Hmm, reminds me of of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance VR missions.

@PlasmaMachine: That's a work in progress shot.

Just as long as there's no scanning, I'll probably love it :P

.

hmmm... metroid with the portal gun? yes please!

@nebetsu: I don't know why everyone hates on the scanning in Retro's Metroid titles. I really enjoy it.

What's so bad about it? I'm honestly asking, if I sound like a dick I apologize.

The second character they have in the character sketches looks a bit like Bomberman.

In my opinion they can borrow from whatever they want as long as they mold it into something original. Getting lawyers to agree with that is something entirely different...

Anyhow, liking the artwork so far!

Looks like Metroid meets Rockman meets standard elite sci-fi soldier suit. Kind of reminds me of the cyclone suits from Genesis Climber Mospeda (or for Robotech fans it'd be the third season of Robotech with Scott and the Invid).

I love scanning. Best way to get people to read up on the worlds imo, without doing it in an annoying and boring way like Mass Effect or something.

Also, the MP2 viral campaign had that Valkyrie doodad about sending women into space etc. This draws some inspiration from that, I can see...

What's so bad about it?

If you're not trying to follow the plot too heavily, the scanning system was a rather irritating and clunky way to distract you from the actual game (the shooting, jumping, a puzzle solving) with periods spent trying to get the auto-aim on the scanner to select the right thing, or to decipher what "weak to strong blasts" or "contains unobtainium" means. It also adds a lot of boring to people going for 100% completion, especially since you end up scanning everything to avoid missing something that might disappear later.

It's an okay way to reveal backstory or to keep the same 'alone' feeling -- the log system worked wonders in System Shock and Bioshock -- and I like it for the log features, but although I liked it, it still got irritating at times.

@PlasmaMachine: MORE LIKE METROID GEAR SOLID HAHALGHBLAHGJALGh

sorry

I think the scanning system in the Prime series was a great way to give detailed backstory for those who cared enough to read it. You didn't have to scan or read everything if you didn't want to. I don't understand how something optional could be irritating.

@gattsuru: I'll agree with one thing there, it's definitely a crappy way to create 100% completion, especially when you miss that one thing that you only get one chance at. Scanning should be only necessary to give a hint or clue to something if you're entirely stumped by it, not as something to judge completion of the game on. Now, if scanning all the lore was all that was necessary, I'd be down with that, as it's a decent way to reveal just what happened to whatever world you're wandering around as a (usually) solo bounty hunter.

Metroid Prime 3 didn't have any scanning based completion tasks, it was items only... and you could get their room locations marked on your map through a certain action later in the game.

Problem Solvered.

Are they partnering with nintendo is it just plain old copyright infringement? Scanning was cool and never seemed to get in the way, imo.

@Legion329: dunno. i like it. i think retro are a little vicious with the one-time-only scans, but i suppose if they werent there wouldnt be a challenge.

people ive played it with (read: watched me play) are excruciatingly bored by the concept though.

If you forgot to scan an enemy you killed, that one time scanning is adequate but things have changed since mp1. No more scanning the same door twice.

@PlasmaMachine, Plunkett: To clarify Plunkett's statement... the Source engine is chock full of 'developer textures', that make measuring brushes easier on the modeler. Basically you can 'brick out' a level, then come back and do all the texture and detail work later. It's actually quite awesome once you get used to using it, and I hope other SDKs consider taking the same route.

@insomniabob: Oh, and on the upshot, it Hella looks like VR Missions.

@gattsuru:

I never got the point in 100% clearing games, I've done it before, but it made me just dislike the game and feel like I never had to touch it again

@PlasmaMachine: My thoughts exactly.

A release date! Shocking!

@Grave:

Zing!

It looks a bit spiffier than Metroid.

Zing!

Called Project Valkyrie, it's a Half-Life 2 mod, and the team are hoping to have it out by March.

But now that it is getting publicity, Nintendo will strongarm them into shutting it down. Hooray, everyone's a winner!

It looks a shitload like Metroid though...

@KaneRobot:
True

@KaneRobot: I dunno, they have made preparations. If it looked exactly like samus, then yes. Remember the Dragonball Z source mod? They changed the name to Earth Defense Force, (and probably a few sfx and textures) and it is comfortably sitting in Steam's HL1 Mods section.

I really loved the scanning aspect but I agree with the argument that it shouldn't be a necessity for completion. I found it really sucked me in and just strengthened the feeling that you're completely alone in that game.

It is definitely not a good group game though.

In regards to the video on the site, I'll be more interested if they release a proper video that isn't just players rolling back and forth. That video makes it just look like an awkward deathmatch shooter

@Aimless: In MP3 you had to scan certain objects (enemies, bosses, lore, etc) in order to unlock bonus content. I'm down with that, but I can't comprehend their decision to require internet-based crap in order to unlock all the coolest bonuses. I don't, and will probably never, have anyone on my Wii's crappy friend list thing.

lol, this is the mod that started off as "The Three Month Mod," where their goal was to show that mod teams take way too long to finish their stuff and this team wouldn't fall in that trap. Several months later... we're renaming our mod to Project Valkyrie and will be done when we're done!