Map segments and objectives are revealed in small portions gated by nearby save rooms, and that repetitive sequence feels like more like funneling than a breadcrumb trail. It doesn’t help that Other M neglects another core tenet of the franchise: exploration is passively discouraged throughout the story. The controls absolutely harm any sense of immersion, as moving Samus freely with the D-pad lacks both the comfort and precision we've enjoyed in most 3D games since the N64 launched 14 years earlier. Rooms that rely on 3D platforming can be frustrating, sometimes confusing. The primary, zoomed-out action feels more like a 2D game with extra depth. Other M is entirely 3D, but full appreciation for the volumetric design is limited to stationary, slow first-person viewing. That’s not to say the modernized classic design is always successful. Smart updates to health and missile stocks raise the stakes during combat and eliminate stockpiling. It reclaims the fast, snappy, twitch-reliant aspects of classic Metroid games, and finally provides a context for realizing Rippers, Speed Booster, Screw Attack, and other franchise favorites that were never convincingly implemented in the Prime spin-off series. From that angle, Other M is wildly successful.
I love those game as much as anyone, but it was clear that Metroid needed to reconnect to its roots as a fast-scrolling action game.
While its most valuable additions to the franchise are subtle, they could influence upcoming games like Retro Studios' long-awaited Metroid Prime 4.īack in 2009, we were spoiled by three Prime games released over a span of just five years. Still, there are many smart aspects of this direct follow-up to Super Metroid. Now that my memory is freshened up, I'm inclined to believe that the game’s transience is also due to recycled ideas and a dearth of truly exciting, new experiences. Maybe I should blame the circumstances - at the time, I was finishing my dissertation and trying to stay focused on that massive project. I cleared it with 100% within the first week or so of release, but it didn't leave an enduring impression. 210 of RFN, I couldn’t recall much of the game itself.
Until replaying Metroid Other M this month and then listening back to our contemporaneous discussion on Ep.
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