PartOfYourWorld posted... Story - I knew coming in that it would be new for this series. I understand that Other M will try to present a younger, more inexperienced, more vulnerable and introspective Samus. She's not the experienced, battle-hardened hero we've seen in other games. I got that, and I actually didn't have a big problem with it if the game managed to handle that well.
This, actually isn't an inexperienced Samus though. It's actually supposed to be one of the later games in the series :/
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From his looks Magus is Macho Man Randy Savage as an anime zombie. The black wind howls, and one of you will snap into a Slim Jim ooh yeeeah! -sonicblastpunch
From: PartOfYourWorld | #099 Haven't played much more (only past that worm boss fought right after acquiring the Diffusion Beam - decent fight), but I'd like to quickly touch on other aspects of the game.
Story - I knew coming in that it would be new for this series. I understand that Other M will try to present a younger, more inexperienced, more vulnerable and introspective Samus. She's not the experienced, battle-hardened hero we've seen in other games. I got that, and I actually didn't have a big problem with it if the game managed to handle that well. So far, I don't like the voice actress, but I'll deal. What's tougher to deal with, however, is authorization. Seriously, she, a freelance bounty hunter, needs authorization to use her powers? What a lazy and stupid way present the Metroid-style gameplay. I'd have preferred Samus slipping on a banana peel and her suit malfunctioning as a result.
Dialogue - whoa nelly, this is awkward. It's not Engrish or early 90s video game bad, but it's just weird and very unnatural. It's clearly Japanese and wasn't tackled by the best localization team. This is one of the reasons I'm wary of voice acting in mah Zelda - because I don't want it sounding like this. I wonder if Western game dialogue sounds as bad to Japanese players. I'm guessing it has to.
Graphics - They're fine. It usually takes some kinda special circumstance for me to complain about graphics.
Sound - The game is surprisingly quiet. The Prime games had some of the most unique soundtracks in gaming, blending what I can only describe as "techno meats organic" sounds to create their beats. Sadly, such beats seem to be absent here. Retro Studios is missed.
Pretty much the experience I and many Metroid fans had when they first played it. Yeah authorization sucks, you'll get even more annoyed by it later.
Definitely a Game to forget for the Metroid series.
From: Zero_Kuribo | #095 oh man you havent even reached the best part of the control sheme
Didn't some of the bosses require a rapid switch from sideways control to first person aiming? i.e. having to physically tilt the controller, find its aim on your screen and react with an accurate shot within like a 3 second window. Or did I imagine all that?
Finished. Took me just under 13 hours to 100%. I'll probably post in-depth thoughts later, but this certainly was a mixed bag. Doubt I'll ever replay it.
-- Yoblazer: http://8board.webs.com/ariel.jpg Watch and you'll see... SuperNiceDog own me... in the Guru!
I tend to believe that people are just spoiled regarding this series I didn't play Metroid Other M so I don't know for sure,but before Other M,"Fusion" was the cool thing to hate about the series "hurr durr they make samus talk metroid is ruined forever" "im so hardcore i cant play a metroid game that gives you direction"
Oh wow I definitely enjoyed this game a lot more. I didn't have most of these complaints, and watching a GT review of this game makes me think this is definitely something I'll replay in the future.
For what it's worth, I just finished watching a YouTube LP of Metroid Prime and Samus's body language right before and right after the fight against Meta Ridley seem to be the exact same as in Other M - and it's the same body language for a good number of boss battles. And yet, in Metroid Prime, Samus knows that Ridley is alive, whereas in Other M, Ridley being alive hits Samus like a stack of bricks. Just take away Samus's PTSD, Anthony Higgs, and the dialogue from Other M's cutscene, and you more or less get Metroid Prime's version. Hell, in both games, Ridley attacks Samus in the cutscene right before the actual boss fight (in Prime Samus narrowly dodges Ridley's projectile, though).
Why people are upset with Samus's characterization in Other M is even more beyond me than ever before. For god's sake, METROID PRIME foreshadowed it!
It's really a mixed back, however, as by and large, Metroid Prime did make Other M look pretty bad - the latter game doesn't have any ruins or pirate bases, and only has grass, fire, and ice areas - AWFULLY CLICHE, and the game has some painfully bland areas while Metroid Prime has none - Other M is an insult to the series, in other words, in that respect. Ouch. The whole time I was watching the LP, I was thinking "Other M is part of the same series?" - and I had the opposite thought when watching GT's review of Other M. It probably really says something that episodes from a TV drama series reminded me of MOM far more than footage from actual Metroid games do.
Harkening back to the body language thing, Samus's body language is shown before most of the game's boss battles, whereas I don't remember it happening very often in Other M. Are we faced with the idea that Metroid Prime does a better job characterizing Samus than Other M does?
From: janembaman | #109 I tend to believe that people are just spoiled regarding this series I didn't play Metroid Other M so I don't know for sure,but before Other M,"Fusion" was the cool thing to hate about the series "hurr durr they make samus talk metroid is ruined forever" "im so hardcore i cant play a metroid game that gives you direction"
And yet,Metroid Fusion was amazing
Fusion wasn't bad though. Also noone cares if Samus talks...i think you're confusing fans with fanboys. Fusion was great, other m Is not. Not even close.
And spoiled? I guess you could say that, Super and Prime are some of the best games of all time let alone in the actual metroid series, they combine isolation, exploration and atmosphere like no other. But that doesn't mean a game like other M can come in and stink up the series. It should have been a spin off.
After watching that Metroid Prime LP, I am indeed pretty apprehensive about replaying Other M at all. However, GT's review made the game look like something I'd replay without question in the future. Dunno.
Just to ask, how often is Samus's body language shown in cutscenes right before or after boss battles? I not only hardly remember any such thing, but have a hard time conceiving it being done in the game at all. The one good thing Prime does for Other M is slightly justify Samus's "weak" character in the latter due to her body language in both games being similar - but then we arrive at the conclusion that Prime characterizes her better if her reactions upon seeing certain bosses aren't shown very often in Other M.
Are we faced with the idea that Metroid Prime does a better job characterizing Samus than Other M does?
The difference is though Retro didn't try to characterize her. In an interview during the time they said her objectives were clear and she would be a mute throughout the game just achieving her goal. She had more characteristics in Prime 3 but was more or less the same silent but badass bounty hunter. That's not to say she shouldn't or can't speak i just don't think Prime games(except 3) had any real requirements for her to speak, they were both heavily gameplay driven. Prime 2 actually had more NPC's and an actual plot, it was simple and to the point.
IF you are going to make a metroid game as story driven as Other M then you'd got to be very careful in how you approach the character. Sakamoto ignored the prime games completely, that left him with a lot of problems. Now i've read Interviews where Sakamoto speaks about other M. He doesn't give a flying **** about Primes, that's why his direction and vision on Other M was severely flawed. And he's now faced the consequences of his ignorance and selfishness. Game flopped and is regarded as one of the worst games in the series.
From: LinkMarioSamus | #112 After watching that Metroid Prime LP, I am indeed pretty apprehensive about replaying Other M at all. However, GT's review made the game look like something I'd replay without question in the future. Dunno.
Just to ask, how often is Samus's body language shown in cutscenes right before or after boss battles? I not only hardly remember any such thing, but have a hard time conceiving it being done in the game at all. The one good thing Prime does for Other M is slightly justify Samus's "weak" character in the latter due to her body language in both games being similar - but then we arrive at the conclusion that Prime characterizes her better if her reactions upon seeing certain bosses aren't shown very often in Other M.
You're making too much of a big deal, in the PRime games she's just ready for Battle and does her usual battle stance. Can't read much into it because there isn't anything to read into.
The_Djoker posted... Are we faced with the idea that Metroid Prime does a better job characterizing Samus than Other M does?
The difference is though Retro didn't try to characterize her. In an interview during the time they said her objectives were clear and she would be a mute throughout the game just achieving her goal. She had more characteristics in Prime 3 but was more or less the same silent but badass bounty hunter. That's not to say she shouldn't or can't speak i just don't think Prime games(except 3) had any real requirements for her to speak, they were both heavily gameplay driven. Prime 2 actually had more NPC's and an actual plot, it was simple and to the point.
IF you are going to make a metroid game as story driven as Other M then you'd got to be very careful in how you approach the character. Sakamoto ignored the prime games completely, that left him with a lot of problems. Now i've read Interviews where Sakamoto speaks about other M. He doesn't give a flying **** about Primes, that's why his direction and vision on Other M was severely flawed. And he's now faced the consequences of his ignorance and selfishness. Game flopped and is regarded as one of the worst games in the series.
I dunno. I still think Samus's body language in Prime and Other M is nearly identical. She has plenty of excuses to be more "emotionally fragile" in the latter game too - although to be fair, none of them are covered very well (blame it on the game's script, again).
Most of Samus's characterization in Other M is foreshadowed in Corruption (e.g. following orders from a GF officer without disobedience and mourning the losses of those close to her), so I'm a little puzzled as to the whole "Metroid Prime games are ignored" thing although I can understand it.
Funnily enough, on unikgamer, Other M is ranked ahead of both Metroid II and Hunters.
I just finished Fusion again today for the first time in a while. Seriously, they are NOT the same game. Fusion has far more islolation exploration than Other M though both are linear. The controls are also simple and straight forward and the music is MUCH better in Fusion. So i don't understand this "it's the same as Fusion" crap. Fusion is a much better game than Other M. The only thing they have in common is the adam thing and linear paths, but the adam thing is absolutely nonsensical and subtle that it doesn't even matter. Controls in Fusion are also simple.
It did have an entire epilogue. I might have actually enjoyed the epilogue more than the "real" game. The introspection/character development there was more subtle and thoughtful, with much less OH HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS, SAMUS, PLEASE TELL ME every 15 minutes. It also had a Last Boss more befitting of that title.
-- Yoblazer: http://8board.webs.com/ariel.jpg Watch and you'll see... SuperNiceDog own me... in the Guru!
But even Fusion had some little hidden stuff and nick knacks and such. The story was whatever but didn't really outright detract from gameplay like Other M did. She didn't show much personality in Fusion, but it was enough to get a picture, and the picture for the most part was positive at least.
This had nothing. I cant' remember any derivative path. Ironically, She didnt show much personality here either, what she did show was....welp
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Oh SuperNiceDog's doing it again dude. SuperNiceDog, you ain't no pimp dude
pjbasis posted... I think the "it's the same as Fusion" comes from the fact they're both linear as hell.
I don't care about Samus' character or bad plotlines, but when you take away that exploration that makes Metroid what it is, you're a bad game.
This goes for Fusion and Other M. And Corruption too for that matter.
I never felt that exploration was dumbed down, although I can sorta see where that complaint is coming from. Then again, Corruption was my first Metroid game and Fusion was my third (with Prime coming in between them).
Okay wait, does Other M have a LOT more "generic corridors" than, say, Metroid Prime or BioShock?
EDIT: Ironically enough, the MOM just shot up 104 spots on unikgamer to enter the top 1000, right behind The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures and right ahead of Super Ghouls n'Ghosts - and far ahead of Metroid II and Hunters. I guess this game clearly has a decently hardcore fanbase.
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From his looks Magus is Macho Man Randy Savage as an anime zombie. The black wind howls, and one of you will snap into a Slim Jim ooh yeeeah! -sonicblastpunch
Okay wait, does Other M have a LOT more "generic corridors" than, say, Metroid Prime or BioShock?
That's not the friggin point. The level of atmosphere in Bioshock and Prime are unparalleled. IT's an insult to games to compare those masterpieces with average turd like Other M.
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The epilogue was pretty awesome. The game definitely has its moments. I even loved most of the bosses. But man the "final boss" before the epilogue was a joke. The Metroid Queen was pretty good, but what came after... What a let down.
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Ugh, I just started playing and this is... what the hell. Samus sounds so lifeless and says "baby" so many god damn times at first. Then she just deauthorizes her own use of bombs/missiles without being told and I'm plagued by reminders that Adam must authorize bombs whenever I go morph ball....
The gameplay itself is cool so far, I love Samus' movement; you can clearly see the Ninja Gaiden influences but there's something odd that makes it feel like a tech demo that's just not ending. I'm definitely hating the D-pad use. It's not blind sideways Wiimote hate; I mean, I've played NSMB Wii and Rayman Origins with the sideways controller and it was fine, but this game clearly should be controlled via a stick and I'm not sure what exactly precluded them from using the nunchuk for the game outside of a desire to make the view shift when you point the controller at the screen, and maybe better detection on the timing for the arbitrary direction you choose to dodge in.
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From his looks Magus is Macho Man Randy Savage as an anime zombie. The black wind howls, and one of you will snap into a Slim Jim ooh yeeeah! -sonicblastpunch
You play as Samus – Yep, that’s what I need to resort to. “You play as Samus” is a prop – but a mighty prop it is(!), as Samus is still awesome and one of gaming’s greats even in this goofy game. Despite the flawed dialogue and lifeless voice acting, I still more or less enjoyed taking one of my favorite characters on another perilous adventure. If the dialogue had been less corny and if they had sweet-talked Jennifer Hale back aboard, I would have probably really liked how this game handled the character (apart from the stupid weapon authorization). Seeing her in a more feminized, vulnerable state was actually interesting, although like I said, it would have worked better earlier in the timeline.
The Epilogue – What a great idea this was. After beating the game, you could actually return to the Bottle Ship and tie up some loose ends, including grabbing all missed upgrades. This part of the game featured more of the collection and exploration Metroid is known for, a much more fitting final boss, and more subtle, powerful storytelling without poor dialogue and groan-worthy exposition to bog it down. I had more fun with the Epilogue than I did with the main game.
Final Rating: It’s around a C-, maybe a D+. The game was filled with flaws, but none were so game-breaking as to earn it an F, and there were some redeeming parts like the Epilogue, nice visuals, and playing as one of the greatest game characters ever. This sure as hell isn’t worth $50, but it can be found for a fiver nowadays (pretty telling, as Nintendo games are never that cheap). For a fan of Metroid or Samus, five bucks isn’t so bad to test this out, and if nothing else, it’s a cheap way to pad the old collection.
I won’t be replaying it.
-- Yoblazer: http://i44.tinypic.com/5nw45i.jpg Watch and you'll see... SuperNiceDog own me... in the Guru!
Mixed bag. Unlike (presumably) most others, I actually appreciated the attempt to humanize Samus and lift the veil which had made her Nintendo's most mysterious character for two decades. Unfortunately, the manner in which this was attempted was mishandled. Other M would have worked better as an early game in the Metroid timeline - probably the second. I'm not a Metroid guru, but knowing that this Samus has already gone through the events of Super Metroid and all three Prime games just makes things difficult to reconcile. She shouldn't have been that shocked to see Ridley or that emotionally beholden to Adam and her old teammates, but honestly, those are minor quibbles compared to where the game really ****ed up.
F***-UPS
Control scheme - should have just used the Wiimote and nunchuck. It's hard - really really hard - to turn Samus into an action superstar on par with Dante, Ryu H., and Bayonetta with like two buttons at your disposal. The transition from third person to first person view was often jarring and didn't flow well during combat. It also limited most of Samus's arsenal. Missiles, Super Missiles, the Grapple Beam - everything felt less cool than it did in Prime1/2/3. I understand Team Ninja was trying to blend 2D and 3D, but reverting to the NES control scheme wasn't gonna cut it for a full-fledged 2010 release.
Dialogue and story - The dialogue could have used a lot of work. Samus gets too introspective far too often, breaking all subtlety. There's a difference between communicating things with the player and spelling out every little deal. The latter is just poor story telling. We don't need a short paragraph from Samus, by Samus, on Samus every time something happens.
That's how you do it. No words spoken. A thousand told.
Everything in Other M sounds way too, for lack of a better word, Japanese. The translation team didn't do a great job imo. I didn't get such a vibe from Prime 3 (which also contained more dialogue than Metroid usually does), probably because that was created by an American dev from the start. Other M is proof positive that not everything needs voice acting cuz it can end up sounding corny as ****, especially when it's originally created by people from a different culture halfway across the world. I wonder if Japanese gamers get a similar vibe from Call of Duty's dialogue and Japanese dubs.
And what's with this weapon authorization stuff? Couldn't they have thought up a better way for Samus to grow and gain her powers? It's ludicrous and does more to diminish Samus's character than her PTSD and feelings toward Adam, which I probably hated less than the average player. It also meant less in the way of exciting pickups during play. Picking up a weapon upgrade after a good fight is so much more satisfying than having it in your arsenal from the start but unavailable because your “commanding officer” has yet to authorize it. God damn, it felt stupid just to type that last sentence.
Gameplay - Combat just should have been more dynamic, exciting, varied, satisfying... you name it. This is an action game by Team Ninja, but it didn't really feel like it. It felt less like the action games of today and more like Mega Man in 3D. Here's a complaint I've yet to hear anyone else bring up: enemies NEVER drop ANYTHING. No health, no ammo, no upgrades, no XP, nothing. The difference between dropping something small like health or ammo and nothin' at all is significant. If the combat itself isn't outstanding (and it ain't), the game needs to give us actual incentive to fight.
All main story boss fights besides Ridley were weak, and the forced first-person sections where you had to "spot the tiny clue in the room" were dumb. Since this game didn't nail the action, we could have benefited from some puzzles but received none. Shame, as the Prime series had some killer puzzles.
I don't find Other M to be as bad as other people do, but I do think it's a cautionary tale for Nintendo when it comes to bringing their franchises into the "modern world."
As much as Zelda begs for voice acting, for instance, it's probably best if they get their s*** together and have someone else take care of that one. Should that day ever come.
-- I like how each new topic you make reveals such varied facets of your idiocy. - foolmo [NO BARKLEY NO PEACE]
NES Zeldas are far from my favorites, but they are still good.
Original Metroid is not. Starting with 30 Energy every time is extremely dumb. But even if they fixed that and various other issues? The basic controls, physics, etc., are just not very good IMO.
-- [NO BARKLEY NO PEACE] [NO SUPERNICEDOG NO PEACE]
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From his looks Magus is Macho Man Randy Savage as an anime zombie. The black wind howls, and one of you will snap into a Slim Jim ooh yeeeah! -sonicblastpunch
redrocket posted... Metroid II is hella underrated.
Ehhh... it needs a remake. It's fine as a GB game but the lack of a map, the genuinely awful bleep bloop sound "music" and Zeta metroids being awful kills it for me.
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who was more offended by the gameplay than the plot.
I'm the kind of person who prefers a plot to be either really good at driving me to continue or taking a massive backseat, existing only to add some neat insight into the world I'm running through. Other M chose very poorly by making the plot directly stop you from using your neat power-ups (although the logic behind not using Power Bombs actually made sense), but not as poorly as choosing such a weird and awkward control scheme as it did.
Whenever someone says they don't like Other M people tend to assume it's because the game ruined Samus forever or whatever, but there's plenty to hate about Other M beyond that. Like everything. It's just bad in just about every way a game can be bad.
The controls sucked, the atmosphere/level design sucked and the game just didn't do anything for me.
I'm sorry but I hated this game so much, and this is coming from someone who would put Prime and probably Super in their top 10 games of all time.
The reason this gets so much hate isn't because it's a Bad game(at it's core and standalone it's a good solid game) but because it's a part of a franchise that has ridiculously high standards.