(Posted by: Tyler Piantanida)
For many years, I’ve been looking for a true sequel to the best game on the Super Nintendo that ever was. Although that is a debatable subject we’ll leave for another day, the game in question is none other than Super Metroid. I remember playing it as a kid back in the 90's and even though I didn't quite know what I was doing, I loved every minute of it and Other M is a true successor to this holy piece of gaming. (Click for more!)
Super Metroid was doing something brand new at the time. SM had this huge map that players explored trying to find every item and battle every Boss. Speaking of bosses, they were huge! These epic battles were something players were not used to, but we welcomed anyways. Plus, Samus is a chick! You don’t even see that often these days. Other M wanted to push new boundaries just like its predecessor. It has seemingly mixed third person side scrolling, with some good old fashioned first person Wii-mote shootouts. For the most part, this pairing works out great. Most of the game is spent holding the Wii-mote sidewards, while when shooting missiles and searcing for specific things to scan, the player will point the Wii-mote at the screen. The transitions become flawless after a few play sessions. I will admit the controls are a bit iffy at first, but anyone willing to give them a chance will find they are actually pretty good, and work quite well. I would’ve liked to be able to shoot missiles without flipping to the first person mode, but though playing it just adds to the welcomed challenge Team Ninja has brought to the table.
Speaking of Team Ninja, who are well known for Ninja Gaiden and DoA, they have also added dialogue to the game. It also brings me to the only negative part of the game. The Dialogue. Samus Aran was not meant to speak, ever. She has always been a great silent character, much like Link, or even Mario. Now, adding story to a Metroid game is something I really can’t argue with. It helps players get into the game and actually start to care about the events that go on. However it is not good when your main character goes from Badass Space Bounty Hunter to Whiney Space Princess in the first 5 minutes of the game. She goes on and on almost poetically about silly things that really we as players could care less about. Sure it talks about Samus’ past and how she got to where she is now, but she overplays everything and it’s just very uninteresting. I can assure you though, due to events later in the game, it gets a lot better, and she even talks less when she needs to get down to business. The dialogue will even lead to some very epic moments, giving the player a reason to shoot everything in their path without thinking twice. For the future, let’s just let everyone else do the talking, and Samus can keep to herself.
As bad as it looks, this goes nowhere close to ruining the game as a whole. Gameplay is fun, fast paced and always keeps the player addicted for more. I had trouble stopping at some points only because I wanted to get more items, and just find everything. The classic Metroid feeling was back, something Metroid Prime couldn’t fully deliver for me. I can jump all I want again! I can shoot endlessly at things in the distance. This is the reinvention of platform gaming, and I hope other developers can see this as well and bring back Platforming! It’s where games began, and we shouldn’t let it die off so easily. This is something Team Ninja saw, and wanting to bring gamers old and new. Even though the big boobs and good looking characters of Team Ninja past have returned, it’s really unnoticeable. Every Nintendo Fan Boy’s favorite heroine is back, and with all of the new and old mechanics in place, I don’t think they could be happier. Just talk less next time, okay Samus?
Speaking of Team Ninja, who are well known for Ninja Gaiden and DoA, they have also added dialogue to the game. It also brings me to the only negative part of the game. The Dialogue. Samus Aran was not meant to speak, ever. She has always been a great silent character, much like Link, or even Mario. Now, adding story to a Metroid game is something I really can’t argue with. It helps players get into the game and actually start to care about the events that go on. However it is not good when your main character goes from Badass Space Bounty Hunter to Whiney Space Princess in the first 5 minutes of the game. She goes on and on almost poetically about silly things that really we as players could care less about. Sure it talks about Samus’ past and how she got to where she is now, but she overplays everything and it’s just very uninteresting. I can assure you though, due to events later in the game, it gets a lot better, and she even talks less when she needs to get down to business. The dialogue will even lead to some very epic moments, giving the player a reason to shoot everything in their path without thinking twice. For the future, let’s just let everyone else do the talking, and Samus can keep to herself.
As bad as it looks, this goes nowhere close to ruining the game as a whole. Gameplay is fun, fast paced and always keeps the player addicted for more. I had trouble stopping at some points only because I wanted to get more items, and just find everything. The classic Metroid feeling was back, something Metroid Prime couldn’t fully deliver for me. I can jump all I want again! I can shoot endlessly at things in the distance. This is the reinvention of platform gaming, and I hope other developers can see this as well and bring back Platforming! It’s where games began, and we shouldn’t let it die off so easily. This is something Team Ninja saw, and wanting to bring gamers old and new. Even though the big boobs and good looking characters of Team Ninja past have returned, it’s really unnoticeable. Every Nintendo Fan Boy’s favorite heroine is back, and with all of the new and old mechanics in place, I don’t think they could be happier. Just talk less next time, okay Samus?
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