Topic: Metroid Other M

[Ian Sane]

No one wanted 1st person Metroid when it was first shown to us.

No, but we did want Metroid in 3D.  It was clear that Metroid had to make the 3D jump somehow.  First person was a daring way to go so people were unsure of it.  But it was clear that Metroid was to move to 3D and that it would have to do it some way.
 
I think the problem is PR.  It's all "dur, we're doing d-pad only cuz we said so!"  No good reason has been given.  We get tons of emphasis on stuff that means jack-**** to Metroid fans like story and action.  Why are you emphasing these things instead of exploration, which is the whole hook of Metroid?  Why when people show concern about this being a Ninja Gaiden-esque action game do you only emphasize features that would be typical of a Ninja Gaiden-esque action game?

[DAaaMan64]

lol d-pad controls is nothing like Metroid moving to first-person. We've all experienced navigating 3D with a D-pad, and it sucks. We know this already.  This is my complaint, not the direction, not the director.

[Dirk Temporo]

This game is so far from really being 3D I seriously can't believe you guys are complaining about the D-Pad.

[broodwars]

This game is so far from really being 3D I seriously can't believe you guys are complaining about the D-Pad.

It's 2010, not 1996.  Basic things like analog stick support should be a given in this day and age, not contentious and expendable.  That this is a 3D game just makes it an even more glaring ommision screw-up, especially from the company who made the analog stick the defacto standard in console gaming with the N64.
 
Like I said, though, this was just one half of the reason I'm not buying this game: I didn't like this level design when Metroid Fusion did it (which is exactly what this game's setup sounds like), and I don't think I would enjoy it any more this time.

[Ian Sane]

The thing with the d-pad is even games that use digital movement and have no need for an analog stick usually allow it if you want.  You can use the stick to play Street Fighter if you want to.  You can play Ikuraga with it (and I usually did since the Cube d-pad was worthless).  It's like hip people know that the d-pad is the way to go with those games but if you want to be a philistine and use the analog stick you can.  And then we have games like Mario Kart Wii and SSB Brawl where you can use the remote or the classic controller.  You have the option.

This is just being inflexible.  If they want to design it for the d-pad, fine, but if I want to muck around with the analog stick I don't see why the option can't be made available.  In fact I find a lot of this remote-sideway only crap to be really annoying.  Super Paper Mario and Warioland Shake It both force you to use it which is quite annoying.  NSMB Wii does not (which is funny because I thought for a long time that it did).  Hell I want more CC support as well but that's a different topic.

Sakamoto does not have to sacrifice his "vision" or whatever to give people the option.  Those that want to play it the intended way can still use the d-pad.

[Luigi Dude]

This game is so far from really being 3D I seriously can't believe you guys are complaining about the D-Pad.

Exactly, this is what more people need to know.  From all the media and video that have been shown, a lot of the gameplay is still very 2D.  Most of the 3D area's that have been shown are just small paths with only a few places to move.  It's no different from an old school arcade game like Ninja Turtles or Final Fight, where you can move in all directions in the screen, but that doesn't change the fact the gameplay is still very 2D at it's core.

[Halbred]

But Ian's right in that there should AT LEAST be OPTIONS for other control schemes. For the love of Mother Brain, even Virtual Console and WiiWare games offer multiple control schemes. Also, if the game really is 2D(which I severely doubt), then at least let me use the nice big D-pad on the Classic Controller/Pro. The itty-bitty one on the Wiimote kinda sucks by comparison.

Wario Land: Shake It didn't bug me so much with the sideways Wiimote because it really is a 2D game, but I still didn't like having to use the tiny little D-pad.

[Mop it up]

I didn't enjoy being forced to use the WiiMote on NMSB,

There is an option to use the Nunchuk in New Super Mario Brothers Wii.

Traditionally, Nintendo games don't have control options. This is really the first generation where they have had a few options, which is usually in the form of controllers instead of customizable button layouts. Usually Nintendo has the attitude that the control setup they implement is best and there's no reason for options, and it would seem that's holding true here.

[DAaaMan64]

If the game play really is as 2D as your saying, then maybe your right, maybe I won't mind it. Guess I'll wait and see.

[Sundoulos]

I didn't enjoy being forced to use the WiiMote on NMSB,

There is an option to use the Nunchuk in New Super Mario Brothers Wii.

Traditionally, Nintendo games don't have control options. This is really the first generation where they have had a few options, which is usually in the form of controllers instead of customizable button layouts. Usually Nintendo has the attitude that the control setup they implement is best and there's no reason for options, and it would seem that's holding true here.

D'oh.  I forgot about that!  And...you're right, sticking to one control scheme is normally Nintendo's m.o.   Sometimes I like the control scheme they've chosen; sometimes I don't.

The control decision bugs me, but it won't affect my decision to get the game.   The fact that the entire game seems to take place aboard a ship doesn't bug me; but that must be one humongous ship!   Seems like they're really stressing a lot of similarities with Alien in this game: the deserted ship, Samus' v.o. dialogue, her maternal instincts towards the "baby," etc.  I'm willing to be that distrust of elements in the Galactic Federation will probably be a strong undercurrent as well.

To be honest, I'm really just sort of happy that Nintendo has never quite abandoned Metroid.   It's never been that popular in Japan, and after Metroid Prime 2 and 3 under-performed, I thought that maybe we had seen the last console Metroid game for a while.  Aside from the original Prime (and perhaps the original game), I'm not sure the series has ever sold in stellar numbers.  As well-regarded as Super Metroid is now, it didn't perform as well as expected in it's initial release.

[Luigi Dude]

Aside from the original Prime (and perhaps the original game), I'm not sure the series has ever sold in stellar numbers.  As well-regarded as Super Metroid is now, it didn't perform as well as expected in it's initial release.

Every main series Metroid game has sold over 1 million copies except for Zero Mission.  Just because the original and Prime 1 are the only Metroid games to sell over 2 million copies, doesn't mean the rest of the series doesn't perform well.  This is why Nintendo is never going to end the series because they know that each game released is almost guaranteed to be a million seller.  Hell, even the spinoffs like Hunters and Pinball managed to do a few hundred thousand copies based on just the Metroid name alone.

People have to realize that the Metroid series is a lot more popular then they think.  Just because it isn't putting up Mario and Pokemon level numbers, doesn't mean it's a small niche series that only the few of us here on the internet know about.

[TJ Spyke]

Luigi Dude, where is your evidence that every mainline game has sold over 1 million? I can't find any reliable source that Metroid Prime 2: Echoes sold over 1 million. Maybe it did, but I don't see the proof.

[Caterkiller]

Did anyone actually look at this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXrGh5Z1aeE

Maybe some of these things that you guys are worrying about are addressed here. Only thing is it
is all in Japanese. 

Any Japanese speakers mind looking at this and just giving some tidbits?

[Luigi Dude]

Luigi Dude, where is your evidence that every mainline game has sold over 1 million? I can't find any reliable source that Metroid Prime 2: Echoes sold over 1 million. Maybe it did, but I don't see the proof.

I just use VGChartz.   Yeah I know a lot of people love to bash them but they rather accurate for game totals over the long run since they eventually steal real numbers from the NPD and the various Japanese trackers like Famitsu and Media Create.  It's only VGChartz weekly numbers that shouldn't be trusted since they just make sh!t up until the real NPD numbers get released and then make adjustments based on what the NPD says.

Last Febuary, Nintendo announced that 76 Wii games had sold over 1 million copies, with 22 of them being first party and 54 being third party games.  Well back when Nintendo announced that I checked out VGChartz and low and behold VGChartz Wii chart showed something very similar.

So unless Nintendo is using VGChartz for their sales data, VGChartz is a source that is reliable for game totals in the long run.  Of course if Nintendo is using VGChartz, then it wouldn't matter if they're reliable or not since Nintendo is believing whatever they say and then Nintendo would believe the Metroid games are doing well no matter what.

[Toruresu]

To me, this game seems like Super Metroid in 2.5d. I know options are great, but really, do you need analog control for a 2.5d game?

I say we just wait until the game is out, and play it for ourselves, then we can judge if the decision to make it d-pad only was a good choice or not.

This games brings something 'new' to the Metroid series, a good story and an emphasis on action. Is this bad? No. Is it different from previous Metroid game? Maybe (depends if you consider Fusion's dialog as story, and MP1-3 cut scenes as story). The action has always been there, always! It's just never been the forefront of the game, because you decided most of the times, if you dodged the monster or killed it.

I agree that this control/story/action discussion is very similar to the "oh noes it's a FPS" of the GameCube era and I bet that in the end, just like the GameCube era, most of us will like the changes made.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

I don't know how I managed to glaze over this earlier, but the press release for the European launch announcement finally shed some light on how the close-quarters-combat works in the game. Excerpt:

In another series’ first, Samus is getting more physical in Metroid: Other M, with a range of melee attacks up the sleeves of her Power Suit. Jump on enemies to perform the powerful Overblast attack, use the 1 Button with precise timing to Counter-attack and finish off wounded enemies with a Lethal Strike. Other new moves include dodging enemy attacks with a well-timed Sensemove and performing a health-restoring Concentration move by holding the Wii Remote vertically and the A Button pressed. Then there’s the new weapon, the Diffusion Beam, which will scatter Charge Beams after impact and hit additional enemies.

[Caterkiller]

Mmmm Diffusion Beam, I like the sound of that!

[Caliban]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IxtUUF-iNo (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHZFwdApitM (Part 2)

Now subtitled.

[Caterkiller]

Thank you Caliban!

That was an awesome behind the scenes look! I have no worries about this game! hopefully that settled some fears for the rest of you!
 
I like the comment that Samus isn't good with people. Thats how I figured she would be if she were real, I can't imagine her hanging out with people. That makes all the internal monologues justified as far as I am concerned.

[Caliban]

As long as we get a bikini Samus at the end of the game... I'm all over this game.

[Halbred]

Caliban, I love the iconic look of your avi. Where'd you find it? Who's the artist?
 
EDIT: Found it. I hope the artist makes a print of it, 'cause I'd buy it on Day 1. This might be my favorite image of Samus ever.

[Caliban]

Took me a few minutes to find it, but here it is Halbred: http://albinoraven7.blogspot.com/2010/04/8-bit-bikini.html

Edit: LOL.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

To tell you the truth, that interview did actually put me a little at ease about Other M. I was reassured by Hayashi-san's honesty about the restrictions of using the Wii Remote by itself and the ways in which his team tried to make the controls feel very natural alongside the action scenes. The raw footage of the game spliced into the interview was also encouraging - it seemed much more fluid than what we've seen in the trailers.


Status has been tentatively upgraded from 'Buy it later' to 'Buy it sooner'.

[Caterkiller]

That a'boy Killer Man Jaro! I'd like to read the opinions of Ian, Daaman, and maybe some NWR staff after that interview.

[Shorty McNostril]

Any ETA on a review?