Metroid Prime 2 - 20th Anniversary Interview With Kynan Pearson (Designer On Prime 2)

[@KIWITALKZ]

FUN FACT: Kynan's microphone literally died the day before we did this so he had to use his computer mic, what timing huh? TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - How Metroid Prime 2 Ended Up With Its Zelda Esque Design 03:00 - Every Nintendo Game Is It’s Own Thing/Link To The Past Discussions 04:00 - Designing Prime 2’s Biomes/Dark World Was Originally Silhouetted 05:50 - How The Designers Decided What To Put In A Room/Morph Ball Puzzles 09:50 - Boost Balling Off Spider Ball Tracks 12:30 - Reserving Pickups For Player Testing Outcome 13:30 - Design Is About Perception 17:00 - Coming Up With Prime 2’s Unique Upgrades/ 21:50 - Working On The Boss Rooms 23:50 - Deciding How Big To Make A Boss Room 27:16 - Limitations Fosters Creativity 29:30 - SPD & Retro’s Collaboration On The Prime Games 32:57 - VR Will Never Be Mainstream Due To Motion Sickness 34:30 - How Speed Booster Would Work In First Person 35:54 - How They Figured Out How To Do Screw Attack/Metroid Is For Hardcore Gamers 38:00 - What QOL Changes Should Be In Metroid Prime 2 Remastered 40:50 - Kynan Doesn’t Like Prime 2’s Key Hunt 42:30 - Kynan’s Favourite Boss 43:35 - Kynan’s Favourite Item Upgrade 44:32 - Kynans Favourite Area/Biome 46:30 - Kynan’s Favourite Puzzle 48:02 - Kynan’s Favourite Room 49:16 - Q + A - Biggest Missed Opportunity In Prime 2 53:16 - Q + A - Why The Dark Luminoth Was Cut 55: 03- Q + A - Most Difficult Puzzle 1:00:37 - Wall Jump Design 1:01:07 - Q + A - What Would Be Included If Prime 2 Was Made Today 1:03:55 - Prime 2’s Amazing Team/ Jack Mathews Funny Story 1:08:43 - Final Thoughts

[@kadosho02]

Prime 2 was a marvelous game on the GameCube. I remember sitting down with my grandma, and playing both Prime 1&2 with her. She loved exploring, I took care of the bosses. We took turns reading lore entries. And the music, you just get lost in that energy. So many fun memories

[@madorkas5400]

i love this story :)

[@Manoffire97]

Prime 2 is the first Metroid game I played when I was about 10 years old and it absolutely blew me away. Probably my favorite game still to this day. It left such a big impression on me

[@courdell7426]

Exact same story here but at 7

[@Akimbo711]

Prime 2 had some of the most beautiful design and incredible music - loved the Quadraxis boss fight

[@novamous777]

Best boss fight in the series imo

[@nuclearbeeberman]

I will never understand why most fans think prime 2 was worse than prime 1. For me it's on the same level

[@av3nger3]

@@nuclearbeeberman Prime 2 was shockingly good for a sequel, and Sanctuary Fortress was a glorious delight

[@villeneaux5877]

Quadraxis is to this day one of the best boss fights I experienced. It's really iconic.

[@SirCalalot]

Wake up babe, Kiwi is chatting to Metroid alumni again. Great interview as always and an incredibly inspirational chat for us game developers!

[@theforgehermit9791]

Man that original dark beam sounded fantastic. Missed opportunity to combine it with the seeker missile to freeze multiple enemies simultaneously then use seeker missile to shatter them simultaneously.

[@Nigel222]

Looking forward to this. Prime 2 was the first Prime game I actually played back in the day. The Temple Grounds area always sticks in my mind as a very atmospheric area.

[@Doran.]

Same here! When I was 11 years old or so, I tried out Prime 1 at a friends house, thought it was cool, and then went to GameStop and accidentally bought Echoes! 😂😅 I didn’t even realize until I was well into the game. Echoes was so difficult for me, took 3-4 attempts at every boss encounter, but hey 🤷‍♂️ it got me hooked on Metroid for the rest of my life, so no regrets. I went back afterwards and played Prime 1. It was a total cakewalk for me haha

[@ezralaguna]

Prime 2 is the best in trilogy imo. Super overlooked.

[@av3nger3]

I have amazing memories of Metroid Prime 1, but extremely fond ones of Metroid Prime 2 as well. It helps Metroid Prime 2 that it also released in a platinum year for games.

[@MasterZoda]

Fantastic interview. Prime 2 has always been my favorite Metroid game of all time, so it's so cool to see it being discussed at great length and given the love it truly deserves.

[@Doran.]

Oh you asked my Q about the difficult puzzles to create! 55:03 Thanks :) Very interesting details. Thanks to Kynan Pearson for taking the time to talk about his work!

[@eliroybal2344]

This is a fascinating interview and I’m glad I found it Love Prime 2 to bits and am currently replaying it coincidentally The first time I played this game I noticed how many more morph ball puzzles there are in the game and figured there had to have been one dev in particular that just loved the morph ball ‘Morph Ball Dev does it again!’ This is him! I’ve found the Morph Ball Dev!

[@eliroybal2344]

I loved hearing them talk about how and why the scope of the game changed in Prime 2 and how they rewarded common player behavior to make it more fun as well as making the Majora’s Mask comparison that I’ve made myself, it was very satisfying So was getting an explanation behind the original control scheme- it was very insightful

[@militantpacifist4087]

Nintendo should already release Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on the Switch. Same with Zelda Twilight Princess HD and Zelda The Wind Waker HD.

[@brown_recluse_human3458]

I miss how old games looked and were made. The technology limitations & differences in hardware architecture and graphics pipelines, as well as custom tools, meant games looked different. Now everything's UE5.

[@Leee275]

Prime 4 is using the same engine as the main trilogy.

[@DGFTardin]

I've been play Metroid Prime Remastered and it pains me that I can't follow it up with Metroid Prime 2 Remastered

[@venomasmark14]

We can hope

[@Chiakiandmikanarebest]

It’s easy to emulate on dolphin

[@venomasmark14]

HAPPY 20 YEARS, PRIME 2, HERE'S TO HOPING FOR A REMASTER

[@nuclearbeeberman]

great interview once more. thanks a lot !

[@PresidentEvil2]

Prime 2 is a defining game for me

[@galaxiid_]

My first Metroid Game. A stunning achievement given the time and resources involved.

[@theblowupdollsmusic]

Thank you for sharing this great interview. The development team of the prime trilogy are just on another level.

[@Zeal543]

Love Prime 2, awesome vid and dev

[@Dr.Alligator]

Let’s go!

[@TehSenate]

Hopefully someone out there has a picture of Jason's Outback with Jack's butt indent lol

[@KIWITALKZ]

LMAO! The new owner could make some money putting it on Ebay

[@iratepirate3896]

Still my favourite game in the franchise, and onew of my favourite games of all time.

[@jasonblack1705]

Love the 2D and Prime games and my favorite of them all is MP2. So dark and beautiful and difficult.

[@liraco_mx]

27:13 I always thought of Jumping Flash (PS1) when I jumped around in Metroid Prime. So it wasn't a coincidence! Great conversation.

[@Twisted_Logic]

I think the only change I'd make to the key hunt in Prime 2 is make the Flying Ing Chaches always spawn and be vulnerable to the light beam or something when you don't have the dark visor on. That way players who already know where they are can start collecting them earlier like the Chozo Artifacts in Prime 1. Also: Kynan clearly has excellent taste in bosses and environments.

[@Oni64]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@platinumuschannel]

Where Prime 2 messed up on the artifact keys was by not allowing you to nab Sky Temple keys early. Flashback to 2004, I just acquired the Dark Visor and I was in some room, I believe underwater, and I remember messing around with the Dark Visor and seeing a red outline of the Ing Cache that protected the key. I remember thinking WTF is that! I really think part of the frustration can be erased by allowing you to collect them once you get the Dark Visor. At least the replay will be a little more smooth sailing for most.

[@HappyLight.]

I love Prime 2

[@ivohiemstra6839]

51:30 Well now I'm not so sure about the metroid prime 2 remastered anymore unfortunetly :(

[@peanutbutterrocket]

39:37 very inspirational

[@metalsquid]

I loved Prime it was a fantastic transition to 3D but Prime 2 took it up yet another notch imo. I still haven't finished Prime 3 coz every time I try I struggle with the Wii control scheme plus I don't like that it became Samus & Friends. I inevitably lose interest and go back to the isolation and darkness and challenge of Prime 2 over and over again. Hoping for a Prime 2 Remastered shadow drop any day now. Come on Nintendo, it's that time once again to remember your Metroid franchise exists!

[@Leee275]

Try the Primehack version of Dolphin, it allows for Mouse and Keyboard.

[@Doran.]

So true!!! The darkness of Echoes deserves a total shadow drop. Like an Ing warrior suddenly portalling into my living room.

[@davidsterling7570]

44:20 He's just talking about the standard charged Dark Beam, not the beam combo :)

[@pepijnschermer5002]

I wish they rerelease this game, l want to make an illustrated map of Metroid Prime 2 as well

[@x0j]

u should talk to the prime hunters team, they're from redmond iirc and it's one of my favorite nintendo games

[@courdell7426]

I never got to play Hunters but I'm right there with you. Recently i loved it because it's like a baby of metroid prime/prime 2

[@x0j]

@@courdell7426 yeah it's good shit, the online was awesome. I remember blasting the walls to talk to people

[@av3nger3]

5:39 must have relegated this mechanic to the Dark and Echo visors.

[@strikerslicer5010]

Have any metroid ex devs had a reaction to the Metroid Prime 4 Beyond trailer?

[@KIWITALKZ]

The next interview next week they will give their reactions to Metroid Prime 4 Beyond

[@Oni64]

Mike Wikan Part 2 next?

[@KIWITALKZ]

Mike Wikan is the most requested guest to have back on the show unfortunately (but awesome for him) he works for the federal government now and as a result he can no longer do media appearances.

[@Oni64]

@@KIWITALKZ wow never knew that

[@dr4524]

​@@KIWITALKZ Woah...hoped he was developing prime 4.

[@AICW]

@@Oni64 He's a contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton now. That's the same private intelligence corporation Edward Snowden was at when he published his NSA leaks 11 years ago.

[@will_of_europa]

Prime 1 was a better game, but prime 2 was a great game regardless. What's not forgivable was how utter dogSHIT prime 3 was.

[@rp-lopez]

yeah as much as I love the story and how they scaled up the galactic federation, the upgrades in that game were just really uninteresting to me, probably because of how much hyper mode nullified the need to use other weapons.