It seems like they wanted the game to be good to watch but I did not like playing it because it was so automated. The final-final boss is the best example because it looked amazing with so much stuff flying around but it's really simple and boring to play.
I'm going to give a reading of the game that I hope illuminates videogame characterization and offers some interesting discussion about the game M:OM and games in general, but I in no way attribute this reading to Sakamoto's intention due to it being in conflict with what he has said about the game and the game itself showing it does not want to make the argument I am about to, as well as for the reason of Derrida's and others influence upon how I view intent. I would say that Metroid: Other M accidently reveals a disturbing truth about videogame characters.
One of the main criticisms of the story in Metroid: Other M is that it messes up the character of Samus. Many fans feel the Samus in Other M does not reflect the character found in the other mainline games in the series(lets call it the Metroid canon). People who argue against this accusation sometimes state that is because Sakamoto never had the technology to properly portray Samus and that the Retro games don't really count on same sort of legitimacy measurement. One side of the argument says Samus of M:OM acts as though all the previous games never existed, and the other claims there was no character displayed in previous games. What I see is a game that shows Samus as someone who has been controlled by the player through out most of her adventures and has thus never actually been only herself until the cutscenes of this game. If you look at Other M Samus in the cut-scenes as a character who has always been pushed along by the player and never accomplished anything on her own, all the unbelievability starts to click and make sense. She never killed the Mother Brain, never killed the Mother Brain again and never fought Kraid or saved a Metroid or went to the Metroid planet. The player did those things.
So taking that as the basis of M:OM Samus, you can understand why she reacts to Ridley the way she does: She has never beaten Ridley because it was the player who beat Ridley. As it is, she has been dependent upon the player for everything up until now. Missiles, bombs, jumps and movement are all a life once lived by the player but not her. Adam comes into the space of the player as the controller behind a terminal who activates abilities and decides where Samus is to go just as the player has attained abilities and pushed around a direction input to tell Samus where to go. Samus never was strong willed, she was player-willed and from this perspective all game characters are player-willed. Mario never saved a princess, Cloud has no idea he can level up, and Ryu can't throw a fireball without someone to punch the buttons. Samus is helpless and dumb as bricks because she's been as free willed as an action figure all this time.
Of course, many parts of the story show this was not the idea behind the choices made. Samus' subservience is attributed to an encounter with Adam, and the character of Samus that the story invokes is someone who has done things before and whose previous exploits are known. The power bombs are not an ability Adam introduces and then gives access to like a player finds the power bomb powerup in a game and is given access to its ability, but rather an ability that everyone is aware of and is warning her against up until the end where it secretly and magically unlocks. Sakamoto's purpose seemed to be to add more depth or more fully allow Samus' character to be shown, but all he's really done is show how much of an empty shell the character is without the player's input.
It seems like they wanted the game to be good to watch but I did not like playing it because it was so automated. The final-final boss is the best example because it looked amazing with so much stuff flying around but it's really simple and boring to play.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one who thought this way.
I wouldn't mind another jab at a 2D/3D style Metroid again, but please, take it away from the creators. Give it to one of Ninty's other talented studios. I don't like the direction it's been going with Fusion and Other M with the spaceship aspect, (yes I know that's what a lot of the series was) the focus on story (when clearly the devs are not competent storytellers), and the amount of linearity. I'm sure I sound like a broken record with these claims but they're real problems.
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?
Oh please. He blew up in both games, the planet itself didn't need to blow up for the player to infer he was dead. And here we go again with the revisionistic PTSD excuse. I really don't believe Samus has PTSD and guess what? Neither does Sakamoto.
To aid him (Kensuke Tanabe) in this challenge (when getting advice and story/character approval for Retro during the lead up to Prime's production), Tanabe sought the advice of Metroid series creator Yoshio Sakamoto, who had very strong opinions about who main character Samus Aran, a space bounty hunter, really was, and how she might behave in certain situations. "[We asked him], what would Samus do if Space Pirates took someone as a hostage and said, while pointing a gun to their head, 'Samus, back off!' How would Samus react?" explains Tanabe of some initial design planning. "What we heard from him was that she would not say, 'Hold on!' or show any emotions. She would just bring up her gun and shoot a head shot at the Space Pirate."
Hardly the same vulnerable, weak-willed and very emotional character we saw in Other M's cut scenes who Sakamoto now at this later date insists is the "real Samus."
If all you're going to do is rattle off banalities you might as well flesh your post out by making some offhanded remarks about rose tinted glasses then bemoan purists who just want the same game over and over. I mean, once you're smearing a dingleberry on the wall you might as well go all out and deck the halls with diarrhea.
As for those who defend the story by asking people to look beyond it to the gameplay (forget that by all accounts Other M is a game begging to be judged on the criteria of its narrative), the game wasn't exactly without fault on the interactive side of things either. At best it can be labeled an interesting but deeply flawed experiment. Truth is, there's no succinct way to sum up the overall quality of the title because the game swings wildly between awe inspiring and unforgivably bad, often in the space of mere seconds.
As for those who defend the story by asking people to look beyond it to the gameplay (forget that by all accounts Other M is a game begging to be judged on the criteria of its narrative), the game wasn't exactly without fault on the interactive side of things either. At best it can be labeled an interesting but deeply flawed experiment. Truth is, there's no succinct way to sum up the overall quality of the title because the game swings wildly between awe inspiring and unforgivably bad, often in the space of mere seconds.
Err, not really. The 4 or 5 Where's Waldo segments were beyond atrocious, but every other aspect of the gameplay was extremely solid. The other complaints about the gameplay either boil down to "it's not like other Metroid games", or are completely invalid (i.e. regarding the controls).
If all you're going to do is rattle off banalities you might as well flesh your post out by making some offhanded remarks about rose tinted glasses then bemoan purists who just want the same game over and over. I mean, once you're smearing a dingleberry on the wall you might as well go all out and deck the halls with diarrhea.
As for those who defend the story by asking people to look beyond it to the gameplay (forget that by all accounts Other M is a game begging to be judged on the criteria of its narrative), the game wasn't exactly without fault on the interactive side of things either. At best it can be labeled an interesting but deeply flawed experiment. Truth is, there's no succinct way to sum up the overall quality of the title because the game swings wildly between awe inspiring and unforgivably bad, often in the space of mere seconds.
I do believe that it was a mistake to put the story at the front like they did.
When you say that the gameplay was flawed, are you talking about the where's Waldo sequences? Those are a strange part of the game. Some were bad
(like when you need to point at the green goo after beating the teen Ridley (don't know its name))
, but some where necessary to convey the story
(little birdy, Melissa Bergman)
and affected the game itself, not the retelling of her past. Even if they where awkward, I don't see how they could remove them without affecting the core game.
Err, not really. The 4 or 5 Where's Waldo segments were beyond atrocious, but every other aspect of the gameplay was extremely solid. The other complaints about the gameplay either boil down to "it's not like other Metroid games", or are completely invalid (i.e. regarding the controls).
So me thinking the controls were too simplistic and made me feel like the game was playing itself (dpad dodging), along with the fact that they could have easily avoided these issues by just using the freaking nunchuk....is invalid?
Look, man, I'm a huge Metroid fan but Other M just didn't do it for me. Extremely interesting game, but it really was not executed well.
I really hope Sakamoto gets another shot at this, because the core gameplay in Other M was great and very innovative for a major franchise. It'd be a shame to see Nintendo shy away from pushing innovation of this magnitude because of a bitchy fanbase.
The story did suck, as well as other things that were omitted from what makes a "Metroid game". But I think the core gameplay foundation was great and certainly a lot to build on. The nunchuk does need to be an option though, combining the poor depth perception w/ a d-pad in a 3D space was just a bad decision.
Also, the atmosphere and music were nowhere near Retro's work...so that should be where resources are spent too. Instead of pouring money/resources into cinematics and VA, they should focus on depth/atmosphere/combat system and exploration. But it is kind of sad to see the reaction to the first game Nintendo tried to really make cinematic...
On one hand, I think the soundtrack was probably the most dissapointing part of Other M. On the other hand, why is anyone giving Retro any credit for music?
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.
On one hand, I think the soundtrack was probably the most dissapointing part of Other M. On the other hand, why is anyone giving Retro any credit for music?
True, the music was all Kenji...but then again Kenji sort of does work w/ Retro now. If DKCR is any indication he fits very well into the dev group, and he'll probably be doing the music for the sequel (if there is one), and any future Retro stuff.
But I would say that Kenji's sort of brand of music much more fits the "ambient moody atmosphere" of Metroid as opposed to DKC. I'd much rather see David Wise back on board for DKCR2, and Kenji on the next Metroid or new IP...
True, the music was all Kenji...but then again Kenji sort of does work w/ Retro now. If DKCR is any indication he fits very well into the dev group, and he'll probably be doing the music for the sequel (if there is one), and any future Retro stuff.
But I would say that Kenji's sort of brand of music much more fits the "ambient moody atmosphere" of Metroid as opposed to DKC. I'd much rather see David Wise back on board for DKCR2, and Kenji on the next Metroid or new IP...
Agreed. Although I don't think Kenji really got that much leeway when making DKCR's soundtrack. 95% of it was made up of (inferior IMO) remixes. That's not to say they were bad, though, it's just that David Wise fucking rocks. Hell, he also wrote Battletoad's soundtrack. Badass.
Back on topic Retro really set the bar high for what Metroid can look like with the current technology, and Other M just didn't have it at all. I hate to say it but the artwork was kind of boring.
The story was forgettable b-movie crap just like nearly every other game in existence. Just like the other games in the Metroid series, and countless other games, the story only succeeds in helping to establish the atmosphere and objectives for the game.
Storytelling is universally shitty in video games. However, for some reason, forum posters and game reviewers are selective in the games that they apply this criticism to. If we aren't going to tear Gears of War a new asshole for having a crappy story with crappy characters, I don't see why it needs to be done for Other M.
Instead, Gears is nearly unanimously praised for being, above all else, fun to play. To me, Other M was definitely a blast to play, therefore it should be praised as well.
The story was forgettable b-movie crap just like nearly every other game in existence. Just like the other games in the Metroid series, and countless other games, the story only succeeds in helping to establish the atmosphere and objectives for the game.
Storytelling is universally shitty in video games. However, for some reason, forum posters and game reviewers are selective in the games that they apply this criticism to. If we aren't going to tear Gears of War a new asshole for having a crappy story with crappy characters, I don't see why it needs to be done for Other M.
Instead, Gears is nearly unanimously praised for being, above all else, fun to play. To me, Other M was definitely a blast to play, therefore it should be praised as well.
True, the music was all Kenji...but then again Kenji sort of does work w/ Retro now. If DKCR is any indication he fits very well into the dev group, and he'll probably be doing the music for the sequel (if there is one), and any future Retro stuff.
But I would say that Kenji's sort of brand of music much more fits the "ambient moody atmosphere" of Metroid as opposed to DKC. I'd much rather see David Wise back on board for DKCR2, and Kenji on the next Metroid or new IP...
He works with Retro. And Monster Games. And Intelligent Systems. And... even Sakamoto's team even. He composed Zero Mission and worked on Fusion too.
Yamamoto's part of the SPD groups, he lives and works in Japan. The soundtracks to the Prime trilogy were amazing, but they weren't in any real shape or form the work of Retro. And Yamamoto isn't part of Retro either, not any more than Tanabe is.
He works with Retro. And Monster Games. And Intelligent Systems. And... even Sakamoto's team even. He composed Zero Mission and worked on Fusion too.
Yamamoto's part of the SPD groups, he lives and works in Japan. The soundtracks to the Prime trilogy were amazing, but they weren't in any real shape or form the work of Retro. And Yamamoto isn't part of Retro either, not any more than Tanabe is.
Granted, all I was getting at was that Kenji will likely be doing the music for most (if not all) of Retro's upcoming stuff. Unless lightning strikes and Wise is brought back. Although I do hope that Retro can get some other people doing tunes in the future, especially if they're allowed to do a new IP or another franchise...
On topic, who else hated that there was no halfway charge shot in Other M? Playing through on Hard Mode without it is pretty lame. Overall, the core Other M formula needs a lot of refinement and improvement, but to me the potential is there for a Super Metroid-killer. Or is that heresy?
Granted, all I was getting at was that Kenji will likely be doing the music for most (if not all) of Retro's upcoming stuff. Unless lightning strikes and Wise is brought back. Although I do hope that Retro can get some other people doing tunes in the future, especially if they're allowed to do a new IP or another franchise...
On topic, who else hated that there was no halfway charge shot in Other M? Playing through on Hard Mode without it is pretty lame. Overall, the core Other M formula needs a lot of refinement and improvement, but to me the potential is there for a Super Metroid-killer. Or is that heresy?
I think there are some fundamental issues with how the game progressed as well as the decision to map all the controls to the wiimote, but if they're willing to make changes for the better i would definitely say there is a lot of potential. While I didn't think it was an amazing game it was nice to see them trying something completely different.
Well I don't accept that the story was shittier than usual, nor that it was more intrusive than usual. Shittier and more intrusive than past Metroid games? Maybe, but those never really attempted to have much of a story, and if you did want to get a story out of the Prime games for example, you had to read shit loads of logs and scans. But shittier and more intrusive than the average game? Nah.
Continuing with the Gears example, I fail to see how its cut-scenes are less intrusive than the ones in Other M. I found it extremely intrusive that every time I died in certain parts of the game, I had to watch extended cut-scenes of stupid dialogue concerning a stupid plot while in super-slow walking mode.
Other M's story is no more impertinent than the story in most other games, but for whatever reason the game was held to a double standard that demonized it beyond reason. If were going to say Other M was a bad game because of its story, we have to throw a shit load of other fan-favorites in the pile, too.
Continuing with the Gears example, I fail to see how its cut-scenes are less intrusive than the ones in Other M. I found it extremely intrusive that every time I died in certain parts of the game, I had to watch extended cut-scenes of stupid dialogue concerning a stupid plot while in super-slow walking mode.
There were maybe 2 or 3 spots in Gears 1 where that was annoying. On the other hand, not one cutscene in Other M is skippable unless you've already beaten the game, plus Other M's cutscenes are much longer than Gears' in-game dialogue. Big difference.
There were maybe 2 or 3 spots in Gears 1 where that was annoying. On the other hand, not one cutscene in Other M is skippable unless you've already beaten the game, plus Other M's cutscenes are much longer than Gears' in-game dialogue. Big difference.
On the other hand, you have to watch those dialogue sequences in those 2 or 3 parts (and every other part) every single time, regardless of which play-through you're on. Playing the game on hardcore makes them insufferable.
There's a reason everyone's so familiar with the "juice" line.
You can't tell me that Samus's characterization in Metroid Prime wasn't Chief-esque. It's the characterization that most remember.
I enjoyed this game. Good action, memorable bosses, and the combat showed off the agility of Samus's fighting style. Where's Waldo was biggest flaw; the hit boxes were too small and it ruined the flow of the game. The writing was bog standard bad video game writing. Considering my general low opinion of video game writing on the whole, it didn't bother me. Anthony at the very least entertained me as a "big, loud black dude" stereotype. I will remember him.
On the other hand, you have to watch those dialogue sequences in those 2 or 3 parts (and every other part) every single time, regardless of which play-through you're on. Playing the game on hardcore makes them insufferable.
Samus/Chief characterization comes from their situation, the visual of the games and the play experience of the games. Their character comes from what is done, what is seen and how what is done is accomplished. In all these facets they are quite different. The only reason for comparison comes from the release dates of the Prime games and Halo games being within years of each other, and MC's character design being an allusion to Samus and not the other way around.
The writing is bad and yes, game writing is bad in general, but Metroid stories are above the average on the series' own average. I don't want to make a grandiose statement, but Super Metroid is a defining point in videogame narrative, and Metroid Prime has been important to some in how it handles its narrative. Coming off of that, Other M is a typically dumb game story that is weighted down by its intrusions, its length compared to the game's length, and its placing within the series' own standards.
Here is the vocab list for junior members:
impertinent
double standard
Your assignment is to look those terms up and figure out what they really mean.
The writing is bad and yes, game writing is bad in general, but Metroid stories are above the average on the series' own average. I don't want to make a grandiose statement, but Super Metroid is a defining point in videogame narrative, and Metroid Prime has been important to some in how it handles its narrative. Coming off of that, Other M is a typically dumb game story that is weighted down by its intrusions, its length compared to the game's length, and its placing within the series' own standards.
You could say the same thing, though, about another game in a highly respected franchise: Metal Gear Solid 2.
Let's put aside the whole Raiden surprise. Talking about the story, around the halfway point of the Tanker chapter, I became completely lost as to what the fuck was even going on the first time I played. There were just so many twists and turns without any real indication as to what anyone was even talking about, to the point where if it wasn't a Metal Gear game, you would've never cared any.
Of course, now I get the story and I understand what was going on there because the later games helped flesh out what MGS2 was trying to actually do (
a rogue organization controlling every aspect of life
).
I regarded M:OM to be sort of like MGS in the way the story presented itself. I would have the next game be after Fusion and "flesh out" the story to this one like MGS3 and 4 did for the second one. Or maybe place it in the past and go into detail about Samus and Ridley's horrid relationship.
I think the main issue with the game came to a complaint about the hardware: the Wii can only do so much, and I could see that the game was pushing the limits of the system, as if the developers really wanted to do so much MORE with the game that they couldn't do because the hardware wouldn't allow it. The rendered cut scenes had some pixelated junk in them at times, showing me this. I think the Ridley scene suffered from this, too, because I could tell that they wanted to explain that in so much more detail and they couldn't do it because of the hardware and the physical media making it impossible. I would make the next game be on two discs.
Actually (and this is going to sound like a fanboy comment, so forgive me here), if Metroid: Other M was on a system as powerful as, say, the PS3 or a PC game, it would've been better off because of more powerful hardware and a bigger media (Blu Ray) to fit data on. Again, I know that sounds a bit fanboyish of me (and I like the Wii, too), but it's just my opinion.
By the way, I wasn't the one that bumped this thread. I saw this one being bumped and I wanted to add my two cents into it. I'm just tired of the bitching and whining because of Samus not being what THEY wanted her to be. Trust me, being a fic writer (not in Metroid, mind you, though) for 10 or so years now, Mary Sues are the WORST things you can have in a story of any sorts.
Trust me, being a fic writer (not in Metroid, mind you, though) for 10 or so years now, Mary Sues are the WORST things you can have in a story of any sorts.
Samus/Chief characterization comes from their situation, the visual of the games and the play experience of the games. Their character comes from what is done, what is seen and how what is done is accomplished. In all these facets they are quite different. The only reason for comparison comes from the release dates of the Prime games and Halo games being within years of each other, and MC's character design being an allusion to Samus and not the other way around.
The writing is bad and yes, game writing is bad in general, but Metroid stories are above the average on the series' own average. I don't want to make a grandiose statement, but Super Metroid is a defining point in videogame narrative, and Metroid Prime has been important to some in how it handles its narrative. Coming off of that, Other M is a typically dumb game story that is weighted down by its intrusions, its length compared to the game's length, and its placing within the series' own standards.
Here is the vocab list for junior members:
impertinent
double standard
Your assignment is to look those terms up and figure out what they really mean.
Haha, what? I'm not sure how you could possibly think that I misused those words. You must really have no idea what in the hell you're talking about. I suggest that you give your own vocab list a quick punch into Google and realize that the fact that you're not a junior doesn't suddenly excuse you from being a pompous half-wit.
Anyway, I can accept that Super Metroid is creative and unique when it comes to its narrative. However, you should feel embarrassed saying that its the pinnacle of video game storytelling. For one thing, it isn't. For another, the game barely even tells any kind of story at all. The story is literally just a bookend for the game; you get some at the beginning, and the end. What's there is cool, but you can tell that the game wasn't made so that Sakamoto could tell could tell a story. It would be seriously depressing if that kind of minimal effort was the best we had.
If they would have taken out most of the first person segments and made Samus less submissive, it would have been a lot better. Everything else about the game was great imo, but I don't get the apologists for those areas. Give credit where credit is due. I know everyone had their own opinion, but I just don't see how any fan of the series could be happen with what was done. They could have kept a story in the game without tarnishing Samus' image.
By the way, I wasn't the one that bumped this thread. I saw this one being bumped and I wanted to add my two cents into it. I'm just tired of the bitching and whining because of Samus not being what THEY wanted her to be. Trust me, being a fic writer (not in Metroid, mind you, though) for 10 or so years now, Mary Sues are the WORST things you can have in a story of any sorts.
If you're a fiction writer then it's even worse that you'd try to defend the story aspects of Other M.
I can see that people would love the gameplay (I personally didn't because it felt too automated and lacked the depth of the older games) but I would never understand why anyone would feel inclined to defend the story.
evangd007 said:
You can't tell me that Samus's characterization in Metroid Prime wasn't Chief-esque. It's the characterization that most remember.
I really enjoyed this game. The only thing that really soured things was the Samus' internal dialogue, there was too much of it and the lines were the blandest, most awkward most expository shit I've ever heard. It's clear that NCL deemed the script 'off-limits' to the localisers, because no way would Treehouse have spewed up some of that shit.
Whoever wrote them has no idea how to tell a story in a visual medium, they totally disregarded the 'show don't tell rule'. Aside from those parts I thought the story telling was OK, Samus barely said a word to anybody except Adam. The in-engine cutscenes were really good and the actual story was a serviceable Alien homage (though still awful by non-videogame standards). All they needed to do was:
1. Lose the Samus voiceover
2. Let you skip them
I would not object to another game in this style provided they take the story criticism on board.
I liked the voiceover work of Jessica Martin. For what it was worth, while she was obviously green, she did well, and I like that Samus finally had a voice. I was tired of the way Nintendo LOVED the silent protagonist, and Metroid is one franchise that I would want to see Nintendo not have such.
No, it would be even worse if I just said what people wanted me to in order to validate their own beliefs that they want to treat as absolute fact.
I liked the voiceover work of Jessica Martin. For what it was worth, while she was obviously green, she did well, and I like that Samus finally had a voice. I was tired of the way Nintendo LOVED the silent protagonist, and Metroid is one franchise that I would want to see Nintendo not have such.
I liked the voiceover work of Jessica Martin. For what it was worth, while she was obviously green, she did well, and I like that Samus finally had a voice. I was tired of the way Nintendo LOVED the silent protagonist, and Metroid is one franchise that I would want to see Nintendo not have such.
The actress did nothing wrong, it's just that the dialogue was terrible. You should never have a character in a visual medium like film/games vocalising their emotions in that way. I think the way Samus acted around others, saying very little except to Adam and Anthony, was fine. She is not supposed to be chatty and when she had to interact with the GF troops she did an acceptable Ripley impression. I don't care that she has a voice, but she shouldn't be saying more than a few words, that's just her character. They didn't need that shitty voiceover to tell Samus' story, the graphics and animation were of a high enough quality to convey that on their own.
I feel like Other M's voice-over narrative of Samus talking was the console equivalent to all of the talking that was in Fusion. I agree that the writing was bad, but I can't help but wonder at what the Japanese gamers and press thought of the writing. There's always this murky ground between authentically bad writing, and just cultural differences in style, and how things can sometimes get lost in translation.
Ultimately, it's all probably Sadamoto's fault, right? Never let him touch another Metroid game! Grr, rawr!
If they would have taken out most of the first person segments and made Samus less submissive, it would have been a lot better. Everything else about the game was great imo, but I don't get the apologists for those areas. Give credit where credit is due. I know everyone had their own opinion, but I just don't see how any fan of the series could be happen with what was done. They could have kept a story in the game without tarnishing Samus' image.
my understanding is that most of the people dont really like the story but they dont care about story in metroid in general
the prime series is totally unrelated to the mainline metroid story and are considered as some of the best game in the series.
super and fusion which are great games also are enjoyable even if you know nothing about the story.
same here. the story is like 1 % of the enjoyment of a metroid game. i wouldnt have cared if samus was revealed to be the daughter of ridley or mother brain is actually samuses baby or something ridiculous like that. as long as i have my metroid gameplay im all set. and i believe that this interpretation of metroid gameplay was spot on. i definately like the direction more then the metroid prime direction as it is so blazingly fast and greatly action oriented.
now the first person segments i think were a design flaw. i thought the switching into 1st person and firing missles was a great mechanic. but the where is wallie stages were really hampering the experience. that one i can agree with
Well that's just it. A GBA game can't have voice acting to that degree and the graphics used could never have conveyed facial expressions like Other M did. Text was the only way to convey those things in Fusion. That doesn't mean you can just vocalise those things and it will still work. For example in the Harry Potter films, none of Harry's thoughts from the book are presented as voiceover because it just isn't necessary when you have an actor on screen. Show don't tell is the cardinal rule and Sakamoto seemed to forget that.
Well that's just it. A GBA game can't have voice acting to that degree and the graphics used could never have conveyed facial expressions like Other M did. Text was the only way to convey those things in Fusion. That doesn't mean you can just vocalise those things and it will still work. For example in the Harry Potter films, none of Harry's thoughts from the book are presented as voiceover because it just isn't necessary when you have an actor on screen. Show don't tell is the cardinal rule and Sakamoto seemed to forget that.
If you don't want to actually discuss why the game is the way it is, then fine. Sakamoto was given carte blanche to make this game so I don't think it's unreasonable to direct criticism of some story elements at him.
