Topic: Metroid Other M

[gbuell]

I like when Nintendo tries mix things up and try to innovate people complain, but they also complain when they do the exact same gameplay over and over again. They just cannot win.

Totally agree with this. I don't understand why some people think Nintendo's franchises should never undergo gameplay or stylistic changes. Those types of changes are very, very often completely awesome and amazing. See Ocarina of Time and, ahem, Metroid Prime. As much as people complain about Nintendo franchises becoming stagnant and repetitive, Nintendo has to be given a lot of credit for the amount of changes they've made to many of their franchises, given the even louder bellyaching that comes with that. You only have to look at the reception of Star Fox Command, which I thought was an incredibly interesting and unique game, to see what I mean.

[Ian Sane]

I like when Nintendo tries mix things up and try to innovate people complain, but they also complain when they do the exact same gameplay over and over again. They just cannot win.

I don't think it's necessarily the same people complaining about both situations.  And change is not universally good, it is only potentially good.  Metroid remains highly praised as the series has innovated but has also maintained a high quality.  Star Fox has changed a lot as well but the changes SUCKED so Star Fox has lost its prestige.
 
Neither Super Mario Sunshine or Super Mario Galaxy are cookie cutter sequels to Super Mario 64 and yet one is almost unamiously praised while with the other opinions are split.  Both tried new ideas with Mario but I say the basic sum-up is that the waterpack was a lame idea and the planets was a good one.
 
I think a balance of fear and excitement is a normal reaction to an innovative sequel.  Hell, I'd argue if this reaction doesn't occur then Nintendo isn't making a very interesting sequel.  You're excited to see what the end result can be but are afraid that they'll **** it up.  And sometimes even the most talented companies miss the point and turn a beloved franchise into junk.  Hate to pick on Star Fox but there's an example of Nintendo fucking it up.
 
I personally don't have the same trust of Nintendo as I did in the past.  Their interest in non-gamers and their insistence on forcing poor controls down our throats for the purposes of marketing to said non-gamers has created a situation where NO Nintendo game is a sure thing for me anymore.  Except ironically with a cookie cutter sequel like Super Mario Galaxy 2 which I know will be decent because the first game was.  They've become inconsistent, at least regarding my own personal tastes.
 
If Nintendo has set out to make a great Metroid game then there is no worry.  But if Nintendo has set out to make a Metroid game that is successful with the Japanese market that has not traditionally embraced Metroid then there is worry.  The difference in approach can make or break the game and this gen we know Nintendo will go in with a purely market-driven attitude.

[Adrock]

The graphics have that Team Ninja plastic-y look to them. Not a fan of that look, but it's not going to make me not have fun with this game.

The problem with voice-acting and cutscenes is that Nintendo doesn't usually consider that sort of stuff a priority.  So they suck at it....

Dude, Charles Martinet. You lose this argument. Please punch yourself.

[Ian Sane]

Dude, Charles Martinet. You lose this argument. Please punch yourself.

I wasn't even thinking of Martinet when I said that but thinking of him now... I'll punch HIM instead of myself for turning Mario into fucking Ronald McDonald.  Mario went from being a age-neutral videogame character to a kiddy character the second Charles gave him that stupid voice.

[Adrock]

You fail. Please see yourself out.

Mario has universal appeal. He's more popular now than he's ever been.

[Chozo Ghost]

I agree with Ian. Charles Martinet makes Mario sound like Mickey Mouse. They should have used a proper Italian with a proper Italian accent. Instead we get Mickey Mouse, and it sucks.

[vudu]

You make Mickey Mouse seem like a bad thing to aspire to be like.

[BlackNMild2k1]

NoE Press Assets for M:OM

[mantidor]

After reading impressions and seeing screenshots, Giant boobs Samus, the terrible voice acting and one liners are making me cringe, but the gameplay intrigues me and can't wait to try it, I'm not against new things, but it's sad we had to get that crappy generic anime look in the process of reinventing the franchise, in my perfect utopian world Nintendo would take the gameplay and let a western developer do the story and character design.

[Stogi]

I really really hope I end up enjoying the story, but I just can't see Samus acting (or even looking) like this.

[Kairon]

I agree with Ian. Charles Martinet makes Mario sound like Mickey Mouse. They should have used a proper Italian with a proper Italian accent. Instead we get Mickey Mouse, and it sucks.

So... Captain Lou Albano?

[Chozo Ghost]

I agree with Ian. Charles Martinet makes Mario sound like Mickey Mouse. They should have used a proper Italian with a proper Italian accent. Instead we get Mickey Mouse, and it sucks.

So... Captain Lou Albano?

That would be fine, except that unfortunately Captain Lou Albano passed away recently.

[Nemo]

After reading impressions and seeing screenshots, Giant boobs Samus, the terrible voice acting and one liners are making me cringe

http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Bikini

As you can see above, Nintendo has always given her pretty sizable breasts.

[KDR_11k]

The reason game stories suck is because game developers think stories are easy to make and put completely unqualified people on the job. In this case the story is Sakamoto's idea and while he may be a good gameplay designer he clearly has no talent as a writer. That's where the lack of Miyamoto shows, he takes a sledgehammer to story and it's likely warranted if the writers are hacks.

As for the graphics, the picture with Samus and the marines looks like 90s CG, too smooth and shiny. Crappy.

Items unlocked by an officer are the worst possible idea for Metroid. One important aspect of Samus that is communicated through gameplay is that she's independent. There's nobody to help you on Zebes, you do all that by yourself. You decide what to do and how to do it and even if the level design subtly nudges you towards the intended progression you do it because that's what the physical situation requires. Being ordered around with mission goals was already bad in Prime 3 but Fusion was WAY worse with most of your constraints being artificial instead of a natural result of the situation. Instead of doors you lacked the tools to open you got "I'm afraid I can't do that Dave" doors. Now you'll run into physical situations you could solve if you weren't tethered to some idiot denying you the ability (and who wants to bet that we'll have another Fusionesque "you won't get item X because you might interfere with our secret evil plan"?).

Remote sideways makes me wonder how the hell you can fire missiles. Hitting select to switch between guns and missiles is terrible and since the GBA games improved that there should no longer be a need for switching back and forth. Or will missiles be restricted to FPS view?

[Mop it up]

I can't believe someone actually complained about the voice of Mario. Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi couldn't have more fitting voice work.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I can't believe someone actually complained about the voice of Mario. Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi couldn't have more fitting voice work.

I agree Mop_it_up the first time I heard Mario in Mario 64 I thought it was PERFECT.

[broodwars]

It's too bad that Nintendo's too stubborn to borrow ideas from anyone, because I really wonder if they could have followed a similar model for suit upgrades that Batman: Arkham Asylum does.  Batman being a somewhat Metroid-inspired game with plenty of secrets and an emphasis on backtracking and exploration, it makes for a good comparison.  Samus enters the staging area, is told by the Federation CO that her suit functions are too dangerous for the situation at hand and must be left behind.  As the game goes on, Samus has to do...something...in the environment to trigger the ability to call for upgrade drops from her ship up in orbit.  Or perhaps she could find objects in the environment and MacGuiver herself something that her suit could use in place of her usual equipment.  But this is Nintendo, and they always do what's "unique" regardless of "what works best."

[Stogi]

Again, I think you're getting ahead of yourself bud.

[Chozo Ghost]

I can't believe someone actually complained about the voice of Mario. Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi couldn't have more fitting voice work.

Well, to be fair, Ian tends to complain about anything and everything Nintendo does (or doesn't) do. However, on this I have to agree with his complaint because Mario is supposed to be Italian, therefore it would make sense to have him voiced by someone with an Italian accent. Joe Mantegna, anyone?

[KDR_11k]

I think a common complaint is that Mario doesn't even need a voice, those bleeps and bloops in the 8 and 16 bit games were enough.

[NWR_insanolord]

I can't believe someone actually complained about the voice of Mario. Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi couldn't have more fitting voice work.

Well, to be fair, Ian tends to complain about anything and everything Nintendo does (or doesn't) do. However, on this I have to agree with his complaint because Mario is supposed to be Italian, therefore it would make sense to have him voiced by someone with an Italian accent. Joe Mantegna, anyone?

Where in any of Mario's games does it say he's supposed to be Italian? I think that's just an assumption based on Mario being an Italian name (due to his namesake being Italian) and him looking stereotypically Italian.

[Spinnzilla]

Kind of weird how this thread developed into a bitch about mario's conversation.   

But I think we're putting too much pressure on the voice acting.  Some the best games out there have some the worst VA and dialogue...Resident Evil.

Also, I think its refreshing not having to track down most of your powers even though it's a metroid staple.

[mantidor]

After reading impressions and seeing screenshots, Giant boobs Samus, the terrible voice acting and one liners are making me cringe

http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Bikini

As you can see above, Nintendo has always given her pretty sizable breasts.

It is possible that many of us overrated the character and for Nintendo she has always been there to appeal to the male crowd in the way Lara Croft does, however this images appear only for 10 seconds if you become an expert on the game, now we have to see them over and over through the whole game, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's again a zero suit mission.

Its not only the breasts really, but the fact that they are attached to someone who looks like a 12 year old. That generic anime look that Team Ninja always use is horrible, and in no ways portrays what a bounty hunter that has experienced a lot would look like.

And yeah this conversation about Mario is dumb his voice is perfect.

[GoldenPhoenix]

When you wear a super powered suit, it doesn't matter what you look like inside of it. Samus could be 2 ft tall and 500lbs and the suit would still make her an awesome bounty hunter. Besides Nintendo screwed up the character design and look long before Team Ninja did it. You think Zero Suit samus looks like a grizzled bounty hunter? Yeah right. Probably the only instance where she looked that way is Super Metroid at the end.

[NWR_insanolord]

Yes, but that would also mean there's absolutely no reason to ever get out of the suit while on a mission. I'd agree with that, but it doesn't seem like Nintendo does.