2025 Blue Gartr Game of the Year

[Karbuncle]

Struggled to understand all the backlash about NPCs as well. They have very little direct impact on gameplay, they are mostly silent and when they talk, they are just "normal". I don't understand how they affect the sense of loneliness the game is known for.

For 2024 my GOTY winner would be Rebirth, closely followed by SH2 Remake.

I had my share of gripes with the NPC dialogue, and the fact I had to run back to the nerd NPC to install upgrades rather than just being able to use them like most other games. but honestly one of my biggest complaints aside from the useless desert and its suspicious lack of music, was how “one way” everything was. Since each area is its own secluded zone isolated by the desert, there was never that Metroidvania feel of going through an area and exiting to an area you’ve been, but now you have a power up that unlocks a new part of said area. You know, in a game that is half of the coined name for the genre?

Each area in this game kind of felt like a mission in a normal FPS you know? A straight line to the boss at the end, its own isolated campaign mission with a very linear experience aside from maybe a single door here or there with a missile upgrade or something. Every major upgrade was handed to you as part of the campaign/story.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the game, I really did, but nostalgia for the prime series didn’t blind me to some of the let downs I felt after the dust had settled. In the end I walked away thinking it was a nice game and I enjoyed the experience, but couldn’t help but feel I didn’t get the “Metroid Prime” or even “Metroid” experience I was hoping for.

Also don’t like how the ending …

Spoiler: show

choice isn’t even a choice. If you chose to stay you just get a game over, so the canonical ending is Samus just lets all those people die and peaces out. I get it, noble sacrifice and all but damn lol, why even give you the choice to not leave if that options immediately game over screens you??

[Mayareira]

Metroid Prime 4 is a very enjoyable 8/10 game rather than a masterpiece. I understand the expectations after all the wait, fingers crossed for the 5th.

[Hitou]

I had my share of gripes with the NPC dialogue, and the fact I had to run back to the nerd NPC to install upgrades rather than just being able to use them like most other games. but honestly one of my biggest complaints aside from the useless desert and its suspicious lack of music, was how “one way” everything was. Since each area is its own secluded zone isolated by the desert, there was never that Metroidvania feel of going through an area and exiting to an area you’ve been, but now you have a power up that unlocks a new part of said area. You know, in a game that is half of the coined name for the genre?

Each area in this game kind of felt like a mission in a normal FPS you know? A straight line to the boss at the end, its own isolated campaign mission with a very linear experience aside from maybe a single door here or there with a missile upgrade or something. Every major upgrade was handed to you as part of the campaign/story.

Yeah I get what you're saying about connected areas. Didn't really occur to me while playing the game but none of the areas have secret passages to each other. Most likely because of the hub area they chose to forgo them. Even in prime 1 there was only a few hidden passages though. Mostly had to back track to the same elevators every time to get from one side of talon 4 to the other.

Also don’t like how the ending …

About that.

Spoiler: show

It's basically like failing a QTE. An annoying one where you have to redo the last part of the fight. I think the devs wanted you to experience what Samus did. Making you "choose" to leave them behind, because if you don't the whole thing explodes from the built up energy. By leaving you actually save them (and you) from dying, assuming they could either escape or stop Sylux afterwards.