{"id":1904,"date":"2009-11-17T02:42:46","date_gmt":"2009-11-17T02:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielprimed.com\/?p=1904"},"modified":"2009-11-17T02:42:46","modified_gmt":"2009-11-17T02:42:46","slug":"metroid-prime-3-quarterly-diaries-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danielprimed.com\/2009\/11\/metroid-prime-3-quarterly-diaries-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Metroid Prime 3: Quarterly Diaries #12"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"samus-aran-vector\"<\/p>\n

Areas Covered:<\/strong> Command Center (revisited), Phazon Mining Site<\/p>\n

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Discussion Points:<\/strong> \u201cSticky\u201d map hints, purpose of mining site, Main Cavern set piece, nova beam<\/p>\n

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Command Center (revisited)<\/h3>\n

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Surprisingly, the time spent back in the Command Center is reasonably short as you blow through a single line of defence (the voltage shield in the Command Courtyard) and cruise on through to another transit hub. Contrary to the little time that needs to be spent here, I actually wasted a lot of time unnecessarily exploring, thinking that I’d have a plethora of new rooms to explore with my updated arsenal, as well as being thrown off by another incorrect map hint.<\/p>\n

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This time the map prompts points you towards Skyway Access, yet once you arrive security kicks in, automatically placing the room on lockdown, enemies swarm in, a short battle ensues and then a morph ball tunnel diverts you back into a previously explored area (Defense Access). Actually, you’re suppose to use the spider ball to reach the transit station from Defense Access, but the map system keeps hinting you towards Skyway Access (which you must return to later), so like any good Metroid player I trusted what the game’s instructions and got screwed over for it, again!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"metroid-grapple-voltage\"<\/p>\n

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\u201cSticky\u201d map hints have been discussed previously<\/a>, and the solution to the problem is very easy: switch them off as soon as the player has entered the appropriate room, furthermore be more discreet in diverting the players attention towards the next, succeeding route. If a room is marked as a hint by the map and the player is required to first enter the room, leave and then return later with some other power-up, then the hints should bend to fit this situation<\/strong> (this has not been the case with the previously stated examples). From my experience, these minor annoyances can quite easily confound into a few hours of time-wasting. Not to downplay the criticism, but relatively speaking, they’re just minor blotches on a overly well paced game. Perhaps other players who don’t over-think things like me wouldn’t have succumb to the same pitfalls. I’m not sure, any comments folks?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Phazon Mining Site<\/h3>\n

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The transit station takes us out to the Phazon Mining Site giving credence to the logbook entries earlier in the game and throughout Metroid Prime 2<\/em> where the pirates discussed their intersection with the hazardous catalyst.<\/strong> The Mining Site serves only to provide the player with the Nova beam, the final beam upgrade which will help open up the Skyway Access to lead the invasion a little later. It’s a short linear plough and just like the former sequence and the sequence which follows (an action-heavy set piece), the linearity is used to concentrate the pacing into a steady climb in preparation for the final set piece sequence.<\/p>\n

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In the first major room (Phazon Quarry) the player can use a touch pad to interface with a huge mining drill to clear a path. There are two areas that can be drilled and, as has been a reoccurring theme throughout the last few posts, either choice yields reward. There is no proper interplay between the player and the drill, making the sequence feel artificial.<\/p>\n

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Mine Lift, the following room, has Retro again playing with verticality in a well stylized manner. We’ve seen similar sequences before on Elysia and in the Imperial Caverns. Phazon Harvesting, the room just after it sees a little more experimentation too, this time with a Phazon Harvester dealing out massive damage through a pulse beam destined to send you off the narrow set of platforms.<\/p>\n

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