Fusion Suit

In case you haven't been keeping up with news over at the Smash Brothers Dojo or want to see them again, here's a recap of all the Metroid-related Smash news:

Samus
Zero Suit Samus
Snake Joins the Brawl (and wants to catch Samus!)
Metroid: Boss Battle Music (Ridley Fight)

Remixed by Yusuke Takahama (and supervised by Minako Hamano). Mr. Takahama has also done Digital Pinball music and a bunch of stuff for Data East in the early 90s.

Also be sure to check these Kid Icarus-related news posts:

Pit
Pit's Descent
Kid Icarus: The Underworld

Until next time...
Captain Commando

The MDb Remembers Gunpei Yokoi
10.04.07
This day marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Gunpei Yokoi, the legendary game designer and engineer who created the Metroid series along with a host of other amazing games and devices. He died in a tragic automobile accident on October 4, 1997; he would be 66 today.

Gunpei Yokoi is famous not only for his games but also for helping develop and popularize technology like the D-Pad, light gun, and the Game Boy, which have changed the way we play. He was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony in 2003 for all the amazing things he accomplished in his eventful life.

From the Ultra Hand and the Game Boy to Metroid and the Wonder Swan, Gunpei Yokoi made us smile and laugh, helping us enjoy our world. And yes, there are even many who love his Virtual Boy! To bring so much joy to others is truly one of the greatest things that anyone can accomplish in their lifetime.

Gunpei Yokoi's legacy lives on in every game of Metroid we play and in every incarnation of Game Boy or Wonderswan we pick up. He helped make games what they are today and for that we are forever grateful. Somewhere out there, I hope he can see us playing the games he helped make and their legacies, and is warmed by each of our smiles, laughs, and joys he helped give to us. Though the man has gone, his spirit and legend live forever in his games and in our hearts.

So long, game boy; there was never anyone else quite like you. We think of you with every mission.

This is dedicated to the family and friends of Gunpei Yokoi.

List of Inventions and Gameology

Devices
Ultra Hand (1970)
Ultra Machine (a baseball pitching device)
Love Tester
Ten Billion Barrel puzzle
Nintendo Beam Gun
Game & Watch (helping popularize the D-Pad; 1980-1991)
Robot Operating Buddy (R.O.B.)
Gameboy (1989)
Virtual Boy (1995)
WonderSwan (1999)

Arcade
Donkey Kong (1981)
Donkey Kong Jr. (1982)
Mario Bros. (1983)

NES
Dr. Mario (1990)
Kid Icarus (1986)
Metroid (1986)
Yoshi's Cookie (1992)

Game Boy
Balloon Kid (1990)
Dr. Mario (1990)
Kaero no tame ni Kane wa Naru (1992)
Kirby's Block Ball (1996)
Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991)
Solar Striker (1990)
Super Mario Land (1989)
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992)
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994)
Yoshi's Cookie (1992)

SNES
Battle Clash (1992)
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (1996)
Famicom Tantei Kurabu Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo (1998)
Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge (1993)
Panel de Pon
Super Metroid (1994)
Tetris Attack (1995)
Yoshi's Cookie (1992)

Virtual Boy
3D Tetris (1996)
Galactic Pinball (1996)
Mario's Tennis (1995)
Teleroboxer (1995)

Nintendo DS and PSP (Posthumously)
Gunpey (2007)

Until next time...
Captain Commando

Three Metroid Games Cited as Essential Open-World Games!
09.26.07
What's this? Two updates in one day? Well, this is because the second news update is just that cool to warrant one! John Harris over at Gamasutra has written an orticle on 20 Open World Games, of which Metroid, Super Metroid, and Metroid Prime are cited as excellent examples. The article is fairly lengthy at about 20 pages, but is well worth the read, particularly if you are interested in game design! Mr. Harris does an excellent job of explaining how each of these game designs works, why it is important, and how you can use them in your own games. Ever wonder why an auto-map feature shouldn't give everything away or why adventure games are as much about establishing a sense of place as a wonder of exploration? Read on! Gamastura is a great site and this is an excellent (though lengthy!) article, so you may want to take it in pieces! Mr. Harris is certain to be writing more articles like this in the future.

Until next time...
Captain Commando

Retro: Dread a 'complete and utter coincidence'
09.26.07
Well, pretty big anouncement today from Retro Studios. As reported over at 1UP through MTV News, Prime 3's game director Mark Pacini has stated that the 'Project Dread' reference in Prime 3 was just 'a complete and utter coincidence.'

It's not what you think it means. It was [sic] something that was overlooked and wasn't in any way indicating anything about the handheld game. We know no information about the handheld game... We actually had a fictional element of something else in the game that by a large coincidence could be read that we were giving a hint about "Metroid Dread" which was not the case. It's a complete and utter coincidence.

Prime 3 producer Bryan Walker follows this up by stating I think the bottom line there was [that there was] no innuendo in the reference that you're mentioning... We're not that clever. No conspiracy.

Even though Retro Studios has denied it outright, it still seems kind of odd that 'Dread' was just a coincidence, considering rumors were all over the web. I know if I had been making the game, I would have put in a 'Dread' reference, even if I didn't even know it existed or not - it's too much fun not to! While Retro Studios may not have any involvement with any possible Metroid DS teams (even though they sent art assets to the Hunters team), this still seems a little bit too strange.

I'll believe they don't know anything about 'Dread' but if it wasn't a fun reference to the rumor, then what exactly does 'Project Dread' stand for? The Hatcher Metroids? The Valhallah? The final boss? The hidden ending? None of these explanations are very convincing for me, though I don't think they know more about 'Dread' than we do - if it even exists. Looks like 'Dread' is beginning to turn into another 'Metroid 64'...

Anyway, be sure to check MTV Multiplayer for more of the Retro Studios interview (which sadly I think is overshadowed by the 'Dread' anouncement! They talk about speed runs, game design, and graphics - pretty interesting stuff!

Until next time...
Captain Commando

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Reviews
09.20.07
Hey everyone! Infinity's End here with some news. Today we bring you our reviews of Metroid Prime 3. You can read Capcom's, Jesse D's, and my reviews in the new Prime 3 section. Be sure to stay tuned as we will be continuously adding content as time goes by.

In other news, fellow MDb Message Board member Lord Darth Naner has brought to my attention that the latest issue of Nintendo World (the Brazilian version of Nintendo Power), has yoinked the sprite edits that I made and published them in their magazine. Bet those Brazilians never thought I'd find out, eh? *shakes fist* In all honesty, I'm quite flattered that my sprites were good enough for them to be published and I kinda feel like TJ when Nintendo put some MDb content in their own Strategy Guide. Check out the scans below. Thanks again, Naner!

Front Cover

Page 12

Also, feel free to send in any pictures of Metroid-related swag that you may find along the way. We are always open to adding more content to the site! IE out.

-Infinity's End

Prime 3's Friend Vouchers FAQ
09.12.07
With the help of the community at the MDb Message Board, we've been able to develop a thorough FAQ to explain the scarcely-documented Friend Voucher feature of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. This guide is under continuous development as more functionality becomes apparent to us.

Also, you can now find a unique utility written for Windows called M2Edit (written by Texel) in the Fan Apps section. This program will allow you to literally edit the map data of Metroid 2: Return of Samus. Its development is not yet complete, but it is in a usable state and is definitely worth a try if you enjoyed the freedom of SnowBro's MetEdit program.

Stay tuned for Metroid Prime 3 reviews in the near future...

-Jesse D

Retro Studios Interviews and the Future of Metroid
09.09.07.2
Second news update for the day. Infinity's End just told me about the Retro Studios developer interviews up on Yahoo that some of you may have already seen by now. They're a couple of pretty good vids that take a look at the inside of Retro Studios and talk about the big N's design philosophy. I think this statement says it all:

"Understanding Nintendo's design philosophies, what they care about quality is absolutely [paramount]...Every little pixel counts, and that is much different from the way Western developers develop games."

Retro has also stated that they are going to be taking a break from Metroid for awhile, as some of you already know, though this obviously doesn't mean they'll never come back to it again... Or that NST or NCL aren't working on a new Metroid game for the DS. Nintendo may have denied they aren't making a new 2D Metroid game for the DS, but that doesn't mean they aren't working on a 3D Metroid or that one of their other developers isn't doing a 2D title, like how Capcom made a few Zelda titles for the Gameboy Color. Mr. Miyamoto's advice? Go ask Mr. Tanabe, the producer of the Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime Hunters series.

Bottom line is, I think the Metroid scene may be getting a bit quieter after Super Smash Brothers Melee launches, but we'll wait and see what else is lurking in the depths of space...

Until next time
Captain Commando

Metroid Prime 3 Music Goes Live!
09.09.07
Now that version 3.5 is up, I added a big treat to the Metroid Prime 3 section...we've got an *almost* complete soundtrack up! When I say 'almost', even though there are more than 50 tracks on the list, I'm sure I missed a few! All tracks were recorded by me on my portable Mac laptop, which was very convenient as I no longer have to haul my gaming systems up to my desktop. As usual, I endeavored to record the music at the highest quality possible, though there are some tracks, like the Credits theme that I had to edit. All tracks have also been tagged, so you can tell if somebody decides to upload these to their own site.

Metroid Prime 3's soundtrack has a lot of great tunes in there, including remixes of the Theme of Super Metroid and other notable Super Metroid tracks. BEAR IN MIND THAT TRACK NAMES CONTAIN SPOILERS!! So if you're still nervous about those, don't check them out until you're ready. Notable new tracks include Bryyo and SkyTown, which have some amazing atmosphere to them. Music 4 Games is also running an audio journal of Prime 3, so check them out for more information on the soundtrack.

We're also trying something new - the whole soundtrack has been stuffed into a rather large zip file, so if you want to download the whole thing, you can simply grab the zip and not go through every single link. And if you want individual tracks but not the whole thing, you can grab those, too!

Oh yeah, you probably noticed that some of the tracks say 'From Demonoid.' These are files I got from an uncredited torrent on Demonoid. If anybody knows who did this rip, please let us know. Expect to see these replaced when I get around to it.

Lastly, Stemage (Grant Henry) over at Metroid Metal has produced an absolutely amazing remix of the Metroid 2 main theme, which we've been referring to here as 'Surface Runner,' based on the popular MP3 that had been on VGMix 2.0 some time ago. He had a lot of help from Goat, famous for his Castlevania 3 remix project, Unchosen Paths. We've got this amazing mix mirrored in the Metroid 2 section, so you can check it out here as well! Here's to hoping there are more Metroid 2 mixes where this came from!

Until next time
Captain Commando

The Metroid Database, Version 3.5?
09.08.07
Through many tedious hours of staring at thousands of lines of code, we've finally succeeded in converting the MDb into a more dynamic, editor-friendly structure. On the surface, it looks exactly same, but under the hood is a completely different beast.

So what does this mean?
Well, to us, this means that we can more quickly and efficiently add and maintain the website material. To you, the fans, it means... well, more updates!

Pardon the dust and sorry in advance if you happen to come across any strange bugs or broken links. If you manage to find any, let us know.

Prime 3 updates coming soon...

-Jesse D

The Month of Metroid
08.24.07
Well, folks, it's been a long time coming, but we've finally got a new update! I've been hard at work with the two newest members of the MDb staff, Infinity's End and Jesse D, who are helping with visuals and code, respectively. TJ is monitoring the update progress as producer, so don't think he's gone away or got eaten by Sheegoths. We've put up new sections for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Smash Brothers Brawl and Metroid Prime Pinball (which has taken a little bit longer than usual to show up). The code has also been standardized to make it a bit easier for us to update the site. Expect to see more content up on the site over the next few weeks along with updates here.

And not only is the MDb back, but Metroid fans will also be interested to know that both Metroid and Super Metroid are also back in the US for the Virtual Console as of August 20! If you haven't played either of these games - particularly Super Metroid be sure to check them out. This game hasn't been available for over a decade and many fans think it is the best 2D game in the series. If you haven't tried it out yet and have a Wii, do yourself a favor and buy it! Then be prepared to lock yourself in front of your TV for the next few hours of pure Metroid bliss.

Have you also been checking out the new Metroid Channel on your Wii? In case you haven't heard already from the billions of other videogame news sites, you can download a Metroid Prime 3 preview channel that has videos and stills to tantalize you over the week or so remaining before the game's release. The Aurora video in particular has caused a lot of stir as it shows footage that looks a heck of a lot like Mother Brain! It seems now that Mother Brain is related to a biological supercomputer project started by the Galactic Federation 20 years before Metroid Zero Mission! Could this mean that Mother Brain is a berzerk Aurora computer? Looks like we'll have to play through and find out!

Until next time...
Captain Commando