Metroid: Other M

By Christian Donlan Published 26 February, 2010

Samus usual?

Five minutes into Metroid: Other M, Samus Aran already has a new skill. She's talking, and as is often the case when introducing a new mechanic, Team Ninja - the series' latest custodian - has gone a little bit overboard with it.

After years of near-muteness, Samus suddenly won't shut up, blathering away in cut-scenes to whoever will listen. Often it's the deep-space scientist, looking just like Woody Allen, who's trying to give her a basic tutorial.

Otherwise it's continuously mumbling about her feelings in voiceover, as if filling out a slightly melancholic postcard home. "Having a great time on Zebes, I guess. Hotel's lovely. Bit of a problem with a huge screen-filling lizard down at reception the other day, but live and let live eh? PS: I'm still turning into a ball fairly regularly."

Part of the idea behind Other M is getting to know Samus better, although you could argue that such a notion seems to fundamentally miss the point of a character audiences already relate to through her moves rather than her monologues.

Luckily, when it comes to the action, things are shaping up extremely nicely too: Team Ninja's take on Metroid is a bit like seeing the series' genome mutating in front of your eyes, at times, but it's a very likable process. As with Retro Studios, the developers of Ninja Gaiden have brought their own quirks and sensibilities to bear on Nintendo's classic franchise, but the result is a fascinating and very playable blend of old and new.

'Metroid: Other M' Screenshot 1

The CG cut-scenes do go on, but they're the best you'll see on the Wii: stylish, glossy, and filled with detail.

Metroid: Other M was announced at last year's E3 in a glossy blur of over-saturated colour. In amidst The Women's Murder Club and the sight of good sport Satoru Iwata with his finger stuck inside the Wii Vitality Sensor (his steely gaze suggesting that, not only had he found the future of digital entertainment, but it had been in the back of an ambulance all these years), Other M looked shiny and vivid and genuinely alive: a muddle of rich oranges and deep purples that seemed to blur game styles together without ever settling down.

Having a chance to play it at Nintendo's European press summit this week, it's clear that the plot settles down fairly quickly, however. Kicking off with a CG rewiring of the end of Super Metroid, in which Samus is saved from defeat by Mother Brain when a baby Metroid sits on her head for a vital few seconds, Other M takes place immediately after the events of the SNES classic, putting it before the Prime trilogy in the series timeline.

After a debriefing with a kind of galactic parliament, in which Samus informs the universe that the Metroid threat has been eradicated - all the while, pondering the fate of that poor baby who sacrificed herself for him, and generally feeling a bit motherly - the bounty hunter is off into the cosmos once more, answering a distress call that leads her to a decommissioned "bottle ship" space station where the real action begins.

Even before things get going, Team Ninja is making its presence felt. Samus spends a lot of time wandering around in her glossy, skin-tight Zero Suit in the opening moments, and the camera never misses a chance to linger on her backside.

On top of that, the cut-scenes themselves stretch off into the distance, filled with charmingly terrible dialogue and some brilliantly uncharismatic performances. Samus, in particular, sounds like she gets through the daily grind of being a mercenary by snacking on Diazepam at every available opportunity: based on her unwavering monotone delivery, you almost expect to see her walking into doors.

The story barrage is probably restrained by the team's usual standards, but it's still something of a departure for a series that generally left players to their own devices, plonking them down into the clammy darkness, and letting them explore. An early introduction to the combat, however, suggests that the developer may actually be an inspired match, despite its wilful eccentricities.

Moving around and killing things in Other M is, frankly, a bit brilliant. Most of the action is viewed from a controlled-perspective third-person viewpoint. As with something like Shadow Complex, Team Ninja frames the action as it sees best, often turning the game into a side-scroller, albeit a three dimensional one with no fixed plane of movement - but the developer's just as willing to have the camera spin round, seeing you running into or out of the screen.

From these angles, moving through the flickering hallways of the bottle ship while the mini-map steadily takes shape in the top-left corner, it feels just like 1994 again, particularly since the game has bravely ditched the nunchuk and relies on the remote alone, held in classic controller formation.

'Metroid: Other M' Screenshot 2

Samus' old boyfriend looks like a weird cross between David Bowie and the late Patrick Swayze.

There's a handy auto-targeting whenever the regular slithery, spiny, spiky monsters make their appearances, clinging to the walls and ceilings or popping from vents, and the controls snap nicely from one nasty to the next. Early on, a spray of disco flies erupts from a nearby pipe, and while they flap around you in a bewildering manner, it's a pleasure to pick them off one at a time before moving on.

For bigger baddies, you'll need rockets, which are handled slightly differently. Pointing the remote towards the screen switches you to first-person, allowing you to lock on to targets before blasting away at them with the big guns.

The same mode is used for scanning, incidentally, and while you can't move around when in first-person, it's a simple business to snap back to the standard perspective, and Team Ninja, being Team Ninja, has given Samus a handful of nice kung-fu melee moves, performed with simple button presses, to take down any fools who get in close. There's even a dodge roll and some simple counters.

And it's not all combat, thankfully. Even in the game's early stages there's plenty of exploration to be done amidst creepy, derelict environments, with dozens of dead ends that will presumably only be traversable at a later date. Within minutes of loading up, in fact, I was pleasantly lost, wall-jumping this way and that, morph-balling through little gaps to see if I could find any secrets, and meeting up with a few new friends.

This, perhaps, is the element of Other M that is hardest to judge at the moment. In its commitment to telling a deeper, more involving story on this outing, Team Ninja has thrown Samus together with a gaggle of futuristic soldiers who have come to investigate the same distress call. One of them, their leader by the looks of it, is someone that Samus once had a bit of a thing with back when she was in the army, too. Crikey.

That doesn't mean you're suddenly controlling a squad, but it does indicate that the lonely exploration which makes the series so satisfying is likely to be broken up with fairly regular moments when you huddle with the gang and try to work out what to do next - an early cut-scene even has the soldiers dispatched all around the space station, suggesting they're the girders in a far more rigid level system.

Often, it has to be said, it works - the game's first real boss battle, against a writhing purple beast built from hundreds of tiny bugs, sees your allies freezing chunks of his body while you then blast them apart with rockets - but it's going to be interesting to see how much your new chums change the essence of the game.

Your old boyfriend, for starters, replaces the time-honoured system of finding your own kit upgrades as you go, by telling you instead, often rather curtly, when you're authorised to use each of your existing weapons.

'Metroid: Other M' Screenshot 3

The morph ball controls like a charm, although it's lost a little of the pleasantly dangerous wriggliness it had in the Prime games.

While it leads to classic character-revealing lines like, "We currently have no plans to authorise the use of Power Bombs," - that one's straight out of the West Wing - and it's actually little more than a new coat of paint for the same old mechanic, it feels slightly less fulfilling. Instead of heading out on your own and stumbling across useful gadgets, you're being told when and where you can play with your own toys. Samus is being kept down by The Man.

For the most part, though, the kinks in the ancient template are characterful and interesting, while to see a game returning to its roots with so many new ideas is extremely exciting. Glossy and glittering, Metroid: Other M is one of the prettiest Wii games you'll probably ever see; from what Nintendo's revealed so far, it looks like it could be one of the most satisfying - and, in its clash of design cultures, the most fascinating - as well.

Metroid: Other M is due out on Wii in Q3 2010.

Picture of Christian.

About Christian Donlan

Chris Donlan writes about games for Eurogamer and some magazines. His heroes include Eugene Jarvis, Errol Morris, and Linus Van Pelt.

Read more articles from Christian by visiting the Christian Donlan archive page.

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Comments (75) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • JohnnyWashnGo #1 2 years ago

    This game looks ace. Bring it on.

  • Apaar #2 2 years ago

    If they can't pull off an intriguing narrative, then they shouldn't even try. Either really deliver with the storyline, or concentrate fully on the exploration and atmoshphere. The middle-ground is going to get messy.

  • yegon #3 2 years ago

    /wants

  • Luckyjim #4 2 years ago

    It's been getting good hands on write ups everywhere. Really looking forward to it.

  • Kay #5 2 years ago

    I'm not a fan of the whole story element at all, especially if the dialogue and voice-acting is as bad as most previews say it is. Also, romantic interest for Samus? Blergh.

    That's a shame, really, as the game itself sounds really good. Nintendo reinventing one of their franchises yet again - let's hope the same is planned for the next Zelda.

  • Praetorianer #6 2 years ago

    Sounds good to me, except the Samus-now-talks-part. It's not that I don't want her to talk, but to me, her fate as lonely heroine added a lot to the atmosphere of the games.

    However, if they don't screw that part up with really terrible voice acting, cheesy plot (hopefully it's not like "oh I've still got some feelings for him" or "He sacrificed himself to save my life...was it all wrong to split up in the first place?";) and half-baked story efforts, then it might turn out to be not that bad in the end.

  • malteaserhead #7 2 years ago

    "- all the while, pondering the fate of that poor baby who sacrificed herself for him"

    That's a change too far with the series imo ;)

  • Sonic_D #8 2 years ago

    Erm... Samus was sexualised in Super Metroid, the higher the completion percentage the less clothes she had on.

    Anyway, this could be GOTY for me, I hope it turns out brilliant and thet new ideas work. Last Guardian could beat it, but thats got a 2011 release I think.

  • JeroenZM #9 2 years ago

    What's Cloud doing on the front page?

  • varsas #10 2 years ago

    This does sound very good. I'm looking forward to it!

  • Windypops #11 2 years ago

    An androgynous character as the main protagonist in a Japanese videogame? What fresh madness is this?

  • Kanjin #12 2 years ago

    'Samus is being kept down by The Man'

    D:

  • Markitron #13 2 years ago

    The Prime games are among my favourite of all time (I loved shadow complex as well), and I have no interest in this game whatsoever. Why are people so excited about a game thats essentially of a 20 year old design?

    It seems to me that nintendo have subtlely lowered everyones expectations of them this generation to the point where any classic franchise announcement is met with universal acclaim. If retro had unveiled a 2d game instead of prime back in 2002 metroid fans would have been lighting their pitchforks.......................
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 14:32

  • Telepathic.Geometry #14 2 years ago

    Oh God, I don't wanna see what Prof. Less. has to say about this. For me, the being given the upgrades is okay of it's only a few of them, with other ones being liberated as you go.

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #15 2 years ago

    If you actally look at Team Ninja's other titles the only thing 'Sexulising' the female cast was the outfits most of the time.

    Most of the female cast were just as 'bas ass' as Ryu was, seeing as Samus wont be losing her clothes mid game (as someone already said thats reserved till after the credits) or having a boobjob before the game starts - I dought Samus will be going all Lara Croft meets Bayonetta on us at any point of M:oM.

    Ever since the start of Fusion on the GBA Nintendo have been unfolding Samus's past, present and future in each title, Retro did a good job finally giving her a flushed out backstory and I hope Team Ninja continue the trend.

    As long as Samus doesn't go all Zelda/Peach damsel in destress in the voice acting on us honestly I don't care

  • JeroenZM #16 2 years ago

    'Other M takes place immediately after the events of the SNES classic, putting it before the Prime trilogy in the series timeline'

    If I recall correctly, the Prime series takes place after the original Metroid and before Return of Samus and Super Metroid. Other M is probably for now the second to last adventure in the timeline (Metroid Fusion being the final chapter).

  • Shrike #17 2 years ago

    Meh. Having a guy who tells Samus when and where she can use her equipment is probably the most efficient way of dismantling the character I can think of. It's quite impressive, actually. Like someone was given a list of the things that make the character interesting and told to wreck them in as few moves as possible.

  • TonyHarrison #18 2 years ago

    "If retro had unveiled a 2d game instead of prime back in 2002 metroid fans would have been lighting their pitchforks......................."

    Are you sure about that? Reading various fan forums would suggest they want a return to 2D...

    Anyway, this looks promising, and who knows, if this is a success it might not be the last time Nintendo invite other developers in to work alongside them on one of their franchises.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 14:35

  • Markitron #19 2 years ago

    I only came to the series with metroid prime so honestly im not sure. But in the wake of Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time and how amazing their 3d transitions were, there would have been serious disappoinment if metroid had not done the same (luckily it did)
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 14:39

  • kinky_mong #20 2 years ago

    Mmmm, lots of info there that has dampened my excitement for this a bit. I really don't want Samus speaking, particularly with really bad voice acting.

    Wait and see for me now.

  • [maven] #21 2 years ago

    I'm very skeptical about this (but I was about Metroid Prime too, given it's arduous development history), but haven't lost hope yet. Please be a good game!

  • Moonprince #22 2 years ago

    "Samus Aran already has a new skill. She's talking"

    Do not want! no sale! Totally missed the point of Metroid!

  • viper_h #23 2 years ago

    dot.... dot.... dot...

    Not impressed with the sounds of this. I don't want voice acting or other character interaction in Metroid!

    And if they're doing voice acting anyway, why does it have to be hammy and crap? There's plenty of talented voice actors and script writers out there who'd love to pen this, but it sounds like it's going to be atrocious.

    Gameplay sounds kinda fun, except the "AI teammates" part, who will no doubt be as useful as a chocolate fireguard.

    Samus is silent. Samus is alone. These are the staples which make Metroid what it is... Oh dear, oh dear...

    And the authorisation to use weapons thing? What were they smoking when they came up with that? Say you're stuck on a difficult boss and you die repeatedly, but you have a weapon that could easily beat the boss in one hit... If your life was at stake, I doubt you'd blindly follow orders to the point where you DIED before using said weapon.

    Also, how are energy tanks gonna work? "Samus, you're not authorised to use 2 energy tanks! You must commit seppuku if one runs out!". Toss.

  • varsas #24 2 years ago

    "Do not want! no sale! Totally missed the point of Metroid!"

    If this actually plays like one of the best 2d Metroid games you're not going to buy it because it has voice acting?

    "And the authorisation to use weapons thing? What were they smoking when they came up with that? Say you're stuck on a difficult boss and you die repeatedly, but you have a weapon that could easily beat the boss in one hit... If your life was at stake, I doubt you'd blindly follow orders to the point where you DIED before using said weapon. "

    Samus has all her weapons from Super Metroid so she has the weapons but is not allowed to use them. It makes more narrative sense than just removing the weapons as you might expect at the start of new Metroid game.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 15:10

  • wayn3h #25 2 years ago

    @Markitron, I would love to see a return to 2D. For one game at least. As much as I loved Prime, it didn't quite feel like the Super Metroid I remember.

  • Shrike #26 2 years ago

    While I get that Samus' inability to hold on to equipment for any length of time without it falling off is as artificial as having a character who unlocks equipment, the point is that the former is a series tradition and facilitates gameplay. I wouldn't mind it if they poked fun at it, but switching it out for something that makes Samus seriously dependant on another character (especially a man, and a love interest - thanks, Team Ninja) seems thoroughly shit.

  • varsas #27 2 years ago

    @Shrike: From reading another preview she's dependant upon the guy for authority alone because she's working with government agents rather than just going it alone. I'm guessing the set up is that she is required to follow rules of engagement or be barred.

  • Shrike #28 2 years ago

    I'm sure they can justify it. But in my eyes the more they overcomplicate it the more atmosphere they stand to lose. Metroid has a very simple recipe that works very well - tough bounty hunter lady on strange, lonely planet. Would the opening of Super Metroid be better if it had a bunch of marines pop out and say "DAMN, LOOK HOW MUCH IT'S RAINING! SURE IS RAINING ON THIS PLANET!"? No.

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #29 2 years ago

    @Bloodkill good point.. but then it was more a gag then anything else - take that away and my point still stands, I dought Samus' final powerup will be a binki 'firing lazorz out of her boobies', plus if you think about it remember the dialog between her and 'Adam' in Fusion it was very well done and the final part does show her softer side...

    Thinking about it is this OM 'bf' Adam himself? $%^%! I forget about Adam - it's gotta be him - makes sence tbh.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 15:37

  • Machiavellian #30 2 years ago

    Personally, I care not if Samus speaks. I have played all of the Metroid games and I do like it when something new is offered then the same thing I have experienced. What I do care about is that what they do is done well. People complained when Metroid went 3D and people complain that the series has gone back to 2D. What I see is that people will complain no matter what.

    From what I have read, it appears that Team Ninja is creating a damn good game and that's more important then one fan opinion of the series.

  • andromeda #31 2 years ago

    "particularly since the game has bravely ditched the nunchuk and relies on the remote alone, held in classic controller formation"

    WIN

  • Machiavellian #32 2 years ago

    It never really makes sense that a tough bounty hunter always seems to lose her gear all the time. Maybe this time it will be satisfying when Samus breaks away from the MAN and do her own thing.

  • MORZTAN #33 2 years ago

    I'm -1-ing all of you who talk the game down due to the fact that Samus talks. Why not show a little faith for crying out loud!

    This is a top Nintendo-franchise who's been the same for the last 20 years and as soon as they try something new and exciting to the franchise, people go beserk.

    Hell, I'm really looking forward to getting to know Samus. How she works and thinks. Perhaps it will be an exploration in itself.

    I have faith in Nintendo on this one, and I'm sure it will be a new, and much needed milestone in the series.

    Bring it on!

  • ProfessorLesser #34 2 years ago

    Morztan... I have no faith because reviews have said it sounds shit. I'm not just going to blindly accept shit features. Nobody's complaining for trying something new - I'm extremely excited by all the changes in gameplay (except the new weapon progression idea, which sounds gay on a stick).

    Apaar said it first - if you're going to do something, fucking do it right. Why hasn't the VO for a fucking Metroid game, of all the hallmark franchises, not had the shit QA'd out of it?! I just don't understand how this can reach release with such a poor characterisation of one of the most potentially rich videogaming characters left out there. What a damn waste.

  • Windypops #35 2 years ago

    I've never thought of Samus as a particularly rich video game character. I always got the feeling that the fact she's female was an afterthought, something to chuck in at the end of the game to pique the interest of adolescent boys.

    In fact, probably one of the main attractions of the games (the three-dimensional offerings; never really got into the originals) is that she's such a void. You feel nothing for her. Instead, it's you out there on some lonely, distant planet with no-one to talk to and everything wanting to kill you.

  • Riggers #36 2 years ago

    "Even before things get going, Team Ninja is making its presence felt. Samus spends a lot of time wandering around in her glossy, skin-tight Zero Suit in the opening moments, and the camera never misses a chance to linger on her backside."

    Fail.

  • CaptainTrips #37 2 years ago

    Samus talking in Metroid? Oh do fuck off!

    I am sure the gameplay will be ace - I think that the hectic gunplay of Metroid is perfectly suited to TN's pedigree - but I think we can all agree that getting to know Samus better is something which is simply not needed...

  • Shrike #38 2 years ago

    "This is a top Nintendo-franchise who's been the same for the last 20 years and as soon as they try something new and exciting to the franchise, people go beserk."

    I think the reason I'm annoyed about this is because it's not like they're voicing her in order to do something particularly original. They're voicing her so that she can join a band of space marines. Can you say "one step forward, two steps back"?

  • Softie2k #39 2 years ago

    A lot of the mystique will be lost...

  • wonton #40 2 years ago

    "I have faith in Nintendo on this one, and I'm sure it will be a new, and much needed milestone in the series. "

    If you're going to have faith in anything, its gonna be in Team Ninja, not Nintendo.

    And we're talking about the makers of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive here; and that's possible a very good or a very bad thing.

  • Incarta #41 2 years ago

    I loved the Prime Trilogy, so I'm a little anxious about this one, but, it sounds like it's shaping up to be good.

    Not a word about the difficulty level in the article I see... that worrys me too.

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #42 2 years ago

    [link url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/nintendo-m edia-metroid-other/62383
    ]http://ww w.gametrailers.com/video/ninten...[/link]

    Comfirms that the 'old boyfriend' IS Adam, any Fusion players should make the connection intantly and it fits perfectly into Samus' story, plus the video does give us snipetts of Samus' voice, so all the 'love story angle' fears should be squashed right now IF youknow your Metriod lore, and she's not sounding that bad either :)

  • Muddtallica #43 2 years ago

    I haven't actually made a comment on this site in 435 days, but some of the misconceptions flying around here have compelled me to do so.

    To those guys who are so adamant that Samus never speaks, I have to ask: have you ever actually played any of the non-Prime Metroid games? Samus provides narration for all the post-Metroid II entries, particularly Metroid Fusion, where she's pretty much a non-stop motormouth. Having Samus as a mute was a quirk Retro imposed in the Prime series for no apparent reason (maybe they got confused with Zelda?), and as far as I'm concerned it's something that gradually became ridiculous. Retro obviously wanted to develop the character and her fictional universe, but the silence thing tied their hands, meaning they had to introduce weird anonymous narrators or gaggles of other characters to come along and talk at her. The Nintendo-developed entries have all been very direct when they've wanted to flesh the character out with dialogue or flashbacks, and were much more effective for it, in my view.

    Frankly, reading this preview, I can't actually see much in here stylistically that hasn't already been established to some extent in other games. Having a busy cast of characters? See Fusion, Hunters, Prime 3. Giving Samus a controlling CO? Again, Fusion and Prime 3. Sexualising Samus? Hell, I'd say they all do that with their peekaboo endings, but Zero Mission and Smash Bros Brawl are the ones to go furthest with the whole Zero Suit idea. I'm not making a judgement either way as to whether these ideas are good additions to the series, but to say Other M is solely responsible for bringing them in is just wrong.

    I'm not defending Other M here; certainly, it could well blow chunks, but let's not twist facts to create more obstacles for it than it really needs to deal with, hmm?

    Now I'm going back into hibernation.

  • Shrike #44 2 years ago

    That GT video does a lot to make me more optimistic about this than I was. It's all in the handling, I guess.

  • Grayvern #45 2 years ago

    Oh team ninja and your blatant teenage sexism oh how you cheapen the world and tarnish the reputation of Japanese game development. I wonder whether I'll be able to get past team ninjas ideological rape of Samus and actually play the game.

  • malloc #46 2 years ago

    Yikes, when did everyone turn into Samus Aran nerds. Sounds like this game might just turn out to be ace. I really like the idea of Nintendo moving their franchises around when one dev team has reached a bit of a ceiling with a series. Not a criticism of Retro at all, but fair enough time to think about moving on to something else.

    Whilst this game I'm sure will be the business I'm actually more interested in what Retro are currently working on. Anyone know?

  • GrandpaUlrira #47 2 years ago

    Ex-boyfriend?! The new character design looks absolutely nothing like the old Samus (Zero Mission, Smash Bros), which strikes me as a strange decision.

    I'm not keen on all the unnecessary guff they've added, but I guess we'll see if they pull it off.

  • FenderMaster #48 2 years ago

    i still don't get it..

    so it's a 3D action adventure, with fixed camera angles, and with side scrolling bits?

    despite being a 3D action adventure, you only use the Wii remote, with no analog movement?

    So basically all this platforming, shooting, weapon selecting, 1st person perpespective aiming, and kung fu fighting is done just with the d pad, 1 and 2 buttons, and the B trigger? i don't understand how that could work...

    and the team authorizing upgrades idea sounds awful, though i'm okay with the story and talking

  • ProfessorLesser #49 2 years ago

    Windypops:: "I've never thought of Samus as a particularly rich video game character."

    I said potentially rich. Going from virtually zero to constant dialogue is a massive leap for a character - I think Samus' past and attitude could've been fleshed out much more progressively and subtly. Without the need for a full dialogue. I always particularly liked her cursory farewell to the Ing at the end of Echoes - speaks volumes about her.

    Muddtallica: "Having Samus as a mute was a quirk Retro imposed in the Prime series for no apparent reason..."

    Well, that's not really true, is it. With the exception of Metroid Fusion, Samus is totally silent for, I believe, 99.9% of every other game. Hardly a new idea for Retro! Samus is a lone hunter - Fusion irritated all hell out of me with its hand-holding and preachiness. I'm not bloody surprised Retro went back to gagging her after that! And don't get me started on Prime 3...

    Nobody's twisting the facts here. I'm just rather skeptical of this radical extension of a trend in Metroid narration I didn't even like the beginnings of. Fusion and Corruption stand together as reasons why this game should have been a bit more cautious, exposition-wise, in my opinion.

  • Benraiben2k #50 2 years ago

    I'm looking forward to this. I really don't care if Samus is going to be talking in this, as long as it is an enjoyable game. Mario would never have gone 3d if it was my choice, but Mario 64 turned out to be my favourite Mario ever.

  • Obiwanshinobi #51 2 years ago

    Samus Aran was already fairly vocal in the beginning of Super Metroid, thus Team Ninja aren't breaking any taboo. Talking Link - now that would be a disaster on par with talking Mario.
    Also, if you ask me, Samus Aran has been always a sexy lady. If she had my babies, that would be a trouble, but it'd make me proud nonetheless. Moreover, she's a woman of hard work, a proffesional, which makes her a fellow videogame character of Mario and Richter Belmont (before Kojima Ayami turned the latter into a ponce, that is; don't get me wrong, SotN wouldn't be the same without her artwork, but she missed the point about Richter - looking at his portrait in SotN you can pretty much smell the cologne - which vampire hunter comes to work like that?).
    I still have high hopes for this one. I've even grown to like Dante's cheesetalk after all. Prince of Persia, on the other hand, never was likeable, at any point of his cereer. Guess I just have a soft spot for Samus and wish her good luck. Also, chances are it will be a game, not a cinematic-piss-easy-hand-holding-all-the-way-experience. On the Wii. Serves you right.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 21:35

  • [STARS]TyranT #52 2 years ago

    I don't see what the hell the fuss is about Samus talking - she does narrates the Super Metroid opening after all! Which granted isn't voice acting, but is her actually speaking, similarly to Fusion with all the voice logs, compared to say Link - who as far as I recall - has never said anything at all.

    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 22:15

  • Muddtallica #53 2 years ago

    ProfessorLesser: Regarding the Retro issue, I think what I mean to say is that it was their idea to have Samus completely gagged as an implacable, hard-and-fast rule. Sure, she didn't speak for the majority of the other games, but she could deliver a bit of dialogue if the need arose; Retro seemed to take it as gospel that Samus can't talk, even in cases where her silence became ridiculous, ie all of Prime 3. That's why I have no problem seeing that particular "tradition" removed from the series: because it's completely arbitrary and serves no narrative or sentimental purpose.

    Of course, you're totally within your rights not to like the idea of Metroid being full of dialogue; for my part, I really liked it in Fusion and hated it in Corruption, and I realise that there are people will disagree with me on both fronts. The only point I was really trying to get across is that the idea of a talky Metroid is not at all in violation of a franchise's history and is certainly not an idea that Team Ninja invented. Whether they can execute any more or less successfully than their predecessors is my only concern.

  • tminusfun #54 2 years ago

    To the people who say that Samus' exposition in Super Metroid is the same as what's happening here, that's just inaccurate. In Super Metroid, all that was just enough information to introduce the story, recap the previous games, and introduce the imperative that motivated you to complete the game. Samus didn't drone on about her feeling and personal issues like some 2nd year Psychology term paper. Part of her appeal is that we learn about her through her actions over her words. It's part of the mystery that makes her so cool. All the attempts at characterization just seem half-thought out and clumsy. I think giving her an attachment to the baby metroid is a pretty lazy and ham-fisted attempt at depth.

    If however, you do want to read a good characterization of Samus, read the Metroid manga that was released before Fusion came out. It looks like it did a better job of humanizing Samus than this game ever will. Hopefully they won't do something stupid and turn Adam into a love interest. The manga paints him as more of a mentor figure that Samus didn't know too well but respected, which I think is much better.

    I'm nervous about how the game will not allow you to use powerups without permission from the AI, and how you won't be able to get energy or missiles from the enemies, and recharging health by pressing A just seems like their dumbing down the mechanics. I'm also worried that moving around in four directions will turn it into just another 3D platformer.

    Story wise, I'm afraid that all the in-game exposition and cut scenes will lead to a great deal of hand-holding and straight linearity (which was my biggest problem with Fusion). The brawling might be fun, though, as long as it's just in boss fights and doesn't involve God-of-War button mashing or quick time events.

    I also feel Samus works best as a silent protagonist, and that her character is best revealed through her actions and reactions to and of her environment and to and of those around her. Having her narrate her inner thoughts just takes some of the mystery out of the character. I'd prefer if her exposition came from written logs at the beginning and end of the game, which would also emphasize her total dedication to the mission. If you need to have the Metroid universe fleshed out, why not do so through scans?

    I'm also not too ken on the graphics, or the character models. Samus looks too much of a real doll for my comfort. And from what I've read, the sheer number of NPCs will kill the atmosphere and sense of isolation that was so prevalent in the first three.

    I'm not against change, I appreciated Prime. It's just that so many of these changes are unnecessary, counter-intuitive, or just unMetroid. I believe every game in the series should have some understanding of what Metroid is (which is far more than "pewpewpew";), and Prime understood that.

    All the people who only got into the series through Prime or haven't played Super need to do so immediately. It's the perfect example of what kind of story can be told without dialogue.

  • Obiwanshinobi #55 2 years ago

    To the people who say that Samus' exposition in Super Metroid is the same as what's happening here, that's just inaccurate. In Super Metroid, all that was just enough information to introduce the story, recap the previous games, and introduce the imperative that motivated you to complete the game.

    I doubt anyone on here means that it's the same. The thing is, Samus Aran already has broken the silence by herself (in Zelda games third person narration introduces the story just as well), and that's what counts. The line has been crossed, she is no longer a "pure" silent character, therefore Team Ninja doesn't seem to be doing anything revolutionary. Whether the story and the dialogue will be any good, that's a completely different question; certainly nothing to bang on about before the game is released.
    Personally I don't like taking orders in games, there's nothing cool about it and that sounds like a foreign body in a Metroid game to me. Still, Metal Gear Solid is about mystery and soltitude too, despite all that chatter.

  • tminusfun #56 2 years ago

    The thing is, Samus Aran already has broken the silence by herself (in Zelda games third person narration introduces the story just as well), and that's what counts. The line has been crossed, she is no longer a "pure" silent character, therefore Team Ninja doesn't seem to be doing anything revolutionary.

    Not really. A few lines setting up the story at the beginning if the game is hardly the same as what's going on in Other M. Frankly, it's just annoying. There is considerable space between never talking and always talking. I'd prefer Samus to communicate through written logs (which is really waht was happening in Super Metroid).

  • Obiwanshinobi #57 2 years ago

    I'll wait until I play Other M before I judge what's going on in this game. Judging a game without playing it is not a warrior's path.

  • ShiroBen #58 2 years ago

    Hands up who wanted Samus to talk. Nobody? Unless they've got Bioware-level writing in this, I have absolutely no interest in it.

  • Obiwanshinobi #59 2 years ago

    Hands up who wanted Samus to talk.
    Gunpei Yokoi, apparently. Not that it matters anymore. By the way, I'd say "Bioware-level writing" is the last thing Metroid needs. Bioware had better make another Sonic RPG.
    Edited by 1 at 27/02/10 @ 03:53

  • Machiavellian #60 2 years ago

    Thanks goodness developers do not make all of their decisions based on the HARDCORE because a game will never expand beyound what they believe it should be. A lot of you guys should really listen to yourself. You are getting very anal about a video character. On top of that you would be the first to cry when a game is the same thing over and over again. I am sure some of you have critized games like Mario, Halo, Modern Warefare, Fallout, you name it. You have wailed against people who want change for a series then you two face it when its a series you want to be the exact same for 20 years. Instead of care if the game will be great, you get uptight about Samus talking. When you step back and really think about it, it sounds really petty.

    I have played all of he metroids and I care only that the next Metroid is a great game.

  • SG #61 2 years ago

    "After years of near-muteness, Samus suddenly won't shut up"

    Metroid Fusion? Plenty of dialogue and self-reflection.
    Edited by 1 at 27/02/10 @ 10:45

  • Obiwanshinobi #62 2 years ago

    I for one don't have much of an idea how the game SHOULD turn out, except for that it should be a gamey game, and a good one on top of that. Gunpei Yokoi is dead, Cube games were made by Americans mostly, it's just too late for wishful thinking. At this point we can only hope it's going to be good, as it almost certainly will be nothing orthodox or preservative.
    An action game such as Metroid can be spoiled by awful voice acting and poor writing like any other game, but in this case it shouldn't be a deal-breaker. I'm much more concerned about the actual game design and fun factor. You know, those little things that make game a game.
    After all, Super Metroid's twin sister game, the mighty SotN, arguably BENEFITED from voice acting and writing/translation of questionable quality.
    Edited by 1 at 27/02/10 @ 08:31

  • tminusfun #63 2 years ago

    Thanks goodness developers do not make all of their decisions based on the HARDCORE because a game will never expand beyond what they believe it should be. A lot of you guys should really listen to yourself. You are getting very anal about a video character.

    Nobody claimed a monopoly on knowing what the game should be. However, many of the changes to the franchise just seem to be going in the wrong direction, altering the fundamental blocks of the series in a way that doesn't sit well with those who love the series because of those blocks. Recharging health and missiles, bad voice acting, and story-based progression run contrary to what made Metroid great. Prime and Zero Mission are examples of doing something new without changing these things.

    Why shouldn't fans get upset over what is shaping up to be a poor characterization?

    On top of that you would be the first to cry when a game is the same thing over and over again. I am sure some of you have critized games like Mario, Halo, Modern Warefare, Fallout, you name it. You have wailed against people who want change for a series then you two face it when its a series you want to be the exact same for 20 years.

    That's a pretty big presumption. Personally I wouldn't mind it if every game in the series was like Super Metroid, but I'm also glad for the variations on the formula like in Zero Mission and Prime.

    What's wrong with criticizing popular games?

    Instead of care if the game will be great, you get uptight about Samus talking. When you step back and really think about it, it sounds really petty.

    Part of caring about how the game will turn out is examining details like that. It wouldn't be a "great game" if the characterization was horrible.

    Metroid Fusion? Plenty of dialogue and self-reflection.

    The dialogue in Fusion was tame compared to what was in the Other M demo. n Fusion Samus's exposition was brief and relevant to major plot points. She didn't spout off any clunky one-liners like "Time to go" or ramble on about her feelings and every little thing that happens in the cut scene. Also remember that the dialogue was met with criticism, which is why it was left out of Zero Mission and the Prime games.

  • ProfessorLesser #64 2 years ago

    Machiavellian - God forbid fans should have an opinion, eh? Complaining about a single change doesn't mean we're against change in general. What's wrong with wanting something different? What's wrong with having complained about Halo, Modern Warfare or Fallout? Have we somehow failed as human beings for expressing concern? If the game turns out great then it turns out great, and I might still not like the changes they've made. What's the difference either way? I'm entitled to say what I think, and no, I don't see how that's 'petty'.
    Edited by 1 at 27/02/10 @ 10:34

  • ongjg #65 2 years ago

    So many of the hardcore crowd would want literally no change since the last game, and at the same time new players might be put off if it's the same as the last one. Team Ninja have a difficult job here with such an established IP and are obviously going to bring their own style to the game (yes, that may mean girls in tight spacesuits). I for one am just grateful that it's getting generally positive previews, when it could have gone so badly.

  • dudefella #66 2 years ago

    So confused. Want to play it, but everything other than the actual gameplay seems completely fucking terrible, to be frank. Which is to be expected from Team Ninja I suppose.

  • Lee_Morris #67 2 years ago

    HIM! Can we get an editor in here stat, we're losing this one.

  • Windypops #68 2 years ago

    Professor Lesser And she may well turn out to offer an embarrassment of riches. We don't know how it will turn out. It's just that, so far, Samus games have never been about her character. The environment has always been the most characterful aspect. And the games have always been about spending half an hour trying various combinations of jumps to reach a secret panel, or turning the volume up on the TV and plodding slowly around to see if you can hear the power-up sound effect. The narrative has always been a puddle-deep McGuffin to get you to go from A to B and back again.

    The developer may well have made the sort of quantum leap for the series that Metroid Prime gave it. Or it might suck donkey balls. It's just that arguments based on the design decisions they've made are kind of meaningless until we get to play the finished product.

    *edit* Missed a 'has' out. I suck!
    Edited by 1 at 28/02/10 @ 11:30

  • ProfessorLesser #69 2 years ago

    The point being, of course, that the author has played the the final product (or near as damn it), and has reported that the aspects some of us are a little worried about do, indeed, appear to suck donkey balls :-(

  • Grayvern #70 2 years ago

    Id be okay with story an exposition if it wasn't team ninja writing it. That and as I said before applying team ninjas ideas on females in games to Samus is terrible.

    Id be all for an attempt at a competent engrossing emotionally engaging story from many other developers.

  • Nikanoru #71 2 years ago

    Frankly I would be surprised if the weapon authorization thing lasted past the first basic equipment, like the morph ball bomb, missiles, etc. I'm willing to bet you're gonna be able to find new items fairly soon in the game. And maybe the marines will all die horribly after the first introductory hour or so. Let's hope for the best. :D

    What I read in the article about exploration alleviates my fears somewhat. I'm glad they actually allow you to go to places that you can't fully explore yet, instead of just railroading you past them until the time that you have the appropriate items, which almost all other games do these days, and which really defeats the purpose of even having these "keys" in the first place. It's retarded, and boring. Yet they keep doing it.

  • Stompy #72 2 years ago

    @tminusfun:
    "Samus didn't drone on about her feeling and personal issues like some 2nd year Psychology term paper."

    You needed a post that excruciatingly long just to admit you don't know what Psychology is? Weak.

  • darc #73 2 years ago

    Just realized, I got stuck playing the last Metroid Game, too. And I just commented in the SMG thread that I got stuck in that game, too. I mean, genuinely, explored-every-pixel-out-of-ideas stuck. I finish XBox 360 games on a weekly basis and I just realized I've been consistently outwitted by my Wii. Now who's catering to the hardcore gamer LOL?

  • tminusfun #74 2 years ago

    Stompy - I wasn't even writing about psychology. Did you even read the post?

    Metroid has never needed bad JRPG style Drama to tell a story, the narrative was connected directly to the gameplay. Samus' character was not given so much as developed by the player's discovery of the environment through her eyes. The story itself has always been established by a single imperative that motivates you to play the game without the need to overload you with cut-scenes or melodrama. I still think the best way to expand the metroid universe is through scans and logs like in the Prime games.

  • Stompy #75 2 years ago

    "Stompy - I wasn't even writing about psychology. Did you even read the post?"

    I'm not going to read something that long from somebody who is writing about things they happily show they clearly know nothing about.

    So I did not, and will not ever, read that post.