Metroid: Other M

[JaySevenZero]

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Metroid: Other M for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.

[Buskalilly]

When I left feedback for Metroid Prime 3, I said that game was unusual among metroids because I couldn't remember much of it. Well, I forgot this game even existed!

I remember thinking the story was a load of guff, which does seem to be the critical consensus, but I also remember quite enjoying the actual play of the game, which seems like a more controversial opinion. I think a little bit of a reappraisal has happened from that perspective, but this still seems to be bottom of most Metroid fans' lists.

[Nicktendo]

It's been more than a decade since playing it. My recollection of Other M is that it was harshly criticized, mostly for it's seemingly weak portrayal of Samus Aran. However, I remember really enjoying it as a return to the exploratory nature of the Metroid-Vania genre with added action-oriented combat. I remember the gimmick of aiming the wii-remote at the screen to use missiles was my only real gripe as it was really finnicky and took me out of the character/game I thought I was playing. When I get time I will revisit this one and see how it holds up.

TWR: The other one

[Girard]

One weird detail that stood out in my memory about this game were that occasionally you'd encounter a pair of gendered restrooms of which you could explore the women's in an over-the-shoulder perspective (but which never yielded anything).

Perhaps my brain was desperate to find meaning in the experience of playing Other M, but I remember at the time wondering if the game was trying to make some sort of commentary on the gender of its protagonist. Spaces that are made accessible to women and spaces that aren't. I suspect I was putting more thematic thought in than Team Ninja were, however.

[Wuqinglong]

Metroid: Other M was a game that caused me to get mocked relentlessly by my peers in college for saying I enjoyed the gameplay aspect of it. The general sentiment of the gaming population at the time did certainly feel to be "story bad, game bad". It's a sentiment I understand to some degree as the story is shoved in your face to an excessive degree by the genre's standards and it's not very well written. The missile gimmick was also a mildly annoying interruption to the normal gameplay flow state so I'm not surprised the game got the reception it did contemporaneously. In spite of this I still quite enjoyed the trademark Team Ninja combat action gameplay mixed with search action genre exploration and posit that the gameplay gets unfairly lambasted due to the other less-than-stellar aspects of the total package.

Most will probably tell you to skip this entry in the Metroid franchise due to the aforementioned issues but I believe that underneath all of the surface level muck is a fun action experience.

[Razieluigi]

It's a common sentiment that the gameplay in Other M is better than the story around it, and I'm sure that you guys will spend plenty of time covering this game's narrative sins and character assassination of Samus.

But I disagree that the gameplay is very good at all. The requirement to use a sideways Wii controller makes some sense for the side-scrolling portions but feels terribly rigid and awkward during the occasional exploration segments. And the cumbersome need to completely reorient the controller in your hands in order to fire missiles is an outright mistake, making missiles -- usually one of the series' delights! -- so unpleasant to use that I largely avoided them unless they were required.

The world design is also poor by franchise standards. The "Bottle Ship" is small and somewhat linear and progress is frequently gated by simple doors that unlock for purely narrative reasons rather than by environmental obstacles that can be overcome with new abilities. And the inability to get 100% until the post-game is another head scratching decision.

I've tried revisiting this game twice since my original playthrough and I've abandoned it both times. This game has long been removed from my headcanon, and joins Metroid Hunters on the very short list of Metroid games that are simply not worth playing.

[Razieluigi]

Oh, and I forgot my 3-word review:

FLUFFY BABY RIDLEY

(The only good thing this game contributed to Metroid lore)

[Alex_117]

I always found it odd that Nintendo followed up the amazing Prime trilogy with this game. It had nothing that made Metroid, Metroid and just seemed like a left turn for Nintendo and the Metroid series. A series which has such a distinct personality and sense of style, was all thrown out the window, replaced with the most generic anime version imaginable.

Although all of that could have been forgiven if the game itself was good. But bland levels, dumbed down Ninja Team combat and bizarre gimmicks meant there was nothing salvaging this. And made the terrible story and changes to Samus 100 times worse.

The only positive spin on Other M is I like to think that it turned out so bad that it forced Nintendo to take a step back and consider what they wanted to do with Metroid. And that resulted in Metroid returning to form with the Metroid 2 remake, Dread and the Prime remaster. So for all that I have to be grateful to Other M.