Metroid: Other M – The MMOMFG Review
I haven’t played a really memorable Metroid game in awhile. While Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was a good game, the series had come to an end and it just didn’t hold the same type of clout it did when Prime was first released back in 2002. It was still a good game, make no mistake about it, but perhaps the time had come for Retro Studios to bow out gracefully and turn the reigns over to a new team.
In comes Team Ninja, a development studio known for it’s high paced, nonstop action, over the top acrobatic moves, and… Ninja Gaiden. It is still one of my favorite Xbox titles that I pop in from time to time. Gorgeous graphics, insane gameplay, tight controls, and challenging enemies made it a classic.
With Metroid: Other M, Nintendo teams up with Team Ninja to bring their talents from the action genre and give Samus a shot of new life. Not only are they putting their own unique ingredients into the mix, they’re taking formulas from both past classics like Super Metroid and Metroid Prime into the dish. Would it be enough to win over die hard Metroid fanatics and new comers to the series? Let’s find out.
What’s Good
Not just a girl in a suit- Color me surprised during my play through of Metroid: Other M when a story somehow found its way inside the game. It’s not something to expect after other Team Ninja titles like Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden. Their great when it comes to delivering nonstop action and visceral gameplay, not so much weaving a coherent story.
Metroid: Other M paces well, has plenty of character development and most importantly, is the first game I felt interested and attached to Samus Aran. She wasn’t just a silent bounty hunter. This time she was woman, a friend, a comrade, a soldier, and even a mother (not a spoiler trust me). The well spoken narrative (performed by Jessica Martin ) throughout the game and interaction with fellow Galactic Federation troops made me actually listen to what was being said and deserves extra kudos. From the start, Nintendo said this Metroid would be different in how they approached Samus as a character, and they weren’t lying. I had a sinking feeling we were going to get some sort of over the top anime mixed in with corny Japanese dialogue, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
She’s in her Prime - Metroid Prime was one of the best games for the Gamecube and still ranks up there with the best. The first person action was done beautifully by Retro Studios and I couldn’t help but feel a little bit nostalgic while playing Other M.
While you might not be walking around in first person mode, the ability to zoom in and out of your visor view at any time by pointing the remote at the screen is a nice touch. Team Ninja understood that since 2002, Samus’ visor has played an important role in the Metroid series. Even though I miss some of the add-ons like the X-Ray view and the ability to stop and scan every little thing, it’s good to see Team Ninja kept some things intact. Specific instances of the game will have you doing a little detective work by actively searching for items to scan. You’ll also have the pleasure of firing plenty of missiles in first person mode. Since you’re immobile while looking through her visor, timing your missile usage becomes a risk vs. reward balancing act. Like all of Team Ninja’s games, you find yourself getting better and better with each play play-through.
Nostalgia 2.0 - Other M takes place after Super Metroid. Super Metroid, for those of you too young to remember, was a bad-ass game. If you’ve never played it, you should go download it on the Virtual Console. Other M sets out to recreate that exploratory feeling mixed in with plenty of adrenaline filled combat. Other M starts out slow, but after a few hours, the enemies get harder, and the hazards become tougher. Team Ninja has been known to produce some challenging games and while Other M doesn’t get incredibly insane, the degree of difficulty is well noted (and appreciated).
Even though the title is a fairly linear experience, it never feels completely guided. There are always items worth coming back for and rooms worth exploring once a new weapon/add-on has been acquired. There are many occasions where you’ll come back to a room with a new toy in hand ready to reach that once unattainable upgrade or door. A lot of the old weapons make a return so for those looking to relive your old Metroid memories, you’ll feel right at home.
Pretty fly for a Wii game - Metroid is a pretty game. Pretty to play and to watch. Not only are Samus’ acrobatic movements fun to watch (which is no shocker after watching games like Ninja Gaiden), the environments created by Team Ninja are expansive, lush, and eerie. Even with your comrades hopping about, Other M still has that feeling of being alone. Subtle environmental effects like rain, haze, and vapor glaze the abandoned ship.
There are some instances of weak textures that normally occur on the larger outdoor rooms, but it’s few and far between. With the lack of any real loading times, plenty of enemies filling the screen, and areas that are easy on the eyes, Metroid Other M is a showcase of what a talented team can do with non-HD hardware. Now please Nintendo, make all of this pretty shiny stuff in HD!
What’s Bad
Mother may I?- I understand that the age old gaming moment when you lose all your powers at the beginning of the game is extremely cliched, but for once in my life I wouldn’t have minded it happening. Instead, you’re given all of your powers from the start, with the inability to use them. Why? Because your commanding officer says you can’t. I’m sorry bub, but I’m a bounty hunter, I work alone and take orders from no one. If I want to use my speed boosters what business is it of yours? I have a perfectly good ice beam going to waste because you don’t think I can handle it. The idea is laughable at best and completely asinine at worse. Either come up with another way to unlock your weapons or make completely new ones worth using. Which reminds me, it would have been nice to get a new arsenal of weapons to use. Think tank running a little dry there, Team Ninja? Isn’t that part of the fun in playing a game, especially Metroid? I appreciate nostalgia in using old weapons, but let’s not get totally lethargic.
Lock on and fire already - I mentioned how firing missiles can be a challenge. Since you’re left vulnerable during visor mode, launching missiles is a bit of a gamble. It’s a risk vs reward system which I rather enjoy. However, when my missiles fail to lock on for no apparent reason, or switch from one target to the next automatically it becomes apparent that using them during a multiple hostile encounter might not be worth it. It’s times like this where I wish I was playing Metroid Prime.
One size doesn’t fit all - As the game progresses Samus’ beam upgrades, the unfortunate problem with this is that you never get to choose between beams. Your ice beam will become your wave beam which will become your plasma beam. It seems a little dumbed down to have a one size fits all weapon. Prime had you cycling between beams as enemies had certain weak points. Weak points require strategy, strategy is a good thing.
Silence isn’t always golden - The Metroid series has had some fantastic music. A lot of it has been redone countless times and even the simple atmospheric tones are worth noting. I understand that being subtle is the key in a game like this but there are times when I didn’t hear anything. Again, and I hate to constantly compare, but Prime had a terrific soundtrack. Each zone could be identified simply by listening to the music. It wasn’t blaring rock music or something that took over the scene, but rather a noticeable addition to the explorative gameplay of Metroid. On the plus side, there are some classic tunes that will put a grin on any Metroid fan’s face.
Worth Remembering:
The entire last two to three hours of gameplay. Team Ninja puts Other M into overdrive and doesn’t let up until the end. In fact, even after the end I suggest you stick around until after the credits. You won’t be disappointed. There’s plenty of action, cut scenes, and culmination that left my jaw a bit drooped at times.
Worth Forgetting:
That Other M sometimes relies too much on being a direct sequel and not enough of it’s own game. I realize Team Ninja had to work in the scope of a time line, but there were a few times when I was wishing for a little bit more “outside the box”. Yes I enjoy my speed boosting movements. Yes I enjoy firing missiles. Yes I like my screw attack. And yes I enjoyed traveling through both the ice and lava levels (again). But perhaps there could have been a bit more branching out and originality.
Metroid: Other M will last around nine hours. Those looking to be a perfectionist will get a few more hours out of it. It’s a bit short, but make no mistake , the short duration of the game does not make it a haphazard effort by Nintendo and Team Ninja. Other M is an extremely polished title that tugs at my nostalgic memories and manages to create a bunch of new ones. The last few hours really ramp up and become an experience of its own. Even people new to the series shouldn’t turn away due to their lack of knowledge from the story as the game does a decent job of explaining everything without pounding it into your head. Diving into a character like Samus Aran, one that’s been pretty much a faceless bounty hunter for the last 20+ years was no easy task. Fortunately for all of us, the journey is well worth it. Other M is one of those games you finish quickly because you can’t manage to put the controller down. I found myself saying “I’ll take a break at the next save point”, only to notice two hours later I was still playing.
*MMOMFG was provided a review copy of Metroid: Other M by Nintendo
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Nice one.
