Metroid: Other M

[EC2151]

After completing Other M, it's nice to play through Fusion and see how things I had previously thought true are now seen in a very different light.

Like the aforementioned presence of Space Pirates. I had thought previously that they were there in Fusion because they were trying to rescue their leader (whose presence was also baffling). The truth is much worse, though.

It's also interesting to see that after you kicked the total shit out of Nightmare in Other M, when you fight him in Fusion he's actually all busted up with broken machinery, and missing half of his body.

[jabond23]

I didn't pay attention to this game til i saw a review for it and noticed the gameplay. I had it all wrong. I'm not really sure what i thought it was gonna play like, but seeing it now piqued my interest a lot.

I'll have to dust off the ol' Wii and give it a whirl....when it drops to $30.

[EC2151]

I love the series and really like the game, but that's pretty much what I'd recommend too.

[XZero]

I'm about halfway through at this point, and while it's a good game, it's only an average Metroid game. The music outside of the cutscenes is hard to comment on because it's very ambient (which is fine, except for the fact that even the more ambient music in Prime had some recognizable tunes).

The gameplay is fine, though I still don't care for the 1st-3rd person switching. It's hard to say what they should have done differently. I really think they could have benefitted from making the whole thing more *3D* than it is, or sticking with a straight 2D perspective as an alternative. Not having a joystick for this game is very aggravating, and because of the way they opted to limit themselves, I see why they went with the single Wii-mote option, which makes me even more frustrated.

[Arrow]

when it drops to $30.

Seeing as how this is a first-party Nintendo title we're talking about, you'll be waiting a long long time. Hell, Twilight Princess is STILL full price.

[EC2151]

Though I don't want to start a ratings discussion, I think I'd rate the Metroid games (with Other M, though I REALLY need to get back to my dorm and replay it to better form my opinion) something like this:

Super Metroid

Metroid Prime (.1 off from SM)

Metroid Fusion

Metroid Prime 2 Echoes

Metroid Zero Mission

Metroid: Other M

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Metroid

Metroid II

Metroid Prime Pinball

Hunters doesn't exist

I mean, to put that in perspective, I LOVE Echoes (nearly every other forum my username is "Emperor Ing", my all-time favorite boss from the series).

At the same time, I really enjoy playing through the original Metroid and have beaten it numerous times. And Prime Pinball is a shitload of fun and the best pinball game I've ever played.

So it's by far not the best game in the series, but it's still a pretty damned good game in my eyes.

[Overflow]

I STILL don't know why everyone hates Hunters so much! It's one of my favourite DS games. Sure, it's not the greatest Metroid, but it's got exploration, decent music, cool weapons and great graphics. I've played the single player mode countless times, and even had to buy the game again after my first copy was stolen. The online is okay, but I'm not a huge fan of online multiplayer to begin with.

My list would have to be:

1.Metroid Prime

2.Zero Mission

3.Metroid Prime 3

4.Super Metroid

5.Metroid Other M

6.Metroid Fusion

7.Metroid Prime 2

8.Metroid Prime Hunters

9.Metroid 2

10.Metroid

Bear in mind that as far as ratings go, I'd give the highest a 10 and the lowest a 9. I love all these games, but this is just my preferred list.

I exclude Pinball because it's not really a metroid game. Even so, like the Emperor said, it's one of the best pinball games I've ever played.

EDIT: The word is in: The Spoony One hates Other M: http://spoonyexperiment.com/

[EC2151]

The ONE thing I'll give to Hunters is that its soundtrack (except for the Hunters' themes/Guardian battles) was not too shabby.

Each of the four times I completely finished its single-player rubbed me the wrong way immediately after you get done with the four planets the first time. The game design takes a HUGE nose-dive once you have to revisit the planets and have to fight Guardians in every major room.

EDIT:

As far as the Spoony review goes, he's right in some aspects, and not right in others.

I think this game was made/designed around a deeper look into the Metroid mythos, for better or for worse. For someone to come in not very familiar with the Metroid series (and he admits he didn't beat it), it won't really be the same.

I don't think the Samus character is as bad as he makes it out to be, as irreparably damaged. Far from it. Annoying in some aspects? You betcha. But ruined? No.

[Overflow]

The ONE thing I'll give to Hunters is that its soundtrack (except for the Hunters' themes/Guardian battles) was not too shabby.

Each of the four times I completely finished its single-player rubbed me the wrong way immediately after you get done with the four planets the first time. The game design takes a HUGE nose-dive once you have to revisit the planets and have to fight Guardians in every major room.

Yeah, I'll give you that the guardians were annoying. Really, if you didn't like the game, that's fine, I still enjoyed it, but I just don't think it's deserving of all the hate it gets.

On that note (GRAIGWAY! Wow. Now I feel dirty...)In Spoony's video, he talks about his problems with Samus' characterization. I could easily explain to him why she's so emotionally unstable in this game as opposed to, say, prime 2, but he wouldn't care. Not because he's a monster and can never understand goodness, but because he simply doesn't like the game. I find the reasoning to be sinsible, especially why she freezes when she sees Ridley (although again, it would have been much more effective if it showed flashbacks to his raid on her colony).

[EC2151]

A better handling of that scene would have been if he swooped in and surprised the shit out of her. And then did something like hold her arm cannon back.

We'd have our respect for Samus and Anthony Higgs would have his best damn moment in the game.

HEY!

HEY PUNK!

THAT'S NOT HOW YOU TREAT A LADY!

As for her emotional state, the way I see it is that she only ever really opened up to her mentor, a few close friends, and the Hatchling. Seeing all three of them together would open up old wounds (though admittedly aspects of this were not handled as well as they could have been), which i accept and understand.

Which is why her emotional state is so much more cool and collected in Fusion: she's doing what she's always been doing- going solo and bounty hunting.

[Overflow]

Hmm... Now I need to hurry up and get to that scene again... That is sort of how I remember it...

EDIT: So I just got to the fight with Ridley on Hard mode, and what you described, Emperor, does pretty much happen: He jumps in from of her, she freaks out, he grabs her (trapping her cannon in the process), drags her against the wall ALA Smash Bros Brawl, drops her, Higgs gets killed, and Samus fights him. I think that was a pretty good scene. The only thing I didn't get is what was going on with Adam; did he get shot? What happened to his earpiece?

Also: The Ridley fight on hard mode is HARD. I didn't time it, but I swear one time I got killed in .5 seconds.

[Zipp]

This was my review of the game, for those who are interested:

http://www.gameroni.com/posts/88.html

I also unfortunately got the game breaking glitch:

http://www.gameroni.com/posts/90.html

I'd be curious to know if anyone else got this...?

[EC2151]

I've heard of people getting the glitch, but it never happened to me.

That kind of shit sucks, man.

[Lemonectric]

Some spoilers concerning Fusion:

A lot of folks are arguing that given the events in this game, Samus should have reacted WAY differently to the Metroid breeding program in Fusion or something, but I find it interesting that on playing Fusion again, she doesn't have a lot to say.

Specifically, when she finds out about the Fusion breeding program, her line is "..."

I like to interpret it as a "goddamn you guys are stupid" kind of silence. Metroid research doesn't really surprise her anymore after what she's seen in Other M. Or at least she's gotten the surprise over with by seeing the labs firsthand.

She gets REALLY upset when ADAM tells her that the GFEDs want to start cloning and utilizing the SA-X and the X-Parasite.

Just something I thought I'd bring up.

I think what's more interesting is that the computer doesn't seem to be against it at first, even though the real Adam would be. I guess you could argue that Adam's mind was tweaked a little bit to be more obedient to the Federation when it was uploaded, but when Samus accidentally calls him Adam, it brings back his true personality or something. Who knows.

[Overflow]

It reminds me of when the first Metroid hit the market. A game where the player scrolls the screen? A game with a password system? A game with no directions given to the gamer? A female protagonist? Soon we’re going to be seeing similar expressions of wonder about Other M. It is incredible that a series can continue to introduce fresh concepts with every new title. More than anything else, it is this accomplishment which makes Other M feel like a Metroid game and justifies its inclusion as an equal among such classics.

Bravo. This needed to be said.

I haven't had that door glitch happen to me, but there was one time I was in a room with a glass floor(Magma was beneath it) and a bunch of pirates jump in. I was jumping around on their heads when I suddenly fell through the floor into a black abyss. Luckily, the game considered this area to be lava, so I died and could try again. There's always glitches like that it games, but that door glitch reminds me of the Twilight Princess glitch.

[Overflow]

I think what's more interesting is that the computer doesn't seem to be against it at first, even though the real Adam would be. I guess you could argue that Adam's mind was tweaked a little bit to be more obedient to the Federation when it was uploaded, but when Samus accidentally calls him Adam, it brings back his true personality or something. Who knows.

Or that he was just testing her to see if she'd stand by her prerogative. Plus, he didn't really seem to be for or against it; he just stated the facts. For example: "Imagine... to be able to grow an Omega Metroid from a larva in days!" could really be taken as a positive or negative comment.

[TheKrow]

I saw a commercial for Metroid: Other M on T.V. a few days ago. It looked like it had potential.

Also, the actress who played Samus in the Zero Suit was hot.

Meh. I felt she was... lacking.

[EdgeCrusher]

The voice acting and flashbacks have killed any urge for me to want to continue playing this game. Seriously, if I hear about that guy or her say "the baby" again, off to goozex this game goes.

[JCvgluvr]

I got the game today. Totally excited! I'm gonna play for a couple of hours. I have high expectations. I hope they aren't dashed to pieces...

[Lemonectric]

The voice acting and flashbacks have killed any urge for me to want to continue playing this game. Seriously, if I hear about that guy or her say "the baby" again, off to goozex this game goes.

Everyone keeps complaining about the baby. I didn't notice it coming up that much. Samus' soliloquies about her past with Adam were pretty monotonous, though.

Unrelated: I'm replaying the game, and I just found out that Samus can jump on the larger wasp things and fucking tear off their wings. *drools*

[The Mutericator]

Played it earlier today, through the elevator shaft in Sector 1. If I hear, "the baby," one more fucking time, I'm taking this disc and chucking it out the window.

Seriously, in Super Metroid it was all, "the last Metroid," or, "the larva," or just, "it." There was none of this maternal instinct bullshit that Sakamoto has painted her with.

I made it to the elevator shaft in Sector 1 before stopping (couldn't figure out where to go). I am really wishing they had made a Metroid game with action elements rather than an action game with Metroid elements. First off, at the VERY LEAST, I should be able to skip these shitty cutscenes, because you've put an obnoxious little dot on my map to tell me where to go all the damn time. Second, take that little dot on my map off, I can figure this shit out myself.

Third, remove story-activated paths. There is NO REASON I should have to walk into a room, notice a dead researcher, "feel the presence of evil," and then leave to make another door open. This is METROID, not Zelda.

Fourth, fix the flashy "jump on enemies," Overcharge thing. It looks cool, yeah, but for some reason I can never get it to work properly, even when I know I've landed directly on the enemy.

tl;dr I'm gonna keep playing, but I am already hating almost everything about this game.

[EdgeCrusher]

I think they say "the baby" in this more than "the spice" in Dune.

[The Mutericator]

i think they say "the baby" in this more than "the spice" in dune.

THE BABY MUST FLOW. Screw your no all-caps, forum.

[Bigfoot]

Many mixed feelings with this game. Although I don't regret my purchase one bit, I'd probably say I have more negative feelings than good ones. I understand this game was trying to be much different than other Metroid titles, so I welcome the idea of bringing new ideas to any game. Sometimes, they aren't always for the best, in my opinion. I understand others opinions may not agree with mine.

This probably gets brought up a bunch, but I HATED the way you "upgrade" your items/suit etc. I can understand not being able to use power bombs, but everything else is just ridiculous. Also, why were there not different models for your suit upgrades? :\

I didn't really care too much for the finishing moves and fast-paced action when battling enemies.

I didn't like the auto-aim, but then again I don't think the game would work too well without it.

I didn't like that you can replenish your missiles on the fly. Enemies have always dropped energy/ammo. This should have been kept the same.

The forced first-person parts that made you scan something to proceed were pretty annoying. Some scenes I found what you're looking for quickly, while other times I spent a few minutes looking around like an idiot. Probably user error on my part.

On the topic of first-person, the way it switched from third to first person worked well. Obviously, it just sucks that you can't move at all. I didn't care for the idea that you can only use missiles in first-person mode.

The game felt too linear to me for a Metroid game. I didn't really do too much backtracking, and I finished the game with 37% items. Since you can recharge your missiles in most situations, I didn't really feel the need to to get a whole lot. I forgot how many E-tanks I got, maybe 4 or 5.

A lot of time obviously went into the cinematic pieces, and I think they were done magnificently. The flashback cinematic to the end of Super Metroid was great.

Another thing I hated is the music. Well, the lack of I guess.

I might have left out a couple of things, like things related to the story, but I'll probably post about that at a later time. All in all, the game looks great, give or take a few areas. It's not the best Metroid title, but it's not the worst. I've been a fan of the series for a long time, which I'm sure a lot of you are, but I'm just so used to the classic style of Metroid that the new ideas brought into this game just didn't agree with me.

[Overflow]

Pro Tip: You CAN dodge attacks in First Person mode: When the edges of the visor turn green, move the reticule offscreen. Or, flail madly. Both work, and makes fighting in First Person much better.