It must be stated up front that I am a huge Metroid fan. I have played all the games, and have beaten Super Metroid over 50 times. I loved the Metroid Prime series, and I thought that Metroid Prime: Echoes was one of the most difficult adventure games I have played. I can’t help but draw on Super Metroid for most of my comparisons for this game. If you haven’t played Super Metroid, you should get it through the Virtual Console. However, you can easily play Other M without having played Super Metroid.
That being said, I will say right off that Metroid: Other M is a fantastic game. I’m not really sure if it will bring in new fans to the series, but I truly hope it does because creators did a heck of a job expanding the series in a very creative and fun way. In fact, the only real problem with the game is that it is so unique, it may not grab players right from the beginning.
While the opening scenes are quite spectacular, especially for a Wii game, they break up the action too much. For a fan of the series, this is not a big deal because it’s refreshing to get some story for once. However, for newcomers, the cut-scenes interrupt the action as you are trying to get used to the control scheme. It would have been nice to allow you to wander around a bit longer before introducing more story elements.
The story is good, and serves to explain one of the bigger changes to the Metroid formula. In past games, you had to explore your surroundings to find upgrades to your weapons and armor. In this game, Samus gets into the action with full gear, and unlike Metroid Prime: Echoes, you don’t lose those powers 5 minutes into the game. Instead, Other M uses a story mechanic to explain why you don’t use all your powers. Samus has so much respect for her former commanding officer, Adam Malkovich, that she agrees to not use any power unless he authorizes its use.
While I can see fans of the series rolling their eyes at this, I really found this to be an elegant solution to a common complaint about the series. Why does Samus end up losing all of her powers after each game? The only thing that you miss out with this system is the glory of finding that room with that glowing power-up in it. It also leaves you wondering why Adam would wait so long to allow her to use some of her powers. And all of this never explains why Samus still has to find energy and missile expansions.
Other M also does away with enemy drops. No more camping out at enemy generators to replenish your missiles and energy. Now there are only two ways to get them back. One is to find a save station, which replenishes everything. The only other way can only be used when you are about to die. When you are close to running out of energy, you can use a new technique called “Concentration”. You hold the Wii remote straight up and hold the A button. If you don’t get hit for a certain amount of time, you will regain some of your health back. This can also be used any time to replenish your missiles. Super Missiles and Power Bombs are no longer unique pick-ups. Instead, you use a system much like the charge beam to power up your missiles and bombs. This means you can’t just launch off a bunch of super missiles at your enemy. Each shot requires you to charge up your launcher and lock on to your target, and uses up 5 missiles/bombs. Of course, you can only do this after Adam has authorized their use.
The biggest departure from Super Metroid is its lack of the feeling of isolation and the way it guides you from one section to the next. Other M is more like Metroid Fusion in this way. You are almost always in contact with Adam or one of the members of your unit so you never feel alone. In Fusion, you had the computer AI yapping at you all the time. In Super Metroid, there were never any hints as to where you needed to go next. Both Fusion and Other M tell you where you need to go next.
This makes these games a little easier than I would have thought. When I saw that Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame was taking the reigns for the new Metroid game, I was both confused and excited. Ninja Gaiden for the XBOX is a ridiculously difficult game so I figured that they would make this Metroid really hard. It certainly has its challenges, but it is actually the easiest of all the Metroid games. The challenge lies is in finding all the items in the game. But even this is made easier by showing you where all the items are hidden! I will be honest, though, I’m actually quite pleased that the game wasn’t that hard. There is no part in the game that was so hard that I wanted to stop playing. That fact also adds to the replay value, since I am not worried about that one boss battle that took me thirty tries.
What makes this game so much fun and unique is its odd mix of 2D and 3D perspective. Make no mistake, the environment is a fully realized three dimensional world. The fixed camera forces an angle that might give you the impression of the Super Metroid side-scrolling adventure, but you can move around each room as freely as a first-person shooter. It does a great job at making obstacles in the foreground transparent so they don’t ever block your action. Because of the forced perspective, you will find some moments where you are running towards the camera, however there is enough leeway in front of you that it never becomes a problem.
At any time, you can point your Wii remote at the screen to enter into a first-person perspective. While in this mode, you are not able to move, but you can look around, fire missiles, and use your grapple beam. There are moments in the game where you are forced into the first-person perspective and are tasked with finding some important object to further the story. These parts are a little strange, but they didn’t happen enough to ruin the experience.
While there is a small learning curve figuring out the best way to hold the controller so you can flip between the two views, once you figure it out you will realize that it really works well. You have to try it to understand how well it works. When I played the demo, my cursor flew all over the place when I switched into first-person. For some reason, I didn’t have that problem at all when I played the final version. By the first big boss battle, I was already comfortable using the new mechanic and it felt very really good.
These two views really spice up combat compared to Super Metroid. While in the fixed camera mode, your beam has a auto target feature so you don’t have to line up your shots, the game will do it for you. For some of the weaker creatures, this means just hitting the 1 button over and over while dodging their attacks. While in the first-person view, you can only lock on to targets and fire off missiles and the grapple beam. Fortunately, most of the fighting is much more interesting than that.
Samus is quite powerful. You have your arm cannon that features a charge beam for more power. Adam will also authorize you to use beams that have become Metroid classics, such as the ice, wave, and plasma beams. You also have a dodge move. This moves really makes the game. While holding the 1 button, if you hit the directional pad in any direction when you are about to get hit, you will roll out of the way of any attack. It is quite cool to see Samus jump around like an acrobat by executing such a simple move. You can also perform hand-to-hand attacks and cool moves where you jump on an enemy and blast them with your cannon point-blank.
The game seems to go easy on you when you enter into first-person. While you can’t move, you can perform a one-time dodge move, but it interrupts any attack you are trying to make and takes you out of your view. It’s great for when you launch an attack right before an enemy attacks, though. Just about every boss battle requires you to use your missiles at some point, so you will have to get used to switching back and forth. Once you do, the battles get a whole lot easier.
It’s kind of interesting: the things that make this game a great way to enter into the series for the first time will also be the reasons why a newcomer may not give the game a chance. The big story and unique control scheme really add to the Metroid universe and the relative ease of the game makes it a great way to enter into the series. However, the long cut-scenes and the learning curve for the controls may turn off a newcomer. No disrespect to Retro, who made the amazing and critically acclaimed Metroid Prime series, but this has been the closest Nintendo has gotten to the magic of Super Metroid.
Metroid: Other M is rated T for Teen and is available now only for the Nintendo Wii.
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