Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review - Kinda Funny Gamescast

Summary

Kinda Funny Gamescast: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review (Dec 2, 2025)

Hosts: Tim Gettys, Greg Miller, Blessing Adeoye Jr., Andy Cortez
Guest: Logan Plant (IGN)

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Episode Overview

In this highly anticipated episode, the Kinda Funny crew and guest reviewer Logan Plant (IGN) deliver an in-depth review and discussion of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond—the first new Prime entry in 18 years. They break down the game’s design, performance, narrative, and how it stands up to both nostalgia and modern expectations, providing two critical reviewer perspectives and addressing fan questions live.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Significance of Metroid Prime 4’s Release

• The Wait is Over:

  • Eighteen years since Metroid Prime 3 and over eight years since the initial MP4 announcement (E3 2017), anticipation and hype are at an all-time high.
  • Tim Gettys: “It is so incredibly special to me... I just think as a video game... very, very happy to be here with you gentlemen today.” (09:37)
  • Retro Studios ultimately developed the game after a rocky bidding process.

• Nostalgia and Expectation:

  • Tim and Logan both discuss the deep, almost mythic status of the series and their personal journeys from fans to critics.

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2. Critical Reception and Scores

• Tim Gettys: 9/10 on the Kinda Funny scale
  • “I am giving Metroid prime 4 beyond a 9 out of 10... It is an amazing video game. It is not without its flaws ... but as soon as the credits hit for me, I walked away being like, man, that was such a special experience.” (10:36)
• Logan Plant (IGN): 8/10 (“Great”)
  • “This game is awesome. I really, really love Metroid Prime 4 and it is a game of extreme highs and extreme lows. I think there’s moments … that are a 10 out of 10 … and a five out of 10.” (13:47)

The “Beyond” Subtitle Controversy

• Tim: “The biggest issue with this game is its subtitle. I don’t think this goes beyond Metroid Prime at all. This is just Metroid Prime.” (11:20)

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3. Game Structure: Ocarina of Time Comparisons & Dungeon Design

• Classic 3D Zelda Structure:
  • Strong parallels are drawn to classic Ocarina-era Zelda—hub-and-spoke world, linear puzzle-driven dungeons, elemental upgrades.
  • Logan: “It is Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time. There is Death Mountain. Go to it. … It’s so Zelda. It’s so 3D Zelda in a really good way.” (16:39)
  • Tim: “There’s a lot of similarities… between Zelda games, traditional, whether it’s top-down 2D or the Ocarina/Majora’s games and Metroid, whether it’s 2D or 3D. … What is the difference between a Metroidvania and a Link to the Past?” (17:50)
  • Both panelists agree the self-contained "dungeons" (Volt Forge and others) are among the best designed in the series, full of clever puzzles and atmospheric design (“masterpieces of a dungeon”—18:36).

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4. Highs and Lows: Where the Game Shines (and Fumbles)

Highs

• Atmosphere, Art, and Sound:
  • “I think this is the most beautiful Metroid Prime game technically and even just from an art design level... Every single location you’re in feels different.” (37:27, Tim)
  • “When you blast open a door and that door opens, just the way that room is framed through the door… It just looks amazing.” (39:53, Logan)
• Brilliant Dungeon and Boss Design:
  • Volt Forge is repeatedly highlighted as a franchise-best location.
  • “The boss fights are incredible… The music is hyped, it’s tense, you feel badass as Samus.” (41:13, Tim)
• World-building Through Scanning:
  • “You can scan every moving robotic arm in this factory, read about why it was built—and you see it in motion. That plays into the puzzle design.” (14:18, Logan)

Lows

• The Desert (Open World Area):

  • Both Tim and Logan take issue with the "desert" hub, which aims for a Breath of the Wild-style open area but lands flat.
  • “If N64’s Hyrule Field wanted to be the Great Plateau from Breath of the Wild… it’s so empty and bland… There’s the same three enemy types…and the big issue is…it ties a main objective to the desert, which is the hunt for green crystals… the most random, mindless runtime padding.” (26:18, Logan)
  • Tim agrees: “This is another thing that I think the game would have been better without… That’s what shaves things off for me of this experience being so damn good.” (29:20)

• Companion Characters:

  • Companions are “tolerable, not great… I think the game would be better received if the companions weren’t in it.” (25:21, Logan/Tim)
  • Their hints rarely spoil puzzle solutions, but their writing is called “campy Halo sci-fi action” and at times “offensive” (24:07–25:33).

• Story & Villain:

  • Sylex, the main villain, is cited as “an afterthought.”
  • “This game is not that interested in telling a story about this villain that it’s been teasing… very disjointed in a lot of ways.” (29:41, Logan)

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5. Technical & Gameplay Details

Performance

• Switch 2: Docked at 4K60 or 1080p120fps; handheld is 120fps.
• Switch 1: “Totally viable…runs at locked 60 on Switch 1, which is remarkable.” (42:57, Logan)
• Art & Animation: Lavishly praised by both Tim and Logan.

Controls

• Multiple Schemes Available:
  • Pro Controller (twin stick + motion), Joy-Con (Wii remote style), Mouse controls (less effective).
  • “It controls so uniquely and so perfectly… the most refined control scheme a Metroid Prime game has ever had.” (10:54, Tim)
  • Mouse controls are “totally functional” but unwieldy and less recommended (44:21, Logan).

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6. Accessibility & Modernization

• Prime 4 as Entry Point:
  • Logan: “Prime 4, I think, is the best place to start the Metroid Prime series. … They are a little bit more on rails, guidance, heavy handholdy in some ways, but still quintessentially Metroid.” (50:18)
  • Tim: “I do think there’s a way higher chance that Greg Miller and even Roger will stick with Metroid Prime 4 than Metroid Prime 1. But … Metroid Prime 1 is an actual freaking masterpiece.” (49:50)
• Quality of Life Upgrades:
  • More checkpoints and autosaves; snapper controls, easier visor/item switching.
  • “This is the snappiest it’s ever felt to control.” (49:19, Logan)
  • Save rooms are well-spaced and frustration from dying is “almost never” an issue. (48:29, Tim/Logan)

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7. World and Dungeon Variety, Genre-Bending Segments

• “Each one [area] feels totally different… Like a Zelda dungeon … sometimes feels like it’s genre shifting a little bit: classic Metroid Prime isolation, an ‘Aliens’ action segment, or ‘Alien’ horror.” (53:56, Logan)

• Star Wars and Modern Inspiration:

  • “This game is very Star Wars Episode 1 coded… in ship/creature/sound design.” (54:51, Tim)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nostalgia and Release:
  • “I would have never believed it 18 years ago for either of those things. Right? Metroid Prime 3, Avatar 1 coming out at pretty much the same time, give or take a year. Wild stuff.” — Tim Gettys (03:02)
• Companion Critique:
  • “They don’t really outright spoil specific puzzle solutions… What they do is if you’re riding around the desert… they will eventually assume you’re stuck… I’m not. I’m just farming these green crystals.” — Logan Plant (22:14)
  • “The writing sucks for these characters, but like they also don’t matter that much.” — Tim Gettys (24:13)
• Prime 4 as ‘Force Awakens’
  • “Playing Prime 4 to me feels like Episode VII, The Force Awakens — it’s a little bit different, but it’s telling a very similar story with very similar powers, but a twist that makes it modern.” — Logan Plant (58:21)
  • “You nailed it with the Force Awakens... that’s a great thing. I love this game.” — Tim Gettys (59:26)
• Dungeon Praise:
  • “The Volt Forge location is one of my favorite video game locations… ever.” — Tim Gettys (39:10)
• Performance:
  • “If you’re playing in the 4K60, it’s a locked 60. It’s wild, man.” — Tim Gettys (10:54)
• Desert Disappointment:
  • “It’s the most random, mindless runtime padding filler fetch quest there’s ever been in a Metroid game.” — Logan Plant (27:11)

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Important Timestamps (MM:SS)

• 03:02 – Tim reflects on waiting 18 years for both Avatar 3 and Metroid Prime 4.
• 09:09 – Tim’s review score, rundown of technical performance, personal connection.
• 13:47 – Logan’s review score and IGN perspective.
• 16:39 – Logan’s Ocarina of Time/Zelda structure comparison.
• 26:18–29:41 – Deep dive on the flawed “desert” overworld area.
• 37:27–41:13 – High praise for graphics, art direction, dungeon and boss design.
• 44:21 – Mouse controls discussion.
• 48:29, 49:19 – Modernizations, QOL, checkpoints, control improvements.
• 50:18 – Entry points for new players (Prime 4 vs. Prime 1)
• 53:56 – Genre-bending nature of different areas.
• 58:21 – Prime 4 as "The Force Awakens" of Metroid.

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Final Thoughts

• Both Tim and Logan consider Metroid Prime 4: Beyond an excellent—if occasionally flawed—return, embracing its Zelda-adjacent structure and franchise hallmarks.
• Highs: World design, dungeons, puzzles, and boss fights.
• Lows: Underwhelming desert hub, companion writing, story/villain integration.
• “It feels like a miracle that it turned out this well after the mystery that this game was for the last 10 years... It turns out to just be a really, really solid entry in this franchise.” — Logan Plant (58:21)
• “This is up there [with the best].” — Tim Gettys (59:46)

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Where to Find More

• Logan Plant:
  Twitter: @LoganJPlant
  Full IGN Review and Nintendo Voice Chat discussion

• Kinda Funny Membership:
  Patreon.com/kindafunny / YouTube / Apple / Spotify for ad-free episodes and exclusive content.

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This episode is a must-listen for Metroid fans weighing whether Prime 4 delivers after so many years, newcomers considering their entry point, and anyone interested in how Nintendo’s design ethos continues (for better and worse) into a new console era.

Transcript

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[Logan Plant]

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[Greg Miller]

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[Andy Cortez]

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[Logan Plant]

Hey.

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[Timothy Robert Gettys]

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[Logan Plant]

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[Timothy Robert Gettys]

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[Greg Miller]

Eighteen years after Metroid Prime 3, we are finally here. Timothy Robert Geddes. What's up everybody? Welcome to the Kind of Funny Games cast for Tuesday, December 2, 2025. I'm one of your hosts, Greg Miller. For an action packed episode featuring Forbes 30 under 30 aka New York Game Awards. Nominated aka leftover poppy blessing. Adio. Yay Junior.

[Logan Plant]

Good day.

[Mike]

Greg.

[Greg Miller]

Never mind the man on the wall over there. The Hispanic heartthrob Texas street Latino heat. Clicking heads and ripping them shreds. The globe. Trotting head shot and three point shooting. Rootin Tootin Nitro rifle from Twitch tv.

[Andy Cortez]

Andy Cortez Got to hang out with awa. We're all blessed by AWA today.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, what's up? This is the Avatar stuff, of course.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Cool.

[Greg Miller]

Neytiri Sigourney Weaver was weird.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

He's out there weirder than ever. You wouldn't fucking believe.

[Greg Miller]

Gregor Wer 30 under 30. AKA the second best baby blues in San Francisco. AKA the expectant father Timothy Robert Gettys

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

within this week I saw Avatar 3 and beat Metroid Prime 4. What? What world am I in future? It's insane. I would have never believed it 18 years ago for either of those things. Right? Like it's like Metro Prime 3, Avatar 1 coming out at pretty much the same time, give or take a year. Wild stuff.

[Greg Miller]

What a time for you.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I do want to. Before we actually introduce.

[Greg Miller]

And the man on the wall, of course from IGN.com it's Logan Plan. Hello Logan Beyond.

[Logan Plant]

Hey guys, how's it going?

[Greg Miller]

Good, how are you doing?

[Logan Plant]

Great. So hyped to talk about this game that eight years ago was announced at my first ever industry event, E3 2017. It's crazy.

[Greg Miller]

You knew then you'd review it.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Would you ever.

[Logan Plant]

You had told me I was going to review it. I would have been like wow, I'm going to. I'm going to get there in the next like two or three years. That's crazy. Oh no, just kidding. It's going to take a decade to come out.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I do want to. Before we get into everything, Kev, if you could bring up the video of our reaction to when Metroid Prime 4 was first announced in 2017. Wow.

[Greg Miller]

Can we hear it?

[Andy Cortez]

Really phoning in with the background there.

[Greg Miller]

Andy, you were drunk. No, no. Don'. Touch me. It's not happening.

[Andy Cortez]

Starfield.

[Greg Miller]

I think I might need.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Wow. I don't believe anybody anymore.

[Greg Miller]

What am I writing down?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Is it retro? Is it retro?

[Greg Miller]

Oh, now in development,

[Andy Cortez]

It's gotta be retro.

[Logan Plant]

It wasn't.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

And who would have thought it wasn't retro and then would end up being retro. It's crazy how video games work.

[Greg Miller]

What a journey it's been.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

That was. I mean what was wild about that is one of. One of the many Mr. Yeah. How thin we are. Oh, one of the. The many Mr. Nintendo's out there that we have. Right. Somebody told me, he's like, oh yeah, this, this direct. It's gonna be okay. Like there's nothing too crazy in it. They fucking lied to me. Metroid Prime 4 announced wild. But yeah, we wouldn't play it for another decade.

[Greg Miller]

Well, here we are, ready to review it. But before that, I'll remind you that this is the kinda funny Gamescast. Each and every weekday, four, sometimes five best friends gather around this table coming to talk about everything in video games that needs to be talked about. Whether it be reviews, previews or just topics we need to tackle. We do it on YouTube.com kinda funnygames, twitch tv, kindafunnygames. Of course, podcast services around the globe. If you like that, we'd love you to pick up a kinda funny membership. Patreon.com kindafunny YouTube.com kindafunnygames Apple or Spotify. You toss us $10 and we give you each and every episode of Kinda funny content ad free. That's more than 80amonth. And of course your daily dose of me, Greg Miller, an exclusive podcast we call Greg Way. On top of all that, you'd get good karma for supporting an 11 person small business. Freeze fame. Of course if you have no bucks, sauce away, no big deal. What?

[Andy Cortez]

Beautiful. That was beautiful.

[Greg Miller]

You better I won't have you in salt blessing. Okay?

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Watch your fucking mouth.

[Greg Miller]

Of course if you have no bucks, toss our way like subscribe, share, ring the bell, tell your friends. Of course if you have Amazon prime, you have Twitch Prime. Give us your free 30 day subscription. They don't auto renew and don't tell you about. Of course if you want to be part of this show live, is we to go to ask Tim and Logan Questions about Metroid Prime 4 YouTube Super Chat to be part of the show on YouTube.com kindafunnygames we have some people rolling in already from Gondor's Condor or El Sanchez, but we'll get to all that later. Of course we are 11 person small business all about live talk shows. Kinda funny games daily already happened and it covered the mysterious game awards statue and its possible meanings after. This is gonna be the one the Only Greg Miller, Mr. Hawks, Mike and I think Joey. I can't remember if she's on it or not. We're jumping into the new Fallout 76 Burning Springs update to see Walton Gol and I'm going to become a ghoul. I've decided I'm going to take my character of however many hundred hours and make them into a ghoul on this stream.

[Andy Cortez]

So I'm excited for that first name Gaba.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I like that.

[Andy Cortez]

Thank you, thank you.

[Greg Miller]

You know what you're giving. That was good.

[Logan Plant]

All right. That was good.

[Greg Miller]

Tim. You need to step it up, Logan. You're doing great. If you're a kind of funny member. Today's Greg Ways 18 minutes asking will Metroid fill my ocarina hole? Thank you, thank you to our Patreon producers, Carl Jacobs, Omega Buster and Delaney the Psalm twining for now, let's begin with what is and forever will topic of the show. Metroid Prime 4 Beyond. Reviews are upon us. Of course. The game drops December 4th, 2025 Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. It was developed by Retro, of course published by Nintendo, and the official description from Nintendo reads, when responding to a distress call from the Galactic Federation, Samus Aran becomes entangled in an unexpected disaster. Now she must explore the unknown planet. View Ross.

[Logan Plant]

Close Euros.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, no, no, no, guys, I'm sorry. It's clearly spelled V I E W R O S. You can't come in

[Logan Plant]

here just because you reviewed it and

[Greg Miller]

changed the English language.

[Logan Plant]

Yeah, I'll shut up.

[Andy Cortez]

Two S's if it was you, Ross,

[Greg Miller]

you know, are you who. How do you say?

[Logan Plant]

Doss?

[Greg Miller]

Okay, bam, bam, bam.

[Andy Cortez]

From friends.

[Greg Miller]

Pivot. Great character in this first person adventure. As I said, it has been 18 years since Metroid Prime 3, eight years after the sequel was first announced. Timothy, I feel like it's only natural after watching that reaction when we are all so young and virile and could pronounce words to begin with. You, how much have you played? Have you beaten it? What? Give me all the nitty gritty details and of course your score. On our kind of funny scale, I

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

have beat Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, which is incredibly exciting to me. I am so excited to be able to talk about it. I wish more of us could have played it. Obviously, Nintendo only gives out one code. We do have a fully stacked cast here and I just love. We all didn't get to play it. Right. You know, if you have questions, I want to hear all of them. But Logan did play it and him and I have been going back and forth and I'm very thankful for that because this is the type of game that the moment I finish it, I was like, I need to talk to somebody.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

It is so incredibly special to me and I just think as a video game, so very, very happy to be here with you gentlemen today. This game, I mean, as you saw, my reaction to it being formally announced was such a big deal and is still such a big deal to me. I love Metroid. I love Metroid prime. And I was waiting for this even longer than the 10 years, whatever it was, because I remember the Wii U era. Like I've been a Nintendo fan my entire life. Like going through the Wii, having the highs of the Mario Galaxies, but then getting to the Wii U. And I will stand by till the end of time that the library of the Wii U is fantastic. The hardware is not whatever, but we never got that Metroid Prime. We never got the HD Metroid Prime. Like the last Metroid we got was still stuck on the Wii in sd and I, I just, I remember talking to Fran Mirabella at E3 when they announced the Wii U and us being like nerding out of like, can you imagine the HD Metroid? Oh man, like, we know Retro is going to do it. And they announced Tropical Freeze and it was like one of my favorite games ever. I'm not talking shit.

[Greg Miller]

You ain't talking.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

But them going back to Donkey Kong country was like, really like you're, you're, you're not going to give me an HD Metroid Prime. So I've been looking forward to this for a very long time and I think that it completely has met my expectations. I am giving Metroid prime for beyond a 9 out of 10 on the kind of funny scale. I think it is an amazing video game. It is not without its flaws. We will talk about all of those. But as soon as the, the credits hit for me, I walked away being like, man, that was such a special experience and I care so much more about the highs than I do about the things that kind of take it down for me. And I think that the biggest issue with this game is its subtitle. I don't think this goes beyond Metroid prime at all. This is just Metroid Prime. But there's nothing quite like Metroid Prime. Metroid prime is, in my opinion, maybe the most special video game ever. The way that it translated 2D Metroid into 3D, into first person, it felt like an impossible task. And when you look at it, you're like, oh, it's a first person shooter. It's simply not. It's a first person adventure game. I know there's a lot of like joke Mimi conversations around that, but quite literally there's no game like Metroid Prime. It controls so uniquely and so perfectly. And I think that this is the most refined control scheme that a Metroid prime game has ever had. You have so many different options. The thing that, the things that this game does technically and how amazingly it runs in 1080p120 frames per second with motion controls, with mouse controls. It's like, I can't believe this is a Nintendo product. It's mind blowing. If you're playing in the the 4K60, it's a locked 60. It's wild, man, this game. The art styles that Nintendo has are always so beautiful. And the Metroid prime games I think are prime examples of that. And they've never looked better. It's never sounded better. Like all the stuff you want from the Metroid prime, atmosphere wise, it's here the music is incredible in this game. I think that this is easily the best Metroid prime since Metroid Prime 1. I think that this dwarfs Metroid Prime 2 and 3. I don't think that overall it's gonna stand the test of time way that one does. The companion. Any complaint that people have had looking at any of the previews or trailers, they're there. The desert is empty. The companions aren't great. That's all true. But when I reflect on Metroid prime in a couple years, I'm going to think about the locations that are my favorite in the entire franchise. There are multiple areas that I'm like, this is all time design for Metroid prime. And I'm going to think about the journey that I had and how I wanted to do every single thing the game allowed me to as I was playing it like it took over my life. It's all I wanted to think about and it is so, so special to me.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, a nine out of ten from Timothy Logan. Of course your IGN review is up. I held off on reviewing or reading it because I wanted you to review it and hear it. So talk to me now. Where are you with your score? How long did it take you to beat you, etc. Etc.

[Logan Plant]

Yeah, it took me about 15 hours to beat. I echo a lot of what Tim said. I think that this game is awesome. I really, really love Metroid Prime 4 and it is a game of extreme highs and extreme lows. I think there's moments in prime four that are a 10 out of 10. I think there's plenty of moments that are a five out of 10. And so walking away with it, it's like, how do you reconcile all that? And I landed on an 8 out of 10 for my review over at IGN, which means great game. That also is great, I think, on your kind of funny scale as well.

[Greg Miller]

But they're totally different. Don't tell pair about it. They're totally different.

[Logan Plant]

Totally different. We don't need to do anything from the ignorant. Yeah, but it's great. It's really awesome. And I totally agree that what I'll take away and this was the hardest review I've ever had to write because it was such a crunch review period, being over the Thanksgiving holiday, having to cram this game in, write out my thoughts the day after I finished it. And then as the week went on, my thoughts radically changed and I tear down the review and I build it all back up again. Because as the game kind of settles with you, what you walk away with are the highs that some of these areas are the best areas in the Metroid prime series. And it has that special world building that prime does so well. Lots of games have audio logs and things you read or listen to to get this world building. But in Metroid prime, you see it, you go to a factory and that factory is functioning and you can just go through the level if you want to, or you can scan every moving robotic arm in this factory, read about why it was built and what it's doing and then you see it in motion. It's like, oh yeah, that is what this is doing here. And it works effortlessly and then that plays into the puzzle design. Like Metroid is so special and. And no other series really does stuff like this. And it's just so awesome to have a game like this. The Arkham games are very similar. The Star Wars Jedi games take a lot of inspiration. But it's been 18 years without Metroid prime and it's back. I don't think it's as good as Prime 2. I love that game. I think of it more close to Prime 3, but it is definitely in line with the prime sequels as a very, very great game.

[Greg Miller]

Before we get into open discussion, as I said, Logan, I held off on reading your IGN review, but of course I couldn't miss you on bs. That's a Blue Sky, Tim. You put this up and this actually became the subject of today's greg way today. 4 hours ago on Blue sky you said calling all Zelda fans who miss the traditional Ocarina of Time style play Metroid Prime 4. Like Prime 2 and 3, it has more self contained areas with key upgrades and great bosses. It's the closest thing in Nintendo's current lineup to the old style and it does it very well. I adore Ocarina Majora's mask. Those were my Zeldas and I'm always chasing that vibe. Obviously tears and breath have been great. I'm not taking away from that. But can you talk a little bit more about that? As somebody who never has played a Metroid prime before? I watched of course Kyle Hayes play it back in the day on GameCube. But I've never ventured myself. So you now have me stoked for an entirely new angle and reason coming into beyond.

[Logan Plant]

Yeah, well, Metroid prime one. Tim said it. It's Super Metroid in 3D. It is these interconnected areas with multiple elevators, entrances and exits into each one. Prime two and three aren't really that. It is prime three. You fly to different planets from your Spaceship and then when you land, it's more of a dungeon like setup that is more self contained. Look at Prime4 and how it actually is set up. It is the desert in the middle, which I think is the worst part of the game, which we will talk about. But then there's one entrance to all of these dedicated areas. On its edges it is Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time. It is. There is Death Mountain. Go to it. Once you're in, you're in. And you do 90% of the main objectives in each area. On your first visit to that area you go through, you find a new elemental beam, you use that elemental beam to kill the boss that's waiting at the end and then you leave. It's so Zelda. It's so 3D Zelda in a really good way. And that's not a big departure. Two and three, like I said, were already a lot like this and four is just following in those footsteps. So yeah, if you miss that, if you miss here's handcrafted linear puzzle design with upgrade based progression. That's Metroid Prime 4 and it does it super well.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, I missed that. Logan. Okay. Music to my ears. Tim, you're nodding a lot.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

You 100. Yeah, I mean he's. Logan's completely nailing it there. Like I, I even think that Metroid Prime 1 feels that way to an extent as well. Like it is. There's a lot more similarities between Zelda games, like traditional, whether it's top down 2D or the Ocarina Majora's games and Metroid, whether it's 2D or 3D. Like they are very, very similar concepts. Right. Like what is the difference between a Metroidvania and a link to the past?

[Andy Cortez]

There was that one hook shot you back there. Let me go back to it. Yeah.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

And I, I think that this game very much continues that. And both of us have said this, but like there are multiple locations, multiple dungeons, if you will, that are just. They're all timers. And I, I put that up there with Metroid 2D, 3D or Zelda. And I, I think that those core things, like all of them, there was not a bad dungeon in this whole game. Like I think every, every one of the dungeons was.

[Logan Plant]

No, they're all good.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Was at very least great, if not a masterpiece of a dungeon. And it is kind of like the other stuff around it that might kind of like not be as high, but that's similar to Hyrule Field in a lot of those games.

[Andy Cortez]

Right.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

But yeah, I. There's. There's a lot of. If you allow yourself to invest into the controls of this, Greg, I think you'll love it. But I think that's always been one of the bigger things for you with Metroid prime, knowing you over the years of why it hasn't clicked for you. People also need to remember that Metroid prime, one controlled in the most insane way possible. Like it was not a twin stick shooter at all. It was legitimately like a. You need to stop.

[Andy Cortez]

Golden Eye style.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Golden style. And over the years, with the Metroid prime trilogy on Wii, they changed its motion controls, which were fantastic. And now with Metroid Prime Remastered, they refined those even more and added just what you'd expect the game to control based on how it looks in other video games. I think that there's never been a better time for Metroid Prime Remastered or for. For.

[Greg Miller]

For.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

For you, Greg, in particular. Oh, excellent, excellent, excellent. Okay.

[Andy Cortez]

What kind of. You know, obviously, without spoiling anything, how high are the highs of suit variants, color schemes? What level would you put it around? Because I would put dread up there is like one of the tops ever.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

It's. It doesn't go beyond, I'll say that.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay, thanks.

[Logan Plant]

Good to know they're fine.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Yeah, I do think that a lot of that stuff. Again, this goes back to what I was saying about it not going beyond it is just Prime. Like, in a lot of ways, this is kind of just. It's. It's Metroid prime again. I feel like a lot of the abilities that you get, they're tried and true, and I don't think that that's a bad thing. I think they're used in very cool, unique ways. Like we're doing some things and it's the way that you'll be in a room and I'll be constantly surprised at how I have to use my entire tool set to solve a problem. It's like, it's not just the one thing you got in this area. It's like every single thing. And all of a sudden I'm recontextualizing how I'm using a different ability and that just keeps adding on top of itself. But a lot of those things are abilities that we've seen in many different games. In many different Metroid games, there are a couple new ones that are interesting, but I don't think that there's any, like, incredible, major standout. That's true of all the prime games, though, I think all since the first one. Right. But each one kind of Added some different abilities here and there, like the screw attack being added in two. But like, I. I don't think of it as a bad thing. I just don't think of it as like a complete reinvention of. Of Hail of Metroid in any way. And I say Halo because as much as this game is is Ocarina of Time, it's also Halo, the campaign of a Halo game. And you either love that or hate that. I love that. This is one of my favorite first person shooter. I'm going to call it that for the sake of this argument. Campaigns in a very long time.

[Andy Cortez]

Logan, one of your main takeaways from the preview event that I think I saw you at for about a millisecond was Mr. Miles, Matt, Mac.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

What?

[Logan Plant]

Miles McKenzie.

[Andy Cortez]

Miles McKenzie and Mac. That's right. One of the biggest takeaways that you had, and like many people had justifiably so, was, oof, this sidekick can be a little bit annoying. And then there were some talks afterwards of, oh, maybe he's not even in the game that long. How did you feel like him being a sidekick and anybody else being a sidekick in this game? Were they too overbearing in your experience?

[Logan Plant]

Overall, no, they were not too overbearing as a whole. There are moments where they are. But I think that Nintendo showed us the worst 30 minutes of this game besides the desert at the preview event. I think that there's an hour right after the hour that we played in New York. I'm like, this could have been the best preview event of my life if they had showed us this hour of the game. And I get it. There's going to be people that go to that preview event that haven't played Metroid prime and need a little bit more guidance. So I understand. But when all that, when that's all we had to go on on what that's prime is going to look like. It was really discouraging. But no, overall they're not too overbearing. They don't really outright spoil specific puzzle solutions, which was a big concern of mine. And they don't really do that. What they do is if you're riding around the desert and you're completing a mindless fetch quest that is attached to the desert, they will eventually assume that you're stuck because you've been riding around the desert for so long. I'm not. I'm just farming these green crystals, which you have to do the stupid thing

[Greg Miller]

you want me to do.

[Logan Plant]

Exactly. And then Miles will call me on the radio and Say, oh, hey, hey Samus, have you tried exploring this new area with your new abilities because you might find something you couldn't get before. I'm like, oh, don't tell me that I'm doing a different quest right now. So that's a little annoying. But there are plenty of times where Samus loses radio signal. She's too far underground and nobody can contact her and you're completely alone. And it is Metroid prime. So I think that they, they find a nice balance. The companions writing still isn't the strongest either. It is very just campy Halo Sci Fi action. I'm not in love with it, but I don't think it's totally terrible.

[Andy Cortez]

Tim, what are your thoughts on it?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I think the game would be better received if the companions weren't in it. They didn't bother me but. And especially in terms of the like telling us what to do or whatever, that stuff really didn't bother me to, because to Logan's point, like anytime you're actually in a dungeon, they're not talking to you. Like there's always a reason that they're static or something. It is kind of just the like nudge to get you to, to like go back to a place or whatever.

[Andy Cortez]

It's just Sam is like, I got a bad connection. Let me hear you. Sorry.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

But to Logan's point, it's like the writing sucks for these characters, but like they also don't matter that much. And it's like, it's like it doesn't really get in the way. But I do think that this game would review better if they just weren't in it. And that's unfortunate. But it, it didn't deter me at all. Like I, I, they're fine. They are just a thing that's in the game. Some of them for puzzles and like just different set pieces. Nothing ever really felt like a true escort mission. Like in a bad way. There were some moments in boss fights that them being there was like not the best, but like it really, it's tough because it's like I, all this stuff is not even worth tampering on for me.

[Andy Cortez]

Sure.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Like it's like what is worth hampering because we're just saying what we could talk about. This stuff about Metroid Prime 1 like which is one of the best games of all time. But like some of the backtracking that game is not good. Some of the fetch quests and stuff in that game is not good. But like we don't talk about that stuff because it doesn't get in the way of all the stuff that we should be talking about. And that's kind of my thoughts on the companions in this. It's like I'm not giving them props at all. I really do think that the majority of lines of dialogue they have suck, but there's not that much of it.

[Logan Plant]

So I think the word I used in my review to sum them up overall is tolerable. They're just totally tolerable. Like, they're not great, but you can get through it.

[Andy Cortez]

Inoffensive.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

They're kind of offensive sometimes.

[Logan Plant]

Offensive.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

It's kind of like, what are we doing here?

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, I thought you were like, they say racism,

[Greg Miller]

you're a woman.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

This is all stuff that was completely in three. I think there's more dialogue and more bad dialogue in Prime 3 than there is here.

[Logan Plant]

Oh, I just played Prime 3. I think there's way more in this. There's a lot more in this. Yeah, it's close, but I think that, yeah, Prime 3 is very centered at the beginning, and then there's not as much after. You kind of get into the meat of the game.

[Greg Miller]

So, Logan, you kept hinting at your big sticking point or one of them being the desert. Let's talk a bit about that, because I remember when they showed that during whatever Nintendo direct, and it was the. Whoa, wait, what was that? That looks flat, bland, and not fun to explore. Was that the vibe you have after playing it?

[Logan Plant]

Yeah. This is if. If N64's Hyrule field from Ocarina of Time wanted to be the great plateau from Breath of the Wild. Like, it has that ambition, but it's just not. It's. It's so empty and bland to drive across. And this game has amazing music. It doesn't in the desert. Like, they hide a jukebox behind an Amiibo unlock, and then you can. But then you can do it, but it's just not. It's not there. And then the same three enemy types pop up, and you just tap a. To fire your projectile. Projectile at them. And there's, like, a tiny handful of Breath of the Wild shrines. And I know people say we compare everything to Breath of the Wild, literally. These are Breath of the Wild shrines. You go to them, you activate them, you go underground, you complete a puzzle. You talk to, like, a God at the end who warps you out. It's literally Breath of the Wild shines, and there's so few of them, and they're not clever to discover because they're just in the sand somewhere. They're just there sitting there for you to do. And the big issue though is it' fine if you just want to drive across it because the motorcycle control is fine or whatever. But it. It ties a main objective to the desert, which is the hunt for green crystals, which is this. You get this quest very early on so it doesn't spring it on you in the third act. You do have to finish it by the end, but you can chip away at it as you go. It's just the most random, mindless runtime padding filler fetch quest there's ever been in a Metroid game where you just drive along, crash into these green crystals and fill up your meter and that's it. And they're just strewn across randomly in this desert. And it is, I think the worst part of any Metroid prime game by far. I'm like this. At a certain point it felt like they had ambition to do something bigger with this desert and they just had to ship this game. After all the development hell and all its issues. It's like at a per. At a certain point you got to put pencils down and they didn't really get to finish the desert. It's fine because the dedicated dungeons are totally self contained from all these issues. So it doesn't ruin the highs. But the desert does suck.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

It's interesting. Yeah. I mean the desert, everything Logan is saying is like true where there's so much, you see the potential, you see the breath of the wild. And I. It's almost like the bummer to me is what's not there compared to what is there. Because if there were so many more of those shrines, I would be freaking thrilled. And this would be the best Metroid prime easily. The shrines are cool. I like that they challenge you to do little puzzle rooms using Metroid abilities in the same way that the shrines in Zelda use the tools that you have. But you don't doesn't need to be this entire design dungeon. We have those like this could have been best of both worlds of old school and new school Zelda design. That's what the beyond I think would have been. It's not though. There's like five of them or whatever. There definitely should have been 30 of them. And I think that that would have made the desert so much better. The green crystal stuff, it's like I'm not as mad at it as it sounds like Logan is because I just. I feel like naturally through the game got enough of them to not have

[Greg Miller]

to do so you weren't out there farming and.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

No, but I just kind of like just over like throughout the process of playing the game and looking for things, I like had enough for the. The final quest. But this is another thing that I think the game would have been better without him.

[Andy Cortez]

Like.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Absolutely. So there's a couple things I can say that about and that's not great, but that is what, what shaves things off for me of this experience being so damn good that some of these like really annoying things are just. They're annoying. I. I just can't believe that a Metroid prime game, how many decades into all this stuff, is still making the same mistakes that they made back then.

[Logan Plant]

No, right. It's totally like a GameCube fetch quest. It's. It's like the Triforce, but even more it's like mindless compared to even that in. In Wind Waker. And it just is. I think that people just want to still maybe Hear It's a 15 hour game without the green crystals. It's a third. It's a 12 or 13 hour game, which I would be so much happier with at a certain point. It's like this is adding nothing besides runtime. And that to me is just like where Prime 4 is the least cohesive to me of all four prime games because it's. Here's this desert that has this random content that's very different feeling than the dungeons which have this. And the companions are sometimes here and sometimes not. And they're not very good when they are. Like, it's just, it's all these ideas. Some feel like from maybe the first draft of Metroid Prime 4 that then retro was forced to do. That's all speculation, but that's just what it feels like. Even the main villain, Sylex feels like an afterthought in this story. Like this game is not that interested in telling a story about this villain that it's been teasing and it's just very disjointed in a lot of ways. It doesn't mean it's not awesome, but that's just what held it back from being this 9. 9.5, 10 out of 10 game for me.

[Greg Miller]

Tim, question for you and I'm sorry if I missed it 15 hours for Logan. How long did you take for you to beat it?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

A little longer than that. But I, I was really trying to do every single thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Closer to 20, I want to say. And like I have put in a lot of time afterwards. Like I just keep coming back to it. Because I'm really into it, but I am at a point that it's. It's not fun to keep trying to 100 it. Like without a guide. I'm just like, I'm kind of over this.

[Andy Cortez]

Kevin, can you bring up the photo I put into assets? At any point, do we get a resolution to. I think the main point of conflict in the video game of who wins. Like, you know, the. The largest, most extravagant shoulder pieces.

[Greg Miller]

Sure, sure.

[Andy Cortez]

Because I feel like that's really what the battle is about in this video game. Do we get any resolution there, Tim? Do her spoil anything? Do Sam's shoulder pads get large quality? Damn, dude.

[Logan Plant]

Damn. No spoil, no spoilers.

[Andy Cortez]

The shoulder pad supremacy. The big mystery here. We're going to learn about.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I think a lot of what Logan was saying about the. The story and characters is true. I also feel that way about all the Metroid Primes, though. So it's just like par for the course, which I want better, but I. It also just does. That's not what I care about Metroid prime at all. So.

[Greg Miller]

One thing I'd like to jump back with you, Tim. You said at the opening, this is a game that you finished and then immediately wanted to talk to somebody about. Was that because of. It sounds like it's not the story or the villain. So was it just I'm. I finally played metroid prime at 4 and I want to talk, or did it end on a note where you're like, oh, my God, I gotta.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Oh, it's not about that. It's about how good of a Metroid prime game, guys. Like, it's like this is. It's the boss fights. Like. Okay, let's. Like, we spent a lot of time talking about the problems with this.

[Greg Miller]

Hold on. Kevin's got something. I think there's Mike something.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Yeah, sorry.

[Greg Miller]

Tim, can you unplug and plug your mic back in?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I'm sorry, there's just this ringing.

[Greg Miller]

There's a buzz or something that's coming in that he's.

[Andy Cortez]

Electric.

[Greg Miller]

Ring a ding ding. Tim, electric plug back now. Talk to him. Clear mics.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I'm talking. You hear me? It's still happening.

[Logan Plant]

Damn it.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay, you can use my mic here.

[Greg Miller]

We can do an ad break and we switch it off if you want, Kevin, let's do that. Okay, everybody. Of course, remember, we are kind of funny. That is Logan from ign and we're reviewing Metroid prime for beyond right now. Just like we do each and every weekday. That's right. The kind of funny gamescast takes you through the biggest topics in gaming, whether they be reviews, previews or just things we need to talk about live each and every weekday. YouTube.com kindafunnygames Twitch TV kindafunnygames Podcast services around the globe. If you like us, pick up a kinda funny membership patreon.com kindafunny YouTube.com kinda funny games Apple or Spotify to get all of our programming ad free, get your daily dose of me, Greg Miller and a series we call Greg Way. And of course get good karma for supporting an 11 person small business. But right now you're not using your benefits. So here's a word from our sponsors

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[Timothy Robert Gettys]

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[Greg Miller]

And we're back. Tim, before the hiss cut you off, we're getting into why you wanted to talk about this game.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Yes, so the Metroid prime games are so special to me, mainly for three reasons. There's the atmosphere of the art style slash music, there's the dungeon design, and then there's the boss fight. And that's where Metroid Prime 4 excels all three of those ways. I think this is the most beautiful Metroid prime game. I think both technically and even just from an art design level. It's like, it's up there. Like, I don't think there's been a bad art directed Metroid prime game yet. Well, maybe if you count Federation Force. But regardless, this one is. It's stunning. Every single location you're in feels different. Whether it's the Volt Forge, there are moments in it that are breathtaking and like there's an elevator. It's all I'm going to say. You're going to know when you play the game what I'm talking about.

[Logan Plant]

Yes.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

It's so good. I just got chills thinking about it. It's incredible stuff. The kind of lush green fury, whatever they call it. The, the area y' all have seen a lot in the. The preview stuff. It's stunning and the music backs it up and it's perfect. It reminds me of the highs of Metroid prime, one of Vendrana Drifts and all that stuff. Like some of the most iconic memories I have of these games. This adds new ones to that. And then the boss fights, they are plentiful and awesome. I think there was only one boss fight in the entire game that I didn't like the mechanics of and otherwise exactly one.

[Logan Plant]

Yeah. I wonder if it's the same one.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Maybe, maybe. I will talk later. I don't spoil anything, but. But even that boss fight, when it ends, I was like. The ending was awesome though. So it's like there's a lot there. But again, like I feel like the bulk of the actual gameplay. That's the stuff that adds up to why this is an amazing video game to me. And Logan was talking about it and it's like it's definitely one of those, like, I don't want to say too much. I want it. You all to just be able to go into the experience. But the, the Volt Forge location is one of my favorite video game location set, dungeons, whatever you want to call it ever it top to bottom, it's what Metroid prime is all about. All of those things coming together. The boss fights, the atmosphere and just the dungeon design and the storytelling of the world building. Like Metroid Prime 4, it's all about the scanning and learning what's going on. The story of this tower, as you go down it, you go up it, what you're learning about and how it all is presented to you. It is quintessential Metroid prime and quintessential Metroid prime is one of the best games of all time.

[Greg Miller]

God damn, Logan.

[Logan Plant]

Yeah, when I was in Volt Forge, I. My favorite area of the game as well, probably my favorite Metroid prime area in the series, at least. Least up there with some of the best from Prime. 1. I just thought, is this going to be the best Metroid prime game? And it did not go on to, I think, be that. But it is just such an incredible area. And what I love about the world design too is just that I think about this in all the prime games. I think they all do this really well. And it's just a tiny touch that you can tell you're playing. Metroid prime is in this first person view when you blast open a door and that door opens, just the way that room is framed through the door. Like they just think about all of this stuff. Like there's a very early example in Fury Green where you. You shoot the door open and just what you see the second it opens, it just like takes you back and it just looks amazing. It's retro. Still has it from a world design perspective. Like it is up there with the entire prime trilogy of just how these places are laid out and how they make you feel when you're tiptoeing through them. It is. It is tense, it is lonely, it is isolating. It's just. It's brilliant. And Voltforge is the best one in the game.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, what about the other tent poles you set up there in terms of this is what. What makes a Prime game?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Yeah, I mean, the boss fights. Right. Atmosphere. It's like the boss fights are incredible in this. And I. I feel like part of the allure of Metroid prime is it's not Halo. It's not a first person shooter.

[Greg Miller]

It's.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

It's different and it's not about precise. It's a. Yeah, it's more of a puzzle shooter. It's about timing of your shots as opposed to aiming your shots. It you lock on. It's very much Ocarina of Time. There's Z targeting in this. Right. And I think that that allows the boss fights to be super creative and fun. And I, I just don't think that any, like a boss fight in Halo games is never that great. You know what I mean? Like, it's just kind of like a thing that you gotta do. It is a joy in Metroid prime. You look forward to. It is a reward for solving the puzzles of the dungeon to be able to fight these bosses and how creative they can be and how hyped the music is and how tense it all feels and how badass Samus is. And I think that they have so many different examples in this game of, of making me feel like a badass. And it's awesome. Not quite as many as Metroid Dread. I do think Metroid Dread, there's a couple things about that game that I wish we're in here. I wish we had some type of Perry. Like, I really like that addition in Metroid Dread. And I think that that's the type of stuff that could have elevated this into not just. Yeah, exactly. Like not just what we've had three times now with Metroid prime games. I to, to Logan's point about Retro still having it. Like, I this game gives me so much faith that their next one really could be the best, best Metroid prime ever because a switch to exclusive without the development issues that we know and all that stuff. Just Retro from the ground up. Making a game that is going to hit like nothing before.

[Greg Miller]

Ben will be driving a car by then.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I don't think so. I, I what do you think, Logan? Like, I feel like this kind of like gets them on a path where, you know, they were putting out Metroid Prime 1, 2 and 3. Like, like fairly close together like I

[Logan Plant]

do every like three years. Yeah, no, I think I'm with you, Tim. I posted this on Bluesky earlier today. I didn't want to start talking about Prime 5 the day the Prime 4 review went up. But that is a main takeaway from this is without the baggage of what Prime 4 was, without having to develop for Switch 1 and Switch 2, which by the way, Switch 1 version, totally viable if you haven't upgraded yet. It runs at locked 60 on switch one, which is remarkable. But yeah, without all of that baggage of what this was to just kick this one out the door. And it still turned out to be fantastic. I think Prime 5 could be right in line with Prime 1. It's still in very good hands.

[Andy Cortez]

I'd like to talk about performance and just hardware. We know that handheld I believe on Switch 2 is 120 frames and I guess docked mode is 4K60.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

And I also want to talk about like 1080p.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, 4K. Wait, what's Doc?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

There's two modes docked. It's 4K60 or 1080. One hundred and twenty.

[Andy Cortez]

Gotcha.

[Mike]

Okay.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Which is how I played.

[Andy Cortez]

So, okay, so yeah, I'd like to know what Logan sort of preferred playing as as well But I would want to talk about control schemes. Whether y' all were doing the Gondor's

[Greg Miller]

Condor Super Chats, just like you came to be part of the show and said, how did the mouse controls feel? I know we're driving there. Let's, I want to hear about that eventually. But did either of you play with those mouse controls?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Logan.

[Logan Plant]

Very briefly.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, it sucked that much. Logan.

[Logan Plant]

It's, it's fine. It's just, I think that Tim mentioned this earlier. This game controls amazingly well. It just feels great. Whether you do the Pro controller with the twin stick controls and slight motion aiming adjustments, or the twin Joy Con controls, like a Wii Remote Nunchuck with full motion aiming for you're shooting like Prime 3 or Prime Trilogy. They're both awesome. They both feel fantastic. There's not really any shortcomings in either of them. And so when you plop that mouse down onto your desktop and you have to like claw your pointer finger over the Y button to turn into a morph ball, it just, it just doesn't feel good. I just prefer the other ways. It's totally functional. Like if you had a mouse grip for your Joy Con, which I don't, maybe it would be better. But I think that it just controls so well. Otherwise you don't need the mouse control. So I'm not disappointed that I didn't find them that good.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Good. I played with the mouse controls for a second. I mean, the thing about it is like the mouse controls are just on. If you just turn the controller down. Like, it's not like, like for, it's very cool. Yeah. It's like, it's seamless and it just kind of works. So if you do want to get some like little fine tune, aim for the times you need that, like you can just turn the controller and do it. I, I don't like how the Joy Con feels as a mouse. Like it's, it's stupid. Like it is what it is. But I didn't have time to do this. I am interested in it. I know you can like plug in a normal mouse, like an actual USB mouse, to the Switch. And I think that that is going to be a very viable way for people to play. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the way you end up playing. Andy.

[Andy Cortez]

I, I, I'm not sure. Only because I wonder about how the switch buttons would map to what you're expecting those front face buttons to be on the Joy Con. Like I wonder what the functionality there would be. But the mouse controls did not feel good to me at the preview. And as somebody who was like going into this, super stoked because I love keyboard mouse shooters on PC. I have, as I'm playing through Metroid Prime Remastered 1 have fallen in love with just gyro controls because that's how I normally would play. Splatoon back.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Okay, then you're gonna be sad. I was a motion guy. I feel like the. The dual sticks, it's. It's amazing. It works the way you'd expect it to, but I used. I think that the motion controls slash an ideal mouse control setup is. Is the ideal way just because of how pinpoint accurate it is and like how good it feels. You feel like Samus, like moving around, moving your arms and stuff. Like there's parts that I was telling Eddie, like there's enemies with shields and I'm like using one arm to like grapple off a shield and then shoot them. I'm like, this is awesome, man. Like, it feels like the greatest light gun game of all time. But I also think that the mouse setup, I would have been super down to do it if I was. Was sitting at a desk. I was playing on my tv. And like, that's not an ideal setup for that at all. But there are plentiful control options and I think they're all great. I think everybody will find something that they absolutely love because they just allow you to do whatever you want. And it feels so good.

[Mike]

How modernized does it feel compared to Metroid Prime Remastered? It's been interesting hearing Andy talk about like, checkpoints and stuff and how the game kind of feels a little bit archaic as far as how it handles that stuff. Does this feel or does Metro Prime 4 feel like it's a step forward?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I've been bouncing back and forth between four and Remastered just because I've like, I've been so into this stuff. And it's funny how many quality of life little tiny things that add up to Metroid Prime 4. I think just being so much better in a modern.

[Andy Cortez]

How bad is that map on. On prime one have compared to four? It's have these thing controls reversed.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

It's wild. There's like. It's all those little, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny things. But I mean, Metro Primary Master is. It's a freaking masterpiece, right? But I think that the map is the best it's ever been in a Metroid prime now. And I think that just like the switching between all your different functions and stuff is easier and makes a little bit more sense control layout wise. And obviously because of the graphics and the technical performance of it all. It's just like. It's all these, like, little quality of life things that add up in terms of the game design and the, like, what you're saying, the archaic nature. Like I keep saying, it's like, that's Metroid design. Like, that's like, it's. That's how these things work. There are way more checkpoints in this, though. Like, there are way more. There was never a time that I died and was like, my life, my last hour is gone. Right, Logan?

[Logan Plant]

Yeah. He had an auto saves. Also, there's auto. Say I only died once in this game. Like, I ended with the boss that I didn't like. So I'm wondering if that was the same time. No, it. Auto saves. Really nice. There's save rooms everywhere. Areas double back on each other in really smart, very Metroidy ways like this. It feels very modern and I think even controlling too. Just the maneuverability Samus has when she pops out of the Morph Ball. Like, you can you keep sprinting forward or to the side much faster than popping out of the Morph Ball in Metroid Prime. Remaster. That just feels better. Your visor's on a face button now. It's not whatever weird thing you had to do to equip the visor or the missiles in the last game. And no matter what upgrades you get for your visor, it's still mapped to that one button. And that visor can just do it all. Like, it's not switching between this visor and that one and the other one. Like, it's just. It feels a lot better. This is the snappiest that it's ever felt to control.

[Greg Miller]

I feel like this is a good place to insert this question. I've seen the chat a lot, but since we're talking about modernization and so on and so forth. Raj, former Roger Pokorny, who used to work here, super chats and says, I've never played a Metroid. What did you say?

[Andy Cortez]

Miss him?

[Greg Miller]

No, we don't. Oh, no, Mike. Mike was very clear about that.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, he misses Nick Moore.

[Greg Miller]

I've never played a Metroid Prime. Should I just hop into 4? This has been a question I've seen kicked around a lot in the chats. Obviously there's a lot of people like myself coming at it who have skipped 1, 2, and 3, excited to jump in with a Switch 2 version. Timothy, I see you debating it in your head.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I truly don't think you can go wrong between Metroid Prime Remastered and Metroid Prime 4 there, it's. There's just different things about them. Like, if. If I could force you to finish one of them, I'd say Metroid prime one. I do think there's a way higher chance that Greg Miller and even Roger will stick with Metroid Prime 4 than Metroid Prime 1. But like, like Metro Prime 1 is. It's an actual freaking masterpiece, man. It's so, so, so special.

[Logan Plant]

Logan Prime4 I think, is the best place to start the Metroid prime series. I feel the exact same way about this as the 2D metroids, which is play dread first, play prime 4 first. They are a little bit more on Rails, guidance, heavy handholdy in some ways, but still quintessentially Metroid that then you can take the training wheels off and play Super Metroid or Metroid Prime Prime. Like there. It's exactly the same situation as Play Dread, then you'll be ready to appreciate Super. I think if you just pick up Prime Remastered, you may not fully appreciate it. People will bounce off that game. But if you get your feet Wet with Prime 4 and then you're ready for the big stuff in Prime Remastered, I think that's the way to go.

[Greg Miller]

Blessing.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Where do you come down on this Metroid Prime 4 business and Metroid Pride? Are you excited for this one? I'm super excited.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Yeah. I love here.

[Mike]

It's been fun just listening to Logan and Tim talk about it because, of course, me and Andy recently got into Metro Prime Remastered, or I played Metro Prime Remastered when that came out and adored it, like, but, like, I did not expect to come out of that being like, oh, this is a masterpiece. And that's legitimately how I felt after playing that game. Which is crazy to say, playing a game that came out 20 years ago, playing down like 20, 23 or whatever. But it legitimately stands the test of time. And so, yeah, hearing Tim talk about it, talking about it during the previews recently, looking at the gameplay, I'm like, oh, yeah, I can't wait for Metro prime four door.

[Andy Cortez]

How investigative are some of the levels when you are trying to just figure out how to open that door? Like I is there. I think that's one of the things I've enjoyed the most is like scanning the things that you didn't really know you needed to scan, inferring information and seeing, oh, that this stat. I'm looking for the statue of. Of Time and not space or whatever. And then you go look at the statue of Time and it's like, oh, it's got a thing here. Like, did you feel like you were kind of coming across these, invest these discoveries in a very natural way, Logan?

[Logan Plant]

Yeah, I think, I think so. I think it's a little bit less involved than prime one, which could be kind of muddled or esoteric at times. I don't think that's bad. I think overall prime four is much more linear. Like if you, if you enter an area and there's three doors, usually it's like, here's a save room, here's a door you can't open yet, and here's the door to proceed. But that's not bad. It's just like this Zelda dungeony design that we're talking about and there is lots of scanning. You have to scan so many machines and terminals and computers to activate things and make lava flow somewhere or open up an electric gate. Like, yeah, it's, it's still full of that. I feel like Samus is like a detective in the Metroid prime series and it totally feels like that here.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Yeah, I, I, it's Logan's so right where it's like, it's not as esoteric. I think it is way more linear. But to what we were also saying, it's like each one of the dungeons does such a great job with the like world building of that area that scanning all the stuff, it might not be like putting together the puzzle of that room, but it's more like putting together the ethos of the entire area, which will then kind of allow you to understand when you get into another room, you know what you're supposed to be doing. Like you already know how to handle this type of puzzle just because of the kind of story that you're getting of the place. Like, I really do think that the, like, each area, the way that it kind of unfolds what the past and present of the place and what Samus being there is, how that's affecting the area is the highlight of the game. And I think that that is, I think more so than the other entries in the franchise. Like every area was like, sure, we've seen a jungle before, we've seen a lava place before. You know, we, we've done these things but, but they do them in ways that I've never seen them done. And I think that that is so special.

[Logan Plant]

I agree. And I think that they are very separate and self contained, like we said, which I think some Metroid fans won't like. But Tim and I really do like. And I think one of the Things about it that's a highlight is that each one sometimes feels like it's genre shifting a little bit. Like Voltforge is just classic Metroid Prime. You're alone, you're uncovering this area, you're activating generators. It's. It's super classic. One area feels a lot like alien, and there is like a monster who maybe is chasing you, or you're waiting for something to pop out at you. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, and then sometimes you're with companions, so it feels more like aliens and you're going through these firefights together. Like, each area feels totally different. Like a Zelda dungeon would feel totally different. And it's their own little minivania inside this larger game. And it just works so well. And I love them all for different reasons. Initially I thought some were weaker than others, but then after sitting with them, it's like, oh, no. It's just doing something completely different than the other one is.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

And one other thing that I wrote down, one of my notes that I wanted to make sure that I said, this game is very Star Wars Episode one coded. And I mean that very complimentary. Like, in terms of just ship designs, creature designs, sound designs, there's just a lot of Star Wars Episode 1, and it's kind of awesome.

[Greg Miller]

Andy hit me with some pod races.

[Andy Cortez]

That's the Bulba.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, of course.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

And that also sounds just like a lot of the enemies in the desert in this game. Like, it's. It's pretty cool.

[Andy Cortez]

Remember when the big bubble shields on that fight on Naboo when the. When they would. The sound effects are so awesome. Dude, did you see everybody posting our subreddit by the way of like, this dude who did all of the pod race with his mouth. Mouth sounds?

[Greg Miller]

No.

[Andy Cortez]

And it's like you're kind of encroaching on my thing, right? So now I'm gonna encroach on his thing and probably do the same thing.

[Greg Miller]

Well, okay. You're. Whatever Red super chatted and said, how's the scanning for the completionist? Tim, you talked about you're stopping right now because it's not fun. Guides are where you're at. Blah, blah. Is that tied to this kind of thing?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

It's not that it's not fun. It's more that it's just like, I don't have the time to be lost. Like, you know what I mean? And like, I, I do think that the, the. This game does guide you.

[Andy Cortez]

I have a kid on the way.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I can't but there is a, A there. Them being like, hey, maybe you should go here. That stuff doesn't bother me because it's like they stay out of your way so much that it is kind of a nice reminder to be like, okay, I got to get something in this area still. Cuz you wouldn't know otherwise necessarily what is left? Like as you're playing through the game, I don't think it really gets in your way. I think as you get towards the end, they start giving you ways to know how much you have in an area and what's missing. And like that's good game design, I think. I don't, I don't need things to be just like completely obtuse and just like figure it out. I was trying to 100% scan and 100% item complete just as I was playing and that didn't end up happening. I think I beat the game. I forgot what it was but like maybe 69% for the, the items and then like 80% for the scans and I was kind of surprised. I was like, damn, I thought I scanned everything.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, yeah. Raptor Face says. Tim says it's like Halo. Were there set pieces?

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

I mean, yes, but it's more like Halo just in the sense of like there are a lot of just campaign moments with the NPCs that are just very Halo campaign where like you're, you're on a bridge, there's hordes of enemies coming at you and there's just, you know, quippy dialogue going on. And it's fun. Like it's just, it's the, the kind of highs of, of the Halo, the early Halo campaigns, the set pieces. Like there's set moments, less set pieces. Like it's not like, you know, set pieces. I'm thinking uncharted. I'm thinking like crazy stuff like that and this. It's not really like that, but I mean, Metroid prime bosses to themselves are set pieces and there's some incredible ones in this game. Like one that Logan and I were talking about offline that I don't want to spoil, but like it's like very, very, very, very cool.

[Logan Plant]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

Okay.

[Greg Miller]

Well, gentlemen, any closing thoughts here as we wrap up this journey? Logan? I know of course there's so much content. Like I said over on ign, you can get your review. There's a review discussion up. There's all sorts of stuff. There's the video review. Are you Metroid out at this point or are you still just jonesing to talk about it? Play More. Where are you to close all this?

[Logan Plant]

Oh, yeah, I'm totally jonesing to talk about it more. I think I'm going to play it on hard mode, which is locked through beating it on normal the first time. So I want to go through and do that because there's missable scans in the very opening area. So make sure you scan everything to your logbook because you can't go back there and I don't know if there's a way to find them. So, yeah, I want to get a full 100% run by scanning everything and finding all the items. And no, I love this game. It's funny that Tim brought up episode one because playing Prime 4 to me feels like episode seven, the Force Awakens, where it's like, yeah, this is Metroid Prime. Again, it's a little bit different, but it's telling a very similar story with very similar powers, but a twist that. That makes it modern. Like, it totally feels like hopefully the start of a new trilogy that I think is really, really strong. And yeah, like, it's. The high moments will stick with me for years from this game because there's just nothing like Metroid Prime. And it feels like a miracle that it turned out this well after the mystery that this game was for the last 10 years of it was a logo for seven years. And then the marketing was weird leading up to it. And it turns out to just be a really, really solid entry in this franchise.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

You nailed it with the Force Awakens. Like, that's what I was just saying. Episode one in terms of sounds and designs. But oh my God, this is the Force Awakens of Metroid Prime. And that to me, that's a great thing. I love this game. I highly recommend it to people. I highly recommend Metroid prime remastered, Metroid Prime. All of them are incredibly special games. And this is up there.

[Greg Miller]

All right, a nine from our own Tim Gettys and eight from Logan Planted IG and Logan, thank you for your time today. Where can people keep up with you?

[Logan Plant]

You can find me online at Logan JPLant and check out Nintendo voice chat over on the IGN Games YouTube channel. We go up every Friday. We're going to have a big Metroid Prime 4 episode over there as well this upcoming Friday. And last week we did a super fun Metroid prime trilogy episode with Paris Schneider and Brian Altano. That was super fun.

[Greg Miller]

Of course, everybody. I've seen confusion in the chat. No, Roger did not get fired. I believe he's doing what's called Quiet Quitting, where three weeks before Thanksgiving, he's like, I'm going on Thanksgiving break. And now Thanksgiving's over. He's still not at work. I don't know. I don't know what's happening.

[Timothy Robert Gettys]

You know what I mean?

[Greg Miller]

How could he not come back to that?

[Andy Cortez]

He's submitting thumbnails.

[Greg Miller]

He's also submitting job applications in New York, of course, this has been the Kinda Funny gamescast. Remember, each and every weekday, we run you through the biggest topics in video games, whether they be reviews, previews, or things we need to talk about live on YouTube.com kindafunnygames Twitch TV, kindafunnygames, podcast services around the globe. If you like that, of course, pick up a membership patreon.com kinda funny YouTube.com kindafunnygames Apple Spotify. Get everything ad free. Get good karma, get your daily dose of me. And of course, remember, we are always live, meaning that we are not done right now. If you're on YouTube, click on over to our stream of Fallout 76. We're going into the Burning Springs. We're meeting Walton Goggins. We're hanging out with Mr. Hawks from the community and having a great time. If you're on Twitch, you don't have to do anything. You can just chill out and we'll be live in one more second. But if this is where it ends for you, remember, until next time, it's been our pleasure to serve you

[Andy Cortez]

a Montgoggin.