Despite the lingering controversy and skepticism around Metroid Prime: Federation Force, series producer Kensuke Tanabe spoke about the game in yesterday’s Nintendo Direct broadcast as a way to try and pacify angry fans.
He talked about Samus’s cameo in the game (she isn’t playable) and discussed again how it will be a first-person adventure title in the extended universe of Metroid Prime. Missions in-game will tell the story of the how the battle went down between Space Pirates and the Galactic Federation’s elite Federation Force.
The play system has a class-like feel to it where players create customized roles for their characters—some will specialize in healing, others in weapons, that type of situation. According to Tanabe, the game has always been intended to be a multiplayer experience and is truly a part of the Metroid Prime series in terms of where the story and lore fits in.
He also revealed that the game’s development was not an afterthought or a quick money-grab scheme from fans desperate for another Metroid title. In fact, development on the game stretches back to 2009 with Next Level Games, but the DSi wasn’t capable of fulfilling their vision for the title. It was only with the New 3DS’s C-stick that Tanabe felt it was time to bring it to handhelds.
We’ll also be seeing Metroid Prime: Federation Force sooner than anticipated, sometime late this spring.
