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.