Announced at the end of Nintendo’s E3 2009 press conference, Metroid: Other M was received as a great surprise, after all, it’s not always that you get to see two companies so different working on the same project, and with such an astounding trailer, it was hard not to hype the game. As information started arriving though, the group originally hyping the game was divided: half of them were still eager to play the game, the other half started concerning about the unusual control choice and the fact that the game would be a fully voice-acted, story heavy game. And now that the game’s finally out, it’s time to see which side was right.
Metroid: Other M took a path most games wouldn’t: force yourself to simplify. Head of the project Yoshio Sakamoto once said he wanted it to be a “NES game with the latest tech”, and that’s what they’ve done: you play in a full 3D world, but you control with the Wii Remote only, held sideways like a NES controller. The controls work surprisingly well, as most of the time you are in pseudo two dimensional areas or 3D areas in which the camera rotates, following Samus’ movements. Using the D-pad is definitely not an issue to control in open spaces either, as the game never requires a level of accuracy bigger than moving in the 8 basic directions. The only moment this becomes a nuisance are the weird and completely out of place over the shoulder moments, where the game takes a Resident Evil 4-esque camera for no reason at all, breaking the pace and not doing anything for the setting of the scene.
Switching the Wiimote to the standard position and aiming at the screen takes you to first person mode. In this mode you cannot move, but you can look around and even lock-onto objects and enemies to shoot. First person mode (or search mode, as the game calls it) is also the only way to fire any kind of missiles or use the grapple beam. It works fine most of the time and with a couple minutes of game, you’ll be used and doing it naturally without a problem. The problem here lies in some specific moments where the game forces you to search and scan something in the middle of a cutscene. Those moments almost always makes you spend a lot of time just moving the pointer around, hoping to cross paths with the objective, only then to continue the scene.
The finishing moves are always great to watch and perform, and each large enemy has a different finisher.
Combat has changed a lot too and resembles some sort of Ninja Gaiden in space. It’s not a bad thing though. The aim is assisted, so merely looking in the direction of the enemy is enough. But the enemies are fast and deal a huge amount of damage. Tapping any direction on the D-pad at the moment before the attack will allow Samus to dodge the move. If you were charging your beam, it becomes fully charged, which means dodging is one of the most important aspects in combat. Some enemies will require you to shoot missiles and, like mentioned before, you can only do that in first person. Switching to first person in combat is a little trickier, as you don’t want to waste too much time aiming, so you should be facing the target before moving the remote. Once in first person, the game enters a slow motion moment for about a second before running in normal speed again, allowing you to properly aim without being injured by oncoming fire. Quickly moving the pointer out of screen allows you to dodge in first person, so you’re not completely defenseless.
New to the series is Concentration: When you’re low on health or you’re out of missiles, holding the Wiimote vertically and holding A allows you to recharge ammunition and recover some energy. It doesn’t make it any easier though. Enemies no longer drop recovery items when defeated and concentration requires your health to be really low and takes about 5 seconds to be performed, and all this time you remain defenseless, so finding a moment in combat to do it is tricky.
The story of Other M is one of the game’s main dividing points: taking place after Super Metroid and before Metroid Fusion, the game looks to enlighten those who wondered what happened in between, including the death of Samus’ former commanding officer, Adam Malkovich. Taking place in the Bottle Ship, some sort of biological research center where things went wrong, Samus finds Adam, together with the rest of his squad, exploring the place in search of survivors. The group joins forces but, since it is a rescue mission and there are other humans involved, Adam requests Samus to not use any weaponry until authorized, for safety reasons. This is how you unlock new powers in the game: as they become essential to survival, Adam authorizes use. This makes sense most of the time, but one can’t help but wonder why didn’t Adam allow the use of the Varia Suit (which only protects Samus from extreme heat) until the boss battle, which could make sense on a gameplay perspective, but not from a story perspective. Thankfully those awkward moments are few.
Voice acting is hard to evaluate, as some hated it and some liked it. Most of the story is told through some sort of inner monologue with Samus as the narrator, as if she was retelling the story to someone else. It feels like a log entry rather than her inner thoughts, so the fact that she doesn’t put any tone in her voice is acceptable. During dialogue the voice actors aren’t bad, but they’re not good either.
You won't believe that you're still playing on a Wii when you watch the cutscenes.
Technically, Other M is split. The cutscenes are probably the best the Wii has ever seen and will probably remain like that. It rivals some of the best HD console cutscenes, but of course, pre-rendered graphics aren’t exactly a parameter. Gameplay graphics look vibrating and colorful, models are well done and lighting is fine. On the other hand many textures are low quality and there are plenty of sharp edges on scenario, especially when plants are involved. On the sound department, most of the tracks are barely noticeable, being there just to set the mood, which is kinda disappointing for a game that belongs to a series known for its remarkable score. Some of the famous tracks are still around, most noticeably Ridley’s theme, which got a new, rocking version.
All in all, Metroid: Other M does not disappoint, and while it does have some bad points and some others that can lead to long discussions regarding the quality, the game provides a nice story that adds a lot to the Metroid canon and a fun, challenging gameplay with great bosses and a lot to collect.
Graphics - 9.0
Cutscenes are gorgeous, the models are well built and the scenario looks great. Some issues with detailing kill the mood a bit.
Sound - 7.0
Few tracks actually deserve to be called that, and the voice acting isn't half bad, but isn't great either.
Gameplay - 8.0
When you're exploring and fighting, it's great. When the game forces you to hunt for something in the middle of the cutscene or put the camera behind you, you want to punch something.
Controls - 9.0
Simple, fun and more than enough to handle what the game needs. Switching to first person becomes a second nature in no time.
Replay Value - 8.0
After the credits roll, you go back to the ship on a final mission. A few new areas can be found, along with a new boss. Getting 100% unlocks hard mode.
Overall - 8.7
Some parts aren't what you'd expect, but the overall package far outweighs the issues.
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