Metroid: Other M Review

Metroid: Other M (Wii)

When Metroid: Other M was announced at E3 '09, it caused some confusion. Team Ninja, most well known for their Ninja Gaiden series, were teaming up with Nintendo to bring us Other M. The trailer rocked our world, but can this achieve the same success as the Prime series when Retro took control?

The story is a huge part of Other M, and when I say huge, I mean it. It begins where Super Metroid finished, with Samus finishing off Mother Brain, and the baby Metroid sacrificing itself to save Samus. Samus, after leaving the Galactic Federation, then receives a signal from a lone bottle ship in space, and decides to investigate. There, she meets up with former commanded Adam Malkovich and his team, and they continue the investigation together. The whole story is told between flashbacks and real life sequences in the ship. It delves into Samus's backstory with Adam as part of the Galactic Federation when she was very young, and explores her relationship with Adam as a father figure. These are all told in very elaborate CGI-cutscenes, and these look sharp, especially on Wii. Voice acting was a bold move to place into a Metroid game, but sadly, it wasn't the right choice. Samus's voice actress sounds like something from a daytime soap opera, and her boring, expressionless tone leads us to believe that she is nothing but there, and leads to some awkward dialogue. Instead of her acting as a bad-ass bounty hunter who doesn't take crap from nobody, she is displayed as a puppet, and sounds more like a 12 year old reading her diary.

The gameplay in Other M revolves around third person action mixed in with first person shooting. The game is played holding the Wiimote sideways, and with a 90 degree turn of the Wiimote, it switches Samus into first person mode, allowing her to scan and investigate the environment, as well as shoot missiles. As you investigate the bottle ship, you'll come across hundreds of creatures that can be disposed with Samus's blaster, and a strange auto-aim feature allows for precise accuracy. Of course, Samus's ball-form is back and better than ever thanks to some clever puzzles surrounding it. New to Samus's arsenal is her ability to take out downed enemies using swift melee moves, and these are a treat to watch, especially in mid-boss battles. Samus isn't using her huge weapons and her full abilities unless being authorized by Adam, her commander. There's lots of reason to come back, with hidden doors and passages that can only be explored once you have a certain item.

The graphics in Metroid: Other M are beautiful. Environments blend perfectly with mixes of long hallways in addition to breathtaking deserts and ice worlds. The characters look slick, as well. The sound in the game is hardly not there, with just environmental tones and heightening sound effects when an enemy is near.

Metroid: Other M is a great return to the Metroid series. Although not as drastic a change as when Retro took over earlier, Team Ninja did the series justice, thanks to a great story and great gameplay. Although it's not perfect, it's at least worth a rental.

Pros:
Great Story
Mix of First and Third person gameplay
Beautiful graphics

Cons:
Voice Acting
Portrayal of Samus
Music

Overall: 7.0/10