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Yori takes a bloodless victory! Or maybe not!

Sorry about the missed update last week! I went on a family vacation to northern California to see the redwood forest. I posted some photos in the news post below this news post, which most people probably didn’t see because our site has a weird way of prioritizing posts. I don’t have much to say! I’ve been chipping away at Metroid: Samus Returns, and it’s great! It’s pretty much everything I like about Metroid, although I’ll have to wait until I finish it before I compare it to AM2R, which was incredible (or maybe I just like the soundtrack better).

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  • LordBolanderFace
    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      Thanks for that, now I can never un-see it!

      • LordBolanderFace

        Mission accomplished!

    • KungFuKlobber

      Needs more upvotes.

    • animalia555

      I don’t get it, and what’s more judging by the comments I don’t want to get it.

  • Turul
    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      There was only one snes console in wataro castle, and they fought over it every day. Tadashii was more of a kirby guy

  • purplelibraryguy

    So let me guess: In true Yorikiro’s-dad style, the lesson is that no, nothing can ever get done without somebody being killed.

    • Din Till

      “It’s a lesson”

      “Yeah? Well your lesson is bad and you should feel bad.”

    • Madison Link

      Or at least, “Sometimes, you just have to kill someone.”

    • Turul

      Core lessons of the Hirotomo-Nataku school of bushido
      1. If somebody gets in the way, eliminate them.
      2. If nobody’s in the way, eliminate somebody anyway, just in case.

    • Xinef

      Nah, the lesson is “If you’re going for a non-lethal victory, then at least make SURE your opponent can’t move, before you declare yourself a victor.”

      What Yori did would be fine for a lethal approach if he followed through, but if he wasn’t going to kill then it was pointless, since it does not restrict Tadashii’s movements in any significant way.

      • Turul

        It worked as a demonstration that he could have killed Tadashii if he’d really wanted. I think he was hoping that would be enough to convince Tadashii to give up. Which it wasn’t, but Yori really really wanted to at least give it a try.

        It’s a smart move in certain circumstances: 1) if you’re pretty sure that should your opponent prove unwilling to back down, you can repeat the process and kill them on the second attempt (or keep repeating it until they give up anyway) (note: requires at least Genchu level badassery), or 2) if you’re so keen on not killing them that you’re willing to risk throwing away your chance to win, even though you may not get another one (note: requires about Yori level earnestness).

        • Xinef

          The “if he’d really wanted” part is crucial though.

          Basically, Yori is proving that “if something that is false were true, you’d be dead”

          Normally, dangers that are true are much more dangerous than ones that are false, so… it requires Cho levels of logic to get the dancing badger to sing along with you.

          • Turul

            But that means the danger will get quite real if he keeps pushing it.

          • Xinef

            Maybe… if such is the will of the Tao.

          • clogboy

            That’s it, he doesn’t really want to kill him. Even if it is necessary for the greater good.
            Tadashii can’t defect or give up, because that would be dishonorable. He serves the clan best by teaching the most suitable heir the importance of sacrifice, not of himself, but of people he greatly respects so that he can live to rule another day. Kill his own father if need be, because I feel like he’ll attempt to kill Yori on sight with no other words to spare for him but insults.

  • Kid Chaos

    Don’t stop not dying, Yori! 😎

  • Dapperly

    A very painful lesson.

  • Sunwu
    • Turul

      Best one.

  • SlugFiller

    So he DOES understand there’s more to leadership than kenjutsu. Unfortunately, his idea of the extra that’s needed is probably one of the least useful things of the long LONG list of things Yorikiro needs to learn. But then, some of these are things his father is getting wrong as we speak. Like, for example, “Don’t blindly trust a psycho-killer general. Especially not with the life of your other general”.

    • Xinef

      Unless of course Hirotomo wanted to get rid of Atsumori, but didn’t want to do it himself (since that could negatively impact the loyalty of Atsumori’s family or of all troops if they liked Atsumori.)

  • clogboy

    Oh lookity, the whole ‘sacrifice someone for the greater good’ thing. :)
    It’s an awkward pose, did he just switch swords?

    • Kid Chaos

      Yori’s got his katana in his left hand and the (trick) short sword in his right. I hope he stabs Tadashi with the right-hand one (I don’t want him to die…yet). 😎

      • clogboy

        That still won’t get the lesson across. Didn’t realize it was the trick sword but I remember it now (the same he used on Ina when Uso tricked him, without letting Ina in on the plan… dick move)

        • Kid Chaos

          Dick move…that’s it, stab him in the dick! 😈

  • ShadeTail

    Metroid: Samus Returns is better than AM2R in every way. AM2R was good, but Samus Returns is *great*.

    That’s my opinion after finishing it.

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      Mark Brown just did a video analysis that I liked on the two remakes that I appreciated. I haven’t finished Samus Returns yet, but I’m pretty far into it at this point. I’m having a blast with the game, although I do feel like AM2R’s visuals had more variety to them, and told more of a story (and not in a gods awful Other M way). AM2R also had some great and challenging additional bosses and a soundtrack that I just enjoyed more than I am Samus Returns’. I do like the counter move, and aeon abilities, but I could live without them. My favorite part of AM2R is the help with navigation and locating hidden items, because as much as I like exploring, I don’t like getting super frustrated trying to find stuff or figure out where to go.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WkEoYvlUF0&feature=push-u&attr_tag=OKNlC0vgLCt0BR0n-6

      • ShadeTail

        I can appreciate that point of view, but there are a few reasons why I feel differently. The backgrounds of Samus Returns have a lot more variety to them than most people seem to notice. And I think the reason so few people notice is because the background is so seamlessly blended in with the foreground that it’s almost invisible. And I really like that. The visuals should support the game rather than try to over-shadow it. If you don’t play with the 3D slider turned on, give it a try. You’ll see what I mean when you find your eyes sliding right off the visuals and straight back to the action.

        And I will definitely give props to AM2R’s boss fights and emphasis on exploration, but it all felt out of place in a remake of Metroid 2. AM2R tries to do what pretty much every Metroid game since 2001 has attempted: remake Super Metroid. That’s understandable, what with Super Metroid being widely considered a master class of game design, but it’s led to some series stagnation. Every Metroid game is the same now, including AM2R.

        By contrast, Samus Returns feels a lot more true to the original Metroid 2, while somewhat ironically being less tied to the past. It’s not merely reheating and repackaging Super Metroid, it’s updating Metroid 2 and polishing it to a shine, and Mercury Steam came pretty close to nailing it. Perfect case in point, adding in those new abilities, while also leaving out one or two old ones (have you noticed the Speed Booster wasn’t included?), gives the game a bit of its own identity. It is still uniquely Metroid, but it isn’t just Super Metroid all over again.

        I could go on for a lot longer, but I’ll stop here.

  • AGV

    Now’s when Yori goes “Nani?!”

    Man, I LOVED Metroid: Samus Returns, to think that I missed this franchise. Guess that this was a good moment to hop on.
    And I’m also in love with Monster Hunter Stories, it’s just so charming. Too bad that the amiibos aren’t on the west, I might get them anyway. And I’m so getting the TLOZ DLC.

    Also, going to North America’s redwoods is one of my life goals. Quite far from home but I’ll find a way in the future.

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      We had to fly across the country! Our flight there was five hours long and not terribly fun, but I literally played MHS the entire flight thanks to a power outlet on my seat (I doubt the 3DS battery would’ve lasted otherwise).

      And you be this is a good time to jump on Metroid! If you have a WiiU and 3DS you can pretty much play all of them! I’d recommend Super Metroid, Zero Mission, Fusion, all three Metroid Prime games (preferrably on WiiU with a wiimote for aiming, it feels great), and AM2R if you can find it (which shouldn’t be too hard, heck, I’ll give it to you). I’d tentatively recommend Other M for how not to construct a game narrative, although the gameplay is okay, if a little un-intuitive, and also a tentative recommend to the original Metroid 2, which I managed to get through and mostly enjoyed by the end, but it’s a rough old game. I wouldn’t recommend the original Metroid on NES because it’s an infuriating experience, nor would I recommend Metroid Prime Hunters (which is probably hard to find anyway) or Federation Force, which is not really a Metroid game.

      • AGV

        Sadly, I missed de WiiU completely, but I’m checking the rest.
        I tried the Federation Force demo and the Blast Ball game, I found it tricky to play, but I still think that it’s a great premise.

  • Dogma

    Probably the only time “Tuck and roll.” is good advice.

  • Nos Rin aka CTCO

    I tried to play the metroid games, didn’t dedicate enough time or they were too hard or something. I really tried to play metroid prime but I got lost in the first dungeon after the tutorial dungeon. D:

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      Even when they’re telling you where to go, Metroid games test your spatial awareness and love of backtracking. If you put a Metroid game down for a week and pick it back up again, good luck figuring out what you were doing! The newer games are more forgiving about giving you objective reminders, but it’s understandable feeling overwhelmed looking at one of the Prime games’ 3D maps.

      My favorite part about Metroid games, or really any Metroid style game, is rapidly backtracking through the maze-like maps that were so difficult to get through at the start, but now equipped with all my powerups so I can feel like a super badass. I suppose the same is true with RPGs, but in Metroid you power up by fighting boss battles and discovering hidden upgrades, which I far prefer over GRINDING for XP. Zelda is the next best thing to Metroid for me, except for all those minigames. Ugh, I hate when Zelda gates heart pieces behind minigames.

      • Nos Rin aka CTCO

        I don’t mind back tracking from time to time.
        Uhg indeed. I never put effort into finishing the last castle in Link to the Past because I wanted the last 2 heart pieces.
        One was the digging game. uhg. and the other I thought was on the mountain and I had my chart but heck, I don’t know which one I missed.

        Oh, and Twilight Princess and the cheat whore of a yeti woman. UUUUUUHHHGG!!!!!!!!

        One day I might play prime again, I got 1 and 2 on the GC.

        But I’m more into custom character free roaming looting everything kind of games.

      • Nos Rin aka CTCO

        also yes, I do so love going back to old areas and stomping mobs that once gave me a hard time. so satisfying.

  • Dylan

    I notice that Yori seems to be using a “left-handed” grip here — short sword in his right hand, long sword in his left. Is this a recent thing? Has he always been left-handed, and training with Matrix helped him realize it?

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