Metroid Stuff Index

I've talked a lot less about Metroid than I imagined I would when starting Vigaroe, but I've still ended up with enough Metroid posts I don't really want to stick them in the Not Part Of A Large Project index. (Especially since that's much larger than I thought it would end up being...)

Hence this index.

Metroid Prime: Route Optimization. I've always loved the Metroid games, but had a hard time articulating what about them works so well. Playing Metroid Prime helped me put my finger on one element.

Route Optimization: Artifacts and Temple Keys. This is me talking about a specific aspect of how Metroid Prime uses route optimization as a major part of play, contrasting with Echoes repeating the basic framework of that aspect but puts it together in a way that substantially does away with route optimization being a thing. (Also, I criticize Corruption a bit, but it's only somewhat related)

Murder and Metroid. 'Attempt to kill everything that moves' is very often a good default rubric in many action games, so much so it took a long time for it to occur to me that the Metroid games are only somewhat in line with that.

Other M: Connected Alone. Other M's plot is such a baffling misstep on so many levels... you could probably write two or three books covering its problems in detail.

In 2018-2022, I played the amazing AM2R a lot. A lot. As an experiment, I recorded a portion of these later runs, focusing primarily on the randomized runs, to post as Vigaroe content. These videos are universally unedited and do not involve me talking or providing subtitles; the posts themselves include commentary, but the footage is raw gameplay. They didn't exactly set the internet on fire, and eventually I stopped playing AM2R constantly anyway, so the experiment ended.

AM2R: Randomized Run 1. The first video, where I explain some aspects of AM2R's randomizer, particularly rules I'd noticed that the .txt file doesn't note.

AM2R: Randomized Run 2. Pseudo-editing occurs in this one, because I didn't subject people to the 20 minutes it took me to get a pixel-perfect jump while trapped.

AM2R Randomized Run 3: Screw Attack first and 100%. It was quite the surprise how starting with Screw Attack wasn't very helpful at getting places.

AM2R Randomized Run 4: Under 2 Hours. I run through the Factory while lacking Space Jump in this run, which was an interesting experience.

AM2R 1.4 Hard Mode. As a celebration of 1.4's release, I recorded a non-randomized run in it.

AM2R Fusion Mode Run 1. Then I showed off the new Fusion Mode, an even higher difficulty that also throws in one of Metroid Fusion's main mechanics: X-Parasites taking the place of regular Energy/ammo drops!

AM2R Random Fusion Run 1. Then I showed off and talked about what 1.4 had done with the randomizer logic and all.

AM2R Random Fusion Run 2. The Speed Booster really is swingy in randomized runs.

AM2R Random Fusion Run 3. High Jump is surprisingly useful for being strictly optional in a lot of randomized run seeds.

AM2R Random Fusion Run 4. In which I show off several things, including a poorly-designed secret added by 1.4, and announce I'm taking a break from AM2R due to the lag.

AM2R 1.4.1 Random Fusion Run. AM2R got updated, and it was nice!... still too laggy, but it addressed a lot of my other criticisms.

AM2R 1.4.2 Random Fusion Run. Another update, with more overall improvement, though still too laggy.

AM2R 1.4.3 Random Fusion Run. Yet another update, minor overall improvement, and... still a bit too laggy.

AM2R 1.5 Release Run. A major release that mostly overhauls the graphics, but makes several nice changes to gameplay components. This is a True 100% Run, too, showing off everything there is to collect and all.

AM2R 1.5 Random Fusion Run. At last, the lag was fixed!

AM2R 1.5.1 Random Hard Run. Aaand then it came back. Dangit. Still, AM2R continued to overall improve. Not sure why this minor version changed Alpha Metroid physics.

AM2R 1.5.4 Release Run. In which I show off largely skipping Space Jump. It's a lot more viable than I thought!

For the moment, this is all the Metroid stuff I've written.