Was Federation Force a good/decent game but a bad Metroid, or just flat out bad?

[Zor]

I'm seriously considering picking it up.

Not necessarily with the desire to play through the whole thing, but just to satisfy a blank spot in my Metroid fandom (as well as Hunters on the DS). Worst case scenario: it's bad and a waste of my time. Best case scenario? Well, I played through Other M a couple of years back and was surprised at how much I quite enjoyed just about everything that didn't involve acting or story.

In the case of Federation Force, it's obvious that it's a much-maligned entry in the franchise but is it a bad game overall? And if so, why is that? I could quite easily pick up a cheap copy these days but I'm quite interested to know peoples' thoughts on it.

 

[Wariobenotware]

Terrible in every conceivable way. I don't think a single mission in the game was fun or anything about the game was satisfying.

Looked like crap too for the hardware and ran poorly.

Don't waste your time.

 

[Deleted member 4034]

Good game, bad X game will always be a weird criticism. If it's not fun, it's not fun. Federation Force was criticized for not being what people wanted when it was revealed. Upon release, it was just not a good game period.

 

[Farrac]

It wasn't that bad, really. But it's going to feel lacking if you play solo, most likely.

People just never got over the admittedly tone-deaf reveal. The game itself was a bit weak but far from bad and it's just a shame it was never given a proper chance. You can have a blast playing co-op.

 

[Deleted member 8593]

The game has good ideas here and there but it was the wrong game on the wrong platform at the wrong time. I wouldn't mind NLG revisiting the concept at some point in the future under a different IP and on a platform that can actually support their ideas.

 

[Ramsay]

It's bad. Maybe more overhated than it would otherwise warrant, but if it was a new IP, it would have been forgotten in weeks.

 

[LinkStrikesBack]

It could maybe have been salvaged in to something decent, but even taking out everything about it being a metroid game, it did not play well on the 3ds at all, and unlike kid Icarus uprising, it didn't have the high quality values everywhere else to somewhat justify playing a game that felt so bad.

If it weren't for the metroid license, it would still have reviewed badly and been forgotten instantly. The only reason it even gets discussed is because it was also a bad fit for the license (e.g. when was the last time someone mentioned ever oasis or codename steam? They're just forgotten instead).

 

[Wariobenotware]

It was extremely odd to me that NLG made this game. Like everything about it was substandard.

It is pretty telling that even they don't acknowledge this game on their own website.

 

[Grunty]

I think Federation Force is a really good game. But it should have released after Samus Returns and Metroid Prime 4's announcement. It would have been perceived much better as most of the criticism seems to be more toward it not being the game people wanted than of the actual game itself.

 

[Farrac]

It's bad. Maybe more overhated than it would otherwise warrant, but if it was a new IP, it would have been forgotten in weeks.

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As if people even remember it as a Metroid game

 

[Zor]

Good game, bad X game will always be a weird criticism.

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I don't entirely agree. Resident Evil 4 in its various incarnations is my favourite game of all time, but I don't really love it in any way for the reasons I loved (and continue to love) what Resident Evil was up until that point. So I can totally understand anyone who doesn't like RE4 as a Resident Evil game for the ways it changed so much, although I suppose there are some pretty extreme reactions out there (as well a how it changed the series going forward for a few years). But to your point, it helps that RE4 is fun as all hell, top to bottom.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Garbage with and without the Metroid name

 

[Defect]

I stopped playing after the third level or so. It was never going to be a good Metroid game but I at least wanted it to be a fun game.

 

[Stopdoor]

This is a bizarre poll OP.

I was pretty open minded about it, but I can't deny it was only average at best. I wouldn't call it straight up "bad", but the gunplay and level design just straight up isn't really that interesting. The slow movement speed and low jump height just feels lame. There are exploration elements that just feel entirely tacked on to satisfy "this is a Metroid game, we swear". And yeah, the plotline and final boss is just bizarre on top of it all. The art style makes it feel way too much like "Metroid for babies" along with the shallow attempts at lore.

Ok, yeah, spelling it out like that does make it seem pretty bad. I just assume if anyone played multiplayer it might be its only saving grace, but finding anyone to play it with you is of course impossible.

It really is conceptually baffling all around, you'd think they would've seen it a mile away from every direction.

 

[wrowa]

It's weird how NLG does such a delightful job on Luigi's art and yet Federation Force's art style is lacking any charm whatsoever.

It falls in the same "who are they even targeting?" category as Codename Steam.

 

[valinthyne]

*insert blast ball joke here*

I kinda feel bad for never picking up Federation Force. I think I would have liked it, but I dont think the 3DS was the right platform for it. Maybe if it had released nowadays on the Switch it would be recieved a little more positively. But that just wasnt a platform for shooters.

 

[Zor]

This is a bizarre poll OP.

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But I put a lot of thought into it :(

 

[TheMoon]

Federation Force is a great game and anyone who claims different hasn't actually played it. Just didn't belong on the 3DS.

First reply is just plain wrong.

 

[Jonneh]

I had more fun with it than Prime Hunters but there's no doubt its not a great Metroid game and it absolutely came at the wrong time. Pretty good in co-op though

 

[Deleted member 4034]

Federation Force is a great game and anyone who claims different hasn't actually played it. Just didn't belong on the 3DS.

First reply is just plain wrong.

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If I didn't already come across "anyone that likes BotW probably just didn't like Zelda games beforehand" on Twitter this would be the worst take I've read so far today.

 

[wrowa]

Federation Force is a great game and anyone who claims different hasn't actually played it. Just didn't belong on the 3DS.

First reply is just plain wrong.

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Convincing argument

 

[AxkilAvenger]

Remember that Metroid mii shooter in Nintendo Land (think that's what it was called) on WiiU? That's what a Metroid squad shooter should've been

 

[Zor]

But it's going to feel lacking if you play solo, most likely.

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Pretty good in co-op though

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I somehow legit forgot it was made as a co-op game. Huh.

 

[Ridley327]

It was extremely odd to me that NLG made this game. Like everything about it was substandard.

It is pretty telling that even they don't acknowledge this game on their own website.

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Tanabe needed bodies for his long-gestating concept and NLG just happened to be a dev he had worked with before and had the resources available to make it happen. I don't think that they themselves realized just how ill-suited the game would turn out to be on pretty much every level, but that was a problem for the boss to figure out, not them.

It's weird to think that the whole project was such a passion project for its producer, to the point where the notorious appearance it made in its first and only Nintendo Direct spotlight was him basically demanding folks to give it a chance, as if we were missing something that he figured was plainly obvious to see. But even if you discount the shock of seeing this as the first Metroid game shown off in five years at that point, it was still a very aesthetically ugly take on a series known for best-in-class visuals, turned into a multiplayer-heavy spinoff featuring the least compelling aspects of the Metroid canon that was releasing exclusively on one of the most ill-suited platforms ever for FPSs. Frankly, it's amazing that no one above Tanabe slapped the shit out of him.

 

[RadzPrower]

I think it's a good premise and could work if it was on better hardware and the visual stylings were more traditional to Metroid Prime. I get why it needed to be the big head look on 3DS, but it would've been much better on something like the Switch and use standard proportions and standard FPS controls.

 

[Wariobenotware]

Federation Force is a great game and anyone who claims different hasn't actually played it. Just didn't belong on the 3DS.

First reply is just plain wrong.

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Ah yes my favorite. "If you didn't like it then you haven't played it" defense.

I spent 50 on it and the game was bad in every category i can possibly think of.

What exactly was great about it?

 

[Z-Brownie]

not straight crap game, but it's far from what you expect when you read the name "Metroid"

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Federation Force is a great game and anyone who claims different hasn't actually played it. Just didn't belong on the 3DS.

First reply is just plain wrong.

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It's an okay game that's hideously ugly and laughably ill-conceived.

 

[foxuzamaki]

Federation force is a spinoff, by its very nature it wasent trying to be a traditional metroid game so looking at it as "its a good game, just not a good metroid game" is incredibly flawed logic

 

[Kazooie]

I thought it was OK, but of course way too shooty.

 

[Lyre]

It should have been announced after Samus Returns; it did look like a decent game all things considered.

 

[Phendrana]

It is pretty telling that even they don't acknowledge this game on their own website.

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Uhh...they do have it listed on their website.

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[Wariobenotware]

It's weird to think that the whole project was such a passion project for its producer, to the point where the notorious appearance it made in its first and only Nintendo Direct spotlight was him basically demanding folks to give it a chance, as if we were missing something that he figured was plainly obvious to see. But even if you discount the shock of seeing this as the first Metroid game shown off in five years at that point, it was still a very aesthetically ugly take on a series known for best-in-class visuals, turned into a multiplayer-heavy spinoff featuring the least compelling aspects of the Metroid canon that was releasing exclusively on one of the most ill-suited platforms ever for FPSs. Frankly, it's amazing that no one above Tanabe slapped the shit out of him.

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The thing that caught me off guard is how Metroid Prime Hunters on the original DS managed to somehow look aesthetically more appealing than FF did. It was odd coming form NLG because they usually produce visually impressive stuff for the hardware. And yet FF looks pretty much N64 tier.

Uhh...they do have it listed on their website.

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OK never mind then. When i looked at the site a couple of years back, it wasn't there.

 

[Stopdoor]

Tanabe needed bodies for his long-gestating concept and NLG just happened to be a dev he had worked with before and had the resources available to make it happen. I don't think that they themselves realized just how ill-suited the game would turn out to be on pretty much every level, but that was a problem for the boss to figure out, not them.

It's weird to think that the whole project was such a passion project for its producer, to the point where the notorious appearance it made in its first and only Nintendo Direct spotlight was him basically demanding folks to give it a chance, as if we were missing something that he figured was plainly obvious to see. But even if you discount the shock of seeing this as the first Metroid game shown off in five years at that point, it was still a very aesthetically ugly take on a series known for best-in-class visuals, turned into a multiplayer-heavy spinoff featuring the least compelling aspects of the Metroid canon that was releasing exclusively on one of the most ill-suited platforms ever for FPSs. Frankly, it's amazing that no one above Tanabe slapped the shit out of him.

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I mean, can anyone blame him for conceptually wanting to flesh out a story from the Federation perspective? The premise could've easily given way more depth to Samus' world. I kind of doubt whatever passion he had for the idea also came with the art style and sluggish controls?

 

[Wariobenotware]

Federation force is a spinoff, by its very nature it wasent trying to be a traditional metroid game so looking at it as "its a good game, just not a good metroid game" is incredibly flawed logic

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Hunters was a spin-off game too and it looked better and honestly played better. It was also on much weaker hardware. There is almost no excuse that FF turned out as bad as it is.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

It reminded me of an early PS1 game. Visually it was chunky and flat, the levels were tiny 'press button to open door twenty yards away' affairs, and the controls felt unrefined and clumsy.

Oh, it was online, but it might as well not have been, as I never once managed to find a game, even though I was playing only a couple of months after release.

 

[Red Arremer]

It had potential, but it was mostly just poorly executed. The timing of the release didn't help it of course - the game was gonna be dead on arrival even if it had been good. It's unfortunate, cause with a bit more time and budget, I think it probably could've turned out fine.

 

[Lork]

I didn't vote in the poll because it follows the typical "gamer" mentality of something either being the best ever or shit. What it actually is, is average bordering on mediocre. The gameplay and level design are decent, but it's dragged down by an absolutely abysmal scoring system that sucks a lot of the potential fun out of it.

If the scoring system was less awful, well, it probably would've gotten roughly the same reception, but I would have completed it at least.

 

[Wariobenotware]

Hope you like shooting mindlessly at some of the spongiest enemies ever OP. The bosses are the worst with this.

It is mind-numbing how repetitive and boring the game gets.

The least satisfying shooting ever too. pew-pew sound effect, it lacks any impact.

 

[Stopdoor]

Federation Force is a great game and anyone who claims different hasn't actually played it. Just didn't belong on the 3DS.

First reply is just plain wrong.

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I mean, I can put in as much effort as you to just say "nah".

Lots of people in this thread have obviously played it.

 

[Dancrane212]

I actually had a pretty fun time with it despite my issues with the art. Multiplayer really sold the experience.

 

[TheMoon]

If I didn't already come across "anyone that likes BotW probably just didn't like Zelda games beforehand" on Twitter this would be the worst take I've read so far today.

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Convincing argument

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Ah yes my favorite. "If you didn't like it then you haven't played it" defense.

I spent 50 on it and the game was bad in every category i can possibly think of.

What exactly was great about it?

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I'm sorry you seemingly had a bad time with it. I played a great co-op Metroid game with a nice mission variety really nicely integrated into the Metroid universe.

There's nothing to "defend" here. The game pulled off exactly what it set out to do. Had this not been on the 3DS and character proportions that made things look more like the console entries, we wouldn't be sitting here having this constant back-and-forth about the game.

re: the "haven't played it" thing
given how the game performed, along with many others in the "lololol so bad" 3DS game release corner, there are far too many people claiming it's trash for most of them to have given it the time of day.

 

[Stopdoor]

I didn't vote in the poll because it follows the typical "gamer" mentality of something either being the best ever or shit. What it actually is, is average bordering on mediocre. The gameplay and level design are decent, but it's dragged down by an absolutely abysmal scoring system that sucks a lot of the potential fun out of it.

If the scoring system was less awful, well, it probably would've gotten roughly the same reception, but I would completed it at least.

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Since a lot of the criticism deals with how unappealing the game looks and feels, it often doesn't get to the core gameplay loop of it all, but yeah, even the core gameplay loop feels super flawed. Extremely tacked on exploration elements that don't jive at all with the score-attack based gameplay just feels innately bad. Most of the levels just aren't compelling enough to want to be replayed over and over for score.

 

[Paper Cheese]

It's not great to play solo but in multiplayer it's a really fun co-op shooter. Shame the online was a bit rubbish, and it isn't really a Metroid game at all in gameplay. Some cool Prime-related story stuff in there though.

 

[Zutrax]

People who say it's a flat out bad game probably haven't played it, it's not great, but it certainly isn't bad. It was just mostly mediocre and unmemorable, I had an amusing time with it while I played it though. If you're curious, then it wouldn't hurt I suppose?

 

[Zor]

I didn't vote in the poll because it follows the typical "gamer" mentality of something either being the best ever or shit.

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Nowhere in the poll did I say "Best Ever". The first option is literally "Good In Its Own Way", not "Best Thing Ever". Thanks for reading.

 

[Wariobenotware]

re: the "haven't played it" thing
given how the game performed, along with many others in the "lololol so bad" 3DS game release corner, there are far too many people claiming it's trash for most of them to have given it the time of day.

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But don't you think that it is a bit unfair to make that assumption? If the thread is someone asking how was Federation Force, then isn't it is fair to think that anyone who responds would have played it?

 

[Stopdoor]

I'm sorry you seemingly had a bad time with it. I played a great co-op Metroid game with a nice mission variety really nicely integrated into the Metroid universe.

There's nothing to "defend" here. The game pulled off exactly what it set out to do. Had this not been on the 3DS and character proportions that made things look more like the console entries, we wouldn't be sitting here having this constant back-and-forth about the game.

re: the "haven't played it" thing
given how the game performed, along with many others in the "lololol so bad" 3DS game release corner, there are far too many people claiming it's trash for most of them to have given it the time of day.

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I'm not really sure the sluggish physics, shallow lore, and tacked-on exploration contradictory to the score-based gameplay loop really satisfy "great Metroid game" and "exactly what it set out to do", but fine if you liked it better than most. I don't think it's anywhere close to defending as "just not for everybody", there's obviously things conceptually off about the gameplay loop past the surface level.

 

[HardTimesFamilyPride]

A cancelled DS pet project basically getting a layer of polish for release on 3DS to fill a drought period was never gonna blow minds.

It's weird to think that the whole project was such a passion project for its producer, to the point where the notorious appearance it made in its first and only Nintendo Direct spotlight was him basically demanding folks to give it a chance, as if we were missing something that he figured was plainly obvious to see.

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This is a weird way to frame what happened. I remember people flipping out over the game's very existence and saying untrue bullshit like it was a random game that they threw Metroid's name on to try and make money off it, and Tanabe going on there visibly uncomfortable to say "Hey this actually was conceived as a Metroid game" because the reactions were unreasonable af

 

[Deleted member 4034]

People who say it's a flat out bad game probably haven't played it, it's not great, but it certainly isn't bad. It was just mostly mediocre and unmemorable, I had an amusing time with it while I played it though. If you're curious, then it wouldn't hurt I suppose?

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... What?

It's mediocre and memorable in your words, but anyone that calls it bad hasn't it played it.