I've been brainstorming on the topic for a while; and I've came up with a few ideas that I would like to present to everyone here.
First, I would like to talk playable characters. My idea(s) center around two types of characters. First off is Bounty Hunters. Bounty Hunters would basically be equipped with Samus's armor and weapons, with unlimited ammo on beam weaponry and the ability to use missiles, Morphball, Morphball Bombs, Power Bombs, Screw Attack, etc. The second type of playable character would be a Galactic Federation Soldier (GFS for short). These guys would play a bit more like a traditional FPS character, with a bit of a Metroid Universe twist. They would have weaponry with the same effects as Samus's beam weapons (Power, Ice, Plasma, Wave, etc); but usually not quite as powerful, and with limited ammo. They can also find and grab weapons such as Missile Launchers in order to emulate/make up for the lack of some of the Bounty Hunter's other abilities. In the sake of fairness, Online matches would likely have to be limited to the options of Bounty Hunter only; GFS only; or, in team based battles, having one or two players serve the role of Bounty Hunter while everyone else takes the role of a GFS.
Second, lets talk about maps. I can see the maps for the multi-player mode being based on locations from the game, and possibly other Metroid games. They would have the same feel, consisting of many cavernous rooms littered with enemy creatures that will try to get in your way during the match.
Now, to get into actual gameplay modes. Of course you'll have your basic free-for-all, survival, and team based battle modes, which is pretty common in most modern day multi-player modes.
Another mode I feel would work would be one inspired by Light-vs.-Dark mode in Kid Icarus: Uprising. If you've played Kid Icarus: Uprising, you likely have a good Idea where this is going. (If you don't please refer to this video: )
Basically just replace the fighters with GFSs and Pit and Dark Pit with Bounty Hunters (Samus and Dark Samus?), and insert more Metroid style gameplay and level design, and you have a good idea as to what I'm going for here.
Next up is an idea I like to call Bounty Hunting mode. Basically, you would be on a mission to destroy a monster(s), which could vary from having to kill several weak enemies to having to hunt down a boss creature. You could either compete to see who can fulfill the requirements first, or work together to take them down.
The last idea that I have thought of is something I would like to call "X-zone". Basically, when this option is activated, any creatures you encounter (with the exception of Metroids) could turn out to be an X parasite copy. Bounty Hunters would be able to absorb X harmlessly; but GFSs, on the other hand, wouldn't be so lucky. If they come in contact with an X, it will invade them, kill them, and then clone them. However, GFSs can defend themselves against X parasites, using a weapon that would appear when the "X-Zone" option is activated; which would basically be a beam that uses a blast of Metroid DNA to take out X. Extra ammo for this weapon could be found by defeating Metroids.
If a GFS player is X cloned, he will not be respawned until the X clone is defeated. In order to keep the player from being bored, they would follow the X, but of course having no control over it. In order to keep players from instantly knowing if a team mate has been X cloned (unless they were right there when it happened), features such as voice chat may have to be disabled when this mode is in effect, with either prewritten messages (think Monster Hunter: Tri), typed communication (odds are you'll be able to use a USB keyboard with the Wii U like you could with the Wii, or a virtual keyboard could show up on the controller like with Monster Hunter Tri), or a program that converts spoken words into on-screen text (though we all know how reliable that could be). My reasoning for this is that it would be far more obvious that your team member has been X'ed if he/she suddenly stopped replying in voice chat, than if the system can somehow provide text based responses when conversation is aimed at the player who has been X cloned.
Now this next part I'm not quite sure if the technology is here for yet, but I do think it would be rather cool, and add to the overall effect of the X if it can. What if the system could memorize part of your gameplay style; and imitate it to a degree when you get cloned by an X parasite. It would really force the player's team mates to pay close attention to see if anyone is doing anything to suggest that someone may really be an X trying to sabotage the rest of the team; and it would fit in along side of the X's ability to absorb the knowledge of their pray.
So, any (constructive) criticisms? Anything you'd like me to explain a bit further on? Ideas of your own? Do you think any of these would actually work in an online Metroid game?
Edited by Andy, 26 April 2012 - 07:15 PM.
