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Metroid Other M |OT| You're Not Supposed to Remember Him
- Thread starter Sadist
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MadOdorMachine
No additional functions
We're all crazy I guess then!
I thought the story did a lot to damage Samus as a character and the controls were awkward. The game would have been better had they used the nun-chuck and not made Samus look so weak. I understand that they wanted to make her look fragile, but you can do that without making someone look weak and I think they chose the wrong time in the chronology of the series to do that. It would have been better suited for a game that showed her origins and how she came to get the suit. The love story with Adam could have worked though and could have re-enforced the isolationism people associate with her character.
The controls were deeply flawed too. The d-pad is tiny, you can't use missiles in third person and aiming is a pain in the ass. Let's not forget the "Where's Waldo" moments and general lack of exploration. The game has some deep flaws, but despite all that it's still one of my favorite games of this gen. They created a great blue print on how to design a 3D Metroid in third person. The combat is also better than it has been in any of the other games. If they can fix these things (I hope we get a sequel) it has potential to be the best Metroid ever.
SecretMoblin
Member
The problem I had with Fusion, and one that's sadly repeated in Other M, is that you get told where to go next - in Fusion, the room is literally pointed out on your map - but there's really only one way to get there. There's exploration, but it's done in a frustratingly linear way.
And yes, I understand the argument about Super Metroid and the Primes being linear. But sometimes the illusion works! All but one or two of the Zelda games are "linear" in a sense, but what if they were simply a series of tunnels? Well-designed, pretty tunnels with puzzles, but tunnels all the same. The feeling of the games would be radically different.
I still appreciate Other M for what it is and what it tried to do, but Prime 3, Fusion, and Other M were all pretty handhold-y from my perspective.
Shin Johnpv
Member
All we have to do is say Metroid Other M and there's MadOdorMachine to bitch about it again.
I find it funny that the ONLY people I see complain about the controls are on Neogaf or other forums. Anyone I talk to in person who played the game had no problems with it. Anecdotal evidence sure but interesting to me.
I find it funny that the ONLY people I see complain about the controls are on Neogaf or other forums. Anyone I talk to in person who played the game had no problems with it. Anecdotal evidence sure but interesting to me.
People still gripe about that Ridley scene?
Did the scene really come off as exceedingly offensive to shackle fan's perspectives?
And Samus portrayed as weak? Did people play through the game and not see what Samus does to some bosses
?
I think this series entry was pretty weak but I respect Sakamoto's direction no matter how questionable it can be (come on, how can I discredit the man who directed Super Metroid?!)
Did the scene really come off as exceedingly offensive to shackle fan's perspectives?
And Samus portrayed as weak? Did people play through the game and not see what Samus does to some bosses
especially the Queen Metroid & Phantoon
I think this series entry was pretty weak but I respect Sakamoto's direction no matter how questionable it can be (come on, how can I discredit the man who directed Super Metroid?!)
The story is fine. The script is just too verbose, like it was run through a machine translation from Japanese. Of course, people like to use "The baby the baby the baby the baby" but she stops talking about the baby after the intro and only mentions it like a couple of times later. Actually, you know what... ::looks up Other M script::
6 times in the intro.
3 times towards the end.
She calls another infant metroid a baby twice, because that's just what she calls all infant metroids in this script. Yes it sounds stupid, but it's not as big a deal as a lot of people make it out to be.
6 times in the intro.
3 times towards the end.
She calls another infant metroid a baby twice, because that's just what she calls all infant metroids in this script. Yes it sounds stupid, but it's not as big a deal as a lot of people make it out to be.
Is a Metroid game that freaking closes doors so you have to follow a linear path, not to mention the frustrating item progression method. The atrocious story is the least of the problems this game has now that I think about it.
Probably the only good thing about this game is the sleek and awesome Samus animations when she's attacking, which make the cutscenes even more frustrating and irritating to watch, is like is a completely different character.
Probably the only good thing about this game is the sleek and awesome Samus animations when she's attacking, which make the cutscenes even more frustrating and irritating to watch, is like is a completely different character.
Correctomundo
Member
People still gripe about that Ridley scene?
Did the scene really come off as exceedingly offensive to shackle fan's perspectives?
And Samus portrayed as weak? Did people play through the game and not see what Samus does to some bosses?especially the Queen Metroid & Phantoon
I think this series entry was pretty weak but I respect Sakamoto's direction no matter how questionable it can be (come on, how can I discredit the man who directed Super Metroid?!)
I'm gonna have to go ahead and ask you to stop being logical with this argument. It won't do at all to further the haters agenda. Won't do at all.
I like how Other M pretty much contradicts the entirety of the manga, but yet the Ridley backstory is the one thing we're supposed to accept, even despite how it was never actually shown or mentioned in-game.
DragonGirl
Member
The problem with that argument is few people have read the manga. The scene in the game has no context to give it power. They should have cut out some of the monologueing and given us some back story for that scene to have the proper impact. Without context, Samus' reaction is baffling in light of her history with Ridley as portrayed by the games.
Q
qizah
Unconfirmed Member
There's no doubt that all three of those titles are handhold-y. I don't actually mind a little bit of guidance, as long as it's not overdone. Other M to me over did it by explicitly telling you where to go, how to get there and locking doors you've been to.
Other M was trying to be an action game - I can't really fault the game due to my expectations. I was expecting it to be like Super Metroid, that's not the kind of game Nintendo and Sakamoto were setting out to make.
It's still a great game by any standard and in terms of being a good Metroid game - it isn't and it is. The combat is the best the series has ever seen in my opinion, however the exploration is the weakest the series has seen.
In terms of Corruption and Fusion, like I said before they are handhold-y, but not to a point where it changes what it means to be a Metroid title. Other M was the first to be radically different while trying to remain the same and it ultimately failed on one part and delivered on another, for me at least.
I'm looking forward to new releases though; I figure something on the 3DS would be pretty interesting. I wouldn't mind a game like Super Metroid again, though, I wouldn't reject another Fusion title. Can't say I'd be happy with a game that's similar to Other M and more streamlined though, but I'd probably still get it.
I don't even think North American players were even supposed to know about this particular back story. We didn't get the e-manga promotion when Fusion was released, right?
I was thinking whether or not Western and Japanese Metroid fans have differing perspectives of Samus considering that there is supplementary material of Samus's story (take them to be canon or not) that is available in one region and not the other which may have influenced players' expectations (and experience) of Other M.
Gotcha.
Correctomundo
Member
That's logical. I can allow for this. I can also allow for A) People sometimes need to accept what's happening without any prior introduction to an event. There are plenty of games (and indeed other mediums) that pull this exact same tactic and are rarely called out on it. And B) It may be seen as apologetical gymnastics, but it's entirely possible that she was experiencing a sort of PTS event and it conflicted with what some people merely believed she was like, when no proof to the contrary has existed in any other canonical source, save their own imaginations.
In any event (and I'm not aiming this at you DragonGirl), the game's story can be hailed as a total betrayal or a subtle masterwork, and not a damn speck of it would alter the fact that the actual game itself is still pretty damned good. It speaks volumes that people can be so upset at having their preconceived notions quashed that they abandon all objective reasoning and the game becomes utter shit as retaliation.
one thing i've thought since last year is that sakamoto might have wanted to do a prequel to the series initially but changed the game's place in the timeline at some point but didn't want to remove any of the stuff he had already put in place.
since there was virtually no editiing to cut off unnecessary stuff, things got past as they were and we got the final product.
not getting the e-manga over here was also a big mistake. by mere chance, i got to read the manga months before the game was out, so the scene didn't make me rage like 90% of the people (i don't like the story overall because it is mostly a worse retread of Fusion's story, meaning it has very little "worthy" new content and the additional story bits are pretty unnecessary), but it is pretty much a given most other people lacked the context to make the scene have a dime of sense.
they should have released the manga as part of a special edition, part of preorder bonuses or just fully animate the thing within the game instead of wasting time with pointless shit like the whole "deleter" subplot which was trash. they already kinda adapted part of it with the Ridley scene and getting the rest of the story would have helped make the game a true piece of the canon instead of just retcon target material (i end up explaining the whole "chozo made the metroids to eliminate the X" to anyone who happens to mention metroid story and pieces the story wrong because of these missing details).
since there was virtually no editiing to cut off unnecessary stuff, things got past as they were and we got the final product.
not getting the e-manga over here was also a big mistake. by mere chance, i got to read the manga months before the game was out, so the scene didn't make me rage like 90% of the people (i don't like the story overall because it is mostly a worse retread of Fusion's story, meaning it has very little "worthy" new content and the additional story bits are pretty unnecessary), but it is pretty much a given most other people lacked the context to make the scene have a dime of sense.
they should have released the manga as part of a special edition, part of preorder bonuses or just fully animate the thing within the game instead of wasting time with pointless shit like the whole "deleter" subplot which was trash. they already kinda adapted part of it with the Ridley scene and getting the rest of the story would have helped make the game a true piece of the canon instead of just retcon target material (i end up explaining the whole "chozo made the metroids to eliminate the X" to anyone who happens to mention metroid story and pieces the story wrong because of these missing details).
victreeb3l
Member
went to 2 different best buys and i couldnt find this available. damnit!
thats because the internet likes to make a mountain out of a molehill. most people that i know IRL that played this game loved it. they werent supposed metroid die hards so that may have had something to do with it
thats because the internet likes to make a mountain out of a molehill. most people that i know IRL that played this game loved it. they werent supposed metroid die hards so that may have had something to do with it
Version 3.0
Member
The controls work fine, they're not broken or anything, but they're also not designed well. The story/presentation is so bad it takes center stage, but the game underneath has plenty of problems of its own. It's not very good.
I don't think North American players ever got the e-manga. At best, the only reference to Samus's backstory as it connects to Ridley was in the manual of one of the Prime games (which could have also been something taken from the e-manga verbatim). This sets a pretty odd issue when considering that I'm betting that a lot of the western audience didn't really know, unless they were already pretty well-versed in Metroid lore. Alternatively, things would swing in the other way for people who did read the manga, as they would have watched the scene and probably say to themselves "Hey... her reaction doesn't make sense because..." Differing perspectives between the regions could have happened, but it seems pretty weird to limit the backstory to Japan when considering that the Metroid series has always sold significantly better in the west than in the east.
uchihasasuke's theory that this game might have been a prequel in its initial phases does have merit though; while I don't think the quality of the writing would have been improved, a lot of things could have been explained away by "well, this is a prequel before Samus really got started in her exploits" and I'm betting that would have been pretty acceptable. Sakamoto decided to sandwich the game inbetween Super and Fusion in a way that really only lessens the experience; there was nothing that really needed connecting up between Super and Fusion that wasn't already addressed in Fusion outside of
the Federation getting Ridley's body, but I don't think it should have taken an entire game just to fill that gap
Adam's death, but the manga could have very well taken this up entirely, since it was implied that he died while trying to buy time for Samus on Zebes
"We're cloning Metroids, again! Even though you directly caught us red-handed doing the exact same thing not too long ago.
desertdroog
Member
Metroid fans, of which there are plenty in this thread talking about the Manga and Other M's story, always had the Metroid Database as a resource for the Manga in question.
http://www.metroid-database.com/manga/listing.php
I know, I read it before Other M came out.
Picking it up once more. Backloggery picked it at random, so I'm going to try to play through it this weekend. Played a few hours of the game before, but put it down. As has been said, the story, acting and everything related to it make it tough to take. Not to mention the hilarious 'can't use weapon, Adam hasn't approved it!' way to preventing weapon usage and the pretty linear areas that try to come off as though they could be explored ala Prime.
But I do think the combat is mindless entertainment, and can probably muscle through this.
But I do think the combat is mindless entertainment, and can probably muscle through this.
This looks pretty hot:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0070S54SS/4k6l0g8-22/ref=nosim/
There's also a suited up, poseable version:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00712Y28Q/4k6l0g8-22/ref=nosim/
I never liked those poseable figures, but it works very well for Samus.
The prices are real nice too.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0070S54SS/4k6l0g8-22/ref=nosim/
There's also a suited up, poseable version:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00712Y28Q/4k6l0g8-22/ref=nosim/
I never liked those poseable figures, but it works very well for Samus.
The prices are real nice too.
I think someone already mentioned those before, but is nice to see them in Amazon Japan. If it wasn't for the ridiculous heels, I'd buy that zero suit samus in a heart beat, at least the proportions aren't so stupidly offensive as they are in the game. It is actually a pretty nice figurine, the pose and everything is great, but damn those stupid heels that don't fit anywhere.
The suit design is pretty awesome though, I would love to buy it, if I lived in Japan of course
Also...
.
I think someone already mentioned those before, but is nice to see them in Amazon Japan. If it wasn't for the ridiculous heels, I'd buy that zero suit samus in a heart beat, at least the proportions aren't so stupidly offensive as they are in the game. It is actually a pretty nice figurine, the pose and everything is great, but damn those stupid heels that don't fit anywhere.
The suit design is pretty awesome though, I would love to buy it, if I lived in Japan of course
Also...
.
I liked the heels. It gives it a sort of retro scifi anime feel. Just be glad the suit doesn't have 'em.
As for getting these, I'm sure plenty of online importers will stock these. Play-asia.com has always been good about figures. Just make sure to pre-order. These things are limited, fo reals.
Littlegator
Banned
For those of us who can't read japanspeak, how tall are these?
The poseable suit figure is 150mm, so that's 5.9 inches. There's no height given for the Zero Suit figure. The only 1/8th scale figure I have is about 7 inches tall, so I'd expect something similar here.
Edit: The Max Factory homepage says that Zero Suit Samus is 220mm or 8.6 inches tall.
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3445/Samus+Aran+Zero+Suit+Ver.html
Little Green Yoda
Member
I finally started playing this so I'd have something constructive to say in the Club Nintendo survey for this game. The cutscenes and story are as bad as I expected. The actiony sequences are fun but the lack of exploration and having entire areas cut off to you in form of locked doors sucks.
Who the hell thought the mandatory first person scanning/searching segments were a good idea in an action game? And invisible walls?
Who the hell thought the mandatory first person scanning/searching segments were a good idea in an action game? And invisible walls?
it's downloading a save file and playing without the cutscenes
or getting the japanese version with good voice acting
DragonGirl
Member
The only reason the Japanese voice acting is better than the English is because it renders the dialog incomprehensible to most Westerners. Not knowing what anyone is saying improves the story very slightly.
So I finally watched the Other M movie. Don't understand the negative buzz, it actually was quite enjoyable. It was a typical science fiction story.
Nonetheless, I only played MP3 which basically had no story from what I remember. Perhaps that's why people imagined Samus to be completely different. I cannot imagine what would happen if Zelda would get a story one day.
So all in all, Other M is no game I can recommend playing due to its awful controls (I will not even bother now), but as a movie it can be recommended to people who haven't played a Metroid game before or just don't remember that they had some kind of story..
Nonetheless, I only played MP3 which basically had no story from what I remember. Perhaps that's why people imagined Samus to be completely different. I cannot imagine what would happen if Zelda would get a story one day.
So all in all, Other M is no game I can recommend playing due to its awful controls (I will not even bother now), but as a movie it can be recommended to people who haven't played a Metroid game before or just don't remember that they had some kind of story..
I don't want to say it was great. It's just one of the best stories in a recently released Nintendo title. (which isn't too hard when the competition is called Skyward Sword and Mario Galaxy)
The actual story wasn't bad. The writing was terrible.
Plot wise it's nothing to complain about: Samus gets call, goes to space station, meets up with Old Friends, everybody wonders what might've happened, they split up. Majority of Old Friends gets taken out, Samus investigates. Somehow everybody dies or vanishes, Samus kills Space Pirates, uncovers mysteries of space station, saves the day, then forgets to bring the helmet.
If they had filled that with good, well-written characters with post-modern character development the story as a whole could've been actually pretty awesome.
And of course, they absolutely needed to get rid of that stupid narrative conceit that forbids Samus from using her gear unless authorized. That was wholly inexcusable garbage.
I don't really get why so many people hate the controls apparently. I thought they were pretty well realized and worked. The first-person switch was also pretty neat.
Plot wise it's nothing to complain about: Samus gets call, goes to space station, meets up with Old Friends, everybody wonders what might've happened, they split up. Majority of Old Friends gets taken out, Samus investigates. Somehow everybody dies or vanishes, Samus kills Space Pirates, uncovers mysteries of space station, saves the day, then forgets to bring the helmet.
If they had filled that with good, well-written characters with post-modern character development the story as a whole could've been actually pretty awesome.
And of course, they absolutely needed to get rid of that stupid narrative conceit that forbids Samus from using her gear unless authorized. That was wholly inexcusable garbage.
I don't really get why so many people hate the controls apparently. I thought they were pretty well realized and worked. The first-person switch was also pretty neat.
MetalGuardian
Banned
I just bought this from Best Buy for $4.99 and started it earlier this afternoon.
The game is SO FREAKING DARK. I couldn't find anywhere to adjust the brightness setting, which sucked because I could barely see anything in my surroundings. I guess I'll have to wait until it's night time so the room is pitch black so I can see better. Lame.
The dialogue is pretty god-awful so far too and they completely turned Samus into a submissive doofus. I WILL NOT USE MY MISSLES AND BOMBS IN THIS FOREIGN UNKOWN SPACE SECTOR WITH DANGERS LURKING AROUND EVERY CORNER BECAUSE MY FORMER ASS-HOLE OF A BOSS, WHILE NOT FORBIDDING ME TO USE THEM, ALSO DID NOT EXPRESSLY SAY "SAMUS YOU CAN USE YOUR FULL ARSENAL"! It is mind-numbingly stupid
I'm not very far at all, but this has not made a good first impression on me. I love the Metroid series, but this seems like a completely different beast so far. I'm also not sold on the controls, but I'm not sure how well they work yet because, again, I can't see what the hell I'm doing because of how dark it is.
I really hope things pick up as the game progresses
The game is SO FREAKING DARK. I couldn't find anywhere to adjust the brightness setting, which sucked because I could barely see anything in my surroundings. I guess I'll have to wait until it's night time so the room is pitch black so I can see better. Lame.
The dialogue is pretty god-awful so far too and they completely turned Samus into a submissive doofus. I WILL NOT USE MY MISSLES AND BOMBS IN THIS FOREIGN UNKOWN SPACE SECTOR WITH DANGERS LURKING AROUND EVERY CORNER BECAUSE MY FORMER ASS-HOLE OF A BOSS, WHILE NOT FORBIDDING ME TO USE THEM, ALSO DID NOT EXPRESSLY SAY "SAMUS YOU CAN USE YOUR FULL ARSENAL"! It is mind-numbingly stupid
I'm not very far at all, but this has not made a good first impression on me. I love the Metroid series, but this seems like a completely different beast so far. I'm also not sold on the controls, but I'm not sure how well they work yet because, again, I can't see what the hell I'm doing because of how dark it is.
I really hope things pick up as the game progresses
Joei
Member
The authorization system is pretty ridiculous. Conceptually, I can kind of understand it, but I just don't think it works well in this game given the series history. If you can get past that aspect and the horrible dialog, which becomes less the further you play it, it becomes an okay game. I bought it at release but just recently decided to force my way through the game. The story does flesh out a little and you can kind of see the relationship Samus and Adam had, but it's all rather juvenile and I feel forcing a story in the game was pointless for a game that doesn't need it.
For the positives, some of the later environments are rather nice and the battle system becomes kind of entertaining. So many times I wanted it to be a great game, and I honestly feel it is better than I was originally giving it credit for and better than the general concensus on the game, but overall, it's still not that great, lol. There were a few times it became kind of a fun romp though and it's only like a 12 hour game. I'd say stick with it and once you come to terms with what it has to offer, you'll probably see that it's not "horrible."
For the positives, some of the later environments are rather nice and the battle system becomes kind of entertaining. So many times I wanted it to be a great game, and I honestly feel it is better than I was originally giving it credit for and better than the general concensus on the game, but overall, it's still not that great, lol. There were a few times it became kind of a fun romp though and it's only like a 12 hour game. I'd say stick with it and once you come to terms with what it has to offer, you'll probably see that it's not "horrible."
FrenchMovieTheme
Member
pretty much came here to post exactly what you did. got it for $5. gameplay isn't awful so far but it's dark as fuck. the story is horrible though. maybe i have let all the negative things i've heard about it influence me but jesus christ i can't take the story and why can't you skip the cutscenes?
i'll give it a few more hours. i guess for $5 it's worth it but i could make a case for just about any game being worth $5
timetokill
Banned
I, too, got this on the $5 Best Buy thing.
I get that MECHANICALLY the authorization system is basically the exact same arc as any Metroid, where you "lose" all your suit abilities and reacquire them.
However, it just FEELS so much lamer.
And yeah, destruction of Samus' character. Really sad to see.
I get that MECHANICALLY the authorization system is basically the exact same arc as any Metroid, where you "lose" all your suit abilities and reacquire them.
However, it just FEELS so much lamer.
And yeah, destruction of Samus' character. Really sad to see.
radioheadrule83
Banned
I think the story is a god-damned abomination and a definite reason to put Metroid in new hands, but gameplay-wise $5 is a fucking steal - it's a great game in terms of gameplay, the only things that sucked in that regard are the very few scripted - "where's waldo" style moments where you're forced into first person to 'spot' something.
Actually, I agree with this. It could have been so much better, it was purely the writing, translation and execution.
Actually, I agree with this. It could have been so much better, it was purely the writing, translation and execution.
Joei
Member
I thought mechanically that it was the same as well, but I started to see that it really wasn't. There are parts in the game where you're not actually exploring, just trying to get from point A to point B and Adam is like, "yeah, that's authorized..." or even the authorization of the Varia suit had me shaking my head. This game severly lacks the exploration the series is known for