DepricatedZero
New Member
I came.
My brother has been bugging me to come over and play this since he got it. This past weekend I took him up on the offer and was amazed. Except for a few (admittedly major) problems, the game was everything I hoped Metroid Prime would be.
It picks up right where Super Metroid leaves off. The opening sequence includes a stunning rendering of the end fight with Mother Brain, Samus being powered up by the Baby, and using the Hyper Beam to wtfpwn MB and Zebes. The title theme is an orchestral version of the old Super Metroid title theme, the level themes are orchestral versions of all the old level themes, it is a true follow-up to the game. It also incorporates elements from the Nintendo Power comics and the manga, extra bonus points.
Now, story and music are all one thing, but my biggest problem with the Metroid Prime series was that it abandoned it's gameplay style. Metroid paved the way for the Metroidvania style of game play, along with Castlevania. That is, a side-scrolling platformer that was not just left-to-right point to point like Mario or Sonic. The style of game play was so influenced by Metroid that it's part of the name, and was abandoned with the rise of 3D environment games. Metroid Prime, instead, was a simple First Person Shooter. It abandoned the style that it had helped define, and did so without shame or hesitation. Now, I played Metroid Prime and Echoes, I won't lie - they were good - and it was cool to see the story built on - but they weren't Metroid. They didn't have the same feel as the original 3 games. Metroid Fusion is probably the truest sequal in that regard, I love it very much for having the same gameplay style as Super Metroid.
But the gameplay of Other M is spot on. It's not the same sidescrolling style as Super Metroid. It's a true advancement of the Metroidvania Style into 3D, almost. The majority of gameplay is 3rd Person and is played with the wiimote sideways like an old 2-button NES controller. That gameplay style is excellent, it's 3d and still holds a similar feel to the original games.
However, there is one major gameplay problem that, in my opinion, ruins it. It presents a false difficulty to the game, and that is this: you must alternate between first and third person by point the wiimote at the screen. While I don't mind it as an exercise in coordination, it takes away from the feel of the game to have to stop and switch playstyles. To me, it's kind of like changing positions during sex - constantly. It'd be fine if it was every once in a while, but it's not. You can't move when you're in this view, but you have to do it in the middle of boss fights. The reason I call it a fake difficulty is because the difficulty it presents is in the actually jarring perspective and mode shifts, rather than the fights being genuinely difficult.
Another small criticism is the ability to catch ledges. I was a little amused by that in Metroid Fusion as well, and it's not a big deal - but part of the difficulty of the original games was the inability to catch ledges. The ability to catch them makes the platformer part of the game kind of...beside the point. But it does make sense, I suppose.
Anyway, I had to talk about it. If it weren't for the perspective shift, I would go out and buy a wii and the game just so I could play it. Instead, I pulled out the old SNES and fired up Super Metroid when I got home last night.
My brother has been bugging me to come over and play this since he got it. This past weekend I took him up on the offer and was amazed. Except for a few (admittedly major) problems, the game was everything I hoped Metroid Prime would be.
It picks up right where Super Metroid leaves off. The opening sequence includes a stunning rendering of the end fight with Mother Brain, Samus being powered up by the Baby, and using the Hyper Beam to wtfpwn MB and Zebes. The title theme is an orchestral version of the old Super Metroid title theme, the level themes are orchestral versions of all the old level themes, it is a true follow-up to the game. It also incorporates elements from the Nintendo Power comics and the manga, extra bonus points.
Now, story and music are all one thing, but my biggest problem with the Metroid Prime series was that it abandoned it's gameplay style. Metroid paved the way for the Metroidvania style of game play, along with Castlevania. That is, a side-scrolling platformer that was not just left-to-right point to point like Mario or Sonic. The style of game play was so influenced by Metroid that it's part of the name, and was abandoned with the rise of 3D environment games. Metroid Prime, instead, was a simple First Person Shooter. It abandoned the style that it had helped define, and did so without shame or hesitation. Now, I played Metroid Prime and Echoes, I won't lie - they were good - and it was cool to see the story built on - but they weren't Metroid. They didn't have the same feel as the original 3 games. Metroid Fusion is probably the truest sequal in that regard, I love it very much for having the same gameplay style as Super Metroid.
But the gameplay of Other M is spot on. It's not the same sidescrolling style as Super Metroid. It's a true advancement of the Metroidvania Style into 3D, almost. The majority of gameplay is 3rd Person and is played with the wiimote sideways like an old 2-button NES controller. That gameplay style is excellent, it's 3d and still holds a similar feel to the original games.
However, there is one major gameplay problem that, in my opinion, ruins it. It presents a false difficulty to the game, and that is this: you must alternate between first and third person by point the wiimote at the screen. While I don't mind it as an exercise in coordination, it takes away from the feel of the game to have to stop and switch playstyles. To me, it's kind of like changing positions during sex - constantly. It'd be fine if it was every once in a while, but it's not. You can't move when you're in this view, but you have to do it in the middle of boss fights. The reason I call it a fake difficulty is because the difficulty it presents is in the actually jarring perspective and mode shifts, rather than the fights being genuinely difficult.
Another small criticism is the ability to catch ledges. I was a little amused by that in Metroid Fusion as well, and it's not a big deal - but part of the difficulty of the original games was the inability to catch ledges. The ability to catch them makes the platformer part of the game kind of...beside the point. But it does make sense, I suppose.
Anyway, I had to talk about it. If it weren't for the perspective shift, I would go out and buy a wii and the game just so I could play it. Instead, I pulled out the old SNES and fired up Super Metroid when I got home last night.