
	Platform Wii Genre Action Publisher Nintendo Developer Team Ninja ETA August 31, 2010
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Metroid: Other M

** Additional: 8/23/10 **

After some recent hands-on time with Metroid: Other M, my own fears that the game was going to be a mess of first-person shooter, side-scrolling, and 3rd person action were alleviated.

As Mr. Nash stated in his preview (see below), Team Ninja is making this a more "cinematic" experience, with more dialogue and Samus herself speaking up (in kind of a drugged-up monotone). The part I was shown felt awkward at best, but the action, even in the small demo area, was enough to convince me that the best parts of Metroid haven't been forgotten.

For the most part the Wii Remote is held horizontally, with just the directional pad and A and B buttons is use. Though there was plenty of side-scrolling (and even 3D movement up and down in the environment) at any time I could point at the screen with the Wii Remote to enter a stationary first-person perspective allowing for even more exploration of the environment. It also allows for precise aiming, which seemed to be required during the boss encounter.

One problem of note for leftys though. My son, who's left-handed, had a hell of a time acclimatizing to the snap to first-person mode. I had no problems at all but he flailed a few times and had to make use of Samus' ability to "self heal." (Holding the Wii Remote straight up and holding A.)

Maybe the most important part of my hands-on time with Metroid: Other M was that it made me want to play more. Before that time the screenshots made it look like a game that lacked direction and the cinematic move felt desperate, like "Hey, we're reinventing Metroid! Look at us!" Glad to see my fears might have been for nothing.

Metroid: Other M ships on August 31, 2010.

- Aaron Simmer

(August 23, 2010)

After a trio of first person shooter styled games on the Gamecube, Nintendo has decided to take a different tact when the series makes its way Wii. Not only that, but the series will be taken over by a different developer: Tecmo’s Team Ninja, famous for their work on the Dead or Alive, and Ninja Gaiden series. With these changes, gamers can expect some changes to how Other M plays out, with streamlined, fast-paced gameplay being the order of the day, as well as a return to a more traditional action genre set up.

Instead of a being a sequel to the last batch of Metroid games, Other M will take place in the time between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. After a brief flashback of the ending of Super Metroid to bring players up to speed, Samus wakes up on a Galactic Federation ship. Shortly thereafter, the ship receives a distress call from another vessel nearby. When Samus goes to investigate, she comes across a group of Galactic Federation soldiers let by her former commanding officer from when she was in the military. At first, they don’t get along too well, but after a fight with a big bad, everyone sees how much of an asset Samus is, and she joins the team. Team Ninja are apparently putting quite a bit of emphasis on story for Other M, but there have been reports that the storytelling and voice acting have been sub par thus far, so we’ll have to see if they can pull this aspect of the game together before it is released.

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The gameplay itself is going to be highly streamlined, making use of the Wii controller in a horizontal position. This means players will have the directional pad, and the few other buttons on it, and that’s it. With that, the controls will be quite automated. There will be automatic aiming, and even wall jumps will be automated after initiated. This doesn’t

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mean that Other M will be some sort of dumbed down cakewalk, as Team Ninja plan to throw a lot of enemies at players at once, as gamers fend off swarms of baddies. Because of this, it looks like the game will be very frenetic in terms of action. There will also be missiles at players disposal, just like past games. However, this is one of the few times that players have to move the controller, aiming it at the TV screen. This causes the camera to change perspectives as players aim the missile, and launch it. As a result, this also means that Samus has to be standing in a stationary position for a bit to make the shot, leaving her open to enemy attacks, so players will have to think about the most opportune times to use these missiles.

Other M won’t just be about running around, and blasting stuff either. There will still be plenty of time for exploration, seeking out every nook and cranny in the game (and whatever goodies happen to be hidden away there). This has been one of the most popular features from past Metroid games, so it makes a lot of sense to see it here. While the game does use fixed cameras, it’s still easy enough to see how the environment is set up so to find hidden passages and whatnot.

When Metroid first made the switch to an FPS, there was quite the uproar, but in time most people came to embrace it and do quite well. Nonetheless, there will be a lot of gamers that are happy to see the series return back to a more action-oriented set up with Other M.

Mr. Nash
March 1, 2009