Some believe that the moves missing in Prime can't work in first person or in 3D; that the speed boost wouldn't work, the wall jump couldn't be done, etc. I believe that some creativity can prove them wrong.
The real Space Jump- Obviously the easiest to add, it was more than likely not put into Metroid Prime because there were open areas that the designers didn't want Samus to fly over. If Prime 2 goes back to being 98% closed environments (as it should), there's no reason why the double jump shouldn't be named just that (or substitute the high jump, since that's effectively what it was) and the space jump shouldn't return. As in other Metroid games it should be a very late power up, lest it detract from the challenge of platform jumping through the environments.
The wall jump- The way I see it there's a simple way to do it and a more interactive way. The simple way to add it is to jump towards a wall then jump again, having Samus turn automatically. The better way is to add a quick turn move to the game (I like a quick tap back on the joypad, but Z could work too) and simply jump towards a wall, quick turn at the top of the jump then jump again. The drawback is that it might be disorienting, but mouse controlled PC first person shooters let you turn 180 degrees almost instantaneously and never really become so. I believe this method of wall jumping could work very well in first person.
The Speed Boost- Again, this is just a matter of adding the power up to the game. Perhaps it wasn't added to Prime because of engine limitations, but I saw areas large enough and corridors long enough where a speed dash could have served to uncover some nice secrets. It should work as in Fusion, no run button needed since if we don't want full speed we simply don't
have to use full analog. For the most part I don't really see why
someone wouldn't want to run at full speed anyway. The question
remains of whether the game engine could handle Samus running
really fast and have it not interfere with the game's streaming
content. For this the game could take a cue from Lucasart's Jedi
Outcast, which creates the illusion of super speed by distorting the
viewpoint, altering the audio, and slowing down everything around
the main character. Such an effect really serves to drive the impression that you're moving very fast, when in fact your every move is the same as it is during the real time segments. Even so, the effect would be more convincing if Samus sped up slightly, with both the increased run speed and special effects serving to give the illusion that Samus is really dashing.
The next couple of moves would require a crouch button, which could be the morph ball button, Z, or if separate beams are removed in the sequel, could be put in the missile button. Those who think that a crouch button is redundant because 3D games allow us to aim at any angle, remember that the same could be said for every other first person game that includes crouch. The designers simply have to find a few ways to incorporate it into gameplay and against enemies, and a few ideas of how that could be done are found elsewhere on the site.
The Shinespark- Speed dash, then crouch, then aim yourself and jump.
Seems pretty cut and dried doesn't it? It also seems like something that
would work fairly well.
The Screw Attack- Crouch jump. Yes, you read right. Crouch, then jump
after you've obtained the power up. The camera could pan back to third
person when you start the screw attack, or the screen could simply distort
somewhat to give the move some style. A crouch jump would serve to
initiate the screw attack while still letting us use the regular jump during
combat and exploration, not to mention that it would be fairly simple to pull
off at any time, just like in the old Metroid games! If third person is used for
the move, which I think would be the better choice, the question remains of whether the frequent switch between third and first person would be annoying or disorienting. I believe that because this power up should be obtained after the space jump the move could be continued indefinitely after initiated, reducing the amount of camera switching. Also, because the move would not initiate with every jump, the camera switch would only be as frequent as the player chooses. However, the move could also work well in first person. To again borrow an example from Jedi Outcast, maybe an automatic "screw attack camera" option could be added, similar to the camera option used in that game for the melee weapon. Someone who doesn't want the move in third person could simply turn this option off.
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