-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Metroid Other M |OT| You're Not Supposed to Remember Him
- Thread starter Sadist
- Start date
Heh. That wasn't the reason why Boba Fett followed his rules though. You see, bounty hunters are hired guns. Hired. They HAVE to play by the rules if they want to keep their contracts. The Federation just so happens to provide most of Samus contracts, so it would be foolish of her to disobey Adam and jeopardize her "career". And she was a military after all, it's not like she is a strange to obeying orders.Fuzzy said:
_Alkaline_ said:
Mafro said:
I think you guys are mistaking the Gamfaqs boards for the Gamefaqs user reviews. The reviews are often done by people who can articulate their thoughts properly and go into a detailed explanation of why they are giving 3/10 or 6/10 and such.
20 + reviews for popular games are a signifcant reference for the quality of the game, it is not like all of them are mindless fanboys with some anti/pro hidden agenda, they are gamers like anyone here.
anyway, 12 hours for $49.99 means I'll definitely pass on this, regardless of quality.
Hopefully I'll get to catch an offer sometime somewhere down the line.
ShockingAlberto
Member
But we both know that Vader honors his deals and contracts regardless of what happens.heringer said:
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Boney said:
He Who Shall Not Be Named's crusade against Other M and Sakamoto is astoundingly, pathologically epic, so the "Super Metroid sucks" business is just part of that noise; that particular blogger has put out a lot of chaff to distract the net with on the subject.
As for the sexist stuff, having beaten the game well shucks, I guess I must be a (gay) male pig 'cause it doesn't seem sexist. All the reasoning I've read to back up the "sexist" claims seems to hinge on the accuser saying Samus' characterization is nothing like a "real woman". (Not whether it's good or bad, not whether the voice acting is good or bad, just "not a real woman".) The problem I have is, the accusers tend to insist that the correct portrayal, what one would presume to be the "real" womanly Samus they're postulating, seems to fall back on the silent bad-ass space marine stereotype.
I suppose that is why my take on the whole controversy is that it's absurd. On one hand, you have Other M's script and characterization which, while not fantastic, is still alright by typical video game standards. And above average by Japanese standards. On the other hand, you have the purists and "Sakamoto is a dirty old sexist man" camp seeming to insist that Samus Aran should instead be a cold super soldier who suppresses all emotion because, err, that's feminine I guess?
To me, neither is all that great purely in terms of it's uh, robust portrayal of the opposite sex. I've even seen direct comparisons to Ripley in Aliens, held up as the correct model for the liberated bad-assed warrior woman of the future. (Interesting since so much of Metroid is inspired by Alien.) But folks pointing to that comparison don't seem to take into account that there are other scenes in Aliens besides Ripley screaming like a wild animal while launching grenades into the queen's nest. To run with that a moment, Ripley, especially in the full version of the movie has very vulnerable moments, breaks down at points, experiences paralyzing fear, cries, and displays motherly care and emotion. Ripley also pushes through weak and scared moments and acts like one tough f**king chick.
I fail to see how this is vastly different than That One Franchise Destroying Scene in Other M in which Samus gets jumped and genuinely surprised for like one time, freezes, then snaps out of it and goes back to kicking ass like a pro. And after that moment, grows increasingly determined for the rest of the plot.
Boney said:
back in the mid 2000 it was both length and quality, my gamecube single player experiences were all games that lasted around 20 hours or more. You name it, the metroid primes, the zeldas, the resident evils, Sunshine, paper mario, baten kaitos and a load of many other.
The one time I paid full price for a game that lasted around 12 hours was Prince of Persia: Sands of time and while the quality of the game made me not regret the purchase, it did feel like I didn't get enough bang for my buck.
I stand by my statement: I am not paying $49.99 for a 12 hours game, period.
Dacvak
No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
So, I finally beat the game, and it's pretty bad. Definitely the worst Metroid game, but also just a fairly mediocre game in general.
Pretty damn disappointed.
Pretty damn disappointed.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
sphinx said:
I didn't pay full price for the game either. However, out of curiosity, I have to wonder... this game being patterned after 2D Metroid is about par for the course in length. Same as Super and Fusion. Would you have paid $60 (cart prices), or even $50 back in the day for Super Metroid?
Playing through the game just thinking of comparisons I can make to other games. How well does Other M's action compare to something like DMC4 or Ninja Gaiden. What I played so far compares pretty favorably. I think someone said it in this thread but this could be the best 3d Team Ninja action game.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Dr.Hadji said:
It's definitely their best in terms of being able to see what's happening, ha ha.
It's not a super deep game like NG, obviously. But it benefits from such experience being applied to a 3D / 2D run, jump, and gun game. A comparison might be Street Fighter vs Power Stone - PS is a less complex game, but dramatically benefits from such veteran fighting game experience.
thecouncil
Banned
sphinx said:
isnt it weird how good pricing across mediums can be so different?... you can spend $12 for a 90 minute movie but not 4 times as much for something 8 times as long.
thecouncil
Banned
Dacvak said:
my honest opinion: this is the best Metroid game.
Penguin said:
She was
becoming vulnerable.
we are supposed to be fearful of Samus because of how delicate and vulnerable she is without her power suit.
he wants us to she how much of a delicate woman Samus really is, especially without her suit.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
sphinx said:
I missed this - aaaaaaaahhh yeeeah... Gamefaqs.
You should realize that Gamefaqs is the #1 source for "hit piece" reviews by kids and fanboys who are butthurt or looking to pour salt on games they hate because "it deserves to be taken down".
In the final analysis, this game is going to get called utter crap and the worst Metroid ever by a lot of people purely because it's different. A lot of fans are going to play this and be constantly angry, working themselves pissy, that they can't fire missiles with a button, they can't instantly backtrack anywhere they want, and that every Metroid convention isn't followed to the letter with dotted eyes and crossed tees. There was a similar reaction among a smaller number of people when Metroid Prime came out. But now, with both 2D Metroid fans, and Prime fans in the mix, there's twice as many people to hate a game that isn't either of those.
Note that this isn't a defense of the flaws the game has. It's just the truth when dealing with human beings - true fans are your best friend and worst enemy because they'll either be the most understanding people in the world or the most demanding and hypocritical. They turn on what they love when that thing dares to step a toe outside their lovezone. It's going to be tough to find an unbiased view of this game 'cause it's mostly Metroid fans playing it.
I do find it interesting that at least a handful of people in this thread who seem to indicate they've never played much or any Metroid, also happen to like the game a lot. The Metroid fan would argue that they are merely ignorant because they haven't played real Metroid games. But among those who like the game, I have seen them point out the strengths of Other M that the angry fans ignore because they're too busy being angry about the missile button or the fact that Samus got a personality.
For once, the pro reviews on this game are more reliable than Gamefaqs, and that says a lot.
sphinx said:
You got a lot of Butt-hurt Metroid fans that never played Fusion and are not use to the idea of a mostly linear Metroid Experience.
They also probably hated the changes
- No (not enough) classic Metroid tunes/soundtrack - weak audio
- They dislike dramatic stories in their Metroid games
- They don't like the idea of 1st person view being so limited (probably spoiled by the Prime series)
- Not 30+ hrs long full of back tracking like the Prime series
It's standard length for a 2D Metroid game, which it essentially is, and it's well worth a 2nd play through on Hard mode. I
Review from a fat dude and a skinny dude...
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/sean-fausz/sgr/27722-sean-metroidotherm
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/ir/epu/gv/27736-epu-metroid-other-m-review
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/sean-fausz/sgr/27722-sean-metroidotherm
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/ir/epu/gv/27736-epu-metroid-other-m-review
Fully beat it, working on getting Hard Mode. A few final thought:
My personal ranking of the franchise: SM > Prime > Zero Mission > Other M > Corruption > Return > Fusion > Echoes > Hunters
To me, Other M is middle of the pack in one of the best franchises in gaming. Not too shabby.
1.) Unlike the Prime series, this is a game I will have an urge to replay a few more times. It's just a fun fast paced game to get into, especially towards the end where you feel powerful, trouncing enemies that gave you a ton of trouble earlier on. They definitely captured that aspect of the 2D Metroid games.
2.) The controls were great; I'm a big fan of the simplicity of it. I would get cramps playing ZM or Fusion on the GB Micro and dreaded using the small d-pad on the wiimote, but I had no issues whatsoever. The game mechanics that developed around the controls are rock solid.
3.) I enjoyed the ambient music, but there really does need to be a few new solid pieces for the franchise. What is there is good, just not enough.
4.) The best ensemble of memorable boss fights in a game in quite a while.
A solid 8.5/10. Lots of flaws, but ultimately they do not significantly impact my enjoyment of the game. And they are generally things that can be easily tweaked in a sequel with the same core formula.
Speaking of a sequel, I think I'm looking for what SMG2 did: Take a great foundation, trim out the fat and fix things that didn't work (in this case, the odd pacing of the final part of the game, most of the awful expositions, the over the shoulder exploration portions), and EXPERIMENT. Waves of enemies. More crazy boss fights. More new items. Better environmental puzzles. Get more ambitious with level design while maintaining the bite sized chunks of great gaming. While to me the Prime trilogy peaked at the first game, I think the potential of a sequel to build upon what Other M has laid down as a foundation is very very high.
I look forward to it.
My personal ranking of the franchise: SM > Prime > Zero Mission > Other M > Corruption > Return > Fusion > Echoes > Hunters
To me, Other M is middle of the pack in one of the best franchises in gaming. Not too shabby.
1.) Unlike the Prime series, this is a game I will have an urge to replay a few more times. It's just a fun fast paced game to get into, especially towards the end where you feel powerful, trouncing enemies that gave you a ton of trouble earlier on. They definitely captured that aspect of the 2D Metroid games.
2.) The controls were great; I'm a big fan of the simplicity of it. I would get cramps playing ZM or Fusion on the GB Micro and dreaded using the small d-pad on the wiimote, but I had no issues whatsoever. The game mechanics that developed around the controls are rock solid.
3.) I enjoyed the ambient music, but there really does need to be a few new solid pieces for the franchise. What is there is good, just not enough.
4.) The best ensemble of memorable boss fights in a game in quite a while.
A solid 8.5/10. Lots of flaws, but ultimately they do not significantly impact my enjoyment of the game. And they are generally things that can be easily tweaked in a sequel with the same core formula.
Speaking of a sequel, I think I'm looking for what SMG2 did: Take a great foundation, trim out the fat and fix things that didn't work (in this case, the odd pacing of the final part of the game, most of the awful expositions, the over the shoulder exploration portions), and EXPERIMENT. Waves of enemies. More crazy boss fights. More new items. Better environmental puzzles. Get more ambitious with level design while maintaining the bite sized chunks of great gaming. While to me the Prime trilogy peaked at the first game, I think the potential of a sequel to build upon what Other M has laid down as a foundation is very very high.
I look forward to it.
Crunched said:
Metroid II?? Most of these Metroid fans started the series at Super Metroid when the game was non linear. Or, they totally skipped out on Metroid II and Fusion, with them both being on handhelds. It doesn't matter where the linearity started, the point is, it's the first linear Metroid game on console and they were not expecting that.
Besides, this game has MUCH more in common with Fusion than Metroid II which is also why I pointed out Fusion and not Metroid II.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
.la1n said:
And here I am, replaying it again in difficult, as I did with Zero and Fusion and Super. Not because I feel obligated, but because I have a lot of fun playing it again, and I have fun because, although some people seem to say that no, I find it a great Metroid game.
There I have, Metroid Prime, echoes and corruption, beaten once, got 100 items and scans, never touching them again (maybe sometime, but not in the near future).
They are amazing, great games, prime is a master piece and better than other m, but replayabilty, for me, they have zero. They are too slow paced for me to dont get bored half way through the game when I play them a 3rd time.
Corruption was pretty linear. Though I suppose it allowed you to explore at any time you wanted, even if you didn't need to (as most/all of the power ups were directly in your path).Bizzyb said:
Agreed about the similarities with Fusion. That much is obvious. It's like a remake/reinvisioning.
John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
I'll tell ya another thing, this game certainly gives you a stronger sense of struggle, difficulty, fear, or what have you, when you are confronted with a full group of enemies. Prime was awesome but it's not like ever felt threatened in those titles.
At least here when I get attacked by a large room of metal Space Pirates, well, at least I feel like I have a fight on my hands.
At least here when I get attacked by a large room of metal Space Pirates, well, at least I feel like I have a fight on my hands.
Ericescobar15
Neo Member
If there's one thing Other M has succeeded in doing is showing how much Retro Studios got right ON THEIR FIRST TRY!
Other M is a step backward from the Prime games, for different reasons, but it still is a very fun game. There's a point in the game at which everything just starts clicking, but then we get hit with a hard case of blue balls; though we are allowed to get it up again at the end.
Retro deserves SO MUCH MORE PRAISE than they have gotten. So much more.
Other M is a step backward from the Prime games, for different reasons, but it still is a very fun game. There's a point in the game at which everything just starts clicking, but then we get hit with a hard case of blue balls; though we are allowed to get it up again at the end.
Retro deserves SO MUCH MORE PRAISE than they have gotten. So much more.
No no no.Penguin said:
Samus was 3 years old when Ridley killed her parents right in front of her and tried to eat her. She was simply flashing back to that memory and instead of showing a full-blown flashback they just showed 3 year old Samus to signify what was happening in her head. She was reliving the traumatic event.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Crunched said:
Corruption really cut the gordian knot by just being linear in every way but locked doors. So you could go find those tank/missile expansions if you liked, but there was no real need to backtrack.
I think, echoing what somebody else said, that Other M does nail the feeling of getting more powerful late in the game and in the long run this will aid replayability. Aside from the tri-force fetch quest in the Prime games, their biggest flaw IMHO is that they make enemies difficult just by making them sponges. Even when you're powerful, you can still get bogged down by running into yet another room of space pirates that just... won't... die.
MOM does it right by allowing you to learn better ways of disposing of foes as well as becoming truly powerful. I think for the most part (Waldo scenes aside) one's frustration with Other M will stem from their lack of playing the game well. Not from its inherent design.
One other random thought about linearity - it's true that Other M is just as linear as Metroid II or Fusion, but one thing I feel is good design, and does preserve the Metroid feeling, is that later in the game so many rooms you enter are their own self contained puzzle sequences. It's just that you usually don't have to solve the puzzle by turning around, going three zones away, grabbing the item, then coming back. There's a good deal of variety in the zone sections, between run n' gun, mid-boss fights, major enemy melees, platforming rooms, and puzzle rooms. Pound for pound, the design ethic of Other M may lend itself to greater variety without resorting to backtracking of any Metroid game so far.
Plus, MOM takes more advantage of it's relative linearity for "events" - cave-ins, explosions, sudden changes in zone layout, avalanches, you name it.
(Another reason why I've said a few times there's great potential here. It just needs to go father.)
I don't think so. Everything was easy. I wish the pirates were more aggressive. By the time you fight them,John Harker said:
I'm pretty sure you already have the ice beam, which renders them nearly completely harmless. Charge, shoot, and they run around with their pincers frozen together. Jump on their heads and they explode. I wish there was another step in there somewhere, to make pulling off a finishing move on them more difficult.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Ericescobar15 said:
Retro has gotten a lot of credit over the years; yeah, they deserve it. They did an amazing job. But also remember, that with Metroid Prime, they were trying to duplicate the Super Metroid experience precisely, in first-person. They had a good blueprint to work with.
Some fans seem to think that because Team Ninja was involved, Other M is different because they was stupids and must have never played a Metroid game, so didn't know how to do it right. For better or worse, Other M is designed the way it is on purpose; the Nintendo side of the team was aware of the changes they were making to the formula.
John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Crunched said:
You had to try and die in the Prime games. At least here, despite the awesome dodge move, enemies actually pack a bit of a punch. Combined with the fact that enemies don't drop health or items, you have to prepare sometimes before going into unknown areas. And there are a spattering of instant kill places that keep you on your toes. What you lose in exploration over Prime, in my opinion, you gain in tension.
RagnarokX said:
Y'know I kinda wish they showed a flashback.
For a game where story was supposed to be a big part they never really did much with it. I would have preferred more than two flashbacks. Perhaps they should have explored Samus' whole history, I might have liked the story then.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
John Harker said:
In Prime, most of my deaths were due to being killed by a new enemy type by attrition while trying to figure out the trick I was supposed to use on it.
In Other M, most of my deaths have been due to the enemies actually hurting if I screw up - even after I know how to counter their pattern.
I wonder about this sometimes though...in various readings about the history of the Metroid Prime project, with how Miyamoto introduced the thought of setting it all in first-person, the turmoil their team went through, the heavy supervision and course-correcting that NCL went through to guide Retro along, and even the fact that the sequels to Prime, the ones where Retro themselves were given more creative freedom, weren't received nearly as well, it makes me wonder somewhat about exactly how much credit is due to them.Ericescobar15 said:
Don't get me wrong, I still think that Retro is a talented and capable studio even though I'm not personally a Prime fan, but it may not be fair to say "they nailed it on their first try," when their first prototypes looked horrible and were completely scrapped, and it very nearly destroyed their whole operation just getting the first Metroid Prime out the door. How much was really Retro succeeding versus Nintendo ensuring they didn't fail?
I wonder how different that project really was when compared to the collaboration with Team Ninja?
tomjenkins
Neo Member
Has anyone heard about what Team Ninja is planning next? Are they going to make another Metroid game, or pass the gauntlet on to a new dev?
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
John Harker said:
Tell it to me, difficult with only one tank...
The crawling bugs with the spikes that are everywhere, the have fucking kill me twice whenI was in morphball around the tubes, if you touch them twice... bye, bye.
_Alkaline_
Member
Doorman said:
Considering Echoes is an even better game than Prime though, it's safe to say Retro were a huge reason why it turned out so well.
Not to discount Nintendo's presence, but credit has to go to Retro.
_Alkaline_ said:
not to discount your conclusion that retro deserves the most credit, but I think many (including myself) would disagree that echoes is a better game than prime. I STRONGLY disagree.
I thought echoes was a solid follow-up, and one of the best games for the year it came out, but it fails to ever reach the emotional impact and feeling of being immersed in the metroid universe that I got from prime. I also didn't feel that the game was structured as well. I didn't like the bosses as much, and the universe felt very segmented, while prime 1 felt more like one cohesive world, in the tradition of super metroid.
accidentally beat the
, they went out of their way to please metroid fanboys there (which i'm not so it didn't really phase me either way), and yet it is the least discussed aspect of the game. Rather interesting. Shows what the priorities are for these so-called "fans".
And echoes is better than prime.
and corruption is better than echoes.
and other m is as good as corruption.
said it before and i'll say it again: if the majority of metroid fans think this game is the weakest in the franchise then the majority of metroid fans have bad taste.
extended playthrough
And echoes is better than prime.
and corruption is better than echoes.
and other m is as good as corruption.
said it before and i'll say it again: if the majority of metroid fans think this game is the weakest in the franchise then the majority of metroid fans have bad taste.
Green Mamba
Member
Woah woah woah woah woah woah._Alkaline_ said:
Let's not be too hasty.
Thank you to whoever said to let there be invisible check points. The
boss was hard, and I only had half a tank of health left. I'm about to pick up again from the save room after, but I just want to say that so far, I am impressed with everything but the music. Atmospheric, yes, but nowhere near the awesomeness of Corruption.
hornet queen
My biggest complaint with Other M is that it seemingly assumed you read the manga. In fact seeing as the main purpose of the story was to explore some of the major events in Samus' past in order to flesh her out as a character, I'm baffled as to why they didn't focus what happens in the game around what happened in the manga. Instead were stuck with a bunch of ho-hum flashbacks regarding her brief time in the galactic federation and her feelings towards some ex commander. Now I didn't think the story was bad by any means I just feel as though they really should have elaborated a bit more regarding some of the events that transpired.
For example I didn't find out about the manga until after I beat the game. So the first time I came across the now infamous
Plus the manga touches on things that seem really important to address in at least one of the games. How she gets her suit, her relationship with the Chozo, and the Origins of Mother Brain to name a few. Not to mention that in turn raises questions that if elaborated upon could create a far more interesting plot than the overused
storyline they decided to go with. How does the federation react to an individual running around with superior alien technology? What happens to the Chozo between her getting the suit and going off to do her own thing? How does she go about becoming a bounty hunter, does she ever actually collect bounty? Any of these things would have made a better story in my opinion.
Other M just seems like such a missed opportunity. Samus apparently already has a detailed backstory, and this would have been the perfect time to either show or elaborate upon it.
For example I didn't find out about the manga until after I beat the game. So the first time I came across the now infamous
Ridley scene I was completely baffled at Samus' reaction. To me Ridley was nothing more than a recurring boss that appeared in a majority of Metroid games due to fan service. Not some seemingly un-killable nightmare from her past that decimated her planet and killed her parents. Had they at least touched on that I would have understood what they were aiming for when they made that scene. It wouldn't have been how I envisioned Samus all these years, but her reaction would have at least made some sense. Instead all I saw was Samus, a women who had just recently committed genocide, freaking out over seeing the same space dinosaur that shes blown away in every game so far no sweat.
Plus the manga touches on things that seem really important to address in at least one of the games. How she gets her suit, her relationship with the Chozo, and the Origins of Mother Brain to name a few. Not to mention that in turn raises questions that if elaborated upon could create a far more interesting plot than the overused
conspiracy and biological weapons
Other M just seems like such a missed opportunity. Samus apparently already has a detailed backstory, and this would have been the perfect time to either show or elaborate upon it.
Also apparently Ridley talks? I know it would probably give people aneurysms but I would love to see some Samus/Ridley banter.
Echoes is better than the first Metroid Prime in many ways. The morph ball puzzles are overall difficulty is a refreshing evolution. Prime 1 was a Super Metroid remake for the most part, both sequels did a fantastic job. I can't hate on Retro in any form, the Metroid Prime Trilogy is a must own.
AND, if Retro wasn't a competent developer and a highly talented one, they wouldn't be developing Donkey Kong Country Returns. And that's far more important of a game than Metroid is, even if I don't care for it much in comparison.
AND, if Retro wasn't a competent developer and a highly talented one, they wouldn't be developing Donkey Kong Country Returns. And that's far more important of a game than Metroid is, even if I don't care for it much in comparison.