Castlevania Dungeon Forums
The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => Hardcore Gaming 101 => Topic started by: RichterB on August 29, 2010, 02:00:56 AM
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Metroid Other M is garnering some of the most wildly mixed reviews in recent memory. Some are saying very good to near-perfect, while others are crying below average and even "sexist." I can only imagine that there might be a lot of subjectivity in the experience, and has to do a lot with people's perceptions of things like "What defines Metroid," "What kind of person is Samus," and "Where can Metroid expand on its formula."
Personally, I've always saw Samus as a loner/emotionally-scarred warrior with a maternal side, so if that's bugging people, it's not going to bug me. (We saw this as early as Metroid II when she spared the baby, and again when she spoke nostalgically of Adam in Fusion. Even Metroid Prime 3 showed us a vulnerable Samus). Moreover, as far as design, I think this was the right time to transition. After four games, the 1st-person-centric gameplay of the Prime series ran its course. Bringing back the 3rd-person option (outside the Morph Ball) is, at at the very least, one thing I've been desiring since finishing Metroid Prime 1, and even as far back as Samus' appearance in the original Super Smash Bros on N64. I'm not one of those fans who says it must be in 2D, as I feel that's limiting just like 1st-person is; I wanted a 3rd person 3D Metroid, and I'll at least have the satisfaction of that being given a try if nothing else. I haven't played the game yet, and it is likely that a more perfect blending of Metroid Prime 1 and Other M is needed in Metroid's future, but I'm pleased Nintendo took this bold risk. Unfortunately, as I pre-ordered online, I won't get to play my copy of the game until an additional week out.
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whys everyone so anti fp or anti 3rdp? You do realize anythin that can be done in 3rd can be done in first its just a different view of the same thing... Its just the developers dont put the effort in to make it work that way
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I would really like to see Nintendo pull off a 2.5D Metroid game. Metroid: Other M is almost here where I live and I'll scoop that game up along with LoS too.
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I'll be picking it up tomorrow! :D
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Other M is an insult to the Metroid story because it goes out of the way to
*No Spoilers!*
Damn.
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Amazon says it will be arriving Saturday at the latest. It sounds like a love-it-or-hate-it game, and I hope I'm one of the people that loves it.
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Ive got it but havent played it yet *shakes fist at minecraft*
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I would really like to see Nintendo pull off a 2.5D Metroid game.
Yeah, they should just buy/borrow/steal whatever engine Shadow Complex uses and just make a Metroid game. It would be fab!
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Beat it with 100% completion. Huzzah for staying up ridiculously late and swearing at the screen!
When you beat it, you unlock "Theatre Mode", at which you can 'view' the game cutscenes and short boss gameplay vids, consecutively, which makes it just as long as a feature-length movie.
My nephew and I 'watched' "Metroid: Other M" as a result, hahahaha!
EDIT:
Also, great game. :)
I don't mind that Samus talks. She seems more 'human' now, as a result.
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you beat it already!? goddamn what is it like CODMW2 single player type length?
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No I put in 12 hours.
16 to get 100 percent.
I just, y'know.... slept less, that's all.
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Played about 2 hours today. Basically like seeing Metroid in 3D come to life the way many of us imagined it would prior to Prime (no disrespect to Prime's own brand of excellence). I'm pleased so far. It has room to grow, and it has some quirks, but the critics lost their minds on this one. This is definitely, easily Metroid-esque (and Samus' portrayal makes sense so far). I would say it's like a mixture of Fusion and Zero Mission--but expanded by being in 3D. And speaking of Fusion, the story and characters are actually engaging me a lot more than in Fusion. More spoiler-free thoughts to come as the game goes on...
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I got it last night, beat it earlier this morning.
Outside of the disappointing finale, I liked the story a lot.
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That should be vague enough.
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Some have suggested it's PTSD, like Gray Voice said in the (canon) manga. It's in reference to what happens in the first few chapters.
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I don't like to rush through these kinds of games. I try to get as much out of the environments as I can. So, anyway, about 5 hours in, I think. For what the game is, I would like more catchy music here and there, and more "new" that isn't related to the change of gameplay/camera perspective. This game is definitely in the vein of Fusion--There's still plenty of exploration and puzzles to do, but the exploration is designed to push you in a direction so far. If you rush in that direction like they want, you miss A LOT of hidden stuff, though. By slowing down the pace, I've caught a number of cool secrets. I'd prefer something more open, but the game does work, regardless. There are moments that feel very much like I am playing Prime 1 or Super Metroid in 3rd person 3D. ...It may be a bit too familiar... But it's still a great game and is not blemishing Metroid by any means as far as I'm concerned.
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Some have suggested it's PTSD
um I don't think anybody is doubting that Samus's symptoms match that diagnosis. The problem is she's been fighting Ridley for 24 fucking years and has never shown susceptibility to it before.
like Gray Voice said in the (canon) manga. It's in reference to what happens in the first few chapters.
Just because some obscure side story did something retarded first, it doesn't make a major game doing the same retarded thing any more acceptable.
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I agree it was a pretty silly scene, I'm just saying that, given the fact that this was intended to be "a look into Samus's character," they wanted to make a reference to what Ridley did to her as a child. Again, it was dumb, but I think that's the context we're supposed to look at it in.
I wouldn't call the manga a side-story though, since it explains how Mother Brain came to be, how Samus lost her parents, how Ridley always comes back, everything to do with Adam, basically everything pre-first game.
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Yeah, in previous games it was pretty much impossible to really see with our own eyes what Samus 'feels'. I'm pretty sure that if Metroid Fusion was remade in the vein of Metroid: Other M, she would be freaked out to see Ridley again, corrupted by the X Parasite.
In the Prime games, Retro studios purposefully chose not to show any of these emotions. In Super, I'm sure she undergoes through a lot of emotions when she sees the Baby metroid, but again, there was no way to portray that on that tiny, emotionless sprite of hers, short of putting dialogue lines at the time.
I have knows that Samus was a compassionate human with emotions since Metroid II: Return of Samus, when she chooses not to shoot the baby Metroid.
Technically speaking, if you don't count the Prime games (which I think people aren't even though I love them), she's fought Ridley twice only. I'm not sure if Zero Mission's 'other Ridley' counts as a Ridley experience, but I would say that Metroid 1 and Super Metroid are the ones that count, according to Other M. **SPOILER**Although she probably should not be surprised that Ridley is back in Other M, it is the first game in which you really get to see her freaking out. It's a turn-off for a lot of fans, but those fans are retards.**END SPOILER** Fans expected her to be a soul-less cold mercenary with no feelings.
Even in Super Metroid, when she's about to die by Mother Brain, there's a point in the game in which she's 'unable to shoot and move', which 'could' count as a similar problem (only there's no one to witness it and alert her of this, just the player). She's supposed to be so messed up that she cannot control herself... but it could be an emotional problem, not just the lack of energy. So this is nothing new, in the Metroid Universe.
Super Waffle: 24 years in OUR gaming history doesn't translate into 24 years of Samus's Life.
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Having fun some six or seven hours in. The story may not be the freshest thing ever in theory, but darn if it isn't entertaining. The whole experience is starting to feel more cohesive. I've noticed people are referencing background story here...I seriously hope I get some Chozo/Power Suit explanations. That's what I'm waiting for in the flashbacks.
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I'm about 5 hours into it and I'm loving this chimeric beastie!
The way they basically melded classic Metroid game play with Prime & to a small extent Ninja Gaiden with a kick-ass story is great.
It does have it's flaws, but like the Nintendo Power reviewer put it; it's so much fun to play that the minor flaws it does have are easily tolerable.
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Fans expected her to be a soul-less cold mercenary with no feelings.
False. Fans expect her to have emotions yet be in control of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwsOePKaqjw
Also, this (http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/960554-metroid-other-m/reviews) made me lol.
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the problem is that for 20 some odd years Samus has been a silent ass kicker thats totally alone on hostile alien planets and now that games CAN show her as a person interactin with other ppl and having a life and feelings its never exactly what everyone expects. Odds are all the asian players had no issue with Samus like this cause her character was created for this game BY asians. Its the same kinda cultural disconnect that happens in 90% of pretty much everythin that comes outta japan
Had nintendo let a western team make this first big humanizing adventure for Samus thered prolly be the same thing goin on in asia land right now
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Fans expected her to be a soul-less cold mercenary with no feelings.
No, people knew she was a
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But Other M turned her into a
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False. Fans expect her to have emotions yet be in control of them.
Fans have read the manga & played Fusion, and knew what her character already was from them.
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1 poor example and a comic vs. a series of actual games.
k
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The manga is canon, though.
Speaking as a Metroid Fan.
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And so are the games.
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this is basically what happens when a fan's superior idea of how something was is crushed by the creator himself.
fan: this cat was a symbol of the purgatory we face in our everyday lives, facing real life consequences.
creator: no sorry it was just a cat lol.
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I laugh at all the fans who are getting their panties in a twist about this.
It's really not nearly as big a deal as they portray it to be.
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Sounds like you're out of ammo. Try concentrating.
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1 poor example and a comic vs. a series of actual games.
k
Writing off Fusion & the manga just like that... We'll get nowhere in this conversation if you're going to disregard the fact that Samus's current personality has existed for years. I get that you don't like her personality, that's fine. Ignoring the canon 'cause you don't like it isn't.
EDIT (spoilers?):
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Look familiar?
And so are the games.
Well yeah, no one said otherwise.
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Ignoring the canon 'cause you don't like it isn't.
You do realize this board is heavily IGA-supportive, right?
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Writing off Fusion & the manga just like that... We'll get nowhere in this conversation if you're going to disregard the fact that Samus's current personality has existed for years. I get that you don't like her personality, that's fine. Ignoring the canon 'cause you don't like it isn't.
I'm not writing off Fusion. I have no problem with how she was depicted in that game. Her musings were brief, well-written, and closely intertwined with the plot. Other M's ramblings are often cringe-inducing in their pretentiousness, redundancy, and frequency. Big difference in portrayal there, and that's why I dismissed your example.
Regarding the manga though, my issue with it is that it's an easily-overlooked entity totally separate from the games. I'll take a shot in the dark here and say that a good 80-90% of anyone who's ever played a Metroid game doesn't even know it exists. More obviously haven't read it. This leads straight back to my quip about the games' places in the canon which you conveniently took as literally as you could. Those games have presented a persona of Samus that remains just as canon as the comic- one that shows no signs of self-doubt, crippling emotional baggage, or inner conflict.
Since these character aspects are not displayed, the audience can only assume that they are not there or are kept in check. I mean, after all, you're playing as a character that has accomplished much and has endured countless life-threatening situations in succession. It's difficult to believe that a person that is apparently inherently emotional, self-questioning, and mentally vulnerable will be able to endure such circumstances at all. Audiences have therefore built an expectation regarding the character that is entirely reasonable, supported in context, and is understandably subject to alienation by a sudden and dramatic shift regarding in-game portrayal.
All that aside though, I feel compelled to point out that your little panel there depicts an internal struggle that occurred BEFORE all three Prime games, Super, and Other M, and during Samus' initial reencounter with Ridley. Considering the fact that SHE GOT OVER IT (http://metroid-database.com/manga/official_vol_2_en/ch_0016/metroid_v2_ch16_144.png) in the very manga you people so often love to cite, and has since been shown doing battle with the creature repeatedly and capably, Other M's infamous scene clearly comes across as contextually misplaced and jarring.
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Sounds like you're out of ammo. Try concentrating.
Ha ha, way to add something mature to the conversation.
Keep it up, please. I haven't cleaned house here in a while.
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I'm not writing off Fusion. I have no problem with how she was depicted in that game. Her musings were brief, well-written, and closely intertwined with the plot. Other M's ramblings are often cringe-inducing in their pretentiousness, redundancy, and frequency. Big difference in portrayal there, and that's why I dismissed your example.
But they're really similar. In her Fusion monologues, she's always saying stuff like "Adam would have said the same thing," or "Adam would have understood my decision," and go on explanations of his character.
Regarding the manga though, my issue with it is that it's an easily-overlooked entity totally separate from the games. I'll take a shot in the dark here and say that a good 80-90% of anyone who's ever played a Metroid game doesn't even know it exists. More obviously haven't read it.
Probably, but that doesn't make it unimportant, as it explains so much that they still haven't said in the games. I have no idea how popular the manga was in Japan, but it was likely known much better than it is here.
Those games have presented a persona of Samus that remains just as canon as the comic- one that shows no signs of self-doubt, crippling emotional baggage, or inner conflict.
As I said earlier in the topic, the developers kept saying Other M is "a look into Samus's character." None of the other games had that focus.
All that aside though, I feel compelled to point out that your little panel there depicts an internal struggle that occurred BEFORE all three Prime games, Super, and Other M, and during Samus' initial reencounter with Ridley. Considering the fact that SHE GOT OVER IT in the very manga you people so often love to cite, and has since been shown doing battle with the creature repeatedly and capably, Other M's infamous scene clearly comes across as contextually misplaced and jarring.
Again, as I said earlier, given the focus on Samus's character, I believe the idea was that they wanted to reference why Ridley is her nemesis, and that scene in particular. I agree that it ended up pretty awkward (though, I don't think it's as devastating), but my point is that her character in general shouldn't be a surprise, given Other M and the manga were always known (from the previews) to be so closely-knit.
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Ha ha, way to add something mature to the conversation.
Keep it up, please. I haven't cleaned house here in a while.
I laugh at all the fans who are getting their panties in a twist about this.
Hypocrite alert. Also, is my previous post not "mature" enough for you?
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I must've struck a nerve for you to come back with your quip, which wasn't directed at you unless the shoe fits. It's not the big deal you're making hilarious paragraphs about, but if you want to rage and be a little child about it, that's fine.
You don't see Waffle attacking back, do you? That's 'cuz Waffle's cool like that. :P
Also, I'm the with the hammer, and you're the one with the Warning.
One more for the road?
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SPOILERS ahead (can't change this topic's title and it's already spoilerific):
I've got some things to say here. Speaking of that last post, corneliab: "She Got Over It"--people can regress given the right scenario. Just like PTSD.
Let's look at the context: Samus went from a lone bounty hunter to a compassionate/vengeful mother-figure in Metroid II's ending and Super Metroid. (She was never as hard-nosed/earthy as Alien's Ripley, or she wouldn't have sympathy for baby Metroids...or for that matter the trapped Dachora and Etecoons). In the end, she lost the baby, despite her best efforts; it had to save her. Following this lost feeling of connection with the baby, she's thrown into a situation where she is united with the only other people she's had significant connections to in her life: Adam and Anthony (and to some extent by proxy, Adam's little bro, Ian). This awakens the other, younger side of herself that struggled so hard to fit in after being an orphan--the only other time she really dealt personally with major social situations. As the mission goes along, she is surprised to run into Ridley--who is connected with not only stealing her parent's lives, but also indirectly responsible for the baby Metroid's demise, as well. She offers to face Ridley without Anthony, wanting to protect him like she wanted to protect the baby. But as she sees Ridley amidst the flames, it triggers the wealth of emotions she has built up from revisiting her past already during this unsettling Other M mission. She was sure she'd never have to face Ridley again after Super Metroid (which was after Primes and featuring a real Ridley, not Meta Ridley, etc). Is it carried off perfectly? No. Does it destroy the game and Samus? No. (It's interesting that no one complained when Samus teamed up with bounty hunters and GF marines in Prime 3--and needed their help to advance/survive--and then was sad/wistful about it in the best ending).
Speaking of which--You bring up the Prime games, which is understandable, but those don't register with Sakamoto (who mostly worked on Metroids 1, 3, and 4). Those are secondary canon to him, and thus didn't play into his main timeline story whether they should have or not. Even so, the scenario I laid out would be the perfect opportunity for a PTSD moment more so than in the Prime games. Especially so, again, when you consider that the Prime games occurred BEFORE the loss of the baby in Super Metroid and the facing of a second non-Meta Ridley.
As for the manga--It's information has been incorporated into the games for a while. Metroid Fusion's Japanese endings feature young Samus training with the Chozo and also (if you get < 4 hours) show her parents' last stand against Ridley with her as a child cowering. Further, Metroid Zero Mission features more childhood teases with the Chozo linked to the manga. The manga speaks of how the Power Suit is linked to the mind, explaining why the suit failed on Samus during the fight with Ridley in Other M. The Prime games only further link her history, past and present with the Chozo. Her power-ups are linked to Chozo tech, as is her Power Suit. And you see how obsessed she is with the thought of Ridley when she basically is tracking a version of Ridley for the whole of Prime 1.
In Fusion, it was clear that Samus was an introspective woman, and it makes sense that she'd be thinking/pondering with all the puzzles, Chozo ruins, and battles she's been engaged in over the series. Her mind can't be a complete blank when she's doing the amount of exploring she has. I'm in the last quarter of Other M, and while the story could have been handled better, it doesn't ruin the character or world of Metroid. I haven't beaten it yet, but I'm more confused about how Other M's treatment of GF experiments affects the novelty of Fusion's big reveals with Samus herself. But I'm not going to hold that against the whole package. This game is really opening up now, and I'm losing myself in it.
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I feel the same way as RichterB does.
I'm a huge Metroid fan, so I've gobbled up all the tidbit the game has to offer. I even have the Super Metroid comic from Shisegato Itoi from a while back.
I would say that the more casual fans of the series have not read this stuff, but the more hardcore ones have. It's clear that there's a big connection now between Other M and Fusion, and it's in Fusion's other ending graphics that you get to see the stuff, coming from the Horse's Mouth (Nintendo).
She's never been like Ripley. She may have been tough, but not the same as Ripley. This is from the old Metroid II ending. She could've easily been like Ripley and blasted the baby Metroid as it hatched, but didn't. In those days you couldn't really display a rationale or an emotion on that tiny screen and you didn't really get a chance to do anything close to that until Fusion (with her profile pic in the communicator), or Prime (which purposefully toned it down because they were going for a silent protagonist and you learned all of the lore through the scan logs).
Talk to someone who's been a cop, or went to Iraq, or had wars or severe events that they've had to cope with and they'll tell you... it never goes away. You can learn to deal with it to a degree, but that feeling is always with you and you can revert to a cowering person in a foxhole incredibly easily.
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Yeah, I think a lot of ppl are bitching because they can.
Perfection is a subjective and illusionary thing that if it did exist in our universe would have prevented the laws of nature from giving rise to life. Ironic that life seeks perfection.
Anyway. The only thing that I think was a bad decision was the power up system.
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I must've struck a nerve for you to come back with your quip, which wasn't directed at you unless the shoe fits.
Of course the shoe fits. It's one-size-fits-all. You made an encompassing remark primarily directed at those who have issue with the game. Last I checked, this game was being largely met with mixed opinions.
It's not the big deal you're making hilarious paragraphs about, but if you want to rage and be a little child about it, that's fine.
So if I make a little remark, it gets met with misinterpretation. If I expand upon it and try to clarify what I mean in a thoughful way (hell, did you even bother to read it?), it is dismissed as childlike raging. This is completely backwards thinking that defeats the purpose of a message board, and it's honestly rather disheartening seeing it come from the forum administrator of all people.
It's interesting that no one complained when Samus teamed up with bounty hunters and GF marines in Prime 3--and needed their help to advance/survive--and then was sad/wistful about it in the best ending
I actually praised that sequence earlier in the thread for its successful and appropriate portrayal of Samus' emotional side. The fact that the player experienced first-hand the regrettable events that she's reflecting upon further enhance the relatability of the scene, and the isolation and silence of it all both adds to its poignancy and keeps with the spirit of the games.
As for the manga--It's information has been incorporated into the games for a while.
I am not disputing the history side of the manga. As you even said, much of the important stuff has been incorporated into the games. My issue is with the disparity that has arisen between the manga and the games regarding the depiction of Samus' personality, be it from technological limitations or Retro's interpretation. I personally prefer Retro's approach to the character due to its subtlety, and I'm sure there are many others who probably feel the same. Likewise, there are those who find themselves more inclined toward Sakamoto's supposed original vision. This is a pretty poisonous thing for the series, and it's a shame that more control over this wasn't enacted sooner. As such, it's not hard to see why people can have issue with Other M and its "this is how things are" mentality.
Also, I can't quite say I'm a fan of the decision to give Samus PTSD in the first place. It's very difficult to appreciate a triumph with an internal struggle if it's bound to be only temporary.
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You know what. You're right.
You did your best to clarify your statement. I now retract both the Warning as well as my comments.
I still think you're overreacting with regards to the game, though.
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Unfortunately, the Metroid series has had so many hands in it now that it's hard for it to fire on all cylinders. Just think, it went off into left field with the Phazon story becoming more large-scale than Metroid I-III, and has moreover been told chronologically out of order--whether it be the Prime games or Other M being "in-between episodes," or the manga and Zero Mission saying things after the fact. The smooth narrative of I-III has become muddled. As a big fan, I see there are some potential story contradictions starting to seep through.
But anyway, the action in Other M has just hit the fan. More and more, I'm not sure how to assess this game except to say it's pretty amazing in its own right and a great deal of fun. It is surprising me as it races toward its climax.
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The thing with Metroid is that despite going off on different game play tangents has worked out as can be evidenced by the over all success of the series. Perhaps it could just be that the fans get ravenous wait like a minimum of like 8 years between games.
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(No real spoilers in the following): Done--sort of. Before the ending where the % counter comes up, I got 83% of the items (including 69 missiles & 12 energy parts) in about 17 hrs. Then, when the counter came up, I was up to 93%. I'm now at like 98% or 99%. In essence, the game is about beaten. Some really nice surprises at the end, and also some anti-climatic things. Regardless, despite this game's imperfections, it's easily between an 87 and 93 out of 100 for a review score depending on how picky you get. I'm leaning toward 93% just because of what it did accomplish and how fun and engaging it was. The biggest success of this game, in my opinion, is the relaunch of Metroid in 3D beyond the conventions of the admirable but ran-its-course Prime saga. The biggest shortcoming is the overall lack of meaningful, fresh innovation in power-ups and thematic areas. (Fusion suffered from the same problem, and I wonder if that's a result of both of them being "relaunches" trying to reestablish the Metroid name. I hope so. Over three games, the Prime series went a long way in innovating the areas, but outside of the fantastic Boost Ball and maybe the interesting Thermal and Command Visors, there wasn't a ton meaningfully new in the Prime series, either).
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Just beat it at 100% and I have to say I was very impressed start to finish. I really hope Metroid stays with a good narrative. I think this may have taken top spot for me in the Metroid series. As much as I love Super Metroid, this takes everything it had and adds so much more. I just hope the next Metroid is just as good.
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I've just gotten this game too and eventhough I'm nowhere near to being finished I already like what I see. To me, this game feels more like a true sequal to Super Metroid just because of that beautiful story intro we're subjected to. And since we have Samus' old CO, Adam Malchovick in this game, I can finally see the relationship between him and Samus and eventually what happens to him. Thae gameplay is almost what i was hoping for though it plays similar like Ninja Gaiden. And unlike my original expectations, the first-person mode is only about 40% while the other mode is 60%. All in all, I'm happy with this title and I kinda wish that Retro Studios did it in this way with the Prime series. If another 3D Metroid game comes out I'd have no problems if it was done in this style. It works for me. But I still think Samus' armcanon is still a bit too small for her arm. ;D
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I'd better update my feelings for this game since I'm further into it. A lot of what i said in my first post is acurate; story-wise and such. The gameplay too, but I do miss the life and ammo recharge elements that the enemies leave behind. It would make the game that much easier to get through without trying to manually recharge your life while in the midst of a battle with either enemies or bosses (That's just asking for trouble). I also prefer to find more of the items rather then Adam having to tell you to equip them at certain points in the game. But I guess it makes sense since these are the same items you aquired in Super Metroid and didn't lose them in an accedent lick in Prime or have them stolen like in Prime 2. Samus' suit could've also used abit more tailoring once you equip the Varia. As it is, it still looks like your basic chozo suit with just a different color. At least Prime got that one down. But I'm still playing the game and eventhough I'm cursing and cussing at some of the boss battles (Team Ninja is notorious for these), I'm still pumped up to go another round once my Wiimote is charged up. :)
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I'd better update my feelings for this game since I'm further into it. A lot of what i said in my first post is acurate; story-wise and such. The gameplay too, but I do miss the life and ammo recharge elements that the enemies leave behind. It would make the game that much easier to get through without trying to manually recharge your life while in the midst of a battle with either enemies or bosses (That's just asking for trouble). I also prefer to find more of the items rather then Adam having to tell you to equip them at certain points in the game. But I guess it makes sense since these are the same items you aquired in Super Metroid and didn't lose them in an accedent lick in Prime or have them stolen like in Prime 2. Samus' suit could've also used abit more tailoring once you equip the Varia. As it is, it still looks like your basic chozo suit with just a different color. At least Prime got that one down. But I'm still playing the game and eventhough I'm cursing and cussing at some of the boss battles (Team Ninja is notorious for these), I'm still pumped up to go another round once my Wiimote is charged up. :)
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That's pretty much my opinion so far. The item drops should have been put in instead of the charging thing cause it makes the enemies less important. Or the charging thing could have been new abilities like the Accel items. BTW, I haven't heard anyone mention this, but there is another big plot hole with the power up system. To put it bluntly, why did Samus keep all her upgrades, but not any of her capacity upgrades? Did she purge her suit of all those energy tanks and missile tanks out of respect too? Not upgading the the suit's appearance once the Varia upgrade is on was just plain lazy. I know for a fact they had plenty of space to add an alternate character model. I can imagine some enterprising game hacker fixing this problem in the not too distant future at least.
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I always figured she sold the energy and missile tanks for money.
After all, the GFeds probably pay well, but not THAT well.
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I think the Galactic R&D would pay extremely well for some of that chozo tech. I also think that Samus would rank in a heck of a lot of credits doing bounty hunting.
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BTW, I haven't heard anyone mention this, but there is another big plot hole with the power up system. To put it bluntly, why did Samus keep all her upgrades, but not any of her capacity upgrades? Did she purge her suit of all those energy tanks and missile tanks out of respect too? Not upgrading the the suit's appearance once the Varia upgrade is on was just plain lazy. I know for a fact they had plenty of space to add an alternate character model. I can imagine some enterprising game hacker fixing this problem in the not too distant future at least.
What about the Power Suit? I have heard some talk over the net about the Varia Suit issue, but the bigger (or more nitpicky) issue in my mind is the Power Suit. As far as I'm concerned, she starts out with the Varia Suit in Power Suit colors. When she activates the Varia Suit, it's just bringing the proper colors in. Because the Power Suit has way different shoulder pads for one. But I digress... (Unrelated, but devs said they filled the disc more or less to the max with the CG cinemas). As for the expansions being lost--plot hole or she purged them all fighting/getting pounded by Mother Brain. Take your pick.
Speaking of the item drops vs. Concentration issue you brought up earlier, yeah, they should have both. I think the reason they got rid of item drops was for game balance ironically enough. Consider the one problem with item drops: you can get stuck in an area without any missiles. (which results in either grinding it out finding enemies to blast or in a worse case scenario, halting your ability to advance altogether). I think they wanted to avoid that scenario, while giving an extra challenge feature.
This game isn't without its shortcomings, but I think the good outweighs the bad in the name of pushing the series forward. The authorization thing and Adam's orders suck some wind out of it, but the basic gameplay is a good template. Give me a more open world the whole time, Chozo elements, more new areas, and new meaningful/groundbreaking/series-evolving power-ups in the tradition of what the Space Jump, Speed Booster, Grappling Beam, and Spider Ball did for the series, and we're on our way to the best Metroid.
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What about the Power Suit? I have heard some talk over the net about the Varia Suit issue, but the bigger (or more nitpicky) issue in my mind is the Power Suit. As far as I'm concerned, she starts out with the Varia Suit in Power Suit colors. When she activates the Varia Suit, it's just bringing the proper colors in. Because the Power Suit has way different shoulder pads for one. But I digress... (Unrelated, but devs said they filled the disc more or less to the max with the CG cinemas). As for the expansions being lost--plot hole or she purged them all fighting/getting pounded by Mother Brain. Take your pick.
Speaking of the item drops vs. Concentration issue you brought up earlier, yeah, they should have both. I think the reason they got rid of item drops was for game balance ironically enough. Consider the one problem with item drops: you can get stuck in an area without any missiles. (which results in either grinding it out finding enemies to blast or in a worse case scenario, halting your ability to advance altogether). I think they wanted to avoid that scenario, while giving an extra challenge feature.
That's a good point about the Power Suit/Varia. The design they used looks like a cross between the Power Suit & the Varia Suit.
They should have stuck to the existing design for the sake of consistency. I maintain they were lazy about the suit models because when you run the ISO through a scrubber program to remove the junk data it shrinks to less than 4 gigs. There's no way 2 extra skins for Samus would have taken up remotely close to 800+ MB. So the developers are full of crap on that one.
As for the Item drops, I would have just implemented the system from Prime. That was a good item drop system.
Samus practically starts with the charge beam after all. The drop rates in Prime never really had you stuck somewhere for lack of missiles and the enemies in Other M are fairly plentiful. It might have required a little adjustment of the drop rates, but it would have been worth it just to give you a little something more to do. It does get a little boring running down a corridor blasting everything in line of sight and ignoring everything else. After all why bother killing enemies if they give you nothing. Hell, now that I have the screw attack I just jump down halls destroying anything that might get in my way with no though of any critters left behind.
This game isn't without its shortcomings, but I think the good outweighs the bad in the name of pushing the series forward. The authorization thing and Adam's orders suck some wind out of it, but the basic gameplay is a good template. Give me a more open world the whole time, Chozo elements, more new areas, and new meaningful/groundbreaking/series-evolving power-ups in the tradition of what the Space Jump, Speed Booster, Grappling Beam, and Spider Ball did for the series, and we're on our way to the best Metroid.
Agreed. ^_^
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I finally beat this today. Still need to get 100% of the items though. I like all the references to older games, and I like that they tried some new things, but the story is just too quirky and, well, Japanese for me. They overdramatized so much that I just ended up cringing at what were supposed to be the most meaningful parts of the story. Overall, I think it's one of the weakest games in the series. I wasn't all about Prime 3, and I don't think this is quite as low as that one in my book, but Other M is well below Metroid, ZM, Fusion, Super, and Prime.
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I finished this game about a week ago. It's the shortes of all the 3D Metroid games, but the story ties in nicely for both super Metroid and Metroid fusion. Though I think in terms of metroid fusion, this entry opens up some plotholes and reintroduces some bosses that were from fusion, but were first introduced in fusion.
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No, people knew she was a
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But Other M turned her into a
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I truly LOL'ed. I do like the game. I think it's sort of lame how she's takin' orders. Can't use items till authorized? Oh here's my gripe! That sound effect I love more than any other sound effect in any game. The noise it makes when you find a new add on, IS GONE! WTF? I could say maybe it adds to the fast paced nature of the game by removing it... NO! LAME!!! I hope they put it back in the next game. It's quite handy to refill your missile supply on the fly, but seems odd at first. I'm merely probably 2 1/2 hours in. I'm sure I'll like it just fine. I'm sure there will never be a Metroid game I like as much as Super Metroid, but probably everyone here thinks that.
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Yeah the item jingle is gone, and is replaced by the 'sound effect' instead.
The 'sound effect', I believe, is used in Metroid Fusion when you get Missiles and powerups. They saved the jingle for when you pick up big upgrades off of the CoreX parasites.
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The item jingle may be gone in Metroid: Other M, But they've still kept it in Ys 7. so if you want to hear it again, play Ys 7. ;)
(The jingles a vurtually identicle if you haven't noticed already :o)
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Oh lord how I wish I could play Y's 7. I don't have a PSP. I am refusing to buy one as I don't wanna get sucked into collecting and playing another system. Too bad as the PSP has TONS of amazing looking games right up my alley. It's just that its a hand held. I just don't get into hand held games. I have a gameboy advance and NEVER touch it. This might gross some people out, but it's in the bathroom with Dr. Mario in it. In place of a magazine. I wish the PS2 would of lived on a few more years, then we might of gotten Gradius Collection and Dracula X Chronicles on it. Though I still have firm belief we should of. They would of been fantastic PS2 offerings. Fucking Konami!!! Well I will have to be content with Y's 6 and Book 1&2. The only Y's I've played and loved. I wish Falcom would make a Y's for 360, but the market for it would be tiny. One of my gaming dreams was to have the book 1&2 on PS2 or better yet all the Y's Japanese PS2 releases to be put out in America. Well glad to hear I'll get the Jingle on big power ups at least! I like Other M so far, but could it have been just a bit sexier graphically? I mean it looks good but I think they should of squeezed a bit more out of the wii. The enemies look good and so does samus, but some of the backgrounds seem a bit dull. Not to be a dick but come on.
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No, people knew she was a
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But Other M turned her into a
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While this is comical, I would have to disagree. Ripley from the Alien films (Aliens especially) show her to be very emotional and maternal. And there is nothing wrong with that. She still kicks ass, but let's not pretend she was a killing machine with no emotion. She was a multi-layered character and I think people only want to remember the parts where she is kicking Alien ass instead of the parts where she shows genuine fear or grief.
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I agree totally. Lt. Riply is a tough-as-nails woman, but she's still human with human weaknesses. Samus is no different. We just had to wait awhile before we could see the human side of Samus and I personally think it worked out well. Samus is tough, but she's still human. Giving super hero characters morehumanizing traits gives them more depth and dimension. Even though Samus is the best of the best out of all the bounty hunters and never fails at her missions (even the impossible ones) she is, at heart and soul, human.
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I own and have played through "Other M," but I just saw it in action (trailer form) the other day at a retail store, and was reminded that this really was an amazing game. I think it's better than I gave it credit for because I had so many expectations.
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I own and have played through "Other M," but I just saw it in action (trailer form) the other day at a retail store, and was reminded that this really was an amazing game. I think it's better than I gave it credit for because I had so many expectations.
It's funny how you can play a game and be kinda cold towards it until it sinks in days, maybe weeks later and you realize what a great game it actually was. Happened to me too. :)
I loved Other M, and I think some criticism was valid, but most was just nitpicking. I personally was okay with the story, the voice acting and even the "crying" scene. I thought it was a nice bridge from Super to Fusion.