The Metroid series is one that isn’t afraid of reinvention. Best known for its 2D side on exploration, Nintendo surprised many when it announced the development of ‘Metroid Prime’ in 2000- and it was a First Person Shooter.  Skip forward several years and Nintendo was at it again, implementing motion control into Metroid Prime 3.  That left the burning question for Metroid fans – what next?

Well in essence Nintendo has gone back to Metroid’s roots with ‘Metroid: Other M’ – which whilst actually being in the 3D plane, has much more in common with 2D games such as Super Metroid.

First up is the story.  The game starts directly after Super Metroid, and even revisits that games ending in a fantastic cutscene.  Samus awakens fully healed on a Galactic Federation ship and after a quick tutorial she heads off in her ship.  This is where my first gripe with the game kicks in.  I have no problems with Nintendo giving Samus a voice - in all honesty after all these years I thought it would be interesting to hear what she had to say – but unfortunately the dialogue is so hammy, and delivered in such a boring monotone it soon descends into something out of a teen drama.  One might argue that her speech delivery is the way it is to get across her cold indifference to the world – but I just found it wearisome.

Responding to a distress call, Samus docks on a space station called ‘The Bottle Ship’ where she bumps into a group of Galactic Federation soldiers which includes an old friend named Anthony Higgs, and former mentor Adam Malkovich.  As one might expect, things soon spiral out of control and all are flung into serious peril.  I found the story to be engaging – much more so than previous Metroid games – and I genuinely looked forward to watching the next story progressing cutscene.

Graphically the game both impresses and dismays.  The in game graphics – bar one or two areas – are mediocre and there is never anything that takes your breath away.  That’s not to say the game lacks variety though, as you will traverse lush jungles, lava filled arenas, snow covered plains and of course the ship’s corridors.  Everything is flat though; the grass is flat, the rocks are flat, the buildings are flat – everything seems to suffer from a lack of textures.  This is a problem I’ve noticed with the Wii – ask a developer to create a colourful, vibrant environment such as that found in Super Mario Galaxy and the results can be fantastic.  Ask for a realistic environment though and things never turn out that well.

The cutscenes though are immensely entertaining and look absolutely top notch – perhaps that’s why the jolt back to in game graphics is so jarring.

As mentioned earlier, Other M isn’t a 2D game, but it plays like one.  Most of the game is spent either running from one side of the screen to the other, or from the bottom of the screen to the top.  Sounds good doesn’t it?  Well unfortunately some infuriating control issues get in the way.  I’ve done a fair bit of research regarding people’s impressions of Other M’s controls, and was very surprised to find some well established publications claiming that they were a revelation.  I’m sorry but I completely disagree.

To play the game, you have to use the Wiimote on its side, using the D-pad to control Samus, while 1 is used to shoot, 2 is used to jump and A is used to switch into Morph Ball mode.  Using the D-pad is ok, but after an extended play period my thumb was absolutely killing me.  Other M also has an auto aim that can be frustratingly unreliable – and many times it decided the biggest threat in the room was the wall.  This isn’t the case all the time, and when it works everything feels slick and fast paced – but to repeatedly die due to poor controls rather than player ineptitude is maddening.

Frequently the game will need you to switch into First Person mode – which involves switching the Wiimote from the side position, to pointing it at the screen.  This can be so irritating when facing off against multiple enemies, and the sequence usually goes like this;

• You face off against multiple enemies
• You manage to stun one, and switch to FPS mode to finish it off
• You get hit by another enemy, knocking you out of FPS mode
• Repeat until patience runs out

It is simply not fun – at all.

What’s worse though is when the game forces you into scan mode.  Several times you need to locate something on screen before you can progress – it’s like ‘Where’s Wally?’, only Wally is a random item/piece of scenery out of a screen full of dozens of items/pieces of scenery.

All of this has been so negative – something I really don’t like being – so let’s focus on some positives.  The game is a fair old challenge – it took me over ten hours to complete, but I only ended up with a miserable 42% of items collected.

When the auto aim isn’t screwing you over, the combat is enjoyable and your weapons really do feel chunky and powerful.  Samus moves quickly and with a purpose, and seems to have developed a new found athleticism.  You also have the ability to dodge attacks and respond straight away with a powerful charged blast.  Also new are ‘Lethal Strike’ and ‘Overblast’ – the former being like a finishing move when your opponent is stunned, and the latter involves you jumping onto an enemies head and delivering a powerful blast to it.

As with previous Metroid games, by the end you are a walking army with various beams and suit upgrades. The most important thing this does is add a real sense of progression to the game.  Enemies that were kicking your arse at the beginning are simply flicked aside  when you revisit later on – normally accompanied by the triumphant cry of “up yours bug face!.”  That might just be me though.

The bosses are more hit than miss, with some fantastic looking screen fillers – and whilst not as tough as I was expecting they still provide a stern challenge.

The best thing though is despite the faster pace, the level design still feels like Classic Metroid.  Branching paths, backtracking and secret Morph Ball holes are all here in spades.

Pros:

• Classic Metroid feel
• A stern challenge
• Excellent sense of progression
• Fantastic cutscenes that tell a good story

Cons:

• Subpar graphics
• Inconsistent auto aim
• Some maddening controls

So I’ve been agonising over what score to give Metroid: Other M.  Whilst it has some pretty big flaws, underneath is a great game desperate to get out.  Your enjoyment will more than likely depend on your patience level – so approach with caution.

Score: 6/10