Right now, many Nintendo gamers are excited that we’re just six weeks or so away from the arrival of Metroid Prime 4. The game has been over 8 years in the making and will be helmed once again by Retro Studios, who helped make the 3D first-person version of the franchise popular. The original trilogy, which spanned the Nintendo GameCube and Wii, is considered legendary by most, and that’s what’s driving up the hype for the new entry. However, in a special retrospective book, insights were given about the original game’s development that highlight how it was a “Miracle” that it got done, and came out so well.
As noted by IGN, in the book, series producer Kensuke Tanabe gave various snippets to readers about what it was like to make the original game, and he revealed that the biggest issue was that Retro Studios had never worked with Nintendo before, and thus, had their own “vision” of what things should be, and so, both he and Shigeru Miyamoto had to step in to say how things should go:
“Metroid Prime was not a project that was originally planned. It was a title that came about by chance, as a result of Mr. Miyamoto clarifying the direction Retro should take… In a way it could be called a miracle.”
One of the key elements of this “relationship” was that Nintendo made it clear that they were in charge of what happened:
“Nintendo retained the final decision-making authority, there were many instances early on where our approaches to the specifications did not align, leading to disagreements. Retro often explained, ‘This is how Western studios approach and think about game development.’ To help them understand our perspective, I told them, ‘Yes, but the game we are making now is a Nintendo game, and this is Retro’s first time working on one. I’ve been working on Nintendo games my whole career, so I believe I have the most experience in making Nintendo games. So please trust me first.’”
Clearly, trust was given, and the game turned out to be a near-masterpiece, and that’s why so many are excited for Metroid Prime 4, as Retro Studios knows how to make great games with Samus Aran, and we’re all hoping the trend continues.
Source: IGN
