Metroid Other M's Biggest Flaw: A Lack of Achievement - News
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 15 September 2010 / 3,580 Views
I quit playing Metroid: Other M yesterday. I didn't come into it with high expectations of it being a true successor to Super Metroid. I loved the series' reinvention with Metroid Prime, but I didn't expect Other M to be as groundbreaking as the first Prime, either.
The biggest reason I gave up on the game is really simple: the lack of a meaningful sense of reward. Metroid games have been known for their exploration bits -- I'm fine with Team Ninja's linear take on the franchise -- and taking full advantage of Samus' unique space abilities. Weapon upgrades have always been placed conveniently enough, sure. But the games have always introduced them organically and as if uncovered by mere chance.
Whether it was first-person or by way of its original 2D stylings, the series has always doled out meaningful upgrades to let you access new areas or defeat previously harrowing enemies with ease.
Metroid: Other M upgrades Samus' suit with no real effort from the player and makes acquiring new abilities as easy as progressing the story -- not your personal, gaming experience in the game. It's an interesting take on the "strip all your powers from the beginning to regain them later" template all the games have employed before but its devoid of the same satisfaction that finding them by searching every nook and cranny of the world gives you.
And what makes previous entries into the series so great? Well, the fact that the upgrades you accumulate throughout your adventure can -- in actuality -- mostly be completely avoided (as speed runs often do) and missable. So that any time you actually stumble on one or finally find the route to get to them makes it as if you happened to come across it and feel great accomplishment, a sense of discovery unlike Other M's approach that simply grants you "access" to your already-acquired abilities just by walking down a corridor.
I was able to put up with the weak motivation to continue the story (it doesn't help that Samus is now starring in her own teenage drama) for a bit, but then I hit something I hate even more in games: frustration. Specifically, that which comes with wading through water-y depths... as soon as I plunged into an underwater hallway in Other M, I was done.
Considering the lack of incentive otherwise, I was not about to put myself through the paces of another typical water-based level. That, and Halo: Reach made it to my mailbox today; a lack of engagement is the perfect reason to put it down for Bungie's last foray in that universe.
Have you guys tried Metroid: Other M? Like its new take on weapon upgrades or do you believe Team Ninja needed to go back to the drawing board for a new concept?
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@linkasf People dont stop playing because the game is too hard, people stop playing because they are bored
@linkasf People dont stop playing because the game is too hard, people stop playing because they are bored
All I see here is whine whine whine. "ohhh I couldnt get passed this water area Im gonna stop playing".You must be really bad at this game if u couldnt get passed a simple puzzle.
@mouse_clicker
No, that's progressive game design. I respect your opinions, but I think you're wrong. I had a very similar opinion until i played the game in hard mode. Then I completely changed my mind. I do not back up my arguments because, unfortunately, my english isn't good enough to do that. In any case, I apologize.
BR
alcab: I shouldn't have to access a different level of the game to get the full experience, that's lazy game design. I can see that you don't respect my opinions because they're different from yours. You continually attack straw men of my arguments, and then make statements with nothing to back them up. I'm glad you like the game so much. I wish I did. =/
My personal answer is no i don't like it. Compared to the other metroids its way down the list . In fact it the one i least enjoyed for a variety of reasons including the fact that they turned samus into a crybaby pansy. Give it back to retro i say.
C'mon VGChartz. This? A news article? Whether or not I agree, this is very unprofessional.
mouse_clicker: play this game in hard-mode. Only then will I consider what you say about it.
I respect and I understand you dislike it, but it is obvious you do not have an accurate opinion of what Other M can offer to the dedicated player. It is also obvious you continously need to talk about previous entries to justify many of your statements.
If you play through the hard mode you'll realize 3 things:
- This is ANOTHER METROID.
- Playability is unique and sharp.
-
Simply put: controls are just perfect.
If you finally do this, please contact me and I'll read with interest your thoughts. If you can read spanish and if you are interested, please visit me here:
http://blogs.gamefilia.com/franchuzas/06-09-2010/35680/metroid-other-m
Best Regards
That's my point, I wanted it to be a great game. And it wasn't. Here's why:
-Poor controls. As I pointed out already, the game mostly operates in a pseudo-2D environment that is actually 3D, but restricts you to a digital movement system. This makes platforming and navigating the hallways, especially the fully 3D rooms, awkward at best and frustrating at worst. The first person view doesn't add any new element to the game, and is over-relied upon in puzzles in unimaginative ways. The fact that you can't move while in first person compounds the problem by interrupting the fast paced flow established by the third person combat. The game should either have used an analog stuck for movement or stuck to true 2D environments. Both ways it should have eliminated the first person view, which I suspect was included to resemble the Prime games, because it doesn't work in their game design.
-Boring combat. Partially because of the 3D environments and digital controls, the game used an auto targeting system to make combat work better. However, it also means fighting normal enemies no longer requires any thought, you just mash the 2 button until everything is dead, while simultaneously mashing the D-Pad so you can auto dodge and get a full charge beam. Boss fights are creatively designed and require thought out of the player, which I greatly enjoyed. Unfortunately that same design philosophy wasn't carried over to any other types of combat. I also have issue with the fact that you can restore missiles any time you want. It might be more difficult in the midst of combat, but it keeps out of any real danger. That's just a personal issue, though.
-The story issue. I'm not opposed to a Metroid game having a deep story-- like I already said, the Prime games managed an extensive 3 game arc that was very interesting. I'm not even opposed to Samus having dialogue-- she had dialogue in Metroid Fusion and while being a break from the norm, it fit well into the game as a whole. I'm opposed to a ridiculously complex, melodramatic story that forces me to passively watch every 5-10 minutes. I'm also opposed to the atrocious voice acting, especially from Samus, who sounds as bored as I am during each cut scene. The cut scenes themselves are poorly directed, and rely too heavily on sweeping camera movements and overacting from the characters. I wouldn't like this in any game, which is why I always skip the cut scenes in Metal Gear Solid games.
Poor puzzle design. I'm fine with Metroid: Other M being an action game. The boss fights were always a lot of fun, and I would have loved to see a more action-oriented entry into the series. But the designers tried to force in puzzles, and they just never worked. This ties into the main point of the original article, you never feel like you've achieved something when you solve a puzzle, most of it is just one step away from outright giving it to you. OR, as I already mentioned, the game forces you to use the first person view to meticulously search the area until you linger upon some inconspicuous detail that triggers the next cut scene. The game is not mentally challenging enough to warrant how much they tried to make it puzzle oriented.
There were things I liked about the game. The third person sections had an excellent pace. Graphically it was very impressive. The boss fights were quite good. I just feel like all the negatives outweigh those positives. Even if this wasn't branded as Metroid, I wouldn't be too keen on it. I'd have a few hours of fun shooting up some aliens, I'd skip all the cut scenes, and I'd be pleased for a weekend. But I expect more from a Metroid game. Scratch that, I expect more from a Nintendo game. If a Zelda or a Mario had come out that was made this lazily, everyone would be up in arms.
mouse_clicker: reading your messages I just confirm what I said earlier. There is people who criticize Other M for what it is, and I respect that. Unfortunately, that is not your case. You are one of those people who criticize the game for not being as they wanted it to be.
And, in my humble opinion, that's not interesting, at all.
Also, I don't really care what Nintendo and Sakamoto think about Other M, I don't think it's all that good, and that's really what matters to me, isn't it? Actually, that's not true, I DO care if they think Other M is a great game, because it means I'm going to have to sit through a string of lackluster Metroid titles in the near future. Wonderful.
alcab: Exactly, it's a different way of approaching the Metroid universe that just isn't very much fun to play. I'm not criticizing Other M for not being like Prime, and neither is the author of the article. In fact, Prime is an excellent example of how you take the core elements of the Metroid series-- suit modifications, weapons upgrades, and a massive world to explore in increments as you gain more abilities-- and put it into a completely different gameplay package. You interact with Prime different than the 2D Metroids, but it still feels like Metroid, which is why Metroid Prime was immediately lauded upon release.
Other M just can't decide what it wants to be. It uses a psuedo-2D view that's really 3D, but forces you to use a digital control scheme, it forces the player to sit through long story sequences that aren't just poorly made and acted, they weren't even asked for (there are much better and more interactive ways to tell a story than cutscenes- Prime used scanning, Team Ninja should have been more creative and come up with something new). Nevermind the fact that Other M just doesn't have any sense of exploration. You walk down hallway after hallway, mashing the 2 button so the autotargeting blaster kills everything in sight, and then sit through a boring cutscene where Samus won't stop narrating every little thing she does. Metroid Fusion was overly linear, too, that's true, which is one reason IT was my least favorite Metroid prior to Other M.
Look, I'm sorry there are people that don't think Other M is great. It just feels like a generic action game with poor controls that has been superficially wrapped with a Metroid package similar to how Star Fox Adventures was a generic Zelda-style adventure game wrapped in a Star Fox package.
The main problem I see is that people keep bashing Metroid: Other M for how it is different from Metroid Prime. The gaming press has really failed the gaming community on this game.
Some people have the idea they KNOW exactly what a Metroid game has to offer to be called that: a Metroid game. In fact, it seems they know better than Nintendo, and even Sakamoto.
And so, it is impossible for them to enjoy this game, as it explores a new direction in the Metroid playability.
We can discuss if this is a good or a bad game for its own merits. But criticizing it for not being a Metroid is, in my humble opinion, a waste of time. Other M i exactly that: OTHER METROID, a different way of approaching Samus' universe.
BR
@ AwesomeElmo: So what, you say that fusion was a true metroid game? Even if it was MORE linear? And had no exploration? Or Zero mission? Whats with the scanning thing and collecting information? We had it in the Prime series. And now people are crying, that theres no scanning stuff like its usual in metroid? Other M IS a great metroid Game, but its no PRIME game, thats the difference! People forget the Gameplay in Fusion, Zero mission, Metroid 2 and so on....In fact, THESE games are metroid Games like SM and the prime series...
When Prime was released, everbody was crying that "its no metroid anymore" , "go back to 2D", ... Story repeats, now everybody loves prime and want it back :rolleyes: I enjoyed both games :)
So now CGChartz allow their "collaborators" to turn their rants/disappointments/whatever in official news? And WTF is up with "That, and Halo: Reach made it to my mailbox today".
Honestly... this isn't news, review, preview... not even an article. It's just plain stupid...
As the 3 below me already said, an opinion piece like this has no place as "news." Poor form, VGChartz. Don't diminish the site like this.
I agree with iasta and novasonic, opinions are not news.
Uhg, I'm getting tired of the angry Metroid hate. At least other people hating on this game have finished the game. This shouldn't be in the news section.
Wow, is this a serious site or a personal gaming blog? This kind of "article" has it's place on the forum section, not on the headlines.
I agree with this article. I just finished Other M on hard mode and I don't think I'll be playing soon.
I feel sorry for all the qq'ers in the comments. The fact that you don't allow others there alternative opinions, perhaps suggests that maybe your opinion is not in fact your own but some kind of attempt to convince yourself that you are enjoying the game?
I 100% agree with the author. And keep in mind, that people are not necessarily suggesting that M:om is a bad game in its own right, just that it's not a metroid game. Anyone who claims that:
a) they're a metroid fan
and
b) M:om is a true metroid game
if deluding themselves. M:om discards almost everything that makes a metroid game a metroid game. Trying to convince yourself that the problems are only a small aspect of the game, is only that. "Trying to convince yourself". There are many and vast differences to a metroid game. From extroverted story, to no sense of achievement, to simplified game mechanics, to lack of exploration...I could go on and on but I won't because what's the point when you're just going to say:
"SHUT UP!!! GRRRR YOU'RE NO TRUE FAN!! I DIDN"T WASTE MY MONEY ITS AWESOME!!!"
Now we are crying about upgrades! The challenge is in the gameplay! Go back and try it in hard mode! That's where Team Ninja shines! That alone makes it the one of the hardest Metroids.
Just give me MP4.
Good article. My agreement with it is strictly incidental.
@kfd056: So I only THINK I'm a fan because I didn't think Other M was great? Nevermind the fact that I've been playing and loving the series for as long as you've been alive, I only THINK I'm a Metroid fan?
@mouse_clicker being a fan and thinking your a fan is two different things.
Great game. Same but different exactly what I was hoping for. Is it just me or no matter what game it is people take one or two things they dislike about it and blow it out of proportion? Seems to happen no matter who made it. Which btw, Team Ninja were not the ones with the final say like so many of these articles would lead you to believe. It makes the complaints that much less valid with the information so easily found.
Anyways, sorry some people have not enjoyed it, but I sure hope the next one goes this route, or it goes back to plain 2D.
This article hits the nail on the head, but I don't think it even goes far enough. If anything, Other M actively discourages you from continuing on, not just with its poor sense of exploration or its overwrought story, but through its obsession with requiring inane, arbitrary actions out of the player to advance the game, things like trapping you in first person view until you linger on one inconspicuous detail in the environment. Metroid: Other M is a somewhat decent game, a gem in any bargain bin, but it's NOT a Metroid game in anything but name and appearance. It fails on too many levels to be anything but a superficial imitation. Easily the worst in the series, and easily the worst of the supposedly "big" Wii games we're supposed to get. And before anyone says anything, I'm a huge Metroid fan, I've beaten every single game in the series 100%, and while I definitely prefer some over others, I still love each and every one. I didn't even both to finish Other M, though.
loved the game and hope they make a sequel
Even if M:OM is a great game, game critics can't do anyting else but whine about a small aspect of a game and amplify it to an exagerated level and make it seems like a bad game.
Why can't this game be enjoyed for what it is ? A great action-packed (somewhat linear) metroid.
Everyone were doubting the switch to 3D when retro studio came up with their take on metroid. Both are very different, but very familliar at the same time.
I played all metroid titles (except for metroid pinball) and i must say other m is one of my favorite. I think it's a love it or hate it game. But, it's not a reason to bash on it on a headline ...
Uhh...cool story bro.
I was all set to tear this column apart for being all about "achievements," but here it is actually talking about a real sense of achievement, rather than a slapdash list of arbitrary goals tacked on to appeal to OCD completionists.
Ahem, carry on. Keep up the good work.
just wondering.... who is carlos macias?
just wondering.... who is carlos macias?
You should have played the hard mode before writing this article. Too many people are criticizing Other M before experiencing the hard mode, and that's a huge mistake. Hard-mode shows the true face of this game.
I do not understand the meaning of this article, anyways. I even hesitate to call it that way.
Best Regards.
I'm just gonna say this: Author, perhaps it's time to move out your mother's basement.
I don't like the weapon upgrade either, but I will not stop playing it because of that
Come on, many are complaining, but they forget one important thing (!): Other M is one of the best wii games this year, or maybe of all wii games. I don't really understand why everybody cries, that theres nearly no scanning any more? was it in other metroid games beside the prime trilogy? people complain, that the game is linear. Sorry, but fusion was much more linear than this! And people forget the many things, other m makes better, graphic, story, information about samus, really great battles and fights, ..... I think, that the expectations were too high, people wanted to have a "wow, this is the best game ever" effect, they got a very good game but they dont appreciate it.
I don´t like the "Adam allows it stuff" and that you can't sometimes return to a place. But beside this, I love other M very much, and i played EVERY Metroid game, I like them and I can compare them each other. Other M is one of the best!
Walking on the bottle ship, I HAVE the feeling that I explore it, I always want to see whats behind the door, and I HAVE the feeling of isolation, that something dangerous is in the air.... And THATS what metroid makes great.
I like to play OM, and thats whats most important for a good game....
PS: Some people complain, that samus is too soft and no bad ass anymore. Well, this people obviously haven´t played the prime trilogy, when samus destroyed the impact crater, phaaze, ...and always thinking about it later, melancholic... She was never the bad ass people wanted to see.....
Get over it
I kinda have to agree a bit, but at the same time I still really like Metroid Other M and still see it as a 9/10 type of game. I like it better then Metroid prime 3 :)
To be honest...I never really found any metroid game rewarding when it came to upgrades. My reaction was always "Oh great...now I can open about 30 new doors scattered throughout this huge ass map that I have to retraverse for the 20th time" (Quote assumes no use of any guide, faq, or previous experience). Continuously getting lost in the most frustrating way is what turned me off about old metroid games.
As for the "drama"...god forbid a game character should be allowed any emotion or personality...
My copy arrives today. However, I can say that I am getting more and more upset by the details of how this game pulls away from classic Metroid architecture.
