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[Boney]

This game is so polished on the gameplay department that it really should be taken as an example for future action-adventure games. The movement of Samus in full 3D enviroments, even if you're confined to the D-pad is just flawless. That is one of the things Sakamoto and Team Ninja got right. Had they only kept their focus on the 3rd person mode instead of trying to mix up water with oil... Still, they nailed the speed of Samus, it does feel as if you were controlling her on Super Metroid.

Edit: I speak only for the movement and reaction speed of Samus. The sense move was a neat introduction, but it breaks the game making it extremely easy to dodge every single attack, taking out any strategy out of the equation.

Sense move in hard is amazing really.

 

[TEJ]

Eh, not to be condescending, but given you're only at the end of the first section of the game, it's a bit too early to make that call no? Yes, it shouldn't take three/four hours to become 'fun,' and it seem like you're not having much already, but the game's design certainly reaches another level in the second half when it actually tries to break out of the shackles that hold the majority of the experience back. To suggest that the speed/movement is the only thing they got right in this game is a bit pre-emptive given you have some fantastic boss battles and set pieces to come. Might want to wait until those before you make a comment of that magnitude.

Maybe, but I try not to put up with bullshit if it's hindering my enjoyment of a game, and this game has a lot of it. I buy a lot of games, but I complete half of them because if something is hindering my enjoyment of a game and it is going on for far too long I quit. Only if I know if a cloud has a silver lining that I go through with it.

Thankfully, I don't have ocd. I don't feel the need to do everything a game has to offer, just because, if it's hindering my enjoyment.

 

[Ledsen]

Eh, not to be condescending, but given you're only at the end of the first section of the game, it's a bit too early to make that call no? Yes, it shouldn't take three/four hours to become 'fun,' and it seem like you're not having much already, but the game's design certainly reaches another level in the second half when it actually tries to break out of the shackles that hold the majority of the experience back. To suggest that the speed/movement is the only thing they got right in this game is a bit pre-emptive given you have some fantastic boss battles and set pieces to come. Might want to wait until those before you make a comment of that magnitude.

I agree with him, and I 100% the game (didn't replay on Hard though). I really hated the environments, the level design and the visual design of the enemies. Having complete freedom towards the end was way more fun than the rest of the game, but still not very good.

 

[TunaLover]

I don't know if this has been posted already, I found the gallery concept art for the game with the name for the enemies in english.

http://es.metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Galería_de_Metroid:_Other_M

(The gallery contains SPOILERS)
Scroll down until
"Galeria 3/Arte conceptual"

Spoiler

Also why Space Pirates are called Zebesians, they turns into pirates only after Ridley comands them, right? if that so, original Ridley was created from a little birdie too, how?

 

[rblaa]

Edit: I speak only for the movement and reaction speed of Samus. The sense move was a neat introduction, but it breaks the game making it extremely easy to dodge every single attack, taking out any strategy out of the equation.

Ha. Play hard mode and then tell us how easy it is.

 

[vagabondarts]

I just picked up other m this weekend and I freaking love it.
I'm not a hardcore metroid fan although I love the series.

I think it's an absolutely great game! I don't understand the hate... yet another polarizing wii title.
What convinced me to get it was watching playthroughs on youtube.

 

[Ellis Kim]

I've come to realize that Other M is not a Metroid game. It was difficult to come to this conclusion, because of the various trappings and illusionary suggestions towards otherwise.

Instead, it is wholly a Team Ninja effort, influenced and reliant on Team Ninja design. The emphasis on speed and execution, over exploration and ambience, makes the first Prime game the truer 3D Metroid entry. The lack of nostalgic/catchy jingles doesn't help.

However, despite its shortcomings as a Metroid game, I think it stands by itself as a AAA Wii game, and in that respect I believe it doesn't deserve most of the flak it has gotten.

As an anecdote, I've found myself surprisingly returning every few days to find and finish 100%ing areas after having seen the second ending. I've come to warm up to Other M, surprising even myself, despite how severely upset I was when I first jumped in immediately after playing Super Metroid.

 

[KevinCow]

Heh.

Almost certainly unintentional, but I got a chuckle out of it.


Edit: Oh yeah, and Gravijah found it and showed me or something.

 

[Gravijah]

Heh.

Almost certainly unintentional, but I got a chuckle out of it.

aw you mother fucker! WHERE'S MY HAT TIP?! :lol

 

[_Alkaline_]

The emphasis on speed and execution, over exploration and ambience, makes the first Prime game the truer 3D Metroid entry.

Speed and execution are still a big part of Metroid. People tend to forget that the 2D games are actually pretty fast-paced and require considerable athleticism from Samus. The Prime series essentially dumped this trope. You can still have exploration and ambience without feeling like you're moving through treacle.

The movement of Other M is the absolute best thing it got right. Of course, the actual game designed around it can't touch Retro's efforts.

 

[Kai Dracon]

However, despite its shortcomings as a Metroid game, I think it stands by itself as a AAA Wii game, and in that respect I believe it doesn't deserve most of the flak it has gotten.

This is the truth that's been entirely lost under a gargantuan dogpile of fans who gathered to share weepy tears. The ranting about Other M has been astounding, and really does demonstrate how perception affects reality.

It's a literal truth that when you take a swig of colored water that you're told is coffee, your brain makes you perceive it as horrible, tasteless, repulsive coffee rather than as simple, inoffensive water.

Fans coming in to Other M had their perceptions utterly corrupted by their expectations, and you can see it in the ludicrous criticisms that paint Other M as the worst game on the Wii (HA! HA!) and one of the worst games ever made. On one hand, you have to give them some understanding since the expectations one would have surrounding such a storied franchise are naturally powerful. On the other hand, it's amazing how much people blind themselves willingly - we had plenty of warning from the moment Other M was unveiled that it wasn't going to be either a Retro-like experience nor a 2D Super Metroid experience.

Even when the impressions, gameplay movies, and story scene previews that arrived weeks before release painted a clearer picture of what Team Ninja was doing with the game, it's like people didn't comprehend it; in one ear, out the other.

 

[Ellis Kim]

Speed and execution are still a big part of Metroid. People tend to forget that the 2D games are actually pretty fast-paced and require considerable athleticism from Samus.[...]The movement of Other M is the absolute best thing it got right.

I think the fact that you never have a reason to ever want to clear out a room outside of the first time to get the radar blip for hidden items contributes to the emphasis on speed. I'm not neccesarily referring to her movement, but the game's true pacing and tempo, which I only discovered when I had to start a new playthrough on my new Wii after originally stopping around 5 hours.

On the other hand, it's amazing how much people blind themselves willingly - we had plenty of warning from the moment Other M was unveiled that it wasn't going to be either a Retro-like experience nor a 2D Super Metroid experience.

But their Japanese marketing pitch was how the game was a throwback to the Famicom era :x

 

[KevinCow]

Corruption and Fusion aren't very good Metroid games, but are still great games.

Other M is neither a good Metroid game nor a good game.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Corruption and Fusion aren't very good Metroid games, but are still great games.

Other M is neither a good Metroid game nor a good game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c

 

[Boney]

But their Japanese marketing pitch was how the game was a throwback to the Famicom era :x

It is in a way though. They set out to create a 2d Metroid that only needed 2 buttons and the d-pad. The concept morphed from that into Other M of what it is today, an fast paced action game with a ability and power up progression system with a tint of puzzle solving. I still think it maintains more tints of Metroid than the Prime series does, but Metroid's design in inherently incapable of manifesting itself in the 3rd dimension, just like Mario. If you took Other M's engine and took out all the story, and confinement, you still wouldn't get Metroid in it's entirety.

Fusion is the third best Metroid though, and that's just a fact.

 

[mattx5]

Great. So I just got to the dreaded locked red door. I was aware of the bug but didn't realize it could be triggered so early in the game (ice beam?), and I didn't check a walkthrough till after I was past the part that triggers it. But I swear I didn't do any backtracking or messing around with the sequence, it didn't even interest me, so I don't see how I could have triggered it.

I'm so frustrated right now I can't even describe. My game experience had just started improving in the past few hours, was genuinely beginning to like the game... and now this.

*sigh*

Really don't have time to restart the game with school and work. Looks like it's gonna go on the shelf till the summer at least.

Edit: Ah christ, I probably went back to save after the boss during the bug-triggering part because I was low on health. Fuck.

Edit 2: Is it true Nintendo will give you a fixed save if you mail them an SD card with the corrupted save? If so, are these fixed saves floating around anywhere on the net?

Regardless, this is 2011!! Why the hell can't they just release a patch? Mail in an SD card??? This is so fucking stupid.

 

[Ellis Kim]

Great. So I just got to the dreaded locked red door. I was aware of the bug but didn't realize it could be triggered so early in the game (ice beam?), and I didn't check a walkthrough till after I was past the part that triggers it. But I swear I didn't do any backtracking or messing around with the sequence, it didn't even interest me, so I don't see how I could have triggered it.

I'm so frustrated right now I can't even describe. My game experience had just started improving in the past few hours, was genuinely beginning to like the game... and now this.

*sigh*

Really don't have time to restart the game with school and work. Looks like it's gonna go on the shelf till the summer at least.

Edit: Ah christ, I probably went back to save after the boss during the bug-triggering part because I was low on health. Fuck.

Edit 2: Is it true Nintendo will give you a fixed save if you mail them an SD card with the corrupted save? If so, are these fixed saves floating around anywhere on the net?

Regardless, this is 2011!! Why the hell can't they just release a patch? Mail in an SD card??? This is so fucking stupid.

Trust me when I say this: You got pretty far, right? You're annoyed and pissed off, but you acquired the skills that the game has taught you, with its control quirks and your own approach to them.

Its actually not a bad idea to take a break for a month or two, and come back and start a new save. While you did begin to enjoy the game as of a few hours ago, you'll actually enjoy going through the beginning again since you not only now know the game's rules, but the game's fundamentally linear design makes the first 5 hours a cake walk compared to initial hurdles. There's a complete change in pace and tone than the first run, and personally speaking, it made me enjoy the game much, much more.

But that's just me.

 

[Flare]

So Shinesparkers did an interview with Nate Bihldorff on the Metroid series, obviously focusing more on Other M's performance, and what he though about the final product.

SS: Metroid Other M saw a historic collaboration between Nintendo, Team Ninja and D- Rockets to bring together some great talent. Do you think Project M did a good job and do you see similar efforts happening in the future for Nintendo?

NB: Oh, absolutely, I think Project M did a great job. The game couldn’t have been made by any one of the individual companies, in my mind—from the incredible cinematics of D- Rockets to the action-packed fighting of Team Ninja to the unique Metroid level design of Nintendo, this really was a collaboration in the truest sense of the word. I can’t speak to what the future holds, but I’d certainly love to see similar efforts going forward.

SS: Metroid Other M has provoked some controversial comments. Some fans feel it didn’t meet the high expectations that they held for it and have complained about poor writing, voice acting, dropped sub plots and other various aspects. In your own personal opinion, what are your feelings on these comments?

NB: This is a touchy subject, to be sure. Bear in mind, we’re dealing with a beloved series that’s almost 25 years old, and since Metroid has traditionally been extremely light on exposition, fans have filled in a lot of the blanks with their own imaginations. Samus’ story—her voice, her motivations, everything about her—has largely been a matter of individual perception, especially in the US, where people haven’t read any of the official manga related to her childhood. Mr. Sakamoto is the only one who knows who she really is, and his vision for her and her voice was always going to be different than the character people had built in their heads.

I’ve seen the same comments you have, and while I understand where they come from, I definitely don’t agree with most of them. For me, Samus’s detached monologue speaks to the reticence of a wounded character, one scarred by the tragic events of her childhood. The glimpse of the pain and fear she carries—shown in the flashback scene when she sees Ridley—is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. People who call out that scene as anything but empowering are kind of missing the point, in my opinion—she does end up torching Ridley, after all. There is no courage without fear, in my mind, and knowing that Samus overcomes that repressed terror makes her all the more heroic than someone who plods forward without a hint of humanity.

I do think that Samus’s reliance on Adam’s commands is an important part of her canon as we see later in Metroid Fusion, Samus hates taking orders, and that problem with authority can be traced directly back to the events on the Bottle Ship in Metroid Other M. Obviously her relationship with Adam was complicated, and her confusion about his role in her life led her to put up with a command structure that she ordinarily would have scoffed at. Make no mistake, though—the events of Metroid Other M change her.

SS: Metroid Other M is set between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion in the timeline. Do you think Project M did a good job in tying together plot gaps between the two games?

NB: I do. Like most fans, after playing Metroid Fusion, I was dying to find out what happened to Adam Malkovich in the intervening years, and finally seeing it in action was both sad and satisfying. Seeing how deeply the Metroid’s death affected Samus was also vital to the series arc.

SS: You worked very closely with Mr. Sakamoto during localisation. Can you give us an insight into what it’s like working with such a noteworthy character?

NB: We met with Mr. Sakamoto several times in Japan, and he came over for all of the recording sessions. The guy is just plain cool—he feels passionately about making people smile, and the incredible diversity of his games is a testament to his talents. I was in awe the first time I met him many years ago—after all, I’ve been playing his games since I was 12, and they’re among my favorites—but his humble nature set me at ease immediately. The way he brought all of Project M together to create a unified vision is inspirational.

You can read the interview in its entirety here: http://www.shinesparkers.net/interview-with-nate-bihldorff

He has some interesting things to say.

 

[Agent Unknown]

People who call out that scene as anything but empowering are kind of missing the point, in my opinion—she does end up torching Ridley, after all. There is no courage without fear, in my mind, and knowing that Samus overcomes that repressed terror makes her all the more heroic than someone who plods forward without a hint of humanity.

Nice interview overall, but that's a lot of pompous nonsense right there. There's nothing "empowering" about a scene which feels like nothing but a glorified retcon, Mr. Bihldorff. Her reaction in that scene is so implausibly over the top. Again, even if you ignore the Prime series it's the THIRD time she's facing him. She should be furious someone cloned him again. Scared too sure, but surprised out of her mind? Come on. It's like expecting the Road Runner to be shocked Wile E. Coyote is back from his millionth cliff dive.

 

[Lijik]

This bump reminded me I should probably at least try to finish this game one day.

 

[Agent Unknown]

^^^

Ugh, sorry for not finishing my reply proper, it's late.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the game. Someday.

 

[ivysaur12]

Honestly, I do think there is an issue between fan expectation that could never be fulfilled and failure on the developer's part to deliver a compelling narrative (with more blame on the latter than the former). The problem is that neither (on the whole) will admit that the other has a point.

 

[XenoRaven]

I'm sure most people would have had much less of an issue with her being scared of Ridley had she not already overcome her fear of him in the manga and had also not already blown him up about 4,000 times before that.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

Huge Metroid fan here, but damn, the first big cutscene or two really put me off. Still haven't gotten past the first area or two.

 

[mantidor]

Honestly, I do think there is an issue between fan expectation that could never be fulfilled and failure on the developer's part to deliver a compelling narrative (with more blame on the latter than the former). The problem is that neither (on the whole) will admit that the other has a point.

I do give that point, maybe expectations were not possible to met, but Other M's story on its own is atrocious, Samus is not an empowered character at all, in which point does she actually act independently? There was an article here or in other thread that dissected the story and showed the only way to describe her relationship with Adam is that it is an abusive one. If they were aiming to do something different, and they probably were, the completely failed.

What makes it worst is how much it contrast with the gameplay, we see Samus killing giant monsters and doing cool nija movements, and then in the cutscenes she gets neutralized by one shot or is an emotional wreck, completely dependant on what Adam says, she doesn't even have one single opinion of her own, everything she says usually finishes with "Adam said that to me".

 

[IceMarker]

Huge Metroid fan here, but damn, the first big cutscene or two really put me off. Still haven't gotten past the first area or two.

The game itself is very good, if you don't like the story just ignore it and enjoy the gameplay.

Plus there is some kick-ass fan service towards the end you'll enjoy.

 

[hikarutilmitt]

Nice interview overall, but that's a lot of pompous nonsense right there. There's nothing "empowering" about a scene which feels like nothing but a glorified retcon, Mr. Bihldorff. Her reaction in that scene is so implausibly over the top. Again, even if you ignore the Prime series it's the THIRD time she's facing him. She should be furious someone cloned him again. Scared too sure, but surprised out of her mind? Come on. It's like expecting the Road Runner to be shocked Wile E. Coyote is back from his millionth cliff dive.

The third fight with Ridley which was only after you pretty much know he was actually killed in Super (since, ya know, the whole planet explodes). I wouldn't be convinced he died in the first game since just defeating a creature doesn't guarantee their death, particularly in video games.

There's also the aforementioned PTSD she would clearly have with her parents getting eaten by him right in front of her as a child. Why do people think things like this just magically disappear one day no matter how hardened your emotions get?

 

[Green Mamba]

People are still defending this game's story of all things? Good lord.

 

[Kai Dracon]

People are still defending this game's story of all things? Good lord.

Conversely, there are still people exhibiting shock, horror, and disgust whenever anyone, anywhere, dares to say that maybe the story could just maybe possibly not be Hitler in video game form?

Way more tired of Other M haters/Secret Samus Girlfriend Otaku at this point, even if the story isn't actually as good as it could be.

 

[The Technomancer]

Yeah, I've been reflecting on this game a lot lately. Terribly story aside, I really enjoyed it. The dual-control gameplay felt awesome to me, and while the linear levels weren't great, I had a lot of fun with it.

 

[hikarutilmitt]

People are still defending this game's story of all things? Good lord.

Only because people keep making asinine comments about it. Is it a good story? No, it's pretty flat and mostly forgettable aside from some major plot points that affect the series. But some of the crap being spewed about it is just that.

 

[Neon_Icarus]

Only because people keep making asinine comments about it. Is it a good story? No, it's pretty flat and mostly forgettable aside from some major plot points that affect the series. But some of the crap being spewed about it is just that.

Yeah. Some people act as if the story was so bad that it makes the whole game unplayable.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

I really is ashame to see so many people pass over, or not finish the game because of a few cut scenes. If you hate the story ignore it, the gameplay is there and fucking solid.

It disappoints me that so many people had such a lalalalala not gonna play it any more cause now I hate it lalalalala attitude. If we're not going to get any more 2D portable Metroids, the gameplay and graphics engine of Other M would have been perfect as a replacement. I'd love to see an Other M playing style Metroid on the 3DS.

Chances of seeing that though now..........probably really close to 0.

 

[Johann]

Yeah. Some people act as if the story was so bad that it makes the whole game unplayable.

It does.

Let's ignore the issue of the cutscenes being poorly written, directed, and acted (which they are) now and concentrate on a design decision. There is no way to skip cutscenes the initial playthrough of the game. Essentially, I am being told by the game's designer that the cutscenes are of such high quality that I would do myself a great diservice to skip them. Players are expected to watch these cutscenes and become emotionally invested in the story and characters. This is where the disconnect between the gameplay and story gets really bad. You're expected to form an emotional connection to the characters when the game proves time and time again that the vast majority of the cast are complete morons.

I might rag on Kojima for Metal Gear Solid's cutscenes and Codec sequences but at least he lets players skip the vast majority of them. In Other M, there is a deliberate design decision that forces players to watch cutscenes in the initial playthrough. As much as some game designers see them as talented writers and directors, very few games do that these days and those circumstances are usually caused by technological constraints of the game engine.

Of course, I eventually just split my TV screen in half during Other M's cutscenes and watched football on the other end. Then, I stopped and played FIFA and other better games.

I really is ashame to see so many people pass over, or not finish the game because of a few cut scenes. If you hate the story ignore it, the gameplay is there and fucking solid.

It disappoints me that so many people had such a lalalalala not gonna play it any more cause now I hate it lalalalala attitude. If we're not going to get any more 2D portable Metroids, the gameplay and graphics engine of Other M would have been perfect as a replacement. I'd love to see an Other M playing style Metroid on the 3DS.

Chances of seeing that though now..........probably really close to 0.

The player shouldn't lower his or her standards. It's not like Metroid style games, such as Shadow Complex, aren't being made by developers who understand exactly what this audience wants. The game developer should make a better game that satisfies the player's wants. The developer shouldn't go crazy with money and play movie director.

Nintendo should have hired competent writers and directors if they wanted to make a new Metroid with a cinematic approach. This is not an unusual arrangement for the game industry, especially for Japanese developers. Talented writers and directors have collaborated with the gaming industry before. I used the example of legendary Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku working on Clock Tower 3's cutscenes before. Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu wrote (and Jay Rubin translated) the 1000 Years of Dreams in Lost Odyssey to great critical acclaim. Likewise, Nintendo has collaborated with famed writer Shigesato Itoi for the Mother/Eartbound series. The Mother series is often celebrated as Nintendo's best written series.

Why didn't a talented science fiction writer or director work on Other M's cutscenes? If Nintendo and Sakamoto could guarantee the story and direction of these unskippable cutscenes would be good, then why didn't the minimize the use of these cutscenes and spend the money elsewhere? It seems to me the developer wanted to play movie director rather than make me a quality product.

 

[Mael]

It does.

Let's ignore the issue of the cutscenes being poorly written, directed, and acted (which they are) now and concentrate on a design decision. There is no way to skip cutscenes the initial playthrough of the game. Essentially, I am being told by the game's designer that the cutscenes are of such high quality that I would do myself a great diservice to skip them. Players are expected to watch these cutscenes and become emotionally invested in the story and characters. This is where the disconnect between the gameplay and story gets really bad. You're expected to form an emotional connection to the characters when the game proves time and time again that the vast majority of the cast are complete morons.

I might rag on Kojima for Metal Gear Solid's cutscenes and Codec sequences but at least he lets players skip the vast majority of them. In Other M, there is a deliberate design decision that forces players to watch cutscenes in the initial playthrough. As much as some game designers see them as talented writers and directors, very few games do that these days and those circumstances are usually caused by technological constraints of the game engine.

Of course, I eventually just split my TV screen in half during Other M's cutscenes and watched football on the other end. Then, I stopped and played FIFA and other better games.



The player shouldn't lower his or her standards. It's not like Metroid style games, such as Shadow Complex, aren't being made by developers who understand exactly what this audience wants. The game developer should make a better game that satisfies the player's wants. The developer shouldn't go crazy with money and play movie director.

That would be a problem if the non story section of the game had any worth at all. I'd argue that the cinematic part is actually the most polished part of the experience.
I didn't play Too Human, but I'm pretty sure it can't be worse than this pointless game.

Nintendo should have hired competent writers and directors if they wanted to make a new Metroid with a cinematic approach. This is not an unusual arrangement for the game industry, especially for Japanese developers. Talented writers and directors have collaborated with the gaming industry before. I used the example of legendary Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku working on Clock Tower 3's cutscenes before. Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu wrote (and Jay Rubin translated) the 1000 Years of Dreams in Lost Odyssey to great critical acclaim. Likewise, Nintendo has collaborated with famed writer Shigesato Itoi for the Mother/Eartbound series. The Mother series is often celebrated as Nintendo's best written series.

Why didn't a talented science fiction writer or director work on Other M's cutscenes? If Nintendo and Sakamoto could guarantee the story and direction of these unskippable cutscenes would be good, then why didn't the minimize the use of these cutscenes and spend the money elsewhere? It seems to me the developer wanted to play movie director rather than make me a quality product.

Considering that the manga is actually very bad too (and they had some poor mangaka do that stuff...), at least no movie director had this stain on their cv.
Heck it would probably be better if George Lucas did the stuff...

 

[AniHawk]

the cutscenes are bad because they're bad as a design decision

bingo. also, the way the story influences the gameplay. this is the point everyone seems to skim over.

 

[KevinCow]

Way more tired of Other M haters/Secret Samus Girlfriend Otaku at this point, even if the story isn't actually as good as it could be.

I think you're confused. Other M lovers are the real Secret Samus Girlfriend Otaku, not those who recognize it's a terrible game. It's the only game in the series that portrays Samus as a generic helpless anime girl and constantly takes off her armor to show off her tits and ass.

Go give your Zero Suit Samus body pillow a hug, Kaijima, and tell her how ~kawaii~ she is, and how you'll save her from that big old bad Ridley if he ever comes after her again.

 

[GotchaForce]

I have to admit the story worked for me but only right at the end. The last handful of bosses and bits with Adam redeemed the game in my eyes.

 

[Mael]

I have to admit the story worked for me but only right at the end. The last handful of bosses and bits with Adam redeemed the game in my eyes.

That's the major problem I have with the story, it's like you're made to do random pointless shit for 80% of the game and then at the end they realize that they actually had something cool to put in the game so they put it in for some reasons.
It was a major mistake to focus the story on everything BUT the whole stuffs that happens at the end.
Heck actually you could argue that it's the very same story as Metroid Fusion BUT they got rid of the X parasite and replaced it with boring instead.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

Aside from Sakamoto destroying Samus' character, they should have used the nun-chuck. I loved the action elements they brought to the game though. Despite the fact I'd rate it a 6/10 it was still my game of the year. It's an oddity that a game with so many flaws had enough innovation where it counts to make it genre defining. I'll (along w/other imo) will always have a love/hate relationship for this game. It could have been so much better, it really is disappointing.

 

[darkpower]

I actually enjoyed the story.

To tell you the truth, most of the people that are bitching and whining that the story sucked were those that thought that Samus should be another Master Chief: someone who didn't have any vulnerabilities to find, and not show any emotion or faults what so ever. Basically, a robot.

Thing is, though, there was a good job of showing just how important Adam was to her, and a good job with voice acting, as well. They showed that Samus is indeed human and has faults with a past that haunts her.

The biggest part of everyone's bitching about it was the Ridley scene. After seeing it...what the fuck were we all bitching about? It was fucking TAME compared to what everyone was making that out to be. The only thing wrong was that they didn't go deeper into what it is about her past that makes Ridley haunt her. It would be worth it to expand on that in future games. But if you want to see people REALLY bitch about that, let me redo that scene. I could do redo it in such a way that would make everyone turn their head to it. Yes, I would've done MORE with that scene than just that little bit.

But yeah, it's more bitching by the people that, in a post-Halo gaming world, wanted to see another Master Chief and whined when they didn't get that.

 

[mantidor]

I actually enjoyed the story.

To tell you the truth, most of the people that are bitching and whining that the story sucked were those that thought that Samus should be another Master Chief: someone who didn't have any vulnerabilities to find, and not show any emotion or faults what so ever. Basically, a robot.

Thing is, though, there was a good job of showing just how important Adam was to her, and a good job with voice acting, as well. They showed that Samus is indeed human and has faults with a past that haunts her.

The biggest part of everyone's bitching about it was the Ridley scene. After seeing it...what the fuck were we all bitching about? It was fucking TAME compared to what everyone was making that out to be. The only thing wrong was that they didn't go deeper into what it is about her past that makes Ridley haunt her. It would be worth it to expand on that in future games. But if you want to see people REALLY bitch about that, let me redo that scene. I could do redo it in such a way that would make everyone turn their head to it. Yes, I would've done MORE with that scene than just that little bit.

But yeah, it's more bitching by the people that, in a post-Halo gaming world, wanted to see another Master Chief and whined when they didn't get that.

The comparison to Halo is out of place, I don't know how it has been so common since Metroid Prime, the games are nothing alike, the fanbase is nothing alike at all, and the characters are completely different. I wasn't really expecting a master chief personality at all, and I'm sure many metroid fans dissapointed in the game agree. That would actually be horrible, and still it would've been better than what we got.

Even ignoring previous Metroid canon the story in the game by itself is pretty bad, the characters are terrible, unappealing and underdeveloped, you don't root for any of them, including Samus, the character you are controlling! It has subplots that go nowhere, terrible dialogue and incredible lame plot twists (if you can call them that), not to mention the overacting, Samus was terrible with all the crying about Adam, the baby and Ridley, you can't simply connect with her, the relationship she has with everything and everyone is shallow, and the main enemy has nothing worthy of mention, A.I. gone mad is an old and tired cliche, when they do something like they do in Portal, the character tracends the streotype, but this is not what happened with M.B. It's a mess of a story that no semi decent writer would approve. Even by video game standards, that are very low already, the story is really, really bad.

 

[Magicpaint]

I actually enjoyed the story.

To tell you the truth, most of the people that are bitching and whining that the story sucked were those that thought that Samus should be another Master Chief: someone who didn't have any vulnerabilities to find, and not show any emotion or faults what so ever. Basically, a robot.

Samus came before Master Chief.

I don't have a problem with them fleshing out Samus' character, but that's not what they did here, she might as well be a completely new character. There isn't any consistency with the Samus of old. Sakamoto was just taking the piss. She's a walking anime cliche. The series has tackled Samus' vulnerable side in many cool subtle ways that are far superior to the sickly sentimental, melodramatic junk we were fed.

Thing is, though, there was a good job of showing just how important Adam was to her, and a good job with voice acting, as well. They showed that Samus is indeed human and has faults with a past that haunts her.

The game did a good job TELLING us how important Adam was to her. Genuinely interesting story threads were abandoned just so we could hear more about how Adam rocked her world and all that. Show, don't tell. Too bad Other M missed that important aspect about storytelling.

The biggest part of everyone's bitching about it was the Ridley scene. After seeing it...what the fuck were we all bitching about? It was fucking TAME compared to what everyone was making that out to be. The only thing wrong was that they didn't go deeper into what it is about her past that makes Ridley haunt her. It would be worth it to expand on that in future games. But if you want to see people REALLY bitch about that, let me redo that scene. I could do redo it in such a way that would make everyone turn their head to it. Yes, I would've done MORE with that scene than just that little bit.

But yeah, it's more bitching by the people that, in a post-Halo gaming world, wanted to see another Master Chief and whined when they didn't get that.

I agree that the scene wasn't as bad as I had expected, but it was still pretty bad if you ask me and is a prime example of the butchering that they did to Samus' character.

Samus in Other M is just a terrible character. People don't want Master Chief, people want a good, well developed (and/or portrayed) character. Samus in Other M may have been acceptable if the game was a distant prequel or a spinoff; but in its timeline, her portrayal is completely unacceptable for me.

 

[MarshMellow96]

Jesus, all it takes is one bump and they're all out here.

 

[Anghammarad]

What I find interesting that Metroid: Other M made Metroid Fusion's gameplay and story look a lot better in retrospect. When it first came out, it was critized for being linear and story-driven; but compared to M:OM, it is a much tighter experience. (And for the record, I think Fusion is an extremely well-made game.)

Having said this and having enjoyed M:OM enough to have played it two times, I can see
where the criticisms come from. Especially the way the story disturbs the flow of the gameplay is unforgivable. The writing of the cutscenes is even more unforgivable. However, the cinematography of the cutscenes is very good, so I find myself muting the sound and looking at the images.

A flawed experiment that could have been much better, but I suspect after the anemic sales that they realize that as well at Nintendo HQ...

 

[Boney]

why did you bump this!!

what were you thinking!!!

 

[Hugh Buelow]

Can we consider that Other M is a story driven game?

In my opinion, I... don't think so. While the story is quite invasive, the core of the game remains its gameplay. The controls, the combat is where the game shines. It feels genuinely like a Metroid game (much like Fusion). It is a bit too short for my taste and I would have preferred a less linear game. But in the end, I had a lot of fun with it and that's what was important.

But the story... why the fuss? Get over it. It is like bitching about the story in Vanquish or Sin & Punishment...

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

bingo. also, the way the story influences the gameplay. this is the point everyone seems to skim over.

Exactly why I haven't played the game for so long

Also the sloppy (IMO) gameplay. Too much button mashing.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

What I find interesting that Metroid: Other M made Metroid Fusion's gameplay and story look a lot better in retrospect. When it first came out, it was critized for being linear and story-driven; but compared to M:OM, it is a much tighter experience. (And for the record, I think Fusion is an extremely well-made game.)

I replayed Fusion before Other M right before it came out. The story of Fusion is pretty hilariously bad. But it doesn't take away from the fact that the game is amazing and easily one of my favorite GBA games.

But wow, I can't believe this thread is still going.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

I replayed Fusion before Other M right before it came out. The story of Fusion is pretty hilariously bad. But it doesn't take away from the fact that the game is amazing and easily one of my favorite GBA games.

But wow, I can't believe this thread is still going.

You really have to wonder about the average gamer's taste in books/films/any media outside of games when you see unarguably shitty stories like these...Being argued for.

C'mon, people!