Metroid Other M

[steveovig]

I went to Best Buy to buy LA Machine Guns but they didn't have it so I ended up buying Metroid and I don't really regret. It takes some getting used to but the controls and everything seem fine to me. I like the game but it hasn't caught me like the GBA games or Super Metroid or even the GC games. No real major complaints so far from me.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

I'm 3.5 hours in after one sitting. Any game that makes me want to play it like that is good. There are some things that annoy the heck out of me, however. First of all, is how dumbed down the game feels because of the auto dodge and aim. It doesn't feel like I'm in control and all the amazing stuff happening on screen is not my doing. Then, you have the annoying first person mode. It's gotta be one of the most awkward gameplay systems ever. It makes me not even want to fire missiles unless it's absolutely necessary because shooting with the normal beam is safer and less irritating. Last but not least, is the fact that this is a 3D game being controlled with a tiny tiny Dpad. The designer who thought this was a good idea should get shot and cremated.

I still have to finish the game and finish the game on Hard, so this is more like initial impressions.

[Skykid]

First of all, is how dumbed down the game feels because of the auto dodge and aim. It doesn't feel like I'm in control and all the amazing stuff happening on screen is not my doing.

Welcome to modern videogaming, taking the player out of the action since 2005.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

First of all, is how dumbed down the game feels because of the auto dodge and aim. It doesn't feel like I'm in control and all the amazing stuff happening on screen is not my doing.

Welcome to modern videogaming, taking the player out of the action since 2005.

We need more hardcore like God Hand and Demon Souls.

[Ed Oscuro]

Did you go through the credits... all the way through. It might not be over for you yet. I don't want to say more do to spoilers.

SPOILERS there is more. upside-down castle coming right up

[JoshF]

I didn't collect all the missiles/kill the alien ninja turtles before it went back to Blockbuster. You telling me I missed a chapter in the fanfiction and another mash d-pad for insta-dodge boss?

[Strider77]

I didn't collect all the missiles/kill the alien ninja turtles before it went back to Blockbuster. You telling me I missed a chapter in the fanfiction and another mash d-pad for insta-dodge boss?

sure

[njiska]

The more I play this, the more I want to royally slap whoever designed the control scheme. Too many times have I used the morph ball instead of concentrating to recover health because the Wii didn't notice I was pointing up. Too many times did I fail to defeat a boss because it was slow to switch to first person mode. Too many times did I spend failing to make the jump I wanted because d-pads and 3D movement are not meant to go together. Analog sticks became popular for exactly this reason and Nintendo should know this! (Remember Mario 64?)

If it weren't for the fact I want to complete a review of this title I'd just give up now. Unfortunately I just don't have that options. Every control problem could have been solved just by using the Nunchuck, but no, they just couldn't do it. Instead they had to go for NSMB-style classic title your controller play and that just fucked everything up. Ridiculous.

Ok rant over. 4 Hours of this shit and a very sore left thumb will make you go a little crazy.

[linko9]

Weird, I was pleasantly surprised with the controls. I never felt like I needed analog control, even though I expected I would. And the guy you want to slap is Yoshio Sakamoto (creepy guy who calls Samus his daughter, even though he had nothing to do with her design, and didn't even come up with the idea of her being female). Team Ninja really wanted to use the nunchuck, but Sakamoto insisted on using the Wiimote only.

[JoshF]

Ah, so that's why the veteran bounty hunter looks 18. That's the age Sakamoto wants to fuck his daughter at.

Even with the nunchuck it wouldn't compare to Devil May Cry 1. It's barely better than Tomb Raider 1.

[njiska]

Weird, I was pleasantly surprised with the controls. I never felt like I needed analog control, even though I expected I would. And the guy you want to slap is Yoshio Sakamoto (creepy guy who calls Samus his daughter, even though he had nothing to do with her design, and didn't even come up with the idea of her being female). Team Ninja really wanted to use the nunchuck, but Sakamoto insisted on using the Wiimote only.

Happen to have a source for that comment? I am intrigued.

[Drum]

The controls are excellent. Transitioning to first person is tiresome, but that's it. Pretty easily the best controls in a 3d action game, real talk.

I thought everything else about it was weak-miserable though.

[linko9]

Weird, I was pleasantly surprised with the controls. I never felt like I needed analog control, even though I expected I would. And the guy you want to slap is Yoshio Sakamoto (creepy guy who calls Samus his daughter, even though he had nothing to do with her design, and didn't even come up with the idea of her being female). Team Ninja really wanted to use the nunchuck, but Sakamoto insisted on using the Wiimote only.

Happen to have a source for that comment? I am intrigued.

That info comes from at least 3 separate interviews, I'll try to track them down.

[njiska]

That info comes from at least 3 separate interviews, I'll try to track them down.

Thanks

The controls are excellent. Transitioning to first person is tiresome, but that's it. Pretty easily the best controls in a 3d action game, real talk.

It's that 1st to 3rd transition that's really pissing me off at the moment in the fight against Ridley. And the fact that concentration is useless because there isn't a long enough break in his attacks.

[linko9]

Well, here's one of the interviews, in which he acknowledges that he created neither samus, nor the game concept

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/111/1118713p1.html

can't find the other ones, but I'll edit this post if I do.

And I'm not trying to shit on this guy, he was largely responsible for one of my favorite games ever, Super Metroid. Back then he said things like this:

It was kind of a gamble. From the beginning, it was decided that when the game begins, we wouldn't tell the whole story using text. The story had to be told in a minimal way. However, it wouldn't convey atmosphere. I thought the game's atmosphere was done completely through sound. I thought it would be good if we could do it like a silent movie. It means that inside Samus's helmet, she has a sober face. I wanted the player to think about that facial expression. Well, the culmination of that sort of thing was the final battle.

source: http://www.metroid-database.com/sm/interview.php

I just think he's gone a little crazy now.

[Strider77]

And the fact that concentration is useless because there isn't a long enough break in his attacks.

After he scrapes you against the wall you can easily do it.... I did about 3 times on my 1st fight before I figured out what I needed to do.

When trying to aim at an enemy... be sure to face samus in the direction of your target. The camera will always switch to her perspective. With Ridley, you only need to hit em with the missile once to get his "barrier" down then just use charge attacks.

I think a lot who are having trouble with the combat in this game haven't really played 3rd person action games in awhile, like DMC3, NG 1 or 2, Bayonetta ect... I had no issues playing to metroid other m's beat. I truly enjoyed the combat... I hope the combat engine is used again (the 1st person view could be tweaked or done away with for a over the shoulder view).

[njiska]

And the fact that concentration is useless because there isn't a long enough break in his attacks.

After he scrapes you against the wall you can easily do it.... I did about 3 times on my 1st fight before I figured out what I needed to do.

Not when you're at 40 Health when he grabs you, which was my problem.

When trying to aim at an enemy... be sure to face samus in the direction of your target. The camera will always switch to her perspective. With Ridley, you only need to hit em with the missile once to get his "barrier" down then just use charge attacks.

Clued into that one early on. It helps substantially decrease aiming time, but I still have a problem with the time i have to be standing still while switching into 1st person, plus the time to aim and then charge the super missile.

I think a lot who are having trouble with the combat in this game haven't really played 3rd person action games in awhile, like DMC3, NG 1 or 2, Bayonetta ect... I had no issues playing to metroid other m's beat. I truly enjoyed the combat... I hope the combat engine is used again (the 1st person view could be tweaked or done away with for a over the shoulder view).

I'll admit to not being the best at NG or Devil May Cry or even my beloved God Hand, but I never got as frustrated with those controls as I did with Other M's. Even if you enjoyed the controls, could you tell me they'd be worst if you had the nunchuck for movement, a button to go into first person (your wiimote already pointed at the screen in this layout) and a lock on button for third person aiming? I just can't get past the fact that there very easily could have been a much better layout.

[ryu]

I just think he's gone a little crazy now.

Publicity. He calls her that to make the people believe he would genuinely care about Samus and the franchise.

[Strider77]

Yeah... an option for nunchuck controls would be cool. I can play this way very proficiently though. BTW... you can dodge when in 1st person mode with a flick of the remote.

[njiska]

That's good to know. I had succeeded in 1st person dodging a few times, but wasn't sure how.

[BulletMagnet]

I've yet to play this game myself, but for anyone who has it, beware this glitch.

[Daigohji]

I just finished the game today. When I started it, my first impression was that I'd wasted £34. It was a huge mistake for Nintendo to market this with the story as a major intended selling point. Structurally it's a functional summer action movie plot, complete with glaring plot holes. What wrecks it is the dialogue, voice acting, and above all the chronic overuse of narration. It's clear that the cutscene director lacked confidence in his ability to convey elements of the story visually. This is a shame because many non-dialogue sequences would have been more effective without Samus's melodramatic, adolescent blog droning over the top.

Once I got a feel for the gameplay though, my mood improved. It didn't compare to the experience of playing Metroid Prime for the first time, but it's always competent, and the frequent boss fights kept the pace lively. I don't feel that eight hours of that was worth what I paid for it though. If I'd waited until it dropped to £20 I might have regarded it with less bitterness.

I still have a problem with the time i have to be standing still while switching into 1st person, plus the time to aim and then charge the super missile.

There's a second way to fire missiles that I don't think the game tells you about. I stumbled onto it a few hours into the game and it's practically an essential technique for later boss battles. In 3rd person mode, fully charge a shot with button 1, but don't release it. Now go into 1st person mode, lock onto the enemy, and release button 1 to fire off a super missile. The charge is retained between switching viewing modes.

[Skykid]

I just finished the game today. When I started it, my first impression was that I'd wasted £34. It was a huge mistake for Nintendo to market this with the story as a major intended selling point. Structurally it's a functional summer action movie plot, complete with glaring plot holes. What wrecks it is the dialogue, voice acting, and above all the chronic overuse of narration. It's clear that the cutscene director lacked confidence in his ability to convey elements of the story visually. This is a shame because many non-dialogue sequences would have been more effective without Samus's melodramatic, adolescent blog droning over the top.

Once I got a feel for the gameplay though, my mood improved. It didn't compare to the experience of playing Metroid Prime for the first time, but it's always competent, and the frequent boss fights kept the pace lively. I don't feel that eight hours of that was worth what I paid for it though. If I'd waited until it dropped to £20 I might have regarded it with less bitterness.

This is identical to my feelings about the game. Obviously Samus having a voice is a little like when Judge Dredd took of his helmet in that movie - but I knew that was coming prior to the game. I just didn't expect such poor dialogue, voice acting and clunky cut-scene direction to drain the life out of the experience. Cinema-fying Metroid isn't necessarily a bad thing (Prime did it well), but I felt like they really screwed this up by trying to bring it in line with everything else and stripping the characters of any personality.
The game is playable enough, but such a step back from the Prime series I was less and less enthused as time went on. If I'd coughed up ££ for it, I'd finish it to the end, but it just didn't hold my interest like the Metroids before it.

[Strider77]

Yawn... wasn't anyone happy to have metroid in the 3rd person again? I enjoyed the prime games also, especially the 1st one. I really enjoyed this one also.

[Skykid]

Yawn...

Why can't my opinions be as valid as yours or anyone else's?

I really don't get this.

[Strider77]

They can be valid to you, as mine are valid to me. The freedom of the internet is a bitch though.

On a side note how did you like that new front mission?

[Skykid]

They can be valid to you, as mine are valid to me. The freedom of the internet is a bitch though.

On a side note how did you like that new front mission?

I actually thought it was okay, although I had to pass it on a little faster than I would have liked.

It's extremely action oriented, all strategy is completely out in favour or third person battling very much in the vein of Armoured Core and a touch of Virtual On.
Once again, it's all geared for western appeal, so your main pilot is a typical high school jock caught up in the action and pretty characterless tbh. But the best thing was how simple and intuitive the controls were to get to grips with, despite combat taking a little mastering (it's easy to get shot up if you rush in.) The only strategy element still there is blowing off enemy limbs etc with pinpoint shooting - but this is tough in the initial firefights. I spent a lot of time missile bombing from distances.
I was disappointed in the lack of destructible scenery - I though the game would have benefited hugely from a more malleable world (just because the Wanzer feels so nice and heavy). That was my biggest letdown.

In the end though, it's difficult to say how long it would have kept my interest after getting over the initial nice feeling I had of playing it. If it doesn't branch out with some interesting missions and environs beyond the 'blow everything up in the cities' biz, then it could get tedious.

Not bad though. I reckon Armoured Core fans will love it, and as I'm not a strat fan it was much more up my street as a mecha title.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Started playing it properly and what I have to say is that the internet has lost me in this case.
So the cutscenes are unasked for, but the worst of them (so far) was shown in one of the first trailers. It does not get any worse than retelling of the Super Metroid final bossfight story.
The cutscenes, however, at least look nice and I don't have any issues with the story itself.
What the game captured for my money is the atmosphere of Metroid. The only thing I have a beef with is the lack of Super Metroid-style wall jumping. You can't climb a single wall anymore, can you? It was the very point of wall jumping in Super Metroid and it was fun to perform. The only (!) other game I know where you can do something along those lines is Ninja Five-O/Ninja Cop for the GBA.
Cool cover art, though. I'm under impression that the game was aimed at the kid I used to be. An ill-fated endeavour perhaps, but as a Nintendo classic franchise reboot it falls between Mario games since the N64 days (not bad games, but the charm is gone if you ask me) and Zelda (good games AND still somewhat charming at that).
Last but not least - pretty good technology.

[TransatlanticFoe]

You can later on, but only really obvious pairs of walls you basically screw attack up.

I didn't like how your suit powers were restricted. A reason against power bombs was given but the rest amounts to "don't help us out with your fancy tech unless I say so", which is pretty lame. A quick line about the derelict being unstable or something is all that's needed. That was the only story part that really bothered me. The voice acting and scripting is no worse than pretty much every other video game.

There are a few annoying pixel hunts too, where it forces you into first person and you have to find the right spot on the screen to trigger a cutscene - they're totally unnecessary.

[Mischief Maker]

The only thing I have a beef with is the lack of Super Metroid-style wall jumping. You can't climb a single wall anymore, can you? It was the very point of wall jumping in Super Metroid and it was fun to perform. The only (!) other game I know where you can do something along those lines is Ninja Five-O/Ninja Cop for the GBA.

Is this a troll attempt? Wall jumping has been with us at least since the NES mega man games. It was a constantly-used mechanic in Batman for the NES. The SNES' big thing was grappling hooks.