Metroid Prime Remastered proves we should keep upgrading the classics

Let’s travel back to the year 1994. Super Metroid had just been released for the Super Nintendo, and in many ways, this game checked off a lot of firsts on my list. It was my first open-ended 2D sidescroller. It was my first Sci-Fi video game experience, and it was the first time I realized a woman could be a badass Alien-busting bounty hunter like Samus (give me a break, I was too young to have seen the movie, Alien).

   In many ways, the game’s atmosphere and complexity made this one of the most challenging games for me to complete as a kid. I remember being slightly intimidated by it. So when I finally finished Super Metroid. It wasn’t just a victory over the game. It was a testament to my ability as a gamer!

Flashforward to 2002, Samus is back, but it’s like an entirely different game this time! It was a freaking First Person Shooter. I’m sure Metroid Prime was the only FPS I owned for GameCube. With its new weapons, maps, and boss encounters, it was the upgrade the series needed to bring it into the new millennium.

And here we are again. Metroid Prime Remastered is bringing the series into the public discourse twenty years later! The remastered version has been praised for its control settings that allow you to play the classic and pointer controls, meant to mimic the GameCube and Wii settings, respectively, Adding a great blast from the past for anyone that’s played the original. The visuals are said to be next level on the Switch, and I find myself asking if I didn’t know Metroid Prime was released in 2002 originally, would I be able to figure it out by looking at it now?

The remastering of games like 007 and Metroid Prime, isn’t just an upgrade to a classic. It’s the retelling of a story to an entirely new generation. With that, there’s always the question, what will be the takeaway? Will it be the same experience for them as it was for me? Will it be terrible now? And perhaps most importantly... does this mean we’ll finally get Metroid Prime 4?!

It’s always difficult bringing someone into a series without a historical context or sense of nostalgia for it. But it seems that games like 007 and Metroid Prime are doing a damn good job doing just that. So, until we get a blunder, I’m digging this trend of returning to the past and upgrading to the classic titles.

💬 What classic games deserve a remaster? Let me know in the comment section!