Review: Metroid Other M

Nintendo has always been the company that's played it safe. So when they announced that Team Ninja would be developing the next Metroid, more than a few eyebrows were raised. On one eyebrow, fans were excited that such a veteran action-based developer was working on the classic franchise. On the other brow, we were all a little worried that they would turn Metroid into something that Team Ninja was even more well known for - gigantic digitized hooters.

While Samus' bust size did increase dramatically, there is no skin to be seen or jiggles to witness. But what about that action-based gameplay? How did that work out? And what about that story that everyone hates? Let's dig in.

..story..

Let's get this out of the way right up front - people hate the script in this game. While most would agree that the actual plot is interesting and engaging, absolutely no one would agree that it's delivered effectively here. 

What you have in Other M is a piece of lore that fits between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. It picks up right after the climactic battle with Mother Brain and deals fairly specifically with the fallout from the baby metroid that saved Samus at the end of the SNES game. You meet a group of soldiers on something called the "Bottle Ship" who've received the same distress signal you have, and you're there to figure out and eradicate the problem.

The problem with the story is the delivery. There's an old adage in story telling that goes "show don't tell" - and Other M breaks that rule every chance it gets. The player is granted access to every single thing Samus is thinking. And every cutscene that delivers an interesting plot point is ruined by Samus' inner monologue over-explaining everything that just happened.

This poor mechanic of the "inner monologue" combined with the fact that Samus has barely spoken a word in prior Metroid games made for an unpleasant shock. The formerly silent, badass, strong female character had been made into a whiny, boring girl from a teenage romance novel - delivered with all the intensity of Kristen Stewart. For me, it wasn't a deal breaker. I enjoyed the story enough to keep going through the stellar gameplay.

..gameplay..

This is one of the most successful attempts at a new play style that I've ever seen. And I'm including the original Metroid Prime in that mix. The main mechanic here is based on the side scrolling games in the series, except it's that 2.5D where you can run into and out of the screen as well. There are larger, more open environments, but they're few and far between. 

While you're in this mode, you hold the Wiimote on the side like an NES controller. The D-pad controls movement, 1 shoots, 2 jumps and A activates the morphball. Since it's a 3D world and you're running in 2.5D, aiming is handled automatically. You'd think this would be a cheap way out, but you still have to be facing the direction of the enemy, and most often you'll need a charged shot to take down your foes. This means a lot of dodging while charging. Pressing a direction on the D-pad right before an attack hits you will cause you to do a dodge roll. So you kind of get into this rhythm of charging your gun, waiting for an attack, dodging and then firing. It works really well and keeps the game exciting. 

There are also a few enemies that require "takedowns" (pictured above). This is when you weaken an enemy to a point where they're visibly hurt, then you run at them while charging your gun to perform one of these cinematic takedowns. It's really satisfying to pull of such a slick move after a particularly hard battle. And this is the most tangible Team Ninja stamp on the game, and it works wonderfully.

 

The other element of the gameplay is clearly inspired by the Prime series. Turning your Wiimote toward the screen will put you in first person mode. This is the only way you can fire missiles, but is also useful for exploring and searching for hidden items. The only limitation is that you can't move while in this mode. It sounds clunky to keep switching your hand position, but let me tell you - it works. The transition is smooth and instantaneous, and the simple fact that the entire game map is viewable in third person and first person is very impressive.  

My only complaint about the controls is that while the D-pad is great in the side scrolling sections, it's often wonky to use in the more open environments. I gave it some thought and the best solution I could come up with is if the Wiimote had an analog stick in place of the D-pad.

The perfect Other M Controller

Upgrades are handled differently in this game. While every new Metroid title strips you of your abilities, sending you out to find them all over again, Other M does it in a way that makes sense. Since you're working with another team on this mission, you have to be authorized by your commander to use the abilities you already have. This makes a lot more sense but irked me for two reasons: 

1) You get authorization to use the abilities when you're almost effing dead and that ability could have saved your life if only you were "allowed" to use it 1 minute earlier. 

2) The joy of discovering new upgrades is eliminated entirely. You can still hunt down energy tanks and missile upgrades, but those don't match the feeling of finding the Chozo chamber and getting that awesome new ability. 

I do have to heap some praise on the camera in this game, though. Team Ninja developed Ninja Gaiden for XBOX - the title with probably the worst in-game camera ever made. Other M doesn't give camera control to the player, but it is constantly in the right spot. Foreground elements go transparent when they're blocking the action, you are always aware of what's around you, and it never - EVER - gets stuck in a corner. It's on par with Mario Galaxy's camera. Yeah. It's good.

Essentially, Other M's gameplay is Super Metroid blended with Metroid Prime - third person and first person. Oh yeah, and they managed to include some awesome morph ball puzzles as well. Not as many as in the Prime series, but more than a casual nod to it.

..presentation..

This is one of the best looking games on the Wii. Colors are vibrant, animations are SILKY smooth, character models are well developed, and the lighting and particle effects will really impress you. This isn't one of those "looks good for the Wii" games this is a "Wow! That looks damn good - period!" 

The music is also beautifully done. Remixes and remasters of classic Metroid themes as well as new compositions round out the wonderful soundtrack. Check out this super creepy rendition of the original Metroid title music.

As a kid this original tune used to scare me so much that I would immediately hammer the start button as soon as I turned on the system so I didn't have to hear it.

The voice acting is - well it's actually pretty good. I blame the script and the direction for the awkward performances. This certainly isn't Silent Hill, but those long - unskippable - monologues will make you want to eat broken glass and salt. And nails.

There were moments while playing Other M that I felt like I was playing the first Metroid. That creepy, almost survival horror feeling was present every so often and those were wonderful nostalgic moments. But the rest of the time it felt like I was playing a kick-ass, unique, action game that was fun as nuts to play.

If you've been avoiding this because of all the online hate, it's time to give it a chance. It's dirt cheap cuz everyone hates it - so take advantage of their foolishness and enjoy one of the best Wii games in existence.