Thought this video was entertaining. I liked it. :)

http://screwattack.com/videos/TGO-Episode-40-Heavens-to-Metroid

Thought this video was entertaining. I liked it. :)

http://screwattack.com/videos/TGO-Episode-40-Heavens-to-Metroid

*This post contains spoilers.*

So I got the Wii lens cleaning kit and it worked. I was able to play Other M for almost a week, but then the disc drive of my console died. It's really done for now, has problems with all discs.

But a few days were enough to play the game extensively and it's by far not as bad as I feared or others said it would be. The story and cutscenes are not good (I even watched the whole thing as movie to judge it better), but since I am not the type of gamer who cares a lot for that part of games, I can easily ignore how bad it is. The way Samus is portrayed is not cool (as well as the length of all the cutscenes), but the game does most things right as a game.

It's not a successor to Super Metroid, rather it's like another Metroid Fusion. There isn't much freedom on where to go, but that's not too bad. The d-pad controls work surprisingly well in a 3D environment. While the camera angle switches constantly, you can hold down the same direction on the d-pad to move through rooms and hallways. Switching into first person is a little bit hectic at times, but most of the time it works well. All this doesn't mean that a Wiimote/Nunchuk setup wouldn't have been better, but the controls are okay the way they are.

Item collecting has less priority due to Concentration. Hard mode is very revealing on how silly this mechanic is and it's very disappointing. It's so boring to play through the game without being able to collect any items and you actually don't need any of them, thanks to Concentration and the too easy to pull off dodge maneuver. 70 % of all items are missile containers, so this is a case of collecting for the sake of collecting. But since I like collecting stuff, it's not that much of an issue.

Likewise, having all items marked on the map with blue dots isn't as bad as one would imagine. There's still plenty of exploration to be done in order to find out how to get to these items. The satisfaction of getting 100 % isn't as big as it used to be, but on the upside it's not as frustrating, because you don't have to search through the entire game to find that damn last missing couple of upgrades.

Miniboss and boss fights are for the most part nicely done and quite spectacular at times. That's a big plus. But what brings the game down is the unjustified locking of abilities that are already in Samus' possession. While the forbidden use of stronger weapons at least makes some sense early on (it could harm areas of the Bottle Ship), not being able to use defensive items like the Varia Suit is ridiculous.

Graphics are pretty good on a technical level, but from an artistic point of view they are lacking. Much of that can be blamed on letting the game take place in a space station, just like Metroid Fusion. And just like in that game, the various sectors simulate areas from the planet Zebes. The game is less interesting due to that, simply because exploring an unknown planet is more intriguing than investigations on a space ship.

Music is lackluster, not enough good new stuff and not enough remixes of old themes. Probably the worst music in any Metroid game, although that doesn't mean forgettable. And what's up with those sections where you control Samus in over-the-shoulder-view? They are slow and not fun to play and one of them is way too long.

Overall it's quite a good game, but below most other Metroid titles. It definitely helps to ignore the story and cutscenes, it's a good thing they are skippable. I hope you liked my mini-review, Khuutra. I am sure you are the only one who would read this post.