REVIEW -- Metroid: Other M (Wii) -- REVISITED

It's time to rewind the clocks back to 2010 as we take a look at Nintendo and Team Ninja's joint project, Metroid: The Other M, which was exclusively made available for the Nintendo Wii console.

This said title received a ton of critical reviews, ranging from long-time fans being upset and others expressing their distaste for Samus Aran's devolving from her roots as a strong female heroine. I managed to breeze through the game over the weekend and I'm going to share my own thoughts on this title to see whether or not the bad press was necessary or not.

Revisit Note (8/12/17): In August 2017, I streamed this game in its entirety on Twitch TV (with the archive uploaded to my YouTube Channel) and I thought it would be fair to revisit my thoughts on this game after revisiting it five years later.

The Plot (contains full spoilers)

As much as I enjoyed Samus' solitude in her gameplay, I thought it would have been a welcome change if Nintendo kept the
Galactic Federation soldiers around throughout the course of the game outside of the first boss fight. I think a squad-based
Metroid game could be fun if done right. 

The game begins with a dream recounting the climax of Super Metroid, where Samus battles against Mother Brain and watches the baby die. After giving a mission report, Samus departs for space. Weeks later, she picks up a Baby's Cry distress signal from the derelict BOTTLE SHIP. Samus is compelled to follow it.

Soon after landing on the seemingly deserted BOTTLE SHIP, Samus encounters the Galactic Federation 07th Platoon, and is greeted by Anthony Higgs, an old friend from her days in the Federation Army. Leading them is Commander Adam Malkovich, her former commanding officer. Adam refuses to divulge why they are on the station, but Samus decides to stay on board for the sake of the platoon. The team discovers the body of a Lab Worker, and are soon attacked by a collective mass of purple insects. Samus and the platoon work together to take it down.

Adam tells Samus the conditions of her cooperation in the mission.

Adam allows Samus to cooperate in their mission, under the condition that she obey his orders and refrain from using certain weapons and equipment until he authorizes them. He orders Samus to find the Exam Center in Sector 1. On her journey through the tropical area, she encounters a small, furry creature that begins to follow her.

Samus later reaches the Exam Center, and finds James Pierce doing something under the desk of the main computer. The rest of the platoon then arrives, although Lyle Smithsonian is missing. Investigating, Samus discovers the cybernetic body of a Space Pirate Zebesian with the Galactic Federation insignia on its chest. The platoon discovers that the purpose of the BOTTLE SHIP was to conduct research on bioweapons, a practice that is illegal within the Federation. They learn the person in charge of the project was Dr. Madeline Bergman.

A large purple creature launches itself at Samus from the Exam Centre's tower.

Outside, the Platoon is attacked outside by a large lizard-like creature, who viciously attacks Samus when she comes to assist them. After being wounded by Anthony Higgs' Plasma Gun, the creature flees. The group discovers the bodies of Lyle and the skin of the creature Samus encountered, "Little Birdie". She is ordered to follow the lizard creature.

A Federation Trooper operating a large Ferrocrusher machine attacks Samus in the Cryosphere Warehouse.

Midway into her search for the Mystery Creature in Sector 3, Samus is redirected to the icy Sector 2 to search for survivors. While there, she discovers the body of Maurice Favreau and spots a young woman in the Materials Storehouse, who flees. Samus gives chase and tries to talk the woman down. The woman refuses to cooperate, fearful that Samus is here to silence her, and implies that Maurice was killed by a fellow soldier. The two are then attacked by a soldier wearing a Galactic Federation Power Suit driving an RB176 Ferrocrusher, and the woman is separated from Samus. Samus destroys the machine, but the operator escapes.

Returning to Sector 3, Samus concludes that there is a traitor within the 07th Platoon, and nicknames him "the Deleter" until she learns his true identity. Back in Sector 3, Samus encounters Anthony. He explains he was sent to open the magma-eruption port in the Geothermal Power Plant, along with the rest of the Platoon. However, none of his comrades showed up at the rendezvous point. Parting from Anthony, Samus continues until she finds the empty husk of the lizard creature. Samus enters the dimly lit Geothermal Power Plant and reunites with Anthony. The monster, now winged, ambushes them. Samus, confronting it alone, opens the magma-eruption port and brings light into the room. To her horror, the creature is revealed to be none other than her nemesis Ridley, whom she believed to be permanently killed with the destruction of Zebes. Overcome by posttraumatic stress disorder, Samus is unable to save Anthony when he is seemingly killed by Ridley. Samus's anger empowers her to battle Ridley once again. He escapes.

Samus is forced to battle Ridley again.

Leaving the Pyrosphere, Samus realizes she cannot contactAdam, and fears that the Deleter may be or already has targeted him. She then spots one of her comrades entering Sector 1. Samus pursues him to the Bioweapon Research Center, where she instead finds the young woman again. After calming down, the woman introduces herself as Madeline Bergman. She reveals that the Federation was gathering Zebesians and other deadly organisms to enhance them through cybernetics to serve as a special-forces unit for the Federation, modelled after the original Space Pirates. The project became disastrous when a "certain presence" (Samus assumes she is referring to Ridley) caused the life forms to suddenly become aggressive beyond their control.

Madeline reveals more; the scientists were propagating Metroids as well, cloned from remains of the baby found on Samus's Power Suit after her return from Zebes. They unknowingly recreated Ridley as well. Madeline also reveals that an AI named "MB", modelled after Mother Brain, had been created for the purpose of controlling the Metroids. MB and the Metroids were stored in Sector Zero. Madeline goes on to say that Adam is behind Project Metroid Warriors. Samus leaves for Sector Zero. Afterward, Madeline is approached by the Deleter, who shoots her.

Arriving at the entrance to Sector Zero, Samus encounters a Baby Metroid that reminds her of the hatchling from SR388. Before she can kill it, she is struck from behind, disabling her Power Suit. Samus recognizes her attacker as Adam, who kills the Metroid just as quickly. Adam claims that Metroids in Sector Zero were genetically manipulated to be unfreezable, while assuming that infant Metroids have not grown into this invulnerability. He also explains that he had written the Metroid report against the idea of using Metroids; although the Federation agreed, a small faction of the Federation went ahead with the project.

Adam reveals that he plans to enter Sector Zero to set off its self-destruct mechanism and cause it to detach from the BOTTLE SHIP. He shot Samus to render her unable to storm past him. Before leaving, he orders Samus to locate a survivor in Room MW, to divert the BOTTLE SHIP off an intercept course with Galactic Federation Headquarters and to defeat Ridley. Despite her pleas, Adam leaves Samus for Sector Zero, which detaches with him inside and explodes.

Swearing to finish the mission, Samus returns to the Bioweapon Research Center, and finds the body of James Pierce, as well as the mummified remains of Ridley. She later discovers the survivor Adam mentioned, who opens a large, dark room. A Queen Metroid emerges from the chamber. Samus faces the Queen in a difficult battle when the ship's emergency brakes suddenly become active. Samus resorts to an old tactic and grapples into the Queen's mouth to obliterate it with a Power Bomb through its stomach.

Samus dodges the Queen Metroid's flames.

The survivor absconds. Samus chases the woman down, who identifies herself as Madeline Bergman. She explains that the woman Samus met earlier was actually MB in an android form. At first, the android displayed amazing skill and learning capability, and developed a consciousness of sorts with the Metroids and a mother-daughter relationship with Madeline, but soon became self-aware. She began to disagree with the scientists, to the point where they thought it was necessary to alter her programming. Feeling betrayed by the scientists and Madeline, who did nothing to help her, MB unleashed all of the experiments to run rampant throughout the station, leading to the current state of the BOTTLE SHIP.

Samus and Madeline are then confronted by MB herself. Madeline attempts to negotiate with MB, who insists that all humans should be judged. MB is then frozen by a group of invading Federation Marines, but she quickly thaws off. MB summons the BOTTLE SHIP's most dangerous creatures to attack. Madeline stops the battle by freezing MB again. On The Colonel's orders, MB is killed by the Marines. Madeline, devastated and heartbroken, is quickly restrained. The Colonel compliments Samus' efforts but orders a Marine to escort her back to her ship. Much to everyone's surprise, the soldier reveals himself to be Anthony. He and Samus are thus allowed under the Chairman's orders to take Madeline with them. The trio leave for Galactic Federation Headquarters. On the journey home, Samus questions whether MB was truly evil all along, or misunderstood.

Samus recovers Adam's helmet.

Days after the incident, the Galactic Federation decides to destroy the BOTTLE SHIP by utilizing its self-destruct mechanism. Before this, Samus returns to recover an important treasure, Adam's helmet, which she finds in the Control Room. The ship's self-destruct sequence is activated shortly afteward. Samus quickly escapes the BOTTLE SHIP with the helmet before it is destroyed.

The events of Metroid Fusion follow. 

The Verdict: 

My Thoughts: 

The plot is what other reviews note as the reason why this game received such a bad reputation. There was this anti-feminist vibe that is understood between the lines of this game's narrative, starting with the fact that Samus deactivates all of her powers and abilities just because a man, namely her former superior tells her to.

On one hand, I can understand where this harsh critique, especially where these restrictions make little to no sense. The common example that I have seen people cite is Samus' journey through the Pyrosphere. Samus treks through this highly dangerous territory that damages her from the extremely high temperatures in the volcanic environment and she doesn't activate her Varia Suit until AFTER Adam authorized it, even though she is risking her life without it. This decision makes no sense at all. I can understand she is having "daddy issues" between Adam and herself, but this does not seem like the same intelligent, courageous woman that has saved the galaxy on multiple occasions prior to this adventure. Even after losing contact with Adam, she seeks his approval in her actions, namely when she activates both her Space Jump and Screw Attack abilities, she clearly states, "Any objections, Adam?"

I think all players were thinking the same thing at this moment of the game where you encounter Ridley...

I couldn't fathom why Samus Aran, who has defeated Ridley on MULTIPLE occasions now, would drop to her knees and tremble in fear as she metaphorically becomes a defenseless child in the face of this creature. It was as if she was begging for Big Daddy Adam to tell her it was okay to fight back. This moment alone is the embodiment of how weak Team Ninja as managed to pull Samus' character development back another decade. I can't say I'm surprised with Team Ninja's portrayal of Samus here, as this is the same company that produces the Dead or Alive series and Ninja Gaiden series, where women have no other role in gaming than being eye candy or a damsel in distress with a sprinkle of bad-assery.

On the other hand, when Samus is in the player's control, she contradicts every weakness that she expresses when she is taken out of the player control. She is still the same Metroid slaying bad ass queen that we know and love. There is not a mere moment of the gameplay where she is deemed inferior to any adversary she faces in this title. To be honest, during the last half of the game, Samus' weaponry easily outshines anything the game tosses in your direction save for the boss encounters. And even those few annoyances are minimal threats to Samus' dominance on the battlefield. That being said, Samus' dominance is properly displayed when the player has the means to immerse themselves into the title by controlling every fiber of her actions. Otherwise, when that said control is taken away as the player is forced to sit through one of the many lengthy cutscenes, the player feels betrayed at the portrayal of Samus Aran in cutscenes where Samus, as a character, does not equal the warrior-like presence she displays on the battlefield. Instead, she comes off as an inexperienced, cowardly, and foolish individual - a complete opposite of the character we have known over the course of Nintendo's flagship series.

Revision Note (8/12/17):

In a September 2011 interview with G4 TV, regarding of Ninja Gaiden 3, Other M producer Yosuke Hayashi explained that the game's story was entirely written by Yoshio Sakamoto, not Team Ninja:

“ The story for Other M was definitely the product of Mr. Sakamoto at Nintendo. We definitely worked with them on the project, but that was all him. [...] There are definitely things we learned from Other M by working with Mr. Sakamoto and with Nintendo that we’ve applied to the NG development. „
—Yosuke Hayashi

With that information in mind, I had to think about this...

Let's face it, Samus has been a blank slate to this point (the Prime trilogy is considered mostly non-canon from what I have been reading online so correct me in the comments if this is not true). In Metroid Fusion that this title serves as the prequel of, Samus is characterized as hating to follow orders, but I can see why everyone is in an uproar playing this game in contrast. Her character depicted here is like day and light in these stark comparisons. I don't want to make any exceptions for Nintendo, but as a one-off story (or rather a sidebar entry in contrast to her other adventures), this narrative isn't THAT bad. If you make it through the opening hour(s) of Samus taking orders from her former superior without question and her long drawn-out monologues, her motivations actually make sense. The only thing she wanted was to make the one person she felt that completely understood her see her in a positive light. Haven't we all been in place before? Humanizing Samus isn't a bad thing, especially if you want to show some vulnerability in these heroes. This game's biggest problem is presenting Samus here in a fashion that it gives off the wrong vibe that she's not independent female bad-ass but her actions in this game are a weakness of being a woman. I think that's the wrong message that was portrayed here by most gamers and were immediately turned off to this game despite the gameplay.

Gameplay

If you have played Team Ninja's recent new direction with the Ninja Gaiden series, then you won't be surprised in the least here. Samus moves as fluidly as Ryu Hayabusa in battle and the simple, yet easily accessible control scheme adds to the charm. You hold the Wiimote sideways like a NES controller for most of the game, but point the Wiimote at the screen to switch to first-person mode dubbed the Sense View and view the action from behind Samus' battle visor to use missiles and scan objects, much like in the Metroid Prime trilogy. This is truly an unique experience on it's own, as this layout allows the combat in this game to exceed any previous Metroid title to date. I personally felt that the Sense View was a little cumbersome to control (much like the motion controls for most Wii titles) and left Samus vulnerable to attacks since she was left stationary while implementing this feature. Sadly, this is Samus' only means of using Missiles (and their upgrades - Super and Seeker Missiles) in this game. Fortunately, there's not a heavy demand of using Missiles in this title (your beam attacks are devastatingly more powerful than Missiles by the end of the game outside a few select rare enemy encounters) outside of the opening hour(s) of the game.

Instead of a block button found in the Ninja Gaiden series, Team Ninja have given Samus a different means of defense to aid her in combat. Enter the Sense Move, where Samus evades out of the way of a incoming attack if you hit any direction on the direction pad. Samus is completely invincible during the animation of this move and can repeat it multiple times in succession. Mastery of this technique will be highly beneficial at the beginning of the game, as it would make the later half of the game much more easier as several bosses have devastating attacks that need to be evaded with Sense Move to avoid taking massive amounts of damage. It is a very powerful tool when mastered as Samus' adversaries will have little to no means of dealing damage to her. I think critics were far too harsh on their judgment of this ability. It's not as overpowered as one would think as you can't trigger it unless an enemy attacks Samus; otherwise, she moves around normally.

Speaking of Ninja Gaiden, Samus takes a page from Ryu Hayabusa's playbook to finish off stunned/weakened foes with her Lethal Strike finishing moves. These easy to execute maneuvers allow Samus to dominate even more in combat, making some encounters that were taxing to endure normally, much more easier to defeat after neutralizing the threat with a Lethal Strike after dealing significant damage to the foe. This addition allows the Metroid series' combat to have a bit more depth than the simple run and gun gameplay that we have been accustomed to for the last few decades in this franchise and the Mega Man series.

Boss battles are reminiscent to those found in The Legend of Zelda series - large in scale and monumental. Samus' and the player's skills are constantly being tested as each boss encounter requires your mastery of her weaponry and abilities. As Samus Aran's weapons and abilities are unlocked, you get a sense of growth as Samus' power grows with your own mastery of the game. This is definitely the main thing that both Nintendo and Team Ninja have gotten right here. It's that feeling of accomplishment that drives one to keep on playing, anxious to keep acquiring and mastering the new weapons and abilities. I thought it was a nice touch that even bosses can be stunned/disoriented enough to allow Samus to perform a Lethal Strike on them as well for massive damage. These bosses will test your mastery of the Sense Move as well.

On the downside, the game is very linear all the way up until it's finale. You have little to no means of free exploration like previous Metroid titles. The option to freely explore the Bottle Ship is not unlocked until after completing the game, where Samus acquires Power Bombs (usage is authorized while triggering a new enemy type upon using Power Bombs on special doors/walls that require them to be opened). Afterwards, you're allowed to backtrack and explore to reach 100% completion. Since the narrative shows Samus without her armor on multiple occasions, there is no extra bonus for clearing the game in speedy fashion either.

Revision Note (8/12/17): The game does offer a final challenge after the credits roll in the form of an extra boss battle against Phantoon from Super Metroid when Samus Aran returns to the Bottle Ship to reclaim Adam's helmet. Acquiring the helmet after defeating Phantoon triggers the traditional Metroid series "escape" sequence where Samus (in her Zero Suit armor) races back to her ship within five minutes on the timer.

As for the extreme details of the gameplay, hardcore Metroid series purists have sounded off in the comments with their thoughts and weighed in. Truth be told, I'm not a speedrunner nor am I a "hardcore" Metroid player. I have played the bulk of the series over the last few decades and there's things that I like from both Samus' 2D and 3D outings and others I didn't like. This game brought the best of both worlds, while trying something different. It could use some polish but I have played far worse games than this.

Play It or Don't Bother?

Given Samus Aran's portrayal in cutscenes, I could easily give this game the thumbs down. No, that would be too easy, and besides I have played FAR worse games than this. This definitely isn't at the top of my list of favorite adventures with Samus Aran, but it's definitely not the worst game I have ever played. If you can stomach the "teenage girl diary" style cutscenes and melodrama, you will definitely find the some of core elements that make up the Metroid series we all know and love. The first few hours of the game give off a bad impression, but this is one of those titles that rewards its players for sticking through the rough beginning hours.

I give this one a 7.5 out of 10. The story for me hurt the score more than anything but the gameplay makes up for its shortcomings. I humbly suggest that Metroid fans old and new at least play this game at least once to see what Nintendo did well here and what they could improve upon with future Metroid titles.

As a fan of the Metroid series, I want to say that Nintendo were very bold to take a shot in the dark and do a title like this. It's far from perfect but it's definitely a step in the right direction if they want Samus Aran to last in gamers' hearts for another decade or two. There are going to be long-time fans that will be upset on how Samus was portrayed here, but at the end of the day, the actual gameplay speaks for itself. This is STILL a Metroid game and it's far from being a bad one. All that I ask is that my fellow Metroid fans support this title by giving it a fair shot from start to finish before passing the final judgment.

** Update (5/1/2014) ** I humbly respect the feedback that I'm getting on this review out of nowhere lately, but I want to clarify a few things. This game is "good" at being a 2D Metroid game. I get that it's linear, but I'm not faulting the game for that because the number one complaint for most newcomers to this series is that it's so easy to get lost unless you are already a fan and will take the time to find the proper direction on where to go and what to do. This game remedied that in manner than held players' hands more than Metroid Fusion ever did and constantly kept you moving in the right direction.

Is The Other M good in relation to the Metroid Prime series? Hell no. Given the bare bones that this franchise has come from in its beginnings, this was a barely passable attempt to a revision the franchise. Were Team Ninja and Sakamoto Yoshio's combined efforts were at fault for the faults in this game? Of course.

I respect each and every one of your comments below, but in turn, I ask for your respect and don't vent at me like I was responsible for your personal distaste with this game. I honestly enjoyed actually playing this game, but wasn't too crazy about the narrative. I like seeing Nintendo trying new things with this series for it can continue to be a staple of the Nintendo family like the Mario and Zelda series.

Revision Note (8/12/17): After revisiting this game for the first time in five years, I feel the same way as I did from the first time playing this game outside of a few minor tweaks and additions I made to this review. Give this game a fair shot - most will hate and loathe it, others will tolerate it, then a select few will find something to enjoy here.