My 2 cents on Metroid: Other M.
Metroid: Other M is a game that takes risk. Clear and cut . There is no sugar coating it. It is definitely a brave move from Nintendo, and more specifically Yoshio Sakamoto who has put it all on the line. Is the game perfect? No. Is the game different? Absolutely. Is the game Metroid? 100%.
Let me begin my mentioning that the internet has become a cesspool of hyperbolic mass suggestion. If one person says something at the right moment, it becomes gospel, no matter how fabricated and unsupported the notion. Obviously, the topic at hand is Metroid: Other Ms sophisticated cinematic approach (CG and voice acting) which follows suite on the story heavy preceding Metroid Fusion. How bad is the story? How bad is the writing? Well folks, the truth is the story is interesting, weird, melodramatic, captivating, and confusing. All at the same time. There will be moments where there is some exciting and vivid story telling, moments of insightful dialogue, and moments of awkward monologue. Truthfully, it is very signature and quite confusing to a series that has been creatively disjointed the last 10 years. Meaning, different design teams were making different games. The original team was making hand held Metroids, while a new American team adapted the standardized FPS genre to the 8-bit concept of Metroid. Now that the hand held team has all this technology at its disposal, people are confused that they are playing a game that isnt afraid to derail from the NES Metroid. Yoshio Sakamoto proved that with Metroid Fusion, his intent was not to make the original Metroid, over and over. Not just take Metroid 1, and give you new levels.
I repeat. The story is Interesting. Captivating. Weird. Imaginative. Melodramatic. Awkward. All those are probably my best summation of it. Does it ruin the game? NO. Does it enhance the game? I honestly found it interesting. And probably would say yes. Anyone who feels the story is ruining the game or that it isnt Metroid, well you cant argue with those people. But if you truly want to experience a grating modern video game story, well go ahead and play Final Fantasy XIII. You can enjoy a good 7 hours of horrible dialogue, bad voice acting, and the most discombobulated story ever. Metroid: Other M is far from this.
Regarding the sexism brought up by G4TV. Ridiculous.
The only thing. THE ONLY THING. That should be a concern of yours, is the control. Metroid: Other M does some very risky things in the control department. Quite frankly, it is really trying to present a classic Metroid game in a 3D adaptation. Although sometimes ingenious and very unique, it can be cumbersome and frustrating. That my friends is Metroid: Other Ms true Achilles heel. It isnt all this nonsense about the story or the sexism, or boobs, it is the control folks. Some people will love it, some will endure, some will just not feel comfortable with it. I do think the game would have been much better off with a classic controller / nun chuck / wiimote option. There really was no excuse for this Nintendo. I also feel Nintendo made a mistake with 3D movement in loss of full control of your aiming.
It is a great game that isnt going to be understood by everyone. Especially no in this raw state. Metroid Prime was awkward for many, but at the end it played like a first-person shooter and the familiarity was there. Metroid: Other M doesnt play like any standardized genre, and will thus require a lot for people to become comfortable with the control mechanics. I think Nintendo made a mistake, in the grand scheme of the masses of gamers.
The game in my opinion is great. Far from perfect, And needs a lot of work to be as perfect as the hand held Metroids. But in this rough sketch, I believe lies the blueprint of console Metroids. I think Nintendo needs to go purely 2.5D and leave it at that.
Sakamoto forever!