Metroid: Other M Review

Game Name: Metroid: Other M
Developer: Temco and Team Ninja
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: Aug 31st 2010
Platform(s): Nintendo Wii
Review Platform: Nintendo Wii
Number of Players: 1
Genre: Action, 2D Sidescrolling
Rating: ESRB: T, ACB: M, CERO: B, PEGI: 16+

This review is based on a retail copy of the game

Graphics/Art style: Awesome, some of the best on the Wii, or any game, of 2010. Slick animations permeate and enrich the experience, even as hordes of enemies fill the screen. Metroid: Other M also retains the “retro SNES” Japanese/ Super Metroid feel from years past. Furthermore the game runs at a much faster pace compared to the prime games, and yet the framerate holds up very well, the game will lag on occasion though. The character designs are very similar to those seen in Metroid fusion on the GBA, but remodelled and re-envisioned on the Wii. Attacks, beam effects, little touches of flourish to the enemy’s attacks and movements, and those of your own are handled very well on the Wii. However the overall design is somewhat simplified in comparison to the Prime series, but it makes up for it by keeping the focus on moving quickly, fluidly, and effectively throughout the game world.

Soundtrack (Music and Audio): Excellent, very moody, retains the desolate Metroid feel very well musically, although I would have preferred to have the choice of either English audio or Japanese audio, but that’s a personal gripe of mine. The remixes of a few classic Metroid themes return, but in some ways it does feel a little empty at times in that there’s not quite the same sense of adventure that you could feel/find in “Super Metroid”, or even “Metroid Prime”, but that could also be because the game’s story and gameplay has opted to take on a feel more similar to that of the GBA games (Metroid Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion) drifting more on the side of Fusion for musical feel.

Story: Other M takes place after the events of Super Metroid. Samus Aran has just completed her mission report, after her ordeal on the planet Zebes, Mother Brain, the Space Pirates, the planet Zebes, the Baby Metroid and Ridley have all been utterly destroyed. Her thoughts begin to drift as she travels through space in her personal gunship unaware of how much time has passed since the incident (the destruction of Zebes). She receives a distress call and goes to investigate. She arrives on the BOTTLESHIP research ship, and shortly there after meets with her former C.O. (Commanding Officer), Adam Malkovich, now a General for the Galactic Federation. After a skirmish with a hostile life form onboard the ship Samus decides to co-operate with Adam’s rescue unit to unravel the mysteries onboard the ship and to find and rescue any remaining survivors. This is all I can say without spoiling the plot of the story, suffice to say the traditional Metroid formula follows and Samus will have a lot of work ahead of her. Perhaps even more so, as she will have to face personal nightmares, both past and present, in order to overcome the enemies who lurk within. Almost all story elements are told through cinematic sequences, through which players will either; enjoy, dislike, and or feel indifferent to as a whole. In regards to Samus voice over and the cinematic sequences themselves, they are alright for the most part. She sounds rather monotone and distant, but given the situation that she’s in and her past it makes sense that she would sound as such. Others will find that her voice is for lack of a better word “off” from what they’ve imagined, but such are the risks you take when you give a voiceless character, outside of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a voice. Most sequences don’t overstay their welcome, and by themselves they aren’t any more than 5 minutes on their own, but when watched altogether, become a 2 hour movie, within a game. I enjoyed them for the most part, if you’d want my analogy as a whole, it was like watching a high profile CG sci-fi anime movie licensed under Nintendo.