Metroid Prime 2: Echoes [GCN]

Well, I've determined that there is at least 1 Energy Tank I'm going to have to make do without, as there is no way I can get the one in the Mining Shaft in the Agon Wastes, as it is the only thing in the game that requires you to do a double bomb jump, which is something I just cannot do (in fact, I'd say it's the only control-related shortcoming of this series in that it's freaking impossible to do on purpose, and even when you do manage to pull it off, it lacks the necessary oomph to get you to where you want to go anyways).

Alas...


As compensation, I take great pride in creating Super Beacons to turn Ing into "moths to a flame". Burn!

 

Ha! I did it!

Seems my problem was timing the second bomb- after I noticed what visual cue to wait for I was able to pull off the jump.

Getting through that maze was nasty though- especially that part where you can;t really see yourself and if you go too far forward you have to start over.

The way your camouflaged there is a great homage to the 2D games, especially the original- the block design is almost just like those in the original NES game.

 

If you had to, I managed to bypass or cross it through other means, as I don't recall needing to do a double jump till now (and, quite frankly, I don't believe I even knew there was a double jump in this game until I was trying to get that energy tank, since it's not a well-documented (or required) ability).

 

I finished MP2 today, stats:

Final Overall Percentage Complete: 88%
Time: 23:26


I think the final boss battles here were of a satisfying difficulty and not quite as maddening as, say, Meta-Ripley in MP1. Then again, I had more energy tanks this time around than I did in MP1 at the time, so that might be a factor.

The Emperor Ing had some neat phases (the magnetic shell was a good breather, yet very different), though I think it's 3rd "warrior" phase, while an excellent premise, was a bit strange in terms of targeting accuracy- it wasn't always clear what constituted an open mouth to attack with (outside of the obvious "full clam shell closed" position)- though it could just be the legs getting in the way,

Dark Samus was easier, but the main trick was both the time limit and the difficulty in absorbing the Phazon rain particles. I never quite got the hang of what parameters you really needed to do to get it successfully (other than "don't get hit" obviously).

It was weird to have the final two bosses be enemies that mostly don't require you to use missiles, though. Usually the final boss battle in a Metroid game is all about pumping firepower up the backseat of their volkswagon until your missile count runs empty (generally giving you the ultimate point to collecting those missile upgrades), but here, it was all about light/dark beams, bombs and charge shots/Phazon- with only 4 or 5 super missiles needed to help change the color of the warrior Emperor Ing phase's heart.


The game overall was a great experience- it's still an absolutely gorgeous looking game- it may not be in HD or anything, but most of the environments in this game look better than most things I've seen on 360/PS3.

The game also has a very consistent alien design theme that I found refreshing- I'm not entirely sold on the Ing designs themselves (but points for them feeling unnatural and extremely alien- probably moreso than most other games would do), but the way they're consistently applied to their various incarnations gives them a unique feel without it feeling repetitive.

I think the only downside, was the Sky temple Key quest- as I mentioned in my backlog thread, it felt like it was a way to artificially extend the gametime through a lot of unnecessary backtracking. I think it would have been ideal to introduce that key quest early in the game (like, give you the 9 clues, etc early), so that you can keep your eyes open for them while you are seeking out the other temple keys.

Because, as it is, it was just one temple key quest too many, IMO. And even then, I think there were too many temple keys to track down (wouldn't two have made more sense than 3? one light key, one dark key, and that would mirror the dual-world game design better).

I also think it would have been neat if, as the ending cinematic suggested, you had enemies that would follow you through the portals to the other side (even if they couldn't last very long). Would have made things a lot more interesting if jumping through a portal wasn't an instant "safe!" moment.