#Nerdy Game Review: Metroid- Other M

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Seven16

I’ve been a fan of the Metroid series since the original Prime on the Gamecube came out in 2002, so I have been relatively late getting into the series. That’s not to say that in recent years I have played Super Metroid, and I can honestly say it’s the best game of its kind. I loved Prime, but the 2D side scrolling action did it better for me.

When Team Ninja originally announced that they were doing the next Metroid game, I was intrigued. I loved Dead or Alive and the Ninja Gaiden games, but I had my doubts. A few years back, the head of the developer, Tomonobu Itagaki, left the company due to lack of payment and such, so some were worried that Team Ninja would go having lost it’s most valuable asset.

I thought that they could prove with this title that they could branch out and do other things, and get away from those series to try something new. So, when it finally came out a month or two ago, I expected mixed reactions. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to play through the game myself, I can say those reactions are warranted.

The game takes place after the events of Super Metroid, where Samus has survived her encounter with Mother Brain, and has also defeated her nemesis Ridley. The baby Metroid sacrifices itself to save her, and Samus becomes distraught by this sequence of events. After a few years, a distress signal brings her to an abandoned Science Research Station that has become overrun by a mysterious force. Little does she know that her old Galactic Federation unit is waiting to greet her having also heard the distress beacon.

This is where the story starts to get STUPID.

Let me first point out that Samus, throughout the game, sounds like an emotionless shell of a person. She’s by far the strongest female character in gaming and Team Ninja makes her look like a complete joke. The overacted and bizarrely written dialogue does not help the situation either, and the plot full of unoriginal content. It’s sad that such a great character gets treated like another hussy working the corner in this experience.

Getting that out of the way, for the most part the experience is fun, but at times becomes incredibly frustrating, especially towards the end of the game. Team Ninja decided that to try to blend the best of both worlds in Prime, with it’s first person perspective, and Super Metroid, which is 2D Sidescrolling and platforming, creating an interesting feel that at times feels clunky, and a bit unrefined.

The problem lies in a few main issues:

1. The game is controlled by holding the Wii mote sideways and controlling Samus in a mostly 3D linear environment. To compensate for a lack of aiming, an auto-targeting system is in place. Unfortunately at times this can be difficult to control as you never know if you’re going to hit the enemy in front of you, or completely miss them. This also is a problem when the enemy swarms you, and you cannot move and fire in a desired fashion.

2. The camera is fixed for most of the game, with only a few instances where you can look around by turning the Wii mote to put the game into a first person perspective. The problem with this is that you cannot MOVE whatsoever while in this mode, so if you have to aim at something or do quick platforming, you have to be ready for what comes at you on a moment’s notice. This is also a problem with the late part of the game, where defeating multiple enemies by firing missiles is difficult to say the least.

3. The backtracking gets a little annoying, especially when you have to keep fighting off multiple enemies in the later part of the game. I know the backtracking is a staple of the series, but the linear fashion in which this game SPECIFICALLY unfolds, throws off the action, and allows for too much downtime in moments when you should be preparing for what’s around the corner.

There are however, good things about this experience. One of them is the beautifully directed action in boss battles, which is a Team Ninja staple. It’s too bad none of them are really that memorable, even though they are fun. The early part of the game does a good job of making you feel like this is a Metroid, but somewhere along the way, it just falls apart, and never regains it’s momentum.

Overall, If you are a fan of the Metroid series, and you know what to expect, you should give this a rent. If you have never played one of the Metroid games before, I would recommend starting with the Metroid Prime Trilogy and playing some of the games available on the Wii Store such as the Original for the NES and Super Metroid for the SNES.

Bottom Line: It’s worth a look, but not a purchase.

Rating: 7.5/10

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