Whose anatomy should we look at next?

Posted on by J. Parish

I’ve just wrapped the second chapter of the apparently-a-thing-now Anatomy of a Game write-ups, and I went to Twitter to se what I should do next. A healthy majority of responses said “Zelda” and “Metroid,” so now I put it to you. Which first? Zelda, or Metroid? The courtesy of your response is requested in the comments thread. 

Also don’t forget that today is the last day to use the Blurb coupon code WONDERFUL if you were interested in picking up any GameSpite books. I’m not sure when their next sale code will come up, and their regular pricing has gotten pretty bad.

35 thoughts on “Whose anatomy should we look at next?”

  3. Of the two, I’d have to say Metroid, but I’d also like to see an in-depth analysis of Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

  4. I vote for Metroid. Fits in nicely with Castlevania for all sorts of reasons, the most painful being nobody at their respective company is interested in making new games in the series.

  5. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia,because I’d love to see an in depth explanation of what you think is wrong with that game.

  6. I agree with the Metroid comments, but would prefer if you skipped the first games and went straight to Super Metroid.

  7. I would personally prefer Metroid, but I eagerly look forward to your insight on either. This has probably been my favorite content you have ever done, and that’s saying a lot.

  8. Oh, and as for the actual options…Metroid. I should read entire sentences instead of just the parts that make me want to blurt out self-centered requests. >_>

  9. I’ll put my vote down for Metroid as well. Maybe a look at how the series evolved from the original NES title through the SNES pinnacle of the series.

  10. Loved the Castlevania II feature, thank you. With that, I’d vote for Metroid to be covered in such detail.

  11. I saw this, and was like, “oh god I hope everyone asks for Metroid!” And it looks like everybody is. Anyways, I’m gonna say Metroid. For sure.

  13. I was absolutely going to throw my vote in for Metroid, but I think you’ve espoused on it quite a bit over the years as I think about it. So I’d love to see it next, but I’m voting for Zelda, which I don’t feel you’ve written quite as much about to date.

    Also I tend to appreciate Metroid more than I do Zelda already, so I’m more curious in that respect as well.

  14. I vote for Zelda. I hope your long-term list includes Yoshi’s Island.

    I think these articles are wonderful, by the way, and I would love to see you (and the others) bring some of the same, careful analysis, detailed to modern games at 1up. I would love to see this kind of long-form, in-depth (and spoiler-filled) analysis applied to current games with innovative and interesting designs. There are tons of possibilities, but Mario Galaxy would be a natural place to start. These features are far more interesting than simple review, which is just supposed to help you decide whether or not to buy something, and which have to steer clear of any spoilers. These kinds of articles can give you a much better appreciate of what a game is trying to do, so you actually enjoy the experience of playing more.

    Anyway, great job, is the point.

    Also, are you ever going to review Xenoblade?

  16. While I’d love to see a Zelda analysis at some point (especially for Link to the Past), my vote goes to Metroid for now.

  17. What Caithness said. It may be just me, but Dracula’s Curse doesn’t seem to get anywhere near as much attention as Castlevania and Simon’s Quest, despite being an excellent return to form with a lot of improvements.

  19. Count me as an in for Zelda. We’ve been through the design of Metroid and Super Metroid with a fine-toothed comb dozens of times, but I’d love to see what you make of Zelda!

  22. Zelda. An analysis of the original game could form the basis of a future volume of GSJ that also encompasses how the mechanics established in the core game evolved (or regressed) over the course of the series, and the cover of the book could be done up to look like the Book of Magic from LoZ. This volume would release around Christmas and would make a delightful companion to the western release of Hyrule Historia.

    I AM JUST SAYING.

  24. I’d like to see more Castlevania. III, IV, Bloodlines, both Dracula X games…

    It’s not urgent, though. I vote Metroid.

  25. Zelda! Metroid is a good subject as well, but I’ve seen that one picked apart a lot of times, and Zelda not so much.

  26. Metroid. Please do the entire series! If not, why not do something less universally loved, like Fusion or Other M? That would fit nicely with your dissection of Simon’s Quest.

  28. I’d be keen on more Castlevania.
    Maybe Clash at Demonhead? I don’t recall if the stages were interesting to hold up to this sort of look, though.

  29. Since Metroid basically tries to deliver the same kind of freedom of exploration as The Legend of Zelda I recommend analyzing Zelda first and contrasting Metroid to it at a later point. If I remember right Zelda came first, so it’d be interesting to see how it influenced Metroid’s design.

  32. Metroid! Bionic Commando and Goonies II could also be great, whatever you have the time and energy for.

    Your writing inspired me to pick up Castlevania on Virtual Console, which was more demanding than most games I’ve played lately and really satisfying. I even beat the game, which is more than I can say for young me. When I was little, I thought the holy water looked wimpy and I never noticed that it could stun bosses, so I don’t think I ever got past Frankenstein’s monster.

  33. Metroid for sure; I’ve enjoyed the older articles you’ve written about it, and it’d be a great read.

  34. How about the black sheep of the Zelda series, Zelda 2? It could make for an interesting contrast with the rest of the series.

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