Interview with LeRoy Strauss - The Interview [Page 2]

.:Version Differences, Sequence Breaking and Secret Worlds:.

10. Metroid Prime thankfully carries on the - originally unintended - long-term Metroid tradition of "Sequence Breaking" (the way that players collect items out of the designed order). What is the attitude within Retro and the Prime team towards this aspect of the game, such as collecting the Plasma Beam without the Spider Ball or the Grapple beam? Were you all annoyed at us for breaking the game down in such a deep way that we were exposing the numerous glitches within the game? Or were many of you flattered that we were pushing the game much farther than ever was intended/expected?

I was flattered people played it that much and in-depth. :) They should sign on to become Nintendo game testers! HeH!

11. There are 3 different versions of Prime in existence (Original Version, PAL/Japanese and US Players Choice Edition). Each of the later versions have their own baffling changes that have been made to them. Most of them seem to have been changes to prevent some of the better-known sequence breaks. Would you happen to know why so many bizarre changes were made (other than those that prevent the game from crashing)? And would you happen to know whether if it was Retro or Nintendo themselves that requested the changes to be made?

To this I actually don't know for sure. I am sure it was a bit of both. Some times things just slip through or get changed for various reasons. I have heard of games crashing I just hope it wasn't too often and that people didn't get too upset. That's not me trying to make an excuse its just the that some things are unforeseen. Nintendo goes to insane lengths to make sure that only quality comes out.

12. With all of the existing information now available to Retro about Sequence Breaking and all of the recent developments with the games "Secret Worlds", do you think that Retro studios will be taking an active effort to prevent people from breaking the designed sequence in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (similar to Metroid Fusion), or do you think that they will still allow room for people to break the game apart in similar ways that has happened to Zero Mission?

Well that is up to Nintendo and the Design team to make that be available as secrets... or accidents. ;)