Tech Blog

[#1]

Samus returns in Nintendo and Team Ninja’s unconventional approach to a game that defined a genre. The Bounty Hunter that most of the galaxy has a right to fear is in top form, with her upgradable suit, her charge cannon, and her spine-snapping morph ball in this third person... no... first person... 2D... wait, 3D action adventure puzzler.

The first thing you’ll notice when you boot up the game is that you’re told to hold the Wii remote sideways, like an old NES controller. Many new Wii games are turning to this simpler control scheme, using the D-pad for control and the the 1, 2, A and b buttons for interaction. Other M has the fascinating element of shifting to first person perspective by pointing the remote at the screen, allowing you lock onto your enemies and fire at them from a fixed point. It’s a fascinating way to draw you, as the gamer, into the field of play, and it really shifts how you’ll look at ever 2.5D vista.

Visuals

To start off with, the game looks great. It’s filled with bright colours, and recognizable enemies. The action is fast and frenetic, and it maintains a smooth frame rate even when Samus is besieged by multiple foes. Shifting from third to first person and back again is flawless. Team Ninja has also done a phenomenal job in animating Samus; her acrobatics are just as nimble as ever–more so, even, as she can now pull off incredible finishing moves that have never been possible (or necessary) before.

The downside is that the game is still only standard definition, which will leave your HDTV feeling a little flat. The advanced textures and shading that you’ll find in HD titles are also missing, something that is indeed noticeable as you get up close to the environments and enemies in first person mode. It’s not terribly distracting, but it’s still abig miss.

Sound

Other M does a great job putting the Wii’s Dolby Pro Logic II surround capabilities to great use. If you’ve got a home receiver that can do Pro Logic II you’re in for a real treat. Traditional Metroid sound effects resonate remarkably well in this new environment. Weapons feel powerful and Samus’ movements feel suitably epic.

The one place where the sound falls short is the dialogue. To be frank: it’s bad. For a game that’s supposed to be centred on telling Samus’ back story it does a remarkable job of making me not care very quickly. It would be really fantastic if there were ways of just skipping past most of this stuff. To paraphrase my parents: I’m not angry, Team Ninja and Nintendo, but when it comes to the cutscenes and the voices, I am very disappointed.

Gameplay

Okay, here’s the deal. If you’re looking for a) a Metroid-vania game like Super Metroid or b) a Metroid Prime game you need to stop right now and toss those expectations out the window. Metroid Other M is its own game, and it’s not here to let you replay the classics of your childhood/young adulthood, etc.

The mechanics are new, the fighting is new, and if you’re like me you’re going to have a frustratingly hard time adjusting to them as you’re trying to play the game like the aforementioned Super Metroid and Prime games.

Things I like about Other M: It’s fast. Really fast. The dodging, activated by tapping the D-pad right before you’re about to be hit, is an effective way to move, and the auto-lock-on does a good job of annihilating your foes as you quite literally bounce around the room.

Things I don’t like about Other M: it’s clunky. The digital D-pad means there’s no gradual run, you’re either standing still or you’re at a full-tilt sprint–it’s not a good way to get around, especially in a game where there are ledges to be traversed. Shifting to first person mode roots you to the spot where you’re standing, with no strafing or Prime-like first person navigation. That frequently leaves you as a sitting duck for enemies that make a bee-line for you as soon as you flip the controller towards the TV.

Metroid Other M has a difficulty level that’s due in part to having to wrestle with and juggle the controls. Some old-school gamers would say that that is a good thing; I’m of the opinion that it’s not great game design and that the control scheme needed more time in development.

Your experience with Other M may vary, but I found it to be a fun game that frequently had me saying some not-quite-nice things at the screen as I fumbled with the mechanics. As time wore on and I played through I began to adapt to what was expected of me, and I made my way up the learning curve. The upside was that I got a lot better at the game through that process, the downside was that the process wasn’t very fun. However, by the time I did get a handle on the controls, I was pulling off some crazy Ninja Gaiden-inspired stuff, making me feel like the Bounty Hunter I want Samus to be.

Verdict

Metroid Other M isn’t the Metroid game you were waiting for, but it’s the Metroid game that we’ve got. It’s an experiment in gameplay, and full credit is due to Team Ninja and Nintendo for trying something new. I don’t think we’re going to see another game in this style again–nor do we need one. Other M does a great job of being Other M; the next game in the series should head in a different direction.

The question is: “Is Metroid Other M worth owning?” and the answer is yes . If you’re a Metroid fan, a Team Ninja Fan, or you just like high action-adventure games, you’ll find a lot to like in Metroid Other M. There is an interesting story in there as well, buried under some rather bad cutscenes and terrible dialogue, so if you’re a lore purist you’ll find something here for you too.

The best advice I could give to you is this: don’t expect Super Metroid or any of the Primes, and be ready to exercise a lot of patience. Between those two elements, you’ll find a Metroid game that’s worth playing and worth owning.

[#2]

Even though it doesn't sound like a bad game, it seems ashame that it might let the excellent series down a bit seeing as all past Metroid games have been excellent.

There have been some quite mixed reviews so far for sure!