Retro Studios are probably my favorite dev team of the 21st century (or maybe tied with FromSoft), with each of their 5 games (Prime 1-3 and DKC Returns/Freeze) standing as some of the best ever made. So far, PRIME 4 feels like they’ve still got the juice, with the polish and confidence you expect.

Also wanted to say that if you’re worried about playing this b/c you haven’t played Metroid Prime 2/3 (still unavailable on Switch), don’t be. It’s not that kind of series. There’s no continuity thus far that would stop you from ‘getting’ this. It’s totally newcomer friendly.

In what I played so far, you’re mostly on your own and it’s got the Metroid feel and rhythms down pat. I don’t love Miles’ interruptions, but they’re also a very small part of the game so far.

He’s more like the owl from Ocarina of Time than Atreus/Mimir constantly spoiling puzzles in God of War.

As for Miles McKenzie: Yes, he’s annoying. But it’s also very clearly a conscious part of the writing (he’s immediately characterized as nervous around living legend Samus Aran). He’s also only with you for *maybe* 10 minutes, before going back to base and only contacting you over the radio.

The story is very much in the vein of Metroid Prime 2 so far (Samus discovers a seemingly extinct non-Chozo race who need her help and have left many clues and fun puzzles for her), and I’m digging it so far. The music immediately does a lot of heavy lifting making this world feel alive.

The game plays beautifully. Retro have created a new hybrid control scheme that combines every prior Metroid Prime control method without having to futz with menus: you can seamlessly and intuitively use both dual stick controls and motion aiming all in one. It feels great in the hands.

The technical heft and polish behind this game is immediately off the charts. Fantastic art direction, great visual quality, some of the best HDR I’ve ever seen in a game, *and* it’s running at a buttery smooth 120fps. It’s a full combo you don’t see much even on more powerful platforms. WOW.

Fuck yeah!!! That’s so cool to see. Thanks so much!

It doesn’t help Sony that in the same window Nintendo’s had new Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, Kirby, Metroid, etc, PS5 has had exactly 1 exclusive (Ghost of Yotei). I just kinda forget the PS5 is there most of the time.

Yeah that’s my exact experience too. I actually haven’t turned my PS5 on at all since getting the Switch 2. Portability aside, it’s just such a nicer, more streamlined, more user-friendly experience. Unless there’s a truly game-changing difference in graphics/performance, I prefer Switch.

It's a combination of fewer graphical leaps, and way more graphical scaling options over the last decade. Games are just built to scaffold up and down much more than they used to be. But it's also clear the Switch 2 is way more capable relative to the competition than the Switch 1 was.

Based on Star Wars Outlaws and AC Shadows, it seems the Switch 2 is WAY more capable of replicating PS5 games than the Switch 1 was of replicating PS4 games. Lots of factors at play there, of course, but it's a really great sign coming out of the system's first year.