Games You SHOULDN'T Buy #5 - Metroid: Other M

[Clydefrosch]

Heck, even the story/gameplay progression felt like a copypasta of Fusion: Samus enters a research station as part of a mission for the federation. She then explores multiple sectors housing specific ecosystems of creatures, under the orders of Adam Malkovich, fighting Nightmare and a clone of Ridley in the process. As the plot wraps up, Samus discovers a secret federation lab dedicated to breeding Metroids, and escapes as it self-destructs, and then fights an unexpectedly alive, and evolved Metroid. It turns out that the federation is doing shady stuff, and the game ends as Samus escapes the exploding station.

minus orders of adam and the title monster being the final boss for a change, this is every metroid game ever.
samus enters (planet/station/star system) that conveniently is seperated into a bunch of zones (jungle and nature/lava and caves/ice, ice everywhere/oh look, its underwater/high tech zone where things miraculously didnt break/ancient temple of an ancient race that somehow was at peace with itself and the world, jet still managed to get eradicated usually by their own fault) then fights a bunch of bosses, some of them new (a big bug/pink yello thing/a nest of bugs/the bug queen/theres a shitload of bug bosses in this game/plantbosses/a huge robot here or there) as well as a number of bosses we've already killed in other games (kraid/ridley/nightmare/robot guard drone/seadragon fish thingy/more bugs/a clone of samus thats much stronger than you/enhanced space pirates). while doing that, she receives countless upgrades that are almost always identical, except for when the gameplay doesnt allow for it, like the speed boost or the grabbing of ledges in the prime games and one unique item here or there, like the charged missles or the 2d ice missles for story purposes, to her suit that, in all honesty, should have been destroyed by whomever guarded them so samus couldn't power up over and over. samus then discovers (mother brain being behind everything/mother brain is still alive/its the federations fault this time/oh no metroids are still alive and being experimented on by everyone in the galaxy) and escapes as (planet/station/star system) is wiped clean by (the self destruct mechanism of a suicidal alien race/federal precaution measures) or so it seems. because theres always a clean up crew collecting cells of everything that is remotely memorable so that the series can go on using such adorable creatures like (the exploding bats that home in on you if you get to close/space pirates/bees/bugs of other sorts/lava critters/exploding gas balls/spiky things/lazily flying grapple hook or ice beamable turtles/angry fish/all your favorite bosses/the damn metroids/eventually mother brain again [if prime ever goes on, we will find out the federations super ai computers secretly had a remainder of the mother brain.exe somewhere in them that got activated somewhere during prime 3]/etc. etc.)

the whole series is build upon being able to bring back everything you knew before on a new planet because of cloning/chozo being so advanced and having hidden very specific suit upgrades all over the galaxy/federation wanting unlimited metroid energy even though energy doesnt seem to be of much concern in this world to begin with. and it worked so far.

and if anything, its realistic that the federation has a bunch of these stations out there just waiting to get out of control, because the federation is just as powerhungry and irresponsible as the space pirates they constantly try to imitate.
which is why future metroid games will gladly go back there.

 

[TripleSMoon]

minus orders of adam and the title monster being the final boss for a change, this is every metroid game ever.

Um... What Metroid games have you actually been playing? Like I said, there are some repeated series staples, which is fine, but they were especially copied between Fusion and Other M. No other Metroid games have you explore a space station dedicated to biological research, divided into sectors. No other Metroid games have you following the direct commands of Adam, guiding you the whole way. No other Metroid games feature a secret government conspiracy to control and breed Metroids in a hidden, unmarked sector. No other Metroid games feature said secret sector being attacked from within and then jettisoned. No other Metroid games feature Samus frequently recording a journal. And no other Metroid game has had as many copied bosses (count four: Ridley, Phantoon, Nightmare, Queen Metroid). No other Metroid game is as marred by retro pandering as Other M.

If you really want to extend the issue though, this seems to be a problem with the Nintendo-developed Metroid games in general. We had Metroid and Metroid II, which were both rather original. Then Super Metroid was practically a remake of Metroid 1. Fusion was pretty original, and then Other M ripped pretty much its entire base from Fusion, with huge retro pandering nods to all previous games, especially Super.

Compare this to the Prime trilogy, which was wildly different. The first one stuck closest to the Metroid formula in its theme, but it still had all original bosses except Ridley (who was still a deal different from his standard appearance), new ways to play, cool new uses for familiar items, and tons of interesting new enemies. Prime 2 and 3 strayed even further away, with new worlds and ways to traverse them, new enemies, and tons of new power ups. Certain Metroid staples were still there, but they were so minimal compared to other Metroid games.

 

[TVL]

I don't play games for their stories and I thought Other M was a decent game, as I remember it you didn't have to listen in on the cutscenes to understand what to do next... I do understand how someone could dislike it though. I didn't like that she wasn't all alone more than anything. IMO Metroid has always been far superior as a 2D sidescroller.

 

[Sakitoshi]

Heck, even the story/gameplay progression felt like a copypasta of Fusion: Samus enters a research station as part of a mission for the federation. She then explores multiple sectors housing specific ecosystems of creatures, under the orders of Adam Malkovich, fighting Nightmare and a clone of Ridley in the process. As the plot wraps up, Samus discovers a secret federation lab dedicated to breeding Metroids, and escapes as it self-destructs, and then fights an unexpectedly alive, and evolved Metroid. It turns out that the federation is doing shady stuff, and the game ends as Samus escapes the exploding station.

^This very much.
the game progression is exactly the same as Metroid Fusion, the Bottle ship is like a exact replica of the biologic space laboratories(BSL) and even blatantly have the same bosses. Nightmare was a new biomechanic monster in Metroid Fusion, care to explain why he is present in Other M?? nope, he just is there because they were lazy developing a new boss I guess, at least they could have altered his appearance and name to pretend is a different being or a beta version of his Fusion self.

off-topic: anyone knows if there is a Super Metroid hack of Other M?? something like that should be better to fill the gap, gameplay wise.

 

[TripleSMoon]

Nightmare was a new biomechanic monster in Metroid Fusion, care to explain why he is present in Other M?? nope, he just is there because they were lazy developing a new boss I guess, at least they could have altered his appearance and name to pretend is a different being or a beta version of his Fusion self.

I'm actually totally fine with Nightmare's inclusion. They gave some interesting backstory on his origin, and set him up to reappear in Fusion. Notice after you defeat him the second time in Other M, his body mysteriously disappears by the end, insinuating that the Federation moved him for repairs and to put him on the lab in Fusion. They also set up Ridley quite well, having him drained by a Metroid, so he could be infected and copied by X parasites in Fusion.

But yeah, overall the copied bosses were just stupid. They COULD'VE done without Nightmare (he fought so differently from Nightmare in Fusion that they might as well have made him an original boss anyway), Queen Metroid was out of the blue, and Phantoon literally had no reason to be there at all.

 

[Wisenheimer]

I felt it did not live up to the quality of the prime titles, but by general AAA video game standards, it was significantly above average.

I would definitely recommend people play it, but only after playing through the entire Prime Series. It would be a lousy introduction to Metroid.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

Normally Nintendo games keep their prices at a medium to high price but not this one, I guess N figured this game was an embarrassment and they decided to allow to sell it for dirt cheap.

 

[Sakitoshi]

I found a fan explication of Samus trauma with Ridley which I found interesting enough to mention.

No. The same reason that the Ridley in Zero Mission is the same Ridley in Super. Being defeated, and being killed, are two totally different things in the video game world. Being defeated really comes down to the fact that you never see the body, like when Ridley fell off the temple in Prime. Mother Brain was defeated in Zero Mission/NES not killed. Thus she was revitalized by the Pirates and the Chozos' ingenius machines and technology in Super.

Which is another thing people don't seem to get when it comes to Ridley surprising Samus in Other M. Samus knew that he was killed in Super and not merely defeated like so many times before. She saw the body. Watch the animation in the old game even, the sprite literally falls into peices, not to mention the whole f***ing planet blew up with his remains still on it.

 

[Gahars]

I found a fan explication of Samus trauma with Ridley which I found interesting enough to mention.

"In the video game world"

So, this explanation hinges on Metroid following Wreck-It Ralph rules?

Don't reach so hard, you're going to pull a muscle.

 

[Clydefrosch]

would it have really made such a difference to you if the always repeating and constantly same zones would have been on some planet or each zone being a different planet, instead of a second bottleship?

prime 1 and 3 could've (and would've) happen on the planet zebes if it hadn't blown up. seriously, if it wasn't for some guy thinking hey, why not destroy the planet, the series would probably still play on zebes to this very day. 4 metroid games happened there (original/zero mission, II, super), 2 more had recreations of its ecosystems (fusion and this one) one played pretty much on zebes 2 (prime 1) and two had all the zones you knew and loved but told you they were on different planets (prime 3/hunters).

just wait until one of those guys thinks that, maybe, the chozo were so advanced, they actually had a second planet terraformed to their liking and that planets motherbrain has both shielded the planet form outside detection as well as purged every existing information of its planets existence. we'll be back there again. and i tell you, no one will be mad about it

 

[CathyRina]

At this point I really don't know if Prime series happened between 1 and 2 or 2 and 3 or 3 and M.
Canon where are you Q_Q

4 metroid games happened there (original/zero mission, II, super)

II happened on SR-388. The planet that Samus re-visits in Fusion and the blows the space station on it.

 

[Bent]

Don't reach so hard, you're going to pull a muscle.

The lengths people go through to defend this game never cease to amaze me.

At this point I really don't know if Prime series happened between 1 and 2 or 2 and 3 or 3 and M.

The Prime games happen between Metroid and Metroid II.

 

[TripleSMoon]

would it have really made such a difference to you if the always repeating and constantly same zones would have been on some planet or each zone being a different planet, instead of a second bottleship?

prime 1 and 3 could've (and would've) happen on the planet zebes if it hadn't blown up. seriously, if it wasn't for some guy thinking hey, why not destroy the planet, the series would probably still play on zebes to this very day. 4 metroid games happened there (original/zero mission, II, super), 2 more had recreations of its ecosystems (fusion and this one) one played pretty much on zebes 2 (prime 1) and two had all the zones you knew and loved but told you they were on different planets (prime 3/hunters).

just wait until one of those guys thinks that, maybe, the chozo were so advanced, they actually had a second planet terraformed to their liking and that planets motherbrain has both shielded the planet form outside detection as well as purged every existing information of its planets existence. we'll be back there again. and i tell you, no one will be mad about it

Zebes didn't blow up until the end of Super Metroid. Prime, Hunters, Echoes, Corruption, and II all took place before Zebes' destruction, and none of them took place on Zebes. Also, II took place on SR-388, not Zebes. So that's two games and one remake that took place on Zebes. Which is... 2 out of 9 original games (excluding Zero Mission and Prime Pinball). That's not a lot at all.

You're just about as bad at keeping Metroid continuity as Other M is. No wonder you like it so much. ;O;

 

[Sakitoshi]

would it have really made such a difference to you if the always repeating and constantly same zones would have been on some planet or each zone being a different planet, instead of a second bottleship?

that would be like saying that Zelda games are bad because you always have the same themed temples.
by having all happen on a completely different location gives originality, there isn't a problem with the theme of the environments, the problem is with the originality of them. the bottle ship is a exact replica of the BSL, doesn't offer any change, all the environments are extracts of planets mixed with technology just like in Fusion. hell they even copied the central elevator thing instead of organizing the sectors on a new way.

and don't get me wrong, I liked Other M, but clearly has many flaws.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

that would be like saying that Zelda games are bad because you always have the same themed temples.

But they are bad for being unoriginal....

 

[Lumstar]

Normally Nintendo games keep their prices at a medium to high price but not this one, I guess N figured this game was an embarrassment and they decided to allow to sell it for dirt cheap.

Maybe in your country. They didn't lower its US price.

 

[Sakitoshi]

But they are bad for being unoriginal....

at least they scramble the puzzles around or introduce new mechanics.
the fire temple for example, in SS you need to walk on lava with the help of a ball of stone, while in TP you needed to walk on the walls with the iron boots.
is the bare minimum they can do.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

at least they scramble the puzzles around or introduce new mechanics.
the fire temple for example, in SS you need to walk on lava with the help of a ball of stone, while in TP you needed to walk on the walls with the iron boots.
is the bare minimum they can do.

"Nintendo - we do the bare minimum".

Great slogan.

 

[Arras]

Maybe in your country. They didn't lower its US price.

Heh, Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7 are sitting basically side by side in the nearest store that sells games. MKDS is 40, MK7 is 45