Introduction
Released in North America/Europe in 2004, and Japan in 2005, Echoes is a direct sequel to Retro Studio's Metroid Prime and the fourth game, chronologically, in the Metroid timeline. (Metroid, Prime, Hunters, Echoes) That's as far as I was willing to read Wikipedia, so any more information you read from here on out is entirely speculation on my part.
Metroid Prime was a critical and commercial success, but Retro wanted a little more from their FPS action/adventure platforming scanning hybrid (Fusion! if you will), so they introduced a couple new elements like:
KEY COLLECTION
Yes! Thank you! It's about time. Usually Metroidvania games do silly things like "include natural-seeming obstacles, and power-ups that let you get around them seamlessly", but that's not what first-person shooters are typically about. When do I get to wander around dark Space Marine bases and find myself unable to open color-coded doors without color-coded keys, level after level? Not in Metroid Prime, so I'm glad that Retro kept themselves on a tight-leash here! Good for you guys, creativity is too exciting sometimes. Furthermore...
AMMUNITION
Again, bravo and bravo some more. I love when gameplay slows down in an actiony first person shooter because I have to go scavenging clips from my fallen enemies. Forget the whole "exploration and fast-paced combat", my first-person shooters starring the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter who is also a pill bug need to be as realistic as possible. Hopefully, there are also parts where Samus has to wait in line to file her e-taxes or clean her apartment, but if not, I guess you can't have everything.
LIGHT/DARK WORLDS
If I don't turn into a rabbit immediately upon entering the Dark World, I will be sorely annoyed. That's a little Nintendo humor for all the fans out there. *winking finger gun*
Okay, more seriously, this is a completely blind run - at the end of the Prime LP, that really was me opening the shrink wrap for this game I own but never ever played (Because I always thought I would go back and finish Prime first, but never got around to it). I don't think I've actually seen footage of Echoes prior to playing it, so here's what I really do know about the game from what this thread and commentators and other things on the Internet have told me:
- Key collection? I dunno. It sounds annoying, frankly.
- Ammunition for some of the beams? But I heard it's not that bad.
- Light/Dark Worlds - Well... we'll see, I guess.
- Boost Guardian is a pain in the ass. I have no idea what the Boost Guardian is or looks like, I've only ascertained from a million Games threads that he (or she or it?) is a nightmare boss. So I guess we'll be looking forward to that. I'd also imagine it's guarding some kind of boost powerup, but maybe that's a crazy notion.
Videos
| 001 - Aether, slowbeef/Diabetus/Vicas | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 002 - Temple Grounds, slowbeef/Vicas/TaurusOxford | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 003 - Great Temple, slowbeef/Vicas/TaurusOxford | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 004 - Agon Wastes, slowbeef/Vicas/TaurusOxford | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 005 - Dark Agon Wastes, slowbeef/Diabetus | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 006 - Back to Light Agon Wastes, slowbeef/Diabetus | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 007 - Agon Pirate Base, slowbeef/Diabetus/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 008 - Encounter with Dark Samus, slowbeef/Diabetus/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 009 - Light Beam Ballyhoo, slowbeef/Diabetus/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 010 - Metroids, slowbeef/Diabetus/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 011 - Item Collection with Toffile, slowbeef/Diabetus/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 012 - Boss 1: Amorbis - slowbeef/Diabetus/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 013 - Dark Missile Trooper - slowbeef/Diabetus/BklynBruzer | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 014 - Transit to Torvus - slowbeef/Diabetus/BklynBruzer | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 015 - Torvus Bog - slowbeef/Diabetus/BklynBruzer | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 016 - Boost Guardian - slowbeef/Proteus4994/thevoiceofdog | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 017 - Seeker Launcher - slowbeef/Proteus4994/thevoiceofdog | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 018 - Item Collection with Mr. Squishy - slowbeef/Diabetus/Mr. Squishy | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 019 - Alpha Blogg/Gravity Boost - slowbeef/Vicas/Cherry Doom | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 020 - Grapple Guardian - slowbeef/Vicas/Cherry Doom | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 021 - Dark Torvus Bog (key collection) - slowbeef/Vicas/Chip Cheezum | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 022 - Boss 2: Chykka - slowbeef/Vicas/Chip Cheezum | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 023 - Leaving Torvus Bog - slowbeef/Diabetus/Vicas | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 024 - Sanctuary Fortress - slowbeef/Diabetus/Vicas | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 025 - Spider Guardian - slowbeef/Diabetus/Vicas | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 026 - Obtuse Item Collection - slowbeef/Diabetus/Vicas | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 027 - Power Bomb Guardian - slowbeef/Diabetus/Vicas | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 028 - Item Collection with NGDBSS - slowbeef/NGDBSS/Mr. Sunabouzu | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 029 - Item Collection with Mr. Sunabouzu - slowbeef/NGDBSS/Mr. Sunabouzu | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 030 - Revenge of Dark Samus - slowbeef/NGDBSS/Mr. Sunabouzu | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 031 - Caretaker Drone (awesome boss) - slowbeef/NGDBSS/Mr. Sunabouzu | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 032 - Screw Attack (awesome item) - slowbeef/NGDBSS/Mr. Sunabouzu | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 033 - Ing Hive - slowbeef/Diabetus/TaurusOxford | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 034 - Quadraxis - slowbeef/Diabetus/TaurusOxford | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| ??? - The True Final Boss? | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 035 - Sunburst - slowbeef/Blister/KevinCow | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 036 - Light Suit - slowbeef/Blister/KevinCow | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 037 - Darkburst - slowbeef/Blister/KevinCow | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 038 - Item Collection with KevinCow - slowbeef/Blister/KevinCow | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 039 - Sky Temple Key 4/9 - slowbeef/Toffile/RChimpCola | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 040 - Sky Temple Key 5/9 - slowbeef/Toffile/RChimpCola | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 041 - Sky Temple Key 6/9 - slowbeef/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 042 - Sky Temple Key 7/9 - slowbeef/Vicas/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 043 - Penultimate - slowbeef/Vicas/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
| 044 - Sky Temple - slowbeef/Diabetus/Vicas/Toffile | blip.tv | Baldurdash |
Click here for the full 900x756 image.
Pokecapn's Run
| 1 - Start until Space Jump (Guests: Toffile, Krakhan, Kung-Fu Jesus, medibot, Spinning Robo) | Ustream |
| 2 - Space Jump to the Dark Beam (Guests: Toffile, Krakhan, Kung-Fu Jesus, medibot, Spinning Robo) | Ustream |
| 3 - Dark Beam to Dark Suit 45% scans, 21% items. (guests: Toffile, Kung-Fu Jesus) | Ustream |
| 3.99 - a useless 2 minute video (Guests: A Raving Loon, perfect 34) | Ustream |
| 4 - Getting to Torvus (Guests: A Raving Loon, perfect 34, Spinning Robo) | Ustream |
| 5 - Torvus Bog to Boost Ball (Guests: A Raving Loon, perfect 34, Spinning Robo, K1WI, Kung-Fu Jesus, medibot) | Ustream |
| 6 - Boost Ball to Seeker Launcher (twice) (Guests: A Raving Loon, perfect 34, Spinning Robo, K1WI, Kung-Fu Jesus, medibot, Krakhan, Garin) | Ustream |
| 7 - Torvus through Alpha Blogg (Guests: Spinning Robo, K1WI, A Raving Loon) | Ustream |
| 8 - Alpha Blogg to Grapple Beam (Guests: Spinning Robo, K1WI, A Raving Loon, Drunkhan) | Ustream |
| 9 - Grapple Beam to Dark Visor (Guests: Spinning Robo, Solar System Bus) | Ustream |
| 10 - Dark Visor to Sanctuary Fortress entrance 53% items, 77% scans. (Guests: Solar System Bus, IlluminatusVespucci) | Ustream |
| 11 - Sanctuary Fortress to just before Spider Guardian (Guests: Vprisoner, Spinning Robo, Krakhan) | Ustream |
| 11.8 - Spider Guardian (Guests: Vprisoner, Spinning Robo, Krakhan) | Ustream |
| 12 - Spider Ball to Power Bombs (Guests: Vprisoner, Spinning Robo, Krakhan, Kung-Fu Jesus) | Ustream |
| 13 - Power Bombs to Sanctuary Fortress (Guests: Vprisoner, Spinning Robo, Krakhan, Kung-Fu Jesus) | Ustream |
| 14 - Sanctuary Fortress to Echo Visor (Guests: Toffile, IlluminatusVespucci, A Raving Loon, Spinning Robo) | Ustream |
| 15 - Echo Visor to the Screw Attack (Guests: Toffile, IlluminatusVespucci, A Raving Loon, Spinning Robo) | Ustream |
| 16 - Screw Attack to Light Suit. 82% items, 93% scans (Guests: Toffile, A Raving Loon, Spinning Robo) | Ustream |
| 17 - don't watch this. item collection (guest: Spinning Robo) | Ustream |
| 18 - don't watch this. also item collection (guest: Spinning Robo) | Ustream |
| 19 - torvus bog collecting items (guests: Spinning Robo, VPrisoner, K1WI, A Raving Loon, medibot) | Ustream |
| 20 - wrapping up item collection (guests: Toffile, VPrisoner, Krakhan, Spinning Robo, IlluminatusVespucci) | Ustream |
| 20.99 - a moment of silence for baldurk | Ustream |
| 21 - beating the game one restart at a time (guests: Toffile, VPrisoner, Krakhan, Spinning Robo, IlluminatusVespucci) | Ustream |