Wow, ooo boy. This game. Where to begin, I guess I should start from the beginning of it all. See, Metroid was released in 1986 as a platforming/exploration game with you playing as(not known till the end of the game) a woman. GASP! Eye knw rite?! It was new, refreshing and inspirational at the time, it showed that not all space marines and explorers had to be James T. Kirk. Growing up on Metroid, I enjoyed the idea (even though I was going through my girls have cooties phase) and Samus Aran quickly became my all time favorite video game lady. I've followed every Metroid game that was released since I was first introduced to her ( except for that Metroid Pinball, the heck is up with that?) and I've enjoyed every single one. Then, at long last, we have Metroid Other M. Taking ques from the Metroid manga that was released a few years back, it promised to delivers Samus' past and finally give her a speaking role. How does that turn out? $%?*$*?&*?$*(&*()$&($*!!! That's how it turns out.
The game was developed by Team Ninja, turning it into Ninja Gaiden light but I'll get into that in a minute. I want to talk about the story and charactization first. Enter Yushio Sakamoto, the co-creator of the Metroid series. The man admits that while writing Other M, he didn't know what kind of personalitiy Samus should have, so rather than read the Chozo lore from the Prime series, or even read the manga he gives her a new characterization that contradicts her previous incarnations. Samus was out spoken, brave, independant, and compassionate. She was also brooding, scarred and hurt. She balanced all of these in the manag and it's all brushed upon in the Prime trilogy. In Other M? She's obediant, quiet and dependant. Yushio tries to show that she had a traumatic past but it doesn't work here, especially since this game is right after Super Metroid. By that point in the story, Samus had over come her personal tragedy in the first Metroid and was moving on with her life. That is, if you played Zero Mission AND read the manga. She overcomes her fear of Ridley and guns him down (quite brutually) in the Manga and Zero Mission, then goes onto encounter him several times after. When the two meet in Other M, Yushio tries to show that Ridley had caused some kind of childhood trauma on Samus (he killed her parents when she was 3), but like I said, at this point she has fought and beaten him several times and story wise, overcome her fear of him. Then we come to her past, in the game Samus left because she wasn't allowed to save her comanding officers, Adam Malkovich, brother. In her frsuteration at him left. In Metroid Pirme and the manga, she left BECAUSE the military was holding her back from helping, stationing her away from any known space pirate outposts, frusterated, she leaves and becomes a bounty hunter who openly allows herself to be employed by the federation, still working with them but not constricted to them. See the pattern? Yushio has offically contradicted his own character. Don't get me started on the dependancy she exhibits through the game, only wondering continously what Adam would say or do and then having to snap out of her 'Dear Diary' moment because she just cost the life of one of the soliders with her. This is what Yushio expects me to believe was the woman behind the suit? This twilight characterization? Contrary to what Movie Bob said in his blogpost, all these things listed do not make her human. Yes, she has fears, she has a growing doubt about herself, but unlike American Comics, she progressed overtime and grew up. In Other M, she's done the opposite. Instead being the child she was at the beginning of Zero Mission and the manga. Fusion had a much better characterization of her, so I find it surprising that Yushio could quickly contradict her so much. All her development is gone, her past is stripped down and she's no longer the strong woman who was depicted as in Prime and the manga. She's so dependant on those around her, she doesn't even express her own opinion; just th reflection of what Adam might think or how Anthony was feeling. No, this doesn't humanize Samus, it stereotypes her. She's no longer the symbol of humanity overcoming their own emotional limitations despite gender and stature. No, this is turning her into a 50's housewife. It saddens me greatly, to see one of my all time favorite characters miss handled by her very own co-creator.
Enough about the story, it's depressing me. Let's get onto the gameplay. Unfortunantly this won't take long as it's just like Ninja Gaiden but instead of sword slashing; you're shooting. There is still some exploration but like Samus, it's watered down. The paths are linear and there isn't as much back tracker. Instead you move forward and wait for Adam to let Samus know her 'place', and you get a weapon. The levels are varied in design though, depecting a beautiful space station with many different enviroments. From a large corridor to a Norfair rip off, to a jungle wilderness, the details and graphics are beautiful and depict the areas very wall. Sure, the framerate drops at certain places but it doesn't take away that this is a gorgeous looking wii game. The gameplay is fast, giving Samus the ability to dodge, making the player stay on his or her toes. Although there is a lock on feature, it's broken. Trying to aim at an enemy that isn't the closest to you is like trying to convince Christopher Nolan to stop treating movie goers like idiots. You can mow down enemies quickly, but they attack you faster, especially if they're farther away from you which seems broken to me. You have take downs ala God of War, but you don't have to spam the circle button to complete said take down. You just walk up and attack at point blank and you see Samus whirlybird the enemy out of exsistance. Of course, switching to first person to shoot missles is even more broken and destroys the quick pacing that the gameplay offers. If you were going to put a first person mode in, why not just make the WHOLE game first person? It worked in Metroid Prime.
Much like the story, Other M's gameplay destroys itself. What could have been good, quickly throws away it's own potenttial. The pacing in gameplay is broken and ruins quick feel the game gives you, the exploration is watered down and the platforming is trick to do with an annoying camera level. The story tries to rip off Hideo Kojima and contradicts other media that presents Samus in a much better and human light. If another Metroid game is made, then leave Yushio Sakamoto out of the writing process.
Metroid Other M gets 1.5 biological clock is ticking references made in the story out of 5.
To end my depression I'm having a full weekend of Metroid Prime. That'll cheer me right up, in fact just thinking about Metroid Prime has put a smile on my face.
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