As we know Metroid other M is the first Metroid on Wii developed by a studio other than Retro , no less than Tecmo and Team Ninja [ post Itakagi] .
The coolest thing about this game is whilst everyone is being wowed by how Kinect and Move are going to rev the way we play , Nintendo and Tecmo have revolutionised the way that motion controllers are used . The audacity factor is off the scale and it pays dividends , placing Nintendo ahead of Microsoft and Sony in the motion control gaming arena , and consider they took this chance with one of their most prestigious franchises!
The revolutionary bits
1.The minimalistic old school control scheme , throw away your nunchuck , remove that plastic motion enhancement dead weight . You need only the Wiimote !
2. Sit down , yes you can sit down and play this game ! The 2nd revolutionary aspect is Metroid Other M is one of the only Wii games , you can actually play sitting down
3.Literally days from the release of Move and with Kinect out in Beta , Nintendo have trumped both Microsoft and Sony , and just with a Wiimote .This is a near perfect control scheme , retro enough for real fans , and simple enough for newbies , and it allows talented gamers get to show off their Metroid Ninja skills.
The beauty of the control scheme really hits you twice , first with the novelty of using the wiimote as a Snes pad to control Samus in a traditional 2d platform view , and second when you point th e wii mote at the screen and your view changes to first person .
The Snes pad style control scheme really comes into its own when the screen is littered with enemies , the Prime games were awesome FPS games , but they missed the chaos of jumping around and platforming of the 2d Metroids while dodging enemies. Other M has , thanks to its control scheme and side on 3d view returned this original game mechanic , and retained enough of the FPS mechanics of the Prime series to satisfy fans of the old and newer Samus adventures.
3. This is the best looking Wii game , the levels and rooms have a great sense of scale , and size helped by the fact that when you go 2d the level zooms out , and it takes you right back to the good old days , although you wont have time to look at the scenery until you clear the room of bad guys , at which point you can switch to the 3d view and wonder at the design , and ask yourself why don`t 360 and PS3 games look this good?
The not so revolutionary but vitally essential for maintaining reps of the Metroid franchise and Team Ninja bits:
1.Beautiful cut scenes ,better than PS3 /360 CGI ,with painfully slow/poetic delivery ,pauses and introspective pondering, and quite possibly several hours of mistranslation from the original Japanese . The backstory is there because everyone wants to get to know Samus , especially after having reached the point in Metroid gaming where you realise she is not a fella. This happens at different stages for fans , but it does happen to all of us !
2. Metroid Gaiden , this being Tecmo there has to be some melee ninja style combat , and it is fast and furious , the Hayabusa clan would be proud of Samus` moves and speed ,not to mention the single button wall jump/climb, wall slides , head jumping , you have to have head jumping in a Team Ninja game ........
The missing pieces of other Metroids that Metroid other M misses
There is no meaningless scanning , I luuuurve scanning non plot driving alien artifacts,flora and fauna , but in other M if your cursor starts to turn red and scan it means something bad is about to happen , the developers have made sure the only thing you scan is something which drives the plot forward or is about to mutate into an invisible fire spitting purple people eating giant tongued purple thing , sadly I cannot be more accurate than that because the game does not allow detailed scanning !
There is also no movement in first person mode , not so bad really as this mode is used by beginners to shoot things from a distance , or by skilled players who can master the 2d 3d switch , and it helps if you do , there are many techniques to learn , such as taking out the small fry in seconds in 2d autolock mode then switching to FPS mode scanning the hive they are coming from , firing 3 missiles to take out the hive using the same button , and then switching to 2d to take out the 2nd wave which has almost reached you in the 3 seconds it took you to take out their hive. Then start adding melee combat and having to time missile locks , and you will develop a personalised depth of control and gameplay that you expect from a Team Ninja game.
Yes you could just defeat the game with a button press, but Team Ninja always allows you to do so with style and in your own fashion if you are skilled enough.
Now if only someone would let Team Ninja loose with this graphics engine and control scheme to design the ultimate .....wait for it ..... Castlevania !
Metroid Other M is another AAA title for the Wii, and will be appreciated as much as any of the other AAA titles from Nintendo`s rivals . Not least those by those of us who will not be putting ourselves through Hammer Time dance routines every time we want to navigate an onscreen menu , or speaking Bocce to our Kinects as their bad motivator units only allow English , Japanese and for some reason Mexican Spanish .....for now
Get familiar with Samus and Metroid in the USA here here and in the UK here
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