First Review: Metroid Other M

So, I realise I've been putting a pretty large emphasis on the writing aspect of this blog, so I figured I'd go a different route and throw up a review of the Wii adaptation of the long-standing Metroid series, Metroid Other M (Yes, I'm aware the first Metroid game for the Wii was actually Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, but that was a continuation of the Metroid Prime series from the gamecube, not a brand-new game with a different setting, like Other M is.)

Also, if you haven't played this game and plan to but don't want anything spoiled, don't read this review; I cannot guarantee I will be able to give a spoiler-free review.  All others continue after the break!



Anyway, all the reviews I've seen of this game give it rather low ratings (Anywhere from 6.5 to 8 out of 10) cause of arbitrary things that, with a bit of thought, could be overlooked easily.

The controls for the game are pretty different than the other games, being the first side scrolling metroid game that was also 3D, blending the best parts from the old third-person side scrolling games with the new Metroid Prime take.  And what makes this game vastly different than the other games is the seamless switch between third-person and first-person aiming - my only grievance is that in first-person, you can't move around (though you can still dodge) and you can only fire missiles in first-person mode - and switching to first-person during a fight causes something like bullet time, allowing you to orient yourself for missile firing (which is very helpful in many fights as you don't have much chance to stop and shoot in first-person).

The game also puts a pretty high emphasis on dodging attacks - or, as the game calls it, Sense Move.  The basics is that just before the attack would land on Samus, the player hits any direction on the D-pad.  If done correctly, Samus would dodge out of the way of the attack, and would be able to instantly counterattack - assuming you were pressing 1, the button which allows you to shoot, dodging would give you an instant charge beam.  Now, it sounds very easy, but when you're trying to fight six enemies from six different directions, all of them shooting at you, it gets a bit complicated.  Still, with some practice, it is entirely possible to get through the game without a single hit.

Courtesy of Metroid Wikia

The game itself is set in what the game calls a Bottle Ship - and, looking at it from the concept art, and the shots of it you get from cutscenes - it's clear they were literally aiming for a bottle. .  The idea, however juvenile it may seem, turned out rather well, giving a game very reminiscent of Super Metroid (Norfair, Brinstar and Tourian all return in similar fashions).

Courtesy of Gaming Bits

The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, and it's clear a lot of time was spent working on this aspect.  I would have to say this is quite possibly one of the best looking games I've seen on the Wii.  Yes, that's a pretty ambitious statement, but it's fairly close to the truth .  The textures are very crisp, the animations are next-to-flawless and the boss fights are drawn up beautifully.  I doubt the game could've looked better on better hardware, proving the Wii can, in fact, stand up against the 360 and PS3 in terms of hardware capabilities.

Now that I've spouted on about the controls and the graphics - and the basic setting - I figure it's time to get to basic story. The game takes place almost immediately after the events of Super Metroid for the Super NES, which originally debuted in 1994.  The opening sequence is a beautifully remastered and redesigned version of the Mother Brain fight from Super Metroid, showing the Baby Metroid rejuvenating Samus before being destroyed by Mother Brain.  Samus, angered at the senseless destruction of the creature that just saved her life, fires a hyper beam down Mother Brain's throat before she wakes up, revealing the opening sequence to be a flashback of what happened on Zebes.

It goes through an opening 'tutorial' that give you a very basic run-down on the controls of the game before sending you off.  Samus goes flying off and musing on life and such before getting a distress signal from the Bottle Ship, finally getting us started in the game.  We eventually meet up with some Galactic Federation soldiers, who happen to be Samus's old unit before she left the army. This story makes up a fair amount of the cutscenes throughout the game, eventually terminating in the death of her former commanding officer and surrogate father, Adam Malkovich.

Now, a lot of people are annoyed that they gave Samus a voice - and even more that they made her actually show a human side you never saw in the original games. I personally applaud the choice.  It seems to me that people are annoyed that they made the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy more human, more fallible.  The point in doing so was to allow the gamer to actually connect with Samus in a way never seen before.  It shows that, even though she is afraid of losing someone, she is still willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the galaxy isn't destroyed (I won't ruin the major story any more than I already have, I swear).  Yes, she may have froze during a cutscene involving her old nemesis, Ridley (who makes a spectacular comeback), can any of you honestly say you wouldn't have done the same, being confronted with a beast whom you've already killed?

I don't know, maybe I'm the only one to see it that way, but I definitely feel that this Samus was one of the best I've seen for a very long time.  As for the game, I'd definitely have to give it an easy 9 out of 10.  No, it wasn't perfect, the inability to move during first person mode was slightly annoying, and only being able to fire missiles in first person was also annoying, but those are the few issues I have with this game.

Also, for those of you who have read this all the way through and found it a bit sporadic and randomly ordered, do keep in mind this is the first review I've ever written, and I think it came out very good.  If you like, feel free to leave a comment and give suggestions on  how to improve - I'm always open to improvement.

Anyway, I suppose I've said all I've needed to say, so I'm out.