Minor graphical effects missing in Wii Metroid Prime
by JC Fletcher 
{ Sep 7th 2009 at 11:30AM }
At first we thought the effects might have been a casualty of the process of cramming three games onto one disc, but this video shows that the Japanese version of Prime on Wii, which had a Wii disc all to itself, also lacks the freezing effect (skip to the last thirty seconds to see). So what happened? It could merely be a glitch, or the result of a hasty port. It's certainly nothing to get too upset or burn your Trilogy disc over. Just kind of ... odd.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nigeria: Charmy Bee DF @ Sep 7th 2009 11:51AM
Granted, I only skimmed through the video, but I can't tell the difference. It all looks the same.
Garst @ Sep 7th 2009 3:02PM
There was just some very poorly rendered rippling when walking in the water (just a white triangle behind Samus) and the ice that formed on her arm connan that breaks off when you charge and fire the ice weapon.
bm @ Sep 8th 2009 6:08AM
"(just a white triangle behind Samus) "
Uhh, you mean the effect in the original? Check your eyes, and look again. It's a real dynamic heightmap based ripple effect.
Triscuit @ Sep 7th 2009 12:00PM
Another graphic that's missing: She's in an entirely different suit! Yes, I know that the GC video had her in the Phazon suit, but I'm talking about the differences between her original suit in the GC MP1 and the original suit in the Wii MP1.
Also, that guy can shoot really really fast.
Triscuit @ Sep 7th 2009 12:01PM
Nevermind, I see now that it must be some kind of unlockable at the end of the game or something...
sony boy (6 years til sony man child!) @ Sep 7th 2009 12:03PM
either nintendo was lazy or the wii wasn't strong enough (sarcasm on the last one).
Triscuit @ Sep 7th 2009 12:14PM
Hey, the crackling electricity is gone too!
Rollins @ Sep 7th 2009 12:28PM
It's a bandwidth limitation. Duct tape doesn't have a high enough transfer rate.
Courtney @ Sep 8th 2009 4:54PM
But wouldn't you only need the processing power of one Gamecube to run a Gamecube game?
manyquestions @ Sep 8th 2009 7:42PM
Silly Courtney, everyone knows the reduced surface area of duct-taped Gamecubes causes a blanket 50% reduction in all stats. It's right there in the manual.
isotrex @ Sep 7th 2009 12:29PM
hey, i think they remove everything. i'm seeing black screen here. haha j/k
nice to know though. but the trilogy is a good collectible.
isotrex @ Sep 7th 2009 12:57PM
btw, lol @ the last part. it looks like a person masturbating or something. haha.
Magicman @ Sep 7th 2009 12:59PM
The freeze affect is gone because in the gamecube version the ice was just a 2-D affect over the arm cannon. Because the arm cannon never moved position they only had one affect. In the trilogy the cannon moves all around so they would have to make it a full 3-D affect.
Magicman @ Sep 7th 2009 1:11PM
Same goes for the other beams. I don't know why left them out. No idea about the ripple affect.
Vidikron @ Sep 8th 2009 11:31AM
That makes sense for the arm stuff, but why remove the ice effects from where the ice beam hits?
redjack @ Sep 8th 2009 1:06PM
I still saw freeze effects on objects that the ice beam hits. Don't think its a port of the Japanese version either. As the ice shriekbats still disappear after you get the thermal visor. And you could still find them in any version other than the american one (screwed my 100% scam completion).
redjack @ Sep 8th 2009 1:07PM
Scam completion? Ha.
Soiden @ Sep 7th 2009 1:13PM
Maybe they decided to remove some strange effects. For example, the ripples look odd to me, and frankly it's better they aren't there in the Wii version. Also, charging the ice beam and freezing your own weapon is also kind of weird.
I don't see them as glitches or problems with the port. Simply because there are more complex things that are still there.
Josh @ Sep 7th 2009 1:24PM
No, don't try to excuse them. You're just fooling yourself if you think it's better that they're removing features. Don't pander to the companies involved.
MRLN the Amazing @ Sep 7th 2009 1:14PM
Yeah, I actually noticed that when I was shooting fishies in the Tallon Overworld.
Josh @ Sep 7th 2009 1:20PM
I've never played MP3, but just from this video, there are a lot of things I don't like about Metroid Prime on Wii.
And removing graphical effects is just plain stupid. These games are about atmosphere, and especially on a more powerful system, removing these effects just kills the game even more.
nofriendo @ Sep 8th 2009 6:16PM
At the same time they're fitting 3 decent looking games onto 1 disc (somehow), and retro already said how they upped the textures on both MP1 and MP2.
Strangely enough I found myself playing and enjoying MP1 again. Its rediculous how it is one of the better looking games on the Wii. This video doesn't present Trilogy well enough (I thought it was in 720p when I first started playing).
WPstart @ Sep 7th 2009 2:34PM
How did he jump when in morth ball mode?
TheOverlord#2 @ Sep 7th 2009 3:08PM
In the Metroid Prime Trilogy versions of MP1 & 2 you can do the MP3 morph ball jump by flicking the Wiimote up.
WPstart @ Sep 8th 2009 7:01AM
Thanks! I played through all of MP3 and now through MP1 without ever knowing that. lol Would have made some of the morph ball sections much less irritating. :D
Adv2k1 @ Sep 7th 2009 3:26PM
My review of Metroid Prime Trilogy :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZQ7LLeuZWQ
I'm guessing trying to convert these things probably pissed off the people at RETRO.
" That graphic doesn't work the same on the Wii "
" what "
" yeah because how you free aim now."
" fuck it, lets quit and make our own studios. Nintendo just makes us do metroid prime we need to do something else. "
Dv8thwonder @ Sep 8th 2009 1:17AM
A little known fact is that Metroid Prime 1 and 2 of the trilogy disc are ports of the Japanese "Play on Wii" titles which did not have these graphical effects. Retro simply combined all three efforts and released them to the masses. This was either a mistake on their part or delibrately. Great game collection regardless.
janizary @ Sep 8th 2009 1:12AM
My god, never speak again, Adv2k1, your voice is so horrible, I swear, I would slap you if I could. Get a speech therapist or something to deal with the lisp and start pronouncing your words more clearly, yeesh.
Collymilad @ Sep 8th 2009 6:21AM
jani why don't you get some manners?
I wonder if you would walk up to someone and say that in real life?
janizary @ Sep 8th 2009 7:22AM
You mean, "I'd slap you if I could?" No, I'd probably walk up and slap the person in question, but that would only be if they were standing around proclaiming the glories of their opinion. There is such a thing as a voice unsuitable for radio, little adolph has just such a voice. Dude should keep quiet and keep his head low.
Storm Eagle [Resident Capcom Megafan] @ Sep 8th 2009 4:38PM
So I guess you have to ask yourself "what matters to me more? graphics or gameplay?"
Everyone I've talked to says having the Wii controls really makes these games better. But does not having these little effects really tweak your nerd-rage meter?
I would hope not. Buy the GC version, buy the Wii version. You'll love the experience either way.
hoiL @ Sep 8th 2009 5:09PM
the fact that you can see through the ring segments when charging the plasma beam at the 5:00 mark is bothersome.
BenHo @ Sep 9th 2009 12:45AM
THE DEBATE OF THE CENTURY!!
Seriously, this is stupid. Games fun. End of story.
Mr Khan @ Sep 11th 2009 1:28PM
Magicman had the answer right, the effects weren't meant to go on an Arm cannon that could freely move. The general sharpening of textures more than makes up for it, and the effect is still present in MP2, because the dark energy enveloping your arm was 3D rendered, and so actually can move with the model.
Though i am disappointed that the majority of the edits just seem to be stuff that my PAL friends have informed me that they had in the game from the beginning (like MetaRidley's new attack in MP1, or the labs going pitch black in Phendrana drifts)
Oh well. It's new to me. That's what's important.