Metroid: Zero Mission Play Journal Entries

Stagger Lanayru79 01/17/2016 11:15 PM ·Spoilers

With four ending screens in my Gallery, I'm turning my attention to some tough ones my good friend Nintendoer has made me aware of. This is my second attempt at the 15% or under run on Normal mode. My first try I picked up three more items than I can get away with given my current sequence breaking knowledge. I must learn more! I do have a plan for exactly 15% though, but it gets tough rightchere.

E Yeah! e 19 r 99 D

Advertisement Share this Post

2 Share

Embed

Comment

Stagger 01/18/2016 12:14 AM ·Spoilers Ridley was awfully picky about positioning, but the deed is done. Tourian w/ one extra tank, ten missiles and two Supers ... *gulp* I'll sleep on that. The fact that 9% is possible is pretty awesome. I chose the Screw Attack over some tempting options: one more Energy Tank, a second pair of Super Missiles ... I just feel like it will be a huge help grinding on Mother Brain and on the Pirate Ship.

E Yeah♥ e 3 D

Nintendoer 01/18/2016 6:13 AM Notifications!

Congrats on your Ridley victory! I hope when planning your 15% run you saw my post from a couple days ago...that little fact completely ruined my first attempt at the challenge.

E Yeah♥ e 0 D Nintendoer 01/18/2016 9:02 AM What am I talking about? Of course you have; you "yeahed" the post.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Ed™ 01/18/2016 11:15 AM Didn't wanna take up the shrinking space on your last post, but thanks for the tips! Doubt I'll be 100%ing it after trying some Shinesparking and realizing how complex some of the feats with it are, but I still intend to beat out my initial 62%.

Yeah, mostly just here for notifs.

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 12:48 PM There are some really tricky ones in both this game and Fusion to earn that 100%. Basically that alone is why I'd recommend achieving the feat in Super. The Shinesparks required are far less intricate, and inform you on the process.

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 12:50 PM ·Spoilers Whew! MB was a beast, another lesson in slow and steady. I finally broke through when I realized she shut her eye to brain blast every five missiles, so I started pumping those in quickly, hiding, then grinding in relative safety to replenish before the next assault.

I believe this is the only mandatory Map Station in the game, but maybe I could have jumped it ... somehow I didn't check. :p E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 2:43 PM ·Spoilers I packed a lunch for the cloak and dagger stuff. I like that phrase, especially since outright stealth isn't feasible. I can see getting through w/out taking a hit, much more clever w/ the use of the pistol heh ... but it was much more strenuous than during my previous playthroughs. This will be my final inventory. I count exactly 15 pickups. These Pirates are a lot more threatening this trip!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 3:42 PM ·Spoilers This is not the problem. It's not incredibly easy, despite what I wouldn't give to trade that Missile Expansion I haven't figured the way around for a second pair of Supers ... I'm happy w/ my Screw Attack choice. It's been indispensible for MB, Chozodia, and Robo-Rids. I presume I'm playing the most conventional 15%er, and by process of elimination, the Speed Boost, High Jump and Supers must be

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 3:45 PM ·Spoilers the other items that can be gone without through Bomb Jumping shenanigans.

No, the problem is the escape. I workshopped it a bit on my 100% file. I think I have a reasonable and cheap strategy for besting the black Space Pirate duo at the end. Getting there is hard though! I'm getting closer to memorization on the red Pirate locales during the drops. It's stingy!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Nintendoer 01/18/2016 4:06 PM ·Spoilers Agreed. The escape is brutal. And those two black Space Pirates is probably the hardest part of the run until you figure out a good trick. You're very close. I wish you luck!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 5:01 PM ·Spoilers Success! Thanks 'doer! I knew I had no shot fighting fair, so I scouted a little lure tactic to exploit the enemy behavior. Once they're hit while wall climbing, they must fire.

I haven't played Hard mode at all yet, but I'm betting that run is ridiculous. Aside from that one, are both of the other endings I'm missing 100% in under 2 hours? I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough for those yet.

E Yeah! e 1 D

Nintendoer 01/18/2016 5:53 PM That is correct. It takes practice, but once you know all of the item locations by memory and can take some of the shortcuts, it should be doable.

Nicely done!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 9:46 PM Thanks again Nintenbroer.

I can happily report that you can leap the Map Station interface in Chozodia. :p I'm not going to break two hours this first attempt at the last ending I can obtain outside Hard mode, but I have learned much and expect to on my second effort. I'm up to the max E-tanks outside Chozodia, 200 Missiles and 12 Supers. I have a bead on all the remaining pickups too. E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 10:25 PM ·Spoilers My mistake. I was at 210 Missiles. Next trip I'll only be at 10 Supers before Chozodia though, as one of them is a severe waste of time given I have to double back for a pickup beyond it in Norfair that I'll want the Space Jump for ... after a few resets, I got this in about three minutes of in-game time heh. The move as the Shinesparked Marimaru at the end of the sequence is so darn precise!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/18/2016 11:38 PM ·Spoilers Whew, these two on the east side of Ridley are killing me! It took a forever for me to find a set of maneuvers for the lower one, while this is just uber- precise. I'll need to get much faster at this sequence. I can spare five minutes for it, not fifteen or twenty heh ... I might still stay under three hours. I like my post Power Bomb route, but my execution is shoddy still. E Yeah... e 0 D

Stagger 01/19/2016 12:36 AM Nah, not even close. Without making a sequential change, like ignoring the entire west side of Ridley until a second pass or something, this will be a pretty tough route to go under two hours, but I really think I can. This was only my second look at most of these pickups, and certainly the more intricate ones. I'll give it a go tomorrow.

E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Meagan 01/19/2016 8:16 AM Posting for notifs. Have you played Fusion yet? It's another great game and you will like the antagonist.

E Yeah♥ e 0

Stagger 01/19/2016 11:01 AM Hey Meagan. :) I played Fusion last summer. I found it to be the more difficult game, in boss fights and pickup finding, and of course in navigation. That's a function of having seen this basic Zebes geography three times now. I did enjoy the main enemy too. Great point. Despite that, I'm starting to see why some friends consider this the best side scrolling Metroid. Super's story though ...

E Yeah! e 1 D

Meagan 01/19/2016 3:48 PM ·Spoilers The fake Samus is more sinister and terrifying than Dark Samus, imo. DS is just Metroid Prime using the Phazon Suit while the fake one is an exact clone of her bent on Samus' destruction.

E Yeah! e 1

Stagger 01/19/2016 4:39 PM ·Spoilers Just as a basis for comparison, cutting the mistakes out and playing almost perfect, I was able to reach Chozodia w/ all the same stuff except for the aforementioned Super Missile expansion close to a half hour faster. I still might need to consider a sequence break or two, but for now, I'll copy this file and see if refining my route from here can get me home under two.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Nintendoer 01/19/2016 4:59 PM ·Spoilers SA-X was not out for Samus specifically. It was acting on instinct, trying to fight off the natural predator of the X. Best of luck, Stagger! It's definitely possible with that time.

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/19/2016 6:35 PM ·Spoilers I'll have to replay and try the one variable I can see in my route, using the back door to Ridley instead of getting the pickups in Norfair on the way there instead ... I want to test if I can leave the last E-Tank for after Mech- Ridley and shorten the fight on this one, which I'm guessing will be about ten minutes long from here.

On Hard, I think I'll try taking out Ridley before Kraid.

E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Stagger 01/19/2016 7:26 PM ·Spoilers Just a matter of munitions, but I'm not sure it's sensible. My other big idea is getting the Varia early, but it leaves a lengthier exit w/out the Super Missile trick. There's definitely a decent Ice Beam and Bomb Jump way to get the Varia, but that would cause an exit from Norfair, which defeats part of the purpose of knocking Ridley out first. Hrrrm ...

You have to take the tank first btw. :/

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/19/2016 10:51 PM I didn't think three minutes would be enough to collect the last E-tank, scrap Samus' nemesis, and esape. I can think of about five wasted minutes total on my very sequential route, heh ... I one-timed every post Chozodia pickup except for the ones in lower eastern Ridley. Given my nature, I must accept one of three very painful thoughts. I want to do it in sequence, so two related to that are

E Yeah... e 0 D

Stagger 01/19/2016 10:54 PM to replay the entire run for three of those minutes lost on a mistake in Norfair my first time through, or try to be flawless from Chozodia forward on my copied file at the 1:10 mark. Considering I just did that except for the mentioned region, minus the time lost to saving for reset privileges, it's almost less appealing. The third thought? Start working out a new sequence.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 12:17 AM ·Spoilers I've decided on the start from scratch, add no major sequence breaks approach. I know one person on the post who will take an interest in my process, as he probably did all of this over a decade ago in a fairly similar fashion. :p

Anyway, I found two huge timesavers in Kraid and was close to five minutes faster through there. The only sequence break I'm using is the early Super Missiles, as they E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 12:20 AM ·Spoilers facillitate faster boss fights and return from the Varia fetching. An astute, well-versed ZM player would note I've left a pickup behind in the northeast of Norfair. I feel it's better to go through that heated area quickly when I take the back door to Ridley later on. I am also using the Kraid to Ridley connection and the Brinstar to Crateria quick route back to Tourian in post Chozodia action.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 1:32 AM ·Spoilers Yeah, that's the stuff! That's the margin I needed. Noodling on rearranging my method for the western pickups in Kraid was well worth it. Now I can sleep easy heh ... I'll still have to painstakingly save and reset my way through four sections that are just too tough for me to one-time otherwise at my skill level. I feel like I'm getting pretty good, but certainly not great yet. E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 1:36 AM ·Spoilers Six and a half minutes is an eternity of extra time though. Just for grins, here are the four sections I'm referring to.

1) the ramp Shinespark extravaganza for the E-tank in the Chozo Ruins

2) the two brutal pickups on the eastern edge of Ridley

3) long sequence w/ out a Save Station on my route, starting from Tourian back to Chozodia, that has three fickle Shinesparks

4) the ending sequence

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 1:39 AM ·Spoilers ... which I might shorten. I may claim the E-tank just outside Robo-Ridley prior to heading back through the Mother Ship into the Ruins, and just leave the fight and escape to lessen the pressure.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 11:59 AM ·Spoilers It's very amusing to me that this exercise has left me in a position where I could finish in under an hour and half despite being a handful of pickups under the maximum for this point. I could probably pull of an any% run w/out a major sequence break in close to an hour now, which pleases me. :) E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 1:15 PM ·Spoilers That's all that remains! Two Power Bomb locked pickups that are unfortunately deep into the Ruins, and a quick turnaround to the Mother Ship for the finale ... as long as I don't have a disaster making it to a Save Station, I'm a mortal lock to break two hours here. Whew!

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 1:37 PM Yeah! That feels tremendous. I didn't have the cleanest, swiftest final fight, but having that margin for error was everything. I'm sure I could have eked out an under two hour time from my second attempt's copied file at 1:10 in Chozodia, but the time crunch pressure was ridiculous.

Correction: one of those last two pickups was not Power Bomb locked. The other is probably well known to vets. E Yeah! e 3 D

Nintendoer 01/20/2016 2:25 PM Congrats! Two endings remain...

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 2:30 PM Much appreciated! I'm going to get my first taste of Hard mode after lunch here. I'm debating whether to just try the same route again or not ... I know I get less munitions per pickup, and I'm guessing the bosses take more to put down. I think I've conceived of a way to get the Screw Attack early, but I'm not sure it's worth it to double back after the Wave Beam for it. Hrrm ...

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 7:40 PM Heh, I crashed out for a while after the meal. I already love Hard mode. More difficult versions of enemies, more plentiful - I actually needed a strategy just defeating the guardian of the Long Beam exit! This ought to be pretty tough.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 8:19 PM ·Spoilers Yeah! One-timing this worm involves specific exploitation of its programming. It's strange on Hard mode; it seems if I nail him perfectly w/ the first two Missiles, the third hit becomes hard to get no matter what position I lure his lunge to. That wasn't the case on Normal. The middle was almost fool proof. By missing intentionally the first time though, it seems more bent on hanging around.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 9:57 PM ·Spoilers How could I take Ridley out first? I'd either miss him narrowing his eyes, or the cutscene would be out of place. :p I really enjoyed the challenge of added enemies on the way to the Ice Beam, and Kraid's faster paced projectiles were good too. Hard mode rocks! I'm not too far off my pace from the previous run, but dealing w/ the lowered resources is pretty challenging, especially the Missiles.

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 10:17 PM I could have grabbed a few more w/ out going much out of my way, and probably will if I need a second try at this run. The second worm, who guards the conveyor station in Kraid, would be my principal motivation. That wasn't to say I'm not noticing the halved value of E-tanks and the harder hitting foes either. My share of of Game Overs so far is high, had none since my 15% Normal heh ...

E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Stagger 01/20/2016 10:21 PM This change is thoughtful. No second Ripper to freeze to get at this pickup caught me off guard. I doubled back and bomb jumped it after the Varia run. Another nifty change was the added floor spitting enemy en route to the Hi-Jump (sic). I immediately perceived it had to be frozen and the Speed Boost would only catch the third block, but it was still a clever add. E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 12:10 AM ·Spoilers In the third instance of this screen on the post, I'm asking a lot of myself from here. This time I made a copy at the last save before the Wave Beam in Norfair, contemplating the earlier Screw Attack as a means of going faster during the Ridley region and to make the quicker exit, so I'll hang on to that if I'm unable to squeeze in under two hours from here. Hard mode Tourian is no joke!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 2:58 AM ·Spoilers Yeesh, everything flawless from there would give me a shot on Normal mode. Not true of Hard - Ridleytron is ridiculous. I feel like he's not just packing at least twice the stamina, but that his AI is slightly more clever too. I'll check out that early Screw Attack option tomorrow, but likely have to build from the ground up, considering more drastic alterations, to get the five minutes I need.

E Yeah!? e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 3:02 AM ·Spoilers One really devious thing that caused a sickened reset from me is the removal of one particular Save Station from Chozodia's Ruins section on Hard mode. The halved munitions really causes some trouble w/ Power Bombs in a couple of parts of the final gathering, and not having that fill-up caught me off guard! Well done Nintendo, a finely crafted and intensely thought out set of challenges here ...

E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Nintendoer 01/21/2016 6:15 AM ·Spoilers So many Metroids in Tourian...from that point of the game onwards, the limited resources really become important. 17 Super Missiles for Mecha Ridley (which I believe is its name) with a max of only 15...

Yeah, you have to be clever with Power Bomb usage. With my route, I had just enough leaving Chozodia to do everything that needed done in Crateria.

Good luck!

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 10:14 AM ·Spoilers See, I leave the Crateria and Chozodia stuff for last, immediately heading down to Ridley, up to Norfair, Kraid, then Tourian. Perhaps I should try clearing that out first so I can use the lower Crateria return route, which is quicker, and also leave the immediate Power Bomb expansion alone at first. It's irritating to trot to the Save Station, then right back to the scene of the PBs!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 10:17 AM ·Spoilers Oh, and you have to mean 17 after the shield is broken, no? I believe you either way, it just felt like a lot more. Heaven forbid you take a claw! It's like half the max Hard mode energy! He seems more clever about ways to wait to swing it to me too, but I could just have been sleepy. :p The Pirates doling out four times the damage is an eye opener too.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Nintendoer 01/21/2016 10:32 AM No, it's 17 including the shield, even on hard mode. Trust me, I counted. =P

I would give a few details about my route, but I'm not sure if you want to hear them. I'll let you decide.

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 10:44 AM No sir! Thank you of course, but I'd been thinking about changing the already discussed portion. I'll stick to figuring out my own path. I will take one piece of advice though: how is the Missile Expansion in Ridley skipped? The one I'm referring to is in the west, just before the drop to the tunnel along the very bottom of the region map.

E Yeah♥ e 1 D

Nintendoer 01/21/2016 10:45 AM ·Spoilers You never have to enter that western-most room...

E Yeah♥ e 0 D Stagger 01/21/2016 10:47 AM I'll work with that hint. As always, your sensitivity to our DIY disease is appreciated.

E Yeah! e 2 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 11:59 AM ·Spoilers This scenario gets a lot more tricky w/ the early Screw Attack. A lot of creative Mari-maru hopping on this run, heh ... I don't think it's the solution to my time crunch either, but it did show me a couple of miniscule shortcuts. Fifteen seconds is not what I need though.

E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 12:15 PM ·Spoilers Let me ask your opinion 'doer, although you may know for a fact. Is it faster to get the Screw Attack prior to Ridley, or after? The difference seems negligible. If anything it seems faster to stay in sequence ...

E Yeah! e 0 D

Nintendoer 01/21/2016 12:22 PM ·Spoilers That depends on your route. Generally, it's faster to get it before, for a faster exit from Norfair. However, depending on when you get some of the pickups there, it may be faster to get it afterwards...

E Yeah! e 0 D Stagger 01/21/2016 2:13 PM ·Spoilers Right, my musing concerning whether to leave all of lower western Norfair for after the Ridley fight, including two of the three pseudo War Wasp type of fights. Come back for the caterpillars and the wasp itself ... my aversion to that, especially on Hard, is every Super Missile on Ridley is a good Super Missile heh ...

I've built back up from the ground and come in three big minutes faster!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 2:16 PM ·Spoilers Given I'm still not breaking sequence other than the early Super Missile from Brinstar, and factoring in your much appreciated consultation Nintenbroer, I'll leave the Screw attack behind. My hope is that the Chozodia and Crateria pickups first change to my post Power Bomb route is worth another two or three, and I can eke out a sequential victory.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Ed™ 01/21/2016 2:20 PM Freeze and jump on the Mari-Maru for that missile pack?

...I lack all common sense. I just made ten tries jumping straight up there.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 2:28 PM Oh, well you only have to use the morph ball (Mari-maru) if you have the Screw Attack already. Otherwise, just freeze one of the enemies as low as possible, and it's smooth sailing anyway you jump, w/ a nice reward for reaching the opposite door too! ;)

E Yeah! e 1 D

Ed™ 01/21/2016 2:32 PM ·Spoilers Oh, I got it with my tedious method. I just would've saved myself a headache if I'd used my brain for a moment and frozen the dang things instead of blowing them to smithereens.

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 2:40 PM Well done Ed! When returning w/ the fully powered suit, nothing wrong w/ just Space Jumping to paradise ... if you start going after the fast times though, you'll be able to clear that out early.

Just to elaborate on my comment on your post, I played Metroid in the late 80s and Super in the early 90s. It wasn't until last summer I played RoS.

@'doer: Super has three possible endings right?

E Yeah! e 2 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 5:09 PM ·Spoilers @Ed: I'm taking Nintendoer's yeah to be android protocol for "Yes, there are three endings. Allow me to preserve my comments." I think I've seen the regular one, just any% under 100 w/ any time. It's been a while though. I just always 100% it, never tried for the sub 3 hour any% ...

The theme screen shot of the post: what's my time upon reaching Chozodia? I worked harder at efficiency in Tourian,

E Yeah! e 2 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 5:14 PM ·Spoilers although the resources crunch facing that Hard mode increased herd of Metroids is straight out the third world. Bad joke, sorry ... it stands though. That added to my gains going through the first part, but I'm still not just walking in the park to the under two hours here. I will copy it and hope to gain a couple minutes w/ my post-Power Bomb adjustments.

E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 7:23 PM ·Spoilers Ah, thanks for the gentle nudge along my previous line of thought to improve my exit strategy after the post Power Bomb gathering comrade. A lot of small advantages became very clear as soon as I was underway ... last pickup, should arrive at the Save Station before Mecha-Ridley w/ ten minutes to the deadline. E Yeah! e 0 D

Nintendoer 01/21/2016 7:46 PM Which should be plenty of time. Nicely done!

And yes, you interpretted my "yeah" correctly. =P

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 8:01 PM Heh, I wanted to be sure I'd answered Ed's question correctly on his post. I actually just a shade over 8½ minutes, which is still fine in the time department. I have just under five now, after finally coming up w/ a strategy that suits my skill level. Break the glass w/ regular Missiles, then carefully finish the mechanized monstrosity w/ Supers. Now one fear remains ... the scurvy Black Pirates.

E Yeah! e 0 D Stagger 01/21/2016 8:39 PM ·Spoilers Huzzah! I was about a minute faster on Mecha-Ridley by the third time defeating him, and while I want to see what Power Bombs do to Black Pirates, I'll tinker on my next playthrough. I realized after the first try I'd have to use my 15% strategy to get by them on Hard mode, and away I go!

I can see how this is your favorite of the three primo side scrolling Metroids 'doer. It was designed so well

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 8:48 PM for speed runners, minimalists and completionists, both in the enduring rewards of the Gallery and in the details of the worl building. Very thoughtful ... I still feel Super is the better experience, and prefer the battles of Fusion, but for replay value, Zero Mission is definitely king.

I don't feel like starting the 15%er on Hard mode just yet. I'm going to try for Easy as fast as I can. :p E Yeah! e 0 D

Nintendoer 01/21/2016 8:56 PM ·Spoilers Congrats! You've only got the final ending left at this point. Best of luck when you start it...

If you're interested, there is a Time Attack mode. It's automatically set to Normal mode, but it records your fastest time for you. To unlock it, select a file, and before choosing to start the game, press up, left, right, down.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 9:03 PM Whoa! That's pretty cool! I might do that instead ... hrrm. I do feel a strong urge to just wallop Easy, and I don't really know the optimum sequence to start carving out a great time, but that's nifty.

The funny thing about the modifications made to my post Power Bomb route - it wasn't tangibly faster. Almost identical amount of travel ... but it spaced out the tougher pickups advantageously.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 10:25 PM So I decided to go an offensive powerhouse route w/ this Easy playthrough. No Varia, didn't spare the time for the Wave Beam either, but I have pulled in this stuff heading into Tourian ... E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 10:45 PM ·Spoilers Continuing the theme of the post, let's play what was your time at the first Chozodia Save Station? It's your host ... ah never mind. I don't have the gusto for that schtick. I feel like I grabbed just enough Missiles not to be stuck grinding for eternity to rush MB there. I sadly failed to jump the Map Station though. :p Under an hour is pretty simple on Easy, huh?

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/21/2016 11:17 PM I'm torn about this result. On one hand, I could have ignored the four Super Missile pickups I got in Chozodia and shaved a minute or two off. On the other, I could have gone for 50% in under an hour and pushed myself. :p In any event, that was what I set out to do. The last three runs have been entirely draining, so I wanted to abuse the game a bit. E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 10:16 PM ·Spoilers I had a busy day, and decided to start my 15%er on Hard mode in the wee hours. I feel pretty clever right now, going after the Varia early. I'm sure there is Bomb Jumping insanity that can get you there, but I've chosen to use an enemy Ice Beam exploit. Getting him up here took me a lot of time to get the timing right, but I'm on my way. Then it's Ridley first time!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 10:39 PM ·Spoilers There we go! No Hi-Jump? No problem. It's incredibly irritating that an enemy sometimes randomly shows up in there, invalidating the work of making a path and waiting for one. :p

After seeing what Hard mode has to offer in the way of damage, my intention is to use my extra six percent on three E-Tanks (two down, the third I'll take after Ridley), the Screw Attack, and two Super Missile expansions

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 10:41 PM as long as I can figure out how to skip that one regular Missile that befuddles me. I apologize for copying your allotment Nintenbroer, but it just makes the most sense heh ...

E Yeah♥ e 1 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 10:56 PM ·Spoilers The two missile maximum definitely crossed my mind when thinking about this brilliant encounter during the run. The lack of Hi-Jump did not. Oh boy ...

I'm also in very unfamiliar territory w/ the next boss, as the Brinstar Super Missile circumvented any need to fight him at all during my 15%er on Normal, and during the two 100% sub-2 hour runs where I've fought it, I had incredible resources. E Yeah!? e 0 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 11:00 PM ·Spoilers Also, I must be crazy saying I'll hold off on that final Tank until after the Ridley fight. It's just along the exit route, but I'll grab it before the battle. Also also (:p), I can only take two Supers total. I forgot that's not one of the mandatory items ... which really has me thinking. How do you enter Ridley w/out one? Hrrm, I need to investigate that on my original 100% file.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 11:18 PM ·Spoilers It's probably a kill two birds w/ one stone scenario when it comes to my problem skipping that one pickup. Hrrrmm ... anyway, seeing this Ridley cut scene out of sequence for the first time is neat. That was quite a grind ... even if I can get around the wasp fight for an initial Super Missile, I'm not sure if there is a different second one I can get w/out extreme effort anyway. E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 11:23 PM ·Spoilers Well that wasn't much of a search! Pretty limited area to canvas, heh ... I'd noticed some out of place bombable blocks during my original 100% run while scouring w/ Power Bombs. Wow! That's a huge shortcut! So I can get one Super Missile here, but a second seems improbable. I don't think I can't get back to the easiest one in Norfair ... a new boss fight learning experience it might have to be.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 11:31 PM ·Spoilers Ah, a tough choice honestly ... because this one is locked behind a Super Missile block, which slipped my mind, and the other is locked behind a regular Missile expansion I have no interest in. So I could really run around to have two for Tourian, which I'll be in desperate need of quite frankly, after fighting Ridley w/ none. Ugh. Nope, wasp learning it is! E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Stagger 01/22/2016 11:46 PM ·Spoilers I owe the Ridley experience on my 15% Normal run for this. It reminded me that the raw power exercises were foolish, and to actually observe a pattern. This was an easy spot to find, and while an even slower victory than methodically working Ridley's underside, it's more foolproof when it comes to damage. Vintage safe spot. I just checked out the flight pattern once; this was easy to identify.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 12:04 AM ·Spoilers As I said in the lead to the post, this is where it gets pretty rough. I've opted for Ridley prior to Kraid because a two regular Missile fight w/ him on Hard just sounded abysmal. I'm at my max stats now too, which helps for both cases. Even though I understand the pace and position here, this is still a lot tougher to execute than simply hiding in a corner w/ an 8-bit Wave Beam. :p Tomorrow! E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 12:25 AM ·Spoilers Or tonight! Aw yeah! Not remotely as tough as what's to come in Tourian and beyond, but that's a big hurdle cleared. I made one huge mistake after a fortunate Super Missile drop caused me to rush into the claw, but I gathered myself patiently after surviving w/ 01 energy! That was intense. No way I'm not trying to march through Kraid right now ...

E Yeah! e 1 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 12:50 AM ·Spoilers A complication has arisen. I didn't consider what a challenge it would be to get the Screw Attack w/out the Speed Booster. Hrrm ... I believe there is a Wall Jumping way to get around it if I can cross this final impasse here, involving some well hidden Missile blocks I remember from the eleven plus hours I spent exploring on my initial playthrough. I didn't consider it during my 100% under 2 hour E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 12:53 AM ·Spoilers runs, because I needed everything else too, but it definitely applies here.

I just want to say getting out of Ridley and traversing Norfair to this point has been awesome. Such well hidden and technical sections to circumvent sequence ... also, I used a Chozo statue to refill my two missiles, and its guidepost function was disabled w/ the Kraid one still active. Nifty! Saved screen here btw.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 1:03 AM Ah, just a little horizontal bomb jump at the end worked ... I can't chain them together, but I can hit a finish to a vertical one. I bet a frozen enemy and wall jump would have worked too. I also never realized Super Missiles function on regular Missile blocks and doors, which is good, because it takes five total to get here, and relying on a two out of three drop rate from those enemies could

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 1:39 AM ·Spoilers That took some patience and consideration, yeesh ... the two Super Missiles only shorten the proceedings. Given it takes one ballistic shot to open Kraid up, they're kind of just opening fodder unless you're disciplined and can save them for the end. I've got to figure my way out of here sans Booster and park Samus in Tourian, then call it a night.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 11:47 AM ·Spoilers This is going to be quite a slog! As much as I anticipate the escape after MB w/ half time and no Hi-Jump to be the ultimate nightmare of this section, the Metroid swarm is going to be as much grinding as a human can bear. The red circle beams (Rinku is the enemy name iirc from years ago) seem to treat Super Missile drops like milestones, so until I hit on green ones, I'll be inching along.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 12:25 PM ·Spoilers Who in their right mind 9 or 10 percents Hard mode? This alone is mind numbing, let alone the other challenges available w/out a solitary Super Missile. Good gravy, I'm thankful to have made the second Tourian Save Station.

E Yeah!? e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 12:51 PM ·Spoilers The way to Mother Brain is clear. I've obviously exterminated all of the galaxy's Metroids, so mission accomplished forever, right? :p I'm a little befuddled as to how the four barrier enemies could be taken out on a 9% run on Hard mode. Even if you mined Mssile drops from three Rinkus on screen at once, I still think they'd regenerate too fast. Perhaps this is what makes 10% mandatory?

E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 2:52 PM ·Spoilers *sigh*

I thought about making it a one word comment. The Mother Brain fight is so unforgiving. For me it's actually the vagaries of the little turrets, and how they throw off a good rhythm on the twin Rinkus, that throws the biggest wrench into the riggings. The Screw Attack gives me a fighting chance, and on my fourth look at an escape w/ no Speed Boost or Hi-Jump, this is my best so far. E Yeah... e 0 D

Nintendoer 01/23/2016 2:57 PM It's tough! The Mother Brain fight gets easier the more you do it, but the escape is the main event of this leg of the run.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll get it soon.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 3:40 PM ·Spoilers Thanks bro, I'll get it after some vittles. The fight does get easier, as I've become prepared for any circumstance concerning getting the Rinkus back in line or catching a stray turret shot and minimizing damage. It's still pretty unforgiving, but nothing like that escape. Crazy pressure to execute flawlessly ... I'm sure I'll rage at the bomb jump a few times before elation.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 6:56 PM ·Spoilers Breaking the theme screen of the post, never felt better to get here than on this run ... I got to where beating MB was basically automatic whenever I was patient enough to grind if I slipped up once. That bomb jump on the escape is brutal. You absolutely have to one-time it. What do you think 'doer? Is about two (and a half maybe) seconds to spare about the maximum under these restrictions?

E Yeah! e 0 D Nintendoer 01/23/2016 6:59 PM I would say closer to four. Probably all the way to 10 or 15 if you're a pro at wall-jumping and know the first escape room by heart.

Which I do not, nor can I consistently wall-jump correctly.

Nicely done! IMO, that was the hardest part of the run.

E Yeah♥ e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 7:01 PM Oh I copy! If you have proficiency in the single wall variety and know how to avoid the blockages using that technique ... I didn't even consider that move. Give me two walls, I'm pretty decent. :p Four w/out it seems amazing though!

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/23/2016 7:38 PM ·Spoilers I'm not sure I've mentioned how much I like this interlude and battle.

There's only one portion of the cloak and dagger section that I find difficult to not take a hit in, but I'm still pretty happy w/ the pickup choice given the amount of Pirates I'll be dealing w/ soon. No OHKOs until the end please ...

E Yeah! e 0 D Stagger 01/23/2016 8:12 PM ·Spoilers Yup. I'm very happy w/ my choice to use half of my six pickups outside the mandatory nine on E-tanks. Reaching the Save Station before the finale from the Chozo Ruins was just the right amount of tough. Of course, I might be pining for a super missile or three more shortly, but what I'm really fearing is the escape, so ... not that Mecha will be a treat.

E Yeah! e 0 D

Stagger 01/24/2016 1:07 AM ·Spoilers The escape from Tourian was definitely the toughest part 'doer. I took a break to eat and got wrapped up in a tennis match on the telly, but once I got into a good rhythm on the eye lasers, taking out Mecha-Ridley was basically just a function of how kind the drops were. I did it once w/out an additional Super Missile while getting the Pirate patterns down cold, but it was a lot harder.

E Yeah! e 0 D Add a Comment

You must sign in to post a comment.

Sign in using a Nintendo Network ID to connect to users around the world by writing posts and comments and by giving Yeahs to other people's posts. You can create a Nintendo Network ID using your Wii U console or your system in the Nintendo 3DS family.

Use of Miiverse

Details about Miiverse

Interest-Based Ads Contact Us Privacy Notice © 2017 Nintendo