Are 2D Metroid games a relic of the past? Metroid games are usually

File: 3DS_MetroidSamusReturns_illustration_01_FINAL.0.jpg (180KB, 1200x800px) Image search: [Google]

180KB, 1200x800px

Are 2D Metroid games a relic of the past? Metroid games are usually short but sweet and have a lot of replay value because they're simply enjoyable to control while giving you a fair amount of freedom in terms of what upgrades/expansions you pick up. Some Metroid games allow you to sequence-break or skip items entirely, which makes subsequent playthroughs different. But even the linear ones allow you to pick up as many expansions as you need, effectively acting as a difficulty slider. And more importantly, the games were optimised for speed. Backtracking was usually minimal and if you know what you are doing then you can complete the games very quickly. Nowadays people don't care about that. There are so many games out there that modern gamers don't really replay games, they just play a game then move onto the next one. Because of this, a game being short is considered a very bad thing, since a short game will not keep the player entertained as much as a long game.

I imagine this is the reason why it's been so long since the last 2D Metroid game and I imagine that Samus Returns will be criticised for its short length. The fact that they added the Scan Pulse to the game seems to confirm that Nintendo understand that players' attitudes have changed over the years. If they didn't add it then players would end up missing a fair number of expansions and complete the game very quickly before forgetting about it. The Scan Pulse can pique the players interest and encourage them to find the expansion, prolonging their playtime.