Whats your time?

2005-01-24 08:36:41 pm

Well, after posessing the game for four months, and barely playing it, I ended up with a time of 6:25. Is that even possible for a normal person? am I the only one who has taken this long or short to beat it?
Also, it it true that this game is called "the impossible metroid game" due to the fact that you half to find 39(not counting metroids) evolved metroids? without a map? Just wondering.

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arkarian

2005-01-24 09:20:29 pm

red chamber dream

It's really about an average time for the first playthrough. Seriously, this game confuses the hell out of A LOT of people, including me (well, it did the first few times).

By the way, what's that a picture of? I...couldn't tell.

carlmmii

2005-01-24 09:51:09 pm

Metroid (fusion?) nintendo artwork.

My first time through, I ended up with 13 hours and something. Samus just stood there, glaring at me. It was pathetic. :P

2nd time was around 4 hours... running, but still crap. Took me several times to break it under 2 hours, because I'd always want to explore... but when it did happen, I made sure to keep the game on and ran to my friend's house to show him the... er... "time". (I was 9 at the time, gimme a break!)

Lack of a map is both a bitch and a blessing. Sure, I would have loved to have it for my first few times through. But, playing it without forced me to internalize it much quicker. After a few play-throughs, I knew where practically everything was. Several more, and I pretty much had it memorized. Hundreds more and a few speed runs later, I pretty much know every block in the game.

Yoshi348

2005-01-24 11:23:07 pm

PAGE BREAKER

Ready and willing.

I found the lack of map easily managable due to the spider ball, and the relative lack of one-way passages. Perfect for the whole follow the wall trick.

Zeke

2005-01-25 05:46:06 am

Time bomb set get out fast!

I got the endings in order: running first, flip-land-in-armour second, Justin Bailey third. In fact, that's pretty much how it's always been with me and Metroid games -- I don't think I've ever done better than the worst ending my first time. Prime will be the first exception, because I have 100% and sooner or later I'll kill His Primeness. (glares in Metroid Prime's general direction)

As for the map thing? Personally, I think the "look-the-sameness" of Metroid II is highly overrated. After even a couple of playthroughs, it's not hard at all to tell where you are. What's more, this is the only Metroid game with virtually no backtracking. There's a main path, and generally you just clear out the Metroids from an area branching off that path and then return to it. You don't have to remember anything farther back than where you last saw the acid. That makes Metroid II the most geographically linear Metroid game -- or circular, you could say, since the path leads back to your starting point.

I realize it's a little more complicated than this in one spot, where you have to keep track of two acid zones (metroid counter 16). And it's not always easy to find all the Metroids, especially for a first-timer. In fact, on my first playthrough, I actually invented the acid dive myself! I couldn't find a Metroid I hadn't killed yet, so I figured toughing it out in the acid was my only option. When I cleared out the Alpha and Gamma beyond that acid, I found my way back to the main path, and killed the Metroid I'd missed without ever realizing it was out of sequence. I think I finally figured out my mistake a couple of runs later, and didn't even think about it again until I found out on this site that the acid dive was actually a major speed trick.

By the way, Shadowlink -- if you haven't heard, it's actually impossible to draw a consistent map for Metroid II. Areas turn out to overlap. It's easy enough to rationalize that (a planet is three-dimensional, after all), but it does mean that any map-enabled remake from Nintendo would have to rejig the geography somewhat.

I got the endings in order: running first, flip-land-in-armour second, Justin Bailey third.  In fact, that's pretty much how it's always been with me and Metroid games -- I don't think I've ever done better than the worst ending my first time.  Prime will be the first exception, because I have 100% and sooner or later I'll kill His Primeness.  (glares in Metroid Prime's general direction)

As for the map thing?  Personally, I think the "look-the-sameness" of Metroid II is highly overrated.  After even a couple of playthroughs, it's not hard at all to tell where you are.  What's more, this is the only Metroid game with virtually no backtracking.  There's a main path, and generally you just clear out the Metroids from an area branching off that path and then return to it.  You don't have to remember anything farther back than where you last saw the acid.  That makes Metroid II the most [i]geographically[/i] linear Metroid game -- or circular, you could say, since the path leads back to your starting point.

I realize it's a little more complicated than this in one spot, where you have to keep track of two acid zones (metroid counter 16).  And it's not always easy to find all the Metroids, especially for a first-timer.  In fact, on my first playthrough, I actually invented the acid dive myself!  I couldn't find a Metroid I hadn't killed yet, so I figured toughing it out in the acid was my only option.  When I cleared out the Alpha and Gamma beyond that acid, I found my way back to the main path, and killed the Metroid I'd missed without ever realizing it was out of sequence.  I think I finally figured out my mistake a couple of runs later, and didn't even think about it again until I found out on this site that the acid dive was actually a major speed trick.

By the way, Shadowlink -- if you haven't heard, it's actually impossible to draw a consistent map for Metroid II.  Areas turn out to overlap.  It's easy enough to rationalize that (a planet is three-dimensional, after all), but it does mean that any map-enabled remake from Nintendo would have to rejig the geography somewhat.

Shadowlink

2005-01-25 07:12:38 pm

Ah. Damn Nintendo, with their logic.

the wicked child

2005-05-30 12:58:00 pm

I don't remember how long it took me the first time I played, but I think my last time was 1:37 if I remember correctly... I missed one missle though, and I was pretty sore about it when I realized it way too late.

The lack of a map isn't too troubling once you've played through the game a couple times... it's not overly complex. The lack of backtracking is nice.

MonsterERB

2005-06-14 05:30:29 pm

Just finished my first ever playthrough of M2:RoS this last weekend. Completion time was 4:45 - I will admit that there were a few times that I got pretty lost when Metroid hunting, and when I finally found the "hidden" Metroid (after what seemed like an endless search) I would reset, go back to my latest save, and go straight from there. Probably saved me at least an hour, so I'm sure I spent close to 6 hours gametime on my first run-through.
...
I'd like to run this game a second time and see what kind of time I end up with, especially if I'm moderately picky about trying to get good fights in on all the Metroids. In particular, the stretch of four omega metroids near the end drove me damn near crazy, as I had a terrible fight on the second one, then found a save post and saved... with something like 071 energy and 47 missiles left... and no refill stations anywhere close. MISTAKE. I ended up having to backtrack ALL the way back to "Metroid City 4" to refill, then head ALL the way back to kill the other two omegas. Not good.
...
Anyway, as Zeke said, this game's geographical path is pretty well set in stone, there's almost NO backtracking - and there aren't many major sequence breaking/speed tricks to learn. Seems like with some patience and practice I should be able to get a time in right around 2:00 or even slightly faster.
...
It's all part of my grand plan - as I've got all 7 Metroid games now, and have finished all 7 (I've only finished M2:RoS and MZM once apiece), I'm trying to get competent enough at all of them so that I've got a fastest run for each that's equivalent to 2x the world record. In other words, kip holds the MP1 record at 1:04 - so I'd want a 2:08 (my best is actually 1:58); Wassup Dawgs holds the MF record at 0:50 - so I'd want a 1:40 (my best is 1:32). Those are the only 2 of the 7 games, though, that I can say I'm twice as slow as the record.

Just finished my first ever playthrough of M2:RoS this last weekend.  Completion time was 4:45 - I will admit that there were a few times that I got pretty lost when Metroid hunting, and when I finally found the "hidden" Metroid (after what seemed like an endless search) I would reset, go back to my latest save, and go straight from there.  Probably saved me at least an hour, so I'm sure I spent close to 6 hours gametime on my first run-through.
...
I'd like to run this game a second time and see what kind of time I end up with, especially if I'm moderately picky about trying to get good fights in on all the Metroids.  In particular, the stretch of four omega metroids near the end drove me damn near crazy, as I had a terrible fight on the second one, then found a save post and saved... with something like 071 energy and 47 missiles left... and no refill stations anywhere close.  MISTAKE.  I ended up having to backtrack ALL the way back to "Metroid City 4" to refill, then head ALL the way back to kill the other two omegas.  Not good.
...
Anyway, as Zeke said, this game's geographical path is pretty well set in stone, there's almost NO backtracking - and there aren't many major sequence breaking/speed tricks to learn.  Seems like with some patience and practice I should be able to get a time in right around 2:00 or even slightly faster.
...
It's all part of my grand plan - as I've got all 7 Metroid games now, and have finished all 7 (I've only finished M2:RoS and MZM once apiece), I'm trying to get competent enough at all of them so that I've got a fastest run for each that's equivalent to 2x the world record.  In other words, kip holds the MP1 record at 1:04 - so I'd want a 2:08 (my best is actually 1:58); Wassup Dawgs holds the MF record at 0:50 - so I'd want a 1:40 (my best is 1:32).  Those are the only 2 of the 7 games, though, that I can say I'm twice as slow as the record.

carlmmii

2005-06-14 08:47:46 pm

Quote from MonsterERB:

... with something like 071 energy and 47 missiles left... and no refill stations anywhere close. MISTAKE. I ended up having to backtrack ALL the way back to "Metroid City 4" to refill, then head ALL the way back to kill the other two omegas. Not good.
...

You've got to make use of what's available. There's a jumper and motos in the last shaft that give you missiles and energy, respectively. It's fairly easy to stock up for as long as you go out and back through the lower-left entrance.

Good luck on getting 1:59. Shouldn't be too hard at all, considering how linear the game is.

MagicalCucumber

2005-06-16 05:12:22 pm

Two hours and fifty-five minutes with a guide and no map.

SAL

2005-06-16 06:55:32 pm

Quote from Arkarian:

It's really about an average time for the first playthrough. Seriously, this game confuses the hell out of A LOT of people, including me (well, it did the first few times).

A hate this game maybe because i suck at it and it is the only metroid game i didn't finish yet :(......But it is my opion,(though i still think fusion is better that this game...)

MagicalCucumber

2005-06-16 07:42:09 pm

Quote from SamusAranLuver:

(though i still think fusion is better that this game...)

Why wouldn't you? This game isn't horrible, I just prefer the others a lot more.

arkarian

2005-06-16 08:17:04 pm

red chamber dream

I wonder why it is that people don't like the second games in the old series as much as the others (Metroid, Zelda, Mario, etc.)? And then the third one is everyone's favourite? My guess is that Nintendo wanted to try something different after their first game was a success, but it wasn't as well liked as the first. So, they went to back to the original style and made a hit.

SAL

2005-06-16 09:19:05 pm

Quote:

Why wouldn't you? This game isn't horrible, I just prefer the others a lot more.

Maybe your right and I am just complaing cause i think this game is too hard or maybe i just plain suck at it lol. :?

Mr. Aran

2005-06-25 10:16:14 am

everybody knows it's true

2:34 first time through with Radix's uber map = Justin Bailey

Even with 12-bit graphics, I was sweating before fighting my first Omega. Then I figured out there was nothing to worry about.

MonsterERB

2005-07-25 12:36:30 pm

Did my first ever M2:RoS run awhile back in 4:45 - and I posted this:

Quote from MonsterERB:

Seems like with some patience and practice I should be able to get a time in right around 2:00 or even slightly faster.

...
Finished my second ever run this last weekend. Time was 1:54. Got the "Samus bikini" ending. Twisted Evil

...
Seems like my previous guess was right on the money. I wasn't going for perfection here, there were plenty of mistakes. Ended up getting too many missiles (240... I would have been fine with 180-200), but the Metroid fights were pretty good, and the lack of getting lost had to help too. Wink

bartendorsparky

2005-07-28 11:41:18 pm

always move fast

just got this game at eb. unfortunately, cant play it till i get back home due to lack of gameboy, but i plan to give it at least a couple runthroughs before i decide if i hate it or not.

Mr. Aran

2005-07-28 11:43:59 pm

everybody knows it's true

Wouldn't you want to get a Game boy first??

bartendorsparky

2005-07-28 11:44:44 pm

always move fast

have one at home, but i am currently at a location that is not my home, for a few more weeks.

MonsterERB

2005-07-29 11:09:28 am

Or, get yourself a GameBoy Player, like I did. Wink

I've played M2:RoS, MZM, and Fusion on both a regular GBA color, and on the TV through the 'Cube/GBP, and I prefer playing the game on the TV. Advantages: (1) larger image (helps people w/ imperfect eyesight, like me); (2) get to use a Gamecube controller, which I prefer; (3) can record your run if you want to. Of course, you could record your M2:RoS/MZM/Fusion runs if you were using Virtual Boy and a ROM on your computer...
...
The disadvantage to a GameBoy Player, of course, is the $$ you'd shell out to get one. I recommend it, though, if you don't have one yet.

bartendorsparky

2005-07-29 11:19:25 am

always move fast

well now that you bring that up...there is a gameboy player here... guess i can play m2 whenever i get around to it. >.>

carlmmii

2005-07-29 03:17:22 pm

The gameboy player is cheaper than getting a GBA...

Mr. Aran

2005-07-29 03:19:12 pm

everybody knows it's true

GBP + Cube + TV = GBA

MonsterERB

2005-07-29 03:50:52 pm

What I meant was that he might not want to shell out the approx. $80 for a GameBoy Player, if he's already got a regular GameBoy. Not everyone can drop that kind of money so easily.
...
Anyway, looks like sparky will get to play it on the TV anyway. I look forward to seeing your world record 0:46 M2:RoS run soon. Wink

(Just kidding, carlmmii.)

arkarian

2005-07-29 07:17:09 pm

red chamber dream

Eighty dollars? What are you smoking? The GBP has always costed fifty or less.