Hoo boy, I just know I'm not going to earn much fans with this review. This game has garnered so much hatred and controversy that it's become almost impossible to say anything good of it without being fired upon with a Super Missile. But you know what? Screw that. I have an opinion, and dammit, I'm going to share it.
For those of you who don't know, "Other M" is the most recent game in the Metroid saga, the prequel to "Metroid: Fusion" (my favorite game in the series, FYI), and one of the most divisive games of this generation. The reason it's so divisive (if you didn't know already) is that Samus is no longer just a soulless avatar in a Varia Suit, but now a full-fledged, story-driven character. She expresses feelings, and she can be scared, worried, and concerned just as much as she was ruthless and badass in the other games.
This, in my opinion, is a great thing. Nintendo's games have (almost) always been devoid of character or story. Mario saves princess. Link impales Ganon with Master Sword. Wario invents minigames. Random Mii whacks baseball. The End.
"Other M" looks to reverse this trend. No longer is Samus the cold, ruthless warrior we thought she was. She's now what she always has been: human. Emotions and feelings are fleshed out through monologues and conversations. There is a much-criticized cutscene where she stops dead in her tracks after seeing her long-time nemesis, Ridley. This understandably left fans confused; after all, hadn't she just blew him away in "Super Metroid" without a second thought?
But we fail to see the big picture. This pirate, dragon... thing not only murdered her only family, but also wiped out all life on her entire planet. He's a genocidal maniac. And her PTSD leaves her paralyzed and afraid. Only after seeing her best friend die at his hands does she begin to fight back.
Only a real character can have this kind of reaction. This is what I love to see in video game characters: real, human problems that we connect with. We couldn't do this with cold, ruthless bounty hunter Samus. We can with this "softened" Samus, so to speak.
Of course, as I say all these things about one single aspect of a huge game, neglecting to touch on other, important issues, good and bad. For example, the controls. Like "Prime Hunters" for the DS, they take a while to get used to. Trust me, using a D-pad to maneuver Samus around a 3-D space, especially after it was so well done in "Prime 3: Corruption", feels very clunky at first. But like any control scheme, you get used to it and it becomes second nature.
I've touched on Samus turning into a full-fledged character, but I need to talk about the voice acting. At it's best, it's pretty good, but at it's worst, it gets really awful. MB, with her stilted, robotic voice, and Anthony Higgs, with his blatant black mannerisms, are two of the worst offenders. It'd be nice for video games, now an artistic medium like film or theater, to get some actual acting talent behind them.
The soundtrack is alright. There's nothing really memorable aside from music that's been in Metroid games before, such as the awesome orchestral arrangement of Ridley's theme. The music is mostly just atmosphere. That said, some of the battle music definitely has a "Star Trek" vibe, which kind of fits with the aesthetic.
And then there's the issue of Adam giving orders to unlock Samus' equipment. I know it's a little absurd that she has to go through a hazardous area without the proper armor just because Adam didn't say so, but give Team Ninja a break. The "enemies steal powerups" and "Power Suit damaged" situations have become a ridiculous Metroid cliche by now, so this is a neat twist.
All in all, this gives Samus a character we thought she'd never have, and it's something that I must praise Nintendo and Team Ninja for doing. The story is excellent, the graphics and soundtrack look and sound great (and I refrain using the cursed "for a Wii game" phrase), and it's a Nintendo game doing something different. The voice acting is a little iffy, but it's a shortcoming I'm willing to forgive.
Oh, and props to Team Ninja for bringing back Nightmare. That's all that really needs to be said.
Rating: ****
No comments:
Post a Comment