Metroid: Other M - Not the Game We Deserved, But the One We Needed

Metroid is known for 4 things, a female protagonist, a sense of isolation and being alone, little to no story made up for by awesome gameplay, and inexcusable wait times between sequels. As far as these 4 "requirements," Metroid: Other M hits all 4 of these targets right on the bullseye. Although the wait time between Prime 3 and Other M is far shorter than previous installments in the series, Other M still fits within the "inexcusable wait time" because it is an interquel to Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. The past 8 years have treated Metroid well, but keep in mind that every game since Fusion has either been part of the Prime series or the remake of the original game, Metroid: Zero Mission. The amount of time between Super and Fusion is still undefined and exactly what the nature of Samus' relationship with Adam Malkovich was has remained a mystery for 8 years, at least outside of Japan.

Finally at E3 we were shown a trailer to the next Metroid game, a game mostly played in a 3rd person perspective like the traditional games and taking place seemingly early in Samus' career when Adam was still alive. As we later found out, Other M takes place mere days after Super Metroid, but as had been expected, Adam was still alive and we would be treated to flashbacks of Samus' life before she became a bounty hunter. The prospect of a Metroid game with a deliberately intricate plot worried most because Nintendo's most well known series with an actual plot is The Legend of Zelda, a series with no voice acting and a timeline that is an extremely well-guarded secret. The idea of Samus finally getting spoken dialogue was also seen as worrisome because past voiceless characters have suffered from extreme adaptation decay upon gaining a voice, like Sonic The Hedgehog and every fighting game character ever made. Probably the only thing we would be assured of was that the gameplay would be of at least fantastic quality since Nintendo was teaming up with Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame. In essence, this would be the biggest gamble on a Metroid game since Metroid Prime AND Fusion.

On people complaining about Samus being "too sexy," isn't she wearing MORE clothes now?

The anticipation has been overwhelming for most, underwhelming for others, but none can deny that this game has been anticipated for quite a while. As I said in the beginning of this post, Other M is undeniably a Metroid game and contains all the necessary elements: the sense of being isolated, backtracking for items, free exploration only limited by the story's own restraints (which almost never makes you beg for a particular power up before it is given to you), and Samus Aran being hot, yet not a sex object.

If there's anything the game suffers from, it's the first 4 hours or so of the story. It's very slow, the voice acting is particularly bland, and the power ups are spread apart very far from each other. After a particular plot twist however, the story starts to pick up, power ups are given more frequently, the voice acting quality picks up considerably, and the overall feeling of isolation and terror around the next corner hits you in the face like a freight train.


Gameplay: 9.0     Although near flawless, the 1st person function feels tacked on solely to appease fans of the Prime series. The game could easily have been designed as fully 3rd person.
Story: 7.5     It's a Metroid game, what do you expect? The story is still the most detailed since Metroid Fusion, exploring several details of Samus' backstory only seen in the Metroid manga that was previously unreleased outside Japan.
Presentation: 8.5     Metroid: Other M easily has the best visuals the Wii has to offer, it puts some 360 and PS3 games to shame. Unfortunately, Nintendo's usual translators decided to take the Japanese script far too literally. While the voice acting is pretty average, the script is what causes lots of groans. The musical score and sound effects are top notch.
Replay Value: 8.5     Typical of a Metroid game, there is an incentive to finish the game as quickly as possible while collecting every item. Getting 100% completion the first time nets you the Hard Mode difficulty, which forces you to play through the game with no energy tanks and no missile extensions beyond the initial 99 energy and 10 missiles. While seeming impossible to some, this can be considered child's play to Metroid fanatics.

Overall Score: 8.4     While Other M does have some notable shortcomings, this does not completely ruin the game in any aspect. The overall experience is incredibly enjoyable and makes one nostalgic for previous games in the series, most notably Super Metroid. If there is any one game in the series that Other M most resembles, it is Metroid Fusion. While Fusion has been criticized for its extreme linearity, it does not stop it from being great experience overall. Other M may not be the killer app that Metroid Prime was 8 years ago, but it's still a hell of a great game. Oh, and about those notable reviewers giving Other M low reviews? They have no clue what they're talking about and should learn to play games for fun, not to nitpick every little thing and call it an abomination.