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Review

Metroid: Other M (Wii) Review

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Let me open this review with a few comments that will most probably ring true. You, as a reader will probably be disappointed with some aspects of my review of Metroid: Other M. Secondly, as a player of the game itself, you will most probably also be disappointed with at least some aspect of the game, too. With that out of the way, however, it’s important to note that Other M is by no means a bad game, nor a bad Metroid game. It’s just not necessarily anything revolutionary or as ground breaking as the last time the series got a make over. What I like to refer to as Nintendo’s first product that attempts to bring back the core audience to the Wii, Metroid: Other M is an extremely ambitious title from both Nintendo and co-developer Team Ninja. And the final product of this collaboration is not all that bad, really – most of the complaints that you’ve no doubt read about are overblown.

Metroid: Other M takes place between the events of Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, and follows Samus Aran’s exploits with Adam Malkovich and the Galactic Federation, the former of which was a character briefly touched upon during the events of Metroid Fusion. In fact, most of this game’s development team seems to have taken a bit of inspiration from the latest (chronologically) title in the series, and as such Metroid Fusion is definitely “required reading” for those looking for smaller nuances within the story.

In an incredible show of fan service, Metroid: Other M opens with a beautifully rendered cutscene of the final battle between Samus and the Mother Brain at the climax of Super Metroid, as well as the infamous hatchling Metroid sacrificing itself in order to allow Samus to administer the killing blow. Following her escape from the destruction of Planet Zebes, Samus intercepts a distress signal rather awkwardly named “Baby’s Cry” from a seemingly abandoned ship known as the “Bottle Ship”. Of course, following her arrival and light exploration of the ship, Samus runs into a group of Galactic Federation soldiers, led by her old friends Anthony Higgs as well as her previous commanding officer, Adam Malkovich. Adam is initially cold and disconnected with Samus and this is part of the mystery explored within Other M’s story, specifically her own backstory with the federation and Adam. Eventually, the team decides to split up and explore the Bottle Ship, which hides many secrets and monstrous creations that many weren’t even meant to find.

The major focus of Metroid: Other M’s design is the storyline and the development of Samus’ character in particular. Many would argue that it’s about time, since Samus has done so much without really saying a word, but others argue that it removes an element from the mysterious nature of the character. Thankfully, the back story provided in Other M is not only appropriate, but suits the character quite well. The voice actor for Samus in particular remains stoic and yet still portrays Samus in a manner that not only makes her seem emotionally able, but still a hard-ass bounty hunter like you’d expect. It’s definitely a different experience, particularly for a Metroid title, but it’s something that just works well, and it really surprised me how much the personality supplemented the Samus Aran we all love and know, without really destroying any conceptions that we may have of her already.

Overall, the story is littered with fan service from not only the original game but also through to Fusion as well. Unfortunately, despite having a rather well put together story, there’s quite a few plot points left undeveloped and quite simply forgotten about by game’s end, as well as some plot twists that are extremely easy to guess to anyone who’s both a fan of the series and has half a brain. It’s as if the developers just want to keep throwing clues at the player to work things out for themselves. Unfortunately, during some rather emotionally heavy cutscenes, this predictability is bound to hamper the experience. Additionally, the game seems to dangle some amazing stuff in front of you only to snatch it out of your hands shortly thereafter. Still, for a first effort, this whole narrative and presentation of characters is quite an appealing offering from the team at Project M.

Graphically speaking, unfortunately, this game is a bit of a mixed bag. While it runs quite well and the engine itself is extremely versatile in rendering quite a bit without any hiccups, there’s simply not that much going on in the environments. This creates a kind of disconnect and really brings players out of the atmosphere that the team is going for, particularly when players consider what these environments are supposedly used for in the game’s story. Character models are nice but lack detailed textures, while a lot of environments are really just feeling really sterile, particularly the ship’s corridors. This lack of real proper texturing really gives the game a rather unpolished feel. Samus herself, though, looks amazing in-game and during cutscenes as usual. Enemies are well modelled too, some of which are lifted straight from other games and translated into the third dimension. Thankfully, and no doubt by Nintendo’s hand, all of the creatures featured in the game look and animate amazingly too.

Of course, one of the reasons Other M has received so much attention from players and non-players alike is the beautifully rendered FMV cutscenes throughout the game. These cutscenes are mainly reserved to develop Samus’ backstory and for crucial plot points, though you’ll notice that the game slips into them for a few minor scenes too. And that’s what is great about these scenes, they’re transitioned in a manner that the jump in quality is hardly noticed, something quite hard to pull off when using both in-game scenes and pre-rendered ones. For those worrying that the game will turn into Metroid Gear Solid (aka more cutscenes than gameplay), do not fret, these cutscenes are peppered throughout the beginning, middle and end of the game and in a very digestable fashion. Unfortunately, there is no way to pause or skip these and this was particularly annoying for me during a particular scene I wanted to watch but had other things to urgently attend to.

Probably one of the most controversial aspects of Metroid: Other M is the changes to the gameplay that the game has brought about, and once again, a shift away from the standard that Prime has set. The game is played entirely with the Wii Remote alone, held sideways like in New Super Mario Bros. or other similar titles. 1 allows Samus to shoot, 2 allows her to jump and the A button is used for the Morph Ball. It’s extremely simplistic in nature and it no doubt serves as a great introduction title for new players to the series as well as something that any gamer could pick up and play. Unfortunately, due to the limited control scheme, the game makes use of an auto-aim mechanic for plain firing that removes a lot of challenge from the game.

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Not content with completely removing the first person elements from the series, the developers have also implemented a first person view from which Samus can aim freely, look around for clues and activate switches not usually in view. The first person mode is activated simply by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen, while looking around is done by holding the B-trigger while moving the remote outside of the bounding area. First-person view also plays an important role in that it is also the only way Samus can access her missile power-ups. The switch between first person and third person is quite jarring at first, but within an hour players will be resourcefully combining the two to become quite an unstoppable bounty hunter. Unfortunately, during this mode Samus cannot move, although those who master the art of switching between viewpoints will probably see this as a non-issue. Of course, scanning does make a return, albeit in an EXTREMELY limited form (more on that later.)

Of course, being developed by a new developer with a history in action games, you’d expect quite a lot of the gameplay to be retooled to accommodate the developer’s pedigree. Now, the crushing blow to some fans, there is more of an emphasis on combat in Metroid: Other M, but not in a bad way. Samus can now utilise a “Sense Move” to dodge attacks simply by tapping the D-Pad in any direction just before being attacked. These moves are easy to pull off and feel incredibly cool, and if the player happens to be charging a beam attack, a successful sense move will bring it to full charge instantly, adding an element of strategy to combat. Similarly, charging and approaching enemies initiates a cinematic finishing move, adding quite a bad ass element to Samus’s character, showing us things she hasn’t done in previous games at all.

One of the things I’ve personally found quite compelling throughout the Metroid series is the presence of amazing boss characters coupled with some pretty memorable battles. I’d love to say that Metroid: Other M features some pretty nice boss battles but quite frankly, it doesn’t. In fact, a lot of the boss battles in Other M feel just like standard enemy battles but with extra health. This is further confirmed by the fact that a lot of the enemies that are introduced in boss-like fashion are featured as regular enemies later on in the game. Still, outside of a couple of battles, there’s nothing as memorable as previous battles in the series, which is quite a disappointment. There are some returning bosses from other games that will no doubt make fans smile in recognition, though.

There are, however, some things that will no doubt divide fans. The largest and most irritating thing is that during some cinematic moments, the game freezes and Samus must pinpoint something out of the ordinary to carry on. These sequences are a nuisance because the things that you usually need to pick out are way too small and there is no direction or clues as to what you’re meant to be looking for. Similarly, there are some confined spaces where Samus cannot attack and the camera moves into a Resident Evil 4-style viewpoint while Samus looks around. Unfortunately, these segments also inherit the controls from Resident Evil 4 and these do not work on a D-Pad at all. Quite bluntly, the game would flow a lot better without these sequences. Secondly, and more controversially, Samus begins the game with all her power ups and is required to have them “authorised” by Adam before she can use them while aboard the Bottle Ship. I was not a fan of this idea on paper, but in game it works perfectly and doesn’t feel clunky narrative-wise. Finally, the scanning element from Metroid Prime is no longer present, and while not everyone may have enjoyed it I feel that it really added another level of depth and backstory to the game. Samus can still scan weak points in structures to determine which power up is needed to pass it, but outside of that, there is no more scanning. This is a good or a bad thing depending on your previous preferences, though information on your environment and the ecosystem is no longer available as a result, removing a bit of the charm of the world.

The biggest question people will no doubt be asking is whether or not Metroid Other M is a “Metroid” game or just a side product with no real resemblance or belonging within the series. Thankfully though, it’s still just as Metroid-like as any of the previous games in the series. There are tons of nods to gameplay elements from previous games, there is still backtracking (although in a much more limited capacity) and the feeling of solitude is definitely still there. The presence of the GF soldiers throughout the game does not hamper the feelings of isolation at all, with the characters hardly ever contacting throughout the campaign unless necessary. The general notion of an ice world, a fire world and a nature/grass themed world are still there. The only real thing people could fault it for is that it’s simply too streamlined and too linear at times, but considering the way the game is structured in a design manner and in terms of the narrative, it works and flows perfectly. In this regard, I would safely refer the game to take a lot of design cues from Metroid Fusion, in that the story is well developed but the feeling of free-roaming exploration is rather diminished in its importance.

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Metroid: Other M does a lot differently in the sound department to previous titles in the series. First of all, there are hardly any epic pieces of music played as Samus explores various different environments, nor when things of grave importance are being played out in cutscenes. Most of the tracks, in fact, are ambient tracks that go for the “less is more” approach. Specifically, the lack of intense music really helps players settle into the role of Samus and explore her surroundings and actually “feel” like they’re there. The few pieces of music that do play, however, are quite well remixed classic tunes that fans will no doubt recognise from previous titles in the series.

The second, and once again, most controversial, is the choice by the developers to actually give Samus Aran a voice. For the first time in Metroid history, Samus actually speaks, and unfortunately she seems to drone on about things that she could probably sum up in about one sentence instead of three. Her voice actor is quite talented, you can tell that much, though it’s disappointing to see what could’ve been either bad direction or a bad script really ruin some of the delivery of some rather awkward lines. That being said, Samus’s voice is detached enough throughout the story that when she eventually does break down during some more emotionally taxing scenes, you genuinely feel for her. It’s quite well done overall. Thankfully, the voice work of the supporting characters also holds up quite well.

For a series that has developed a rather loyal speed running community, the game is much shorter than the Prime games that have just passed, though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At no time does the game feel like it’s overstaying its welcome, and the plot and story flows quite well. Upon completion of the game through my first run, I had 53% completion with about eight hours of gameplay logged. For those looking to get full completion, there’s a few more hours in there, at least four more. Upon completion, players can tackle Hard Mode, where no missile expansions or energy tanks are available, or watch the whole game in a beautifully put together movie in Theatre Mode. Finally, there is a rather interesting gallery to look through, too. Outside of that, however, there is not a whole lot to do upon completing Other M.

Metroid: Other M is probably one of the hardest games that I’ve had to review in all my times as a game reviewer, namely because I had to put my expectations and preconceptions that I developed from pre-release media and judge the game purely as its own game and not comparing it to anything else. In that regard, and even if you do compare it to other games, Metroid: Other M takes the franchise somewhere that won’t hurt the series to go, and develops not only its main characters, but adds a significant chunk of backstory to fit within the current timeline of the series. Thankfully, upon strong reflection, I’ve decided that Metroid: Other M is definitely a strong and well put together Metroid title, and where other titles falter, Other M mostly picks up the slack. This is a title that that almost every Wii owner should play, and one that every newcomer to the series could comfortably start with. Oh, and as a parting word, the game continues on after the credits with something fairly significant – so don’t switch your Wii off once you’re done. We’re sure series vets will be pleased with what follows.

Metroid: Other M is without a doubt a Metroid game and a very competent, if not an above average one at that. Nintendo and Team Ninja have managed to successfully create yet another fusion of genres that appeals not only to long time fans but also to those new to the series, more so with the latter. I am anxiously awaiting the next instalment of the Metroid franchise, and if its going to be anything like this, with a few improvements, I could definitely get used to it. One of the best titles available for the Wii.

Graphics 7.5

Great character model for Samus and some really ambitious environmental designs, although the game doesnt really feel alive at any point, nor do the side characters look properly finished, lacking decent texture work. To its credit, the game does run quite smoothly.

Gameplay 8.0

Generally speaking, all the classic Metroid gameplay is still intact, with a few new features jazzing up the formula and focusing a bit more on combat. Fans will be disappointed with the lack of backtracking and the way power-ups are handled, though these things do work when you actually play through the game. The extremely linear design, however, is what brings this game down.

Sound 8.0

The music, while not abundant in its presence provides a great ambient back track to the exploration of the Bottle Ship. Similarly, during intense boss battles the pieces played all do their job quite admirably. Voice acting is included as a first, and, its not that great for Samus but decent enough for supporting characters. To be fair, Samus voice is most probably the result of a combination of bad translations and poor direction, the voice itself is perfect.

Tilt 7.5

Clocking in at around seven to eight hours, with an extra three for complete completion. While Completionists and those looking for more of a challenge can attempt to tackle the Hard Mode, the game doesnt offer a whole lot more to do upon finishing it. However, its length is more than satisfactory when you consider some games being release on the HD consoles that are less than six hours in length. Best of all, Other M never outstays its welcome.

Value 9.5

Going in sceptical and sure that I wouldnt enjoy it, Nintendo once again proved me wrong. Other M is not the best Metroid game, but I had a lot of fun exploring yet another derelict space station, and the added narrative further compelled me to keep moving forward to see how things played out. The game is extremely simple and accessible and this really appealed to me.

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About The Author
James Mitchell
Avid gamer since I was as young as three years old when I received my first NES. Currently studying full time and consider myself a balanced gamer. Enjoy games on all systems, from all genres, on all platforms. Sometimes feels like he's too optimistic for this industry.

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