Jay’s Internet Log

I can’t remember the last game I played on Wii.  For at least the last year, the only disc that’s been in the console has been Wii Fit, and that’s just been to weigh myself over time and graph it out.  I’m a longtime fan of the Metroid series, so I decided to give this game a try.  One of my favorite games of all time is Metroid Prime, which was a game that dealt with exploration in first person and developed in Texas.  Other M takes Metroid back to the 2-D realm and was developed in conjunction with two Japanese developers, so it’s easy to assume that the general gameplay will be vastly different, and boy is it ever!  I’ve put about 3 hours into it so far and am probably about a third of the way through the story.  The game largely plays as a two-dimensional sidescroller with depth, meaning that you can move back and forth on the screen, but also into the room and down hallways that lead back and away from you.  You can also aim the Wii remote towards the TV and go into first person mode.

I’ll start off with some of the annoyances I have with the game.    Switching between first and third person isn’t perfect and many times I’ll aim the Wii remote at the TV and not really know where I’m looking at first.  This was incredibly difficult in the first hour of play, but is getting a little easier with experience.  Sometimes, during story moments, you are locked into third person mode, can not fire, jump, or walk fast, and you have to walk around searching for a person.  This is just boring in my opinion, and I’m not sure why this mechanic was brought into the game at all.  Other times you get put into first person mode and can’t leave it until you scan something, but the game never really gives you hints as you to what you’re supposed to be scanning.  I’ll give an example here.  This morning I played for 30 minutes before work.  I killed a boss and then the game put me into first person mode looking at 4 guys who are looking at a downed friend on the ground.  I could scan all four guys, but not the guy on the ground.  I had no idea what I was supposed to do.  I turned all around looking for what I was supposed to scan, feeling useless because I knew it was probably something stupid.  Sure enough, there was a small patch of green blood on the green grass behind me that I had to scan.  I found that quite annoying.  The last thing that’s thrown me off a bit is that some enemies can only die from a single type of attack.  I found some snake creatures that wouldn’t die even though I pumped them full of missiles, but as soon as I ran over to them and did a melee move, they died instantly.  It’s definitely the game trying to get you to use a powerup that was recently given to you, but it doesn’t make much sense.

Other than the few gripes I have that feel to me that beta testing was done by people who actually knew what to look for, the game is fantastic, and I can’t seem to stop wanting to play it.  The graphics are very good for a Wii title, the puzzles have been challenging so far, and overall the title is very fun.  I am especially loving the need for liberal use of the morph ball as there seem to be many morph ball tracks and routes to take.  The voice acting is for the most part well-done, but it could be better.  The backstory and CGI scenes are excellent, and whenever I see an energy tank of missile expansion, I find myself staring at it trying to figure out how to get it, and sometimes I’ll be able to, but more often I realize that I’ll have to come back later with another powerup.

Metroid: Other M seems to be a great addition to the franchise, but I doubt it can closely compare to the awesomeness of the Prime series in terms of depth and immersion.  Even in the first few hours, I have died many times to enemy bosses as the game is very challenging, but I haven’t gotten terribly upset when dying, and the only thing that stopped me from playing was that I had to go to bed, and I had to go to work.  I look forward to completing this game, and hopefully trying to 100% it.  If you like Metroid and own a Wii, you should definitely check this title out.