version of the map. Most likely you can access the full map in the pause menu. Assuming standard Wii controls, nunchuck and remote, the remote controls movement while the remote is used to target and fire at enemies. Samus is performing a dodge-roll here to avoid being hit, the dodge roll is almost-assuredly performed by moving the analog stick on the remote in a direction and pressing a button, most likely on the nunchuck as well. Samus may or may not be impervious to damage while in the dodge roll animation. Fire enemies killed by some sort of ice weapon (***most likely the ice beam or some move involving it***).
0:26 - First person mode activated to fire at an enemy. Most likely you can activate first person mode at any time by pressing a button. ***first person mode will undoubtedly control like Metroid Prime 3 on the Wii (I have never played Metroid Prime 3).***
0:27-0:30 Same throw as before, but with a slightly different animation I believe. Confirms that it’s some kind of move you can use regularly, most likely a dash attack you can use while running. Enemy death leaves much to be desired, they simply disappear. Fast-paced combat with enemies that fade away quickly suggests that you’ll be facing lots and lots of enemies throughout the game. Lack of mini-map and circular room structure suggests you will fight a lot of enemies or a strong enemy in that room. Too indistinct to be a boss room though.
0:32 - Pause menu to select a new weapon.
0:38-0:39 Sudden cutscene. Slight jerkiness in movement and the slowdown suggest that the player has to manually move Samus out of the way. Failure will either result in damage or instant death. Switch to normal camera and fighting suggests damage.
0:48-0:54 - Grapple beam demonstration. Player will use grapple beam to attach to specific places and swing across gaps. Back and forth motion suggests no real penalty for failure to release properly during the first swing. Weird momentum when releasing suggests that it will be very difficult to screw up, but the disconnect will also make it annoying rather than fun.
0:54-1:00 - Unique looking enemy combined with dramatic entrance and a turn to face it at the end all suggest a boss or mini-boss fight.
1:07 - Weird graphics around are that gets bombed to reveal tunnel is most likely how secret areas are denoted. Further reinforced by mini-map showing it as a dead-end.
1:14 - ***Bombs in morph ball mode are used to activate switches and blow up structurally weak areas exactly like Metroid Prime 1-3.***
1:17-1:23 - Speed booster acts like a rocket pack, letting Samus run very fast in a straight line and crash through obstacles like walls. Straight paths suggest you can’t alter course much if at all while using the speed booster. ***Jump at the end is much like the super jump used after a super dash in Super Metroid. Speed Booster allows the jump, letting you jump very high and most likely through obstacles like weak ceilings.***
1:23-1:27 - Another circular area filled with enemies. Fight rooms will likely be a regular occurrence. Also another throw, probably activated the same way.
1:27-1:38 - All in-game cutscene.
1:38 - Song here couple with the music elsewhere suggests a wholly forgettable soundtrack and certainly much weaker than Metroid Prime 1, though I very well could be wrong.
Final Impressions: Looks like a decently fun action game, lots of fight and killing. Exploration and loneliness is most likely going to receive the most gutting in favor of more combat and a mediocre story. The way the enemies die and their rather generic design makes me think that the combat while fun, will quickly turn repetitive and lack any of the visceral “oomph” needed to make it have any staying power. Recommendations from this trailer alone, avoid it unless you see in on sale for like $20-30 unless you’re a hardcore Metroid fan, in which case you will buy it day 1 and be disappointed.
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