At PAX East 2016 today, Nintendo revealed when we can expect co-op squad shooter spin-off, Metroid Prime: Federation Force to launch to the public. The game will hit the Nintendo 3DS library on August 19th in North America, and September 2nd in Europe.
An offshoot of the well-received Metroid Prime games, Metroid Prime: Federation Force tasks players with being part of a squad of four soldiers, each with customizable class-style abilities, as they work together to explore exotic planets, and take down dangerous alien monsters. It is possible to play the game solo, though the experience is meant to be enjoyed with a group of friends either locally or online. Initially, the game was announced at the Nintendo World Championships revival at E3 last year, though was revealed first by its tie-in minigame, Blast Ball, which was one of several competitive events at the show, before being properly unmasked at Nintendo’s digital E3 keynote a couple of days later.
Initially, fans reacted negatively to the announcement of Metroid Prime: Federation Force, being disappointed and angered that Nintendo would prioritize a spin-off after the long wait for a proper new Metroid game, specifically a fourth proper Metroid Prime game. Nintendo has combated the backlash by saying that the spin-off aims to reinvent and freshen up the Metroid Prime formula, though Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime did admit that he understood why fans felt upset and disappointed by the game’s announcement. The game’s producer, Kensuke Tanabe also defended the project by saying that it’s necessary to establish the Galactic Federation in greater detail before a proper new Metroid Prime game is made, since they would likely be a big part of the storyline. Tanabe also didn’t rule out the possibility that such a game could be made for Nintendo’s currently-unrevealed next-gen platform, code-named ‘NX’, and would build on the cliffhanger epilogue from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, which released for Wii in 2007.
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