Metroid: Other M

It's not quite up there with Prime but this is a great action game with a sensational storyline.

Metroid: Other M from Team Ninja is an exciting action-adventure for Nintendo Wii with great gameplay and excellent long-term-value. Although there are some issues with the controls, the game features an exciting story, many things to collect and a much better orientation compared to the Metroid Prime trilogy. Some of the control issues could have been avoided if the developers would have decided to also use the Nunchuk. But nonetheless, it's a worthy addition to the classic series with Samus Aran.

It's hard to completely fault the developers for their flaws because they've clearly made some admirably bold decisions to evolve a franchise that's near and dear to so many. And while it falls a bit short, Other M works as both a Metroid game and Wii title that should please old school fans, while attracting newcomers to a series that deserves a mainstream audience.

At first, I wasn't sure that Metroid: Other M would be a proper Metroid game or even a fun one, but as its action intensified over the course of the adventure, it didn't take me long to dismiss the second concern. As for whether or not it's Metroid ... I finished the game with a 45-percent completion rate, and I'm currently going back through the map looking for hidden Energy and Missile Tanks. You tell me.

Most notably, the game design is innovative and daring, straddling a precarious line between 2-D and 3-D gameplay to make a game that feels contemporary while retaining the classic Metroid appeal.

The effort of Team Ninja and Nintendo working hand-to-hand on the development of a new Metroid iteration is mainly everything a fan of the series could've expected - Isolation, action, love and thrill... Other M's a trip into Samus Aran's mind and feelings. Meanwhile, the gameplay is successful when trying to offer some fun, something that's worth trying. It doesn't matter if you're a die-hard of the franchise or just a curious newcomer, Metroid: Other M hits the spot just where it had to do it, and that's basically everything we've asked for after so many years willing to try some new 2D action based on this heroine.

Other M is definitely worth picking up and totally worth the wait.

It's an excellent shake-up to the series, one that will satisfy long-time fans with an open mind while also able to ease newcomers into the series with a bang of bangs. It may not be the Citizen Kane of gaming, but it's still essential playing.

A modern action epic that feels like a classic.

Metroid: Other M is a constant homage to the series. Its classic gameplay has been revamped and is more action focused, but it retains parts of its past. The game has achieved to turn Samus into a more human character, and the story is much more important this time, which is a good thing.

Metroid: Other M is certainly a different take on one of Nintendo's prestigious franchises, but it works well to the point of being one of the most immersive and story-heavy Metroid games to date.

There is no question, however, that it offers the kind of well rounded, finely tuned experience that we've come to expect of Samus and as the linearity of the earlier parts of the game give way to more freeform exploration, it's clear that it does everything it can to satisfy both newcomers and series veterans alike.

Other M innovates in many aspects and too much. Metroid is in the right way.

What Other M lacks in pure Metroid magic it makes up for in blockbuster thrills.

The graphics are just stunning, and the gameplay works like no other title on the Wii. For fans this one is a must-have, and it's your best start if you haven't played any of the other Metroid games.

Classic gameplay, current technology, epic story and boosted action. These are the keys to understand a Metroid game very different from other titles in the series. It's Team Ninja style powered by the shine of a memorable Nintendo franchise.

While Metroid: Other M isn't without its flaws, specifically awkward controller transitions and some aiming issues, the entirety of the package is quite good.

The decision to give Samus a voice is sure to be controversial thanks to the ho-hum script, and this coupled with a plethora of side characters clamps down on the feeling of isolation. Even so, it's a solid game from top to bottom that rolls the dice several times without them ever coming up snake eyes.

A huge step forward for Nintendo, a company that's been reluctant to push story over gameplay...An excellent experience with great, intense action and an engaging story that turns one of Nintendo's beloved characters into something more than a kick-ass bounty hunter.

Other M is a strong departure from previous Metroid games, with fantastic combat and exciting bosses that make this another great entry in the series.

Team Ninja has done an outstanding job of capturing the feel of the series, while adding their own flavor to the mix. Finally getting to hear Samus was an experience in and of itself. Learning the back story, even if it is a bit wordy and unoriginal, was more than worth the price of admission for this Metroid fan.

The action is all there, the exploration is all there, and despite some hiccups along the way, the experience is definitely worth experiencing for any fan of the series.

While the Wiimote changes may irritate some, what I do like is that the game designers are still exploring the medium, still trying to work out interesting methods to give players more ways to interact with the environment. And it is this willingness to break the mold, to not stick with the formula, that makes Other M such an interesting addition to the Metroid family.

Although Metroid: Other M has a few rough spots, it gets the really important stuff right...Fans will likely find bits to bicker about, but overall Other M delivers the goods. [Oct 2010, p.84]

Loyalists will probably be put off by the game's many (long) low-res cutscenes and the shoddy controls at first, but after about half an hour of play, the pacing starts to really pick up and the game really becomes a joy to play. The game is also pretty hard, and there will be times of extreme frustration when dying countless times, but as long as you can endure that, you're in for quite an enjoyable experience.

Metroid: Other M represents both a return to form for the Metroid series and an evolution of it at the same time. Save for the occasional directional hiccup, the hybrid first and third person viewpoints actually work very well. Combine this with the excellent narrative and well rounded gameplay and Metroid: Other M is a worthy purchase regardless if you're a casual or hardcore fan.

Metroid Other M is very ambitious. Tradition and modern join together to create a new, wonderful experience.

The storytelling is beautiful and cinematic, and the gameplay is enthralling and wonderfully crafted. Unfortunately, the game's short length really takes away from what could have been an outstanding title.

Nintendo and Team Ninja have created a beautiful Metroid game that digs deeper into the past of Samus. This is without a doubt one of the best Wii games of 2010.

While its implementation of the 2-D/3-D hybrid perspective and basic controls work well, far more tampering has occurred here, and much of it for the worse.

Nintendo has a long way to go before it can compete with the likes of Bioshock in the storytelling department, but despite its missteps, this is a great first attempt by the company to hone those skills.

Other than a lack of choice with the controls and a little heavy-handedness in the presentation and direction, Metroid: Other M superbly creates a familiar-feeling Metroid experience that really isn't that familiar at all. And don't worry, your thumb will forgive you someday.

Experimental by design. It might not always work, but when it does its an experience hard to forget, wearing the Metroid tag with pride with its head held high.

This new Metroid is a successful experiment from Team Ninja. If you've ever been curious to know how the old chapters of the series could be in 2010, that's the answer. If only they could arrange better controls.

The latest title in the Metroid Prime series is a welcomed addition. Although not as emotionally loaded as its predecessors, the lackluster controls and Samus occasional attitude problem being irritating, it is a game that should be enjoyed by any fan of the series. Getting to know more about the anonymous bounty hunter was very intriguing.

The unlikeliest of developers has created a game that manages to encapsulate huge chunks of the series' traditions, even as it pushes it onwards in a slick new direction. Metroid has spliced its genes once again, and the results are typically fascinating.

After the brilliant episodes from Retro Studio, renewing the license was a big challenge that the Japanese studio Team Ninja has successfully met, thanks to a smart approach: going back to basics to innovate, taking the best in the series and refresh it. Metroid Other: M is definitely a super Metroid!

Other M dabbles in cinematic tricks and sensational set-pieces, but its strength is in the foundations: it builds an enveloping 3D world from straight lines and right angles, and ups the gears of its rewarding basics constantly. It offers an uncluttered slice of sci-fi action, a singular take on the thirdperson adventure, and a combat system of pared-down beauty.

And it is really good, when its occasionally clumsy controls aren't getting in the way of your ability to enjoy it. Luckily, those moments occur a lot less frequently than the ones that make this game satisfying in all the same ways those old Metroid games were.

In the end, Metroid: Other M is one of Nintendo's most ambitious projects this generation and deserves some consideration for all that it gets right despite a few missteps. It's recommended for Metroid fans, particularly those who want to know more about Samus Aran and her motivations.

As an action does what is proposed and ultimately proves to be a very attractive proposition for the owners of a Nintendo Wii.

It does misfire in several key areas, but it's still a worthwhile addition to the Metroid canon. Even more interestingly, it showcases the human side of the previously silent bounty hunter, and although her backstory is full of holes and incongruities, it's still an interesting glimpse at the woman who lays hidden beneath the armor.

Certainly not the best Metroid game, but definitely a great game in it's own right.

Metroid: Other M has two sides. The presentation is far from perfect, with cinematics that offer cliché after cliché and in-game graphics that aren't as detailed as the Prime-series. But the new gameplay is an unexpected mix between different Metroid-games of the past and impresses. Metroid: Other M takes some time to take off, but once it does, it latches onto you like a Metroid and holds its grip until you've played to the end.

Brilliant retro action game lets you explore the space station premises and fight dozens of extra-terrestrial scum. Surprisingly, nice visuals for the Wii platform! [Issue#196]

While I can't call it a worthy successor to the more recent titles, it does manage to approximate the feel of a Metroid game. For the first and only title that Nintendo has let out of the barn, I'd have to say it is a worthy, if incomplete, effort.

Metroid: Other M might not be exactly how you expected the Metroid series to evolve, but by no means does that mean Metroid's new direction of a more story-driven action shooter isn't the way to go.

Metroid Other M is one of the most accomplished action games on the Wii, but it's let down slightly by some clumsy controls and awkward storytelling.

Metroid: Other M has a lot of flaws, but winds up being greater than the sum of its parts. No matter how annoying the voice work is, or how disappointing the first-person view is, the core game itself is always fun.

Team Ninja is not Nintendo. This could be the perfect description for Metroid: Other M, a competent action game that simply lacks the quality and the level of polishing of the "real" Nintendo games.

Metroid: Other M has missed some of the expectations. The gameplay is flawed by some choices, and the control system is far from perfection. Still it has its merits: graphics are outstanding, and so is the combat, but it lacks most of the atmosphere of the previous installments. Other M is surely a Metroid, it represents a new way in the series, but it cannot stand as its definitive evolution.

The characterization is a bold move, and turns out to be just one of many in Other M that make for a memorable, courageous, but somewhat flawed Metroid.