Metroid Database.com

Today we have a special guest translation by the talented Neon_Icarus from NeoGAF! This article is "Iwata Asks: Metroid Prime 3", which had been available in Japanese since 2008, but never translated. The article covers the bumpy road to the development of Prime 3 through a discussion with producers Kensuke Tanabe and Risa Tabata. We learn some surprising facts about the development of the Wii, such as how Keisuke Terasaki of Production Group No. 3 suggested splitting the Wii Remote into Remote and Nunchuck in order to make Prime 3.

Most surprising, however, was the low opinion many at Retro Studios initially held for the Wii because of its low specs. It wasn't until they were shown the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in action using a modified version of Metroid Prime 2 that their opinions changed. The demo was made for TGS 2005 and was created in secret, and was a secret even to most Retro employees, because the Nunchuck had yet to be announced. Tanabe-san elaborates:

[R]ight before the announcement, I had the rest of the staff at Retro introduced to the Nunchuk. I will never forget the spectacle of that moment. I gathered all the staff together who had not been involved in the creation of the demo, and the moment they first picked up the Nunchuk, it was as if their eyes lit up. The surprise on their faces was truly something to behold.

The interview also discusses other problems encountered while developing Corruption, such as polishing Hyper Mode and adding "Unique AI" to make the game feel more memorable. An example of this "Unique AI" was Space Pirates "playing tag" with Samus after stealing the energy core in the GFS Olympus introductory stage. Tanabe-san explains, "When we were children, I'm sure everyone at one time took a treasured item from a friend, and ran away from them, passing it to friends. We had that kind of element inserted into the game's opening." Of course, Retro Studios was initially unimpressed because on paper, playing tag doesn't feel like it fits within the "cool sci-fi universe" of Metroid. Iwata-san delayed release of Corruption in order for the team to implement elements such as this (the game was originally supposed to be a launch title). Unless significant changes are made to a game's core system, sequels will not remain fresh, and the series will quickly stagnate - as Mega Man clearly illustrates.

There was also some great commentary from Tanabe-san about Yoshio Sakamoto's philosophies and role in the Prime series:

Sakamoto-san is a very broad-minded person, so whenever we ask him about something, he will always tell us, "If it's interesting, go ahead and put it in." However, he insists we don't reveal what happens to Samus when she transforms into Morph Ball form.

Sounds like there are just some mysteries that will must be answered by player imagination!

Click for the full interview.

Until next time...
Captain Commando