The Official Metroid Other M Thread

[Soma]

d21lewis said:

I didn't get the game until Friday and I'm only about 5 hours in.  I  plan to read this entire thread when I finish the game but for now, I want to avoid any spoilers.  It's 5:37am, as I write this and I've been up for the last 2 hours playing this game.  Here's my impressions, so far.

 

Back in 1997/1998, EGM made a list of the top 100 games of all time.  Maybe others had made lists like this before, but that was the first time I had seen one.  They listed reasons why each title fell into the place that it did, but in the end, I respected this list as the one true definitive list, at the time.  At the top of that list was Super Metroid.  The best game of all time.

Now, in the issues that followed, there was backlash.  There were people that went and played Super Metroid and didn't like what they found.  They didn't get it.  I wasn't one of those people.  Metroid fans, few as they may be, know that the series isn't about flash.  It's about tried and true gameplay, exploration, atmosphere, boss battles, creativity, and devious puzzles.  And that's where Other M comes in.  You see, after E3, this was my most anticipated game of the year.  My hype level for this game was off of the charts.  This was the Metroid that I always dreamed of.  It was 3D, it was third person, and it was somewhat cinematic.  I couldn't wait!  But it seems that some reviewers-not all-have been less than kind to Samus Aran's latest adventure.

What inspired me to write this post was that this game just made me cry.  I don't even know why.  It's a little embarrasing, to be honest.  I was playing the game, reached a puzzle, and I was totally stumped.  I contemplated going to the internet for a guide, but I didn't do it.  I stuck with it.  It took a lot of backtracking and experimentation but then I found this one wall that I could wall-jump off of, allowing me to continue the mission.  It was a feeling that I didn't see that often in this day and age.  It was the kind of thing that made me appreciate solid level design, and it was this blast of nostalgia that hit me at just the right time, and made me think of a time long passed.

The controls are perfect.  Initially, I was put off by the thought of using the Wii-Remote "Nes style".  In this day and age, after all of the advances in controls, how could Nintendo justify reverting back to two buttons and a d-pad?  Well, it didn't take long for them to click.  Now, I can't imagine playing this game any other way.  The story?  I'm getting major flashbacks of Metroid 2, combined with something......I just don't know...But I like it.  I like it a lot.  Something really sinister and epic is going on here and I can't wait to get to the bottom of it.  As for Samus' voice.  Initially, I was a little put off by it.  As it stands, I don't mind it at all.  And for some reason, I feel scared for her.  Despite her experience, and power, it seems like Samus is vulnerable and up against something she may not be able to handle.  It really delivers on that old Metroid feeling of being alone and overwhelmed.  This is the first time that Samus actually feels like a woman--not just a woman-a human.  It feels like I'm controlling a person instead of a souless robot.  Again, I like it and I've been playing these Metroid games since the late 80's.

The graphics suck.  Maybe I'm spoiled.  I'm very unimpressed by what Team Ninja and Nintendo have done with the Wii, here.  I wasn't expecting Uncharted 2 or anything but what we have here is a step below the Metroid Prime series.  It doesn't even stack up to older games like Metal Gear Solid 2 or Starfox Adventures and these games are closing in on being a decade old.  I can't figure out how this can be.  They do the job, but I'm spotting horrible textures, polygons, 2D plants, and weak effects, every time I turn around.  It really takes away from the overall impact of the game.

I don't know.  This is a long post but I felt I had to write it.  I can't explain it.  Maybe nobody will ever read it.  Maybe they will.  I don't care.  I'm going back to play the game.  As it stands, I'm blown away by what I have here.  An experience like this comes along a few times in a generation.  Games that go beyond games and become experiences.  Right now, I'm having an experience.  I love it.  If I had to give a rating based on what I've played so far, I'd give MoM an 8.9 out of 10.  And It's my game of the year.

Great post, and I agree except for the story which I think could had been better, but the game is getting better as I play. I'll be waiting for your final impressions.