Metroid: Other M is no Metroid Prime. It's not even a Metroid Prime 2
For Metroid: Other M I decided not to be my usual cheap self and bought the game on release day, something which is rare for me, because I wanted to see it for myself before I got influenced by what other people said about it. Now after a 100% completion I can say I wouldn't take this game over any of the Metroid Primes, personally or to represent the series as a whole. The thing is it didn't disappoint in the way it was most expected to disappoint (by being Team Ninja's MetroiDD Beach Volleyball) but it found other ways to let me down.
Liked
- Fighting certain unexpected bosses from the older games in 3D was cool.
- I like how this game makes the Shinespark a more functional tool instead of a gimmick that's only good for getting hidden items.
- New Power Bomb animation is impressive. It's never looked so powerful.
Didn't like
- The new health system is broken and oppressive and has 'cheap deaths' written all over it. This is something which would have been better off staying the same as the old games.
- Whenever the game locks you into first-person mode whatever happens next will usually not be enjoyable. First-person battles are taxing enough but the pixel-huntinting nonsense, where Samus can't move until the player scans some unmarked part of the environment, is far worse. The one at the very start of the game only held me up for a minute but later ones drove me to GameFAQs twice for a solution. These are stupid and there is no reason why any of them shouldn't have just been cutscenes.
- The parts where you walk around slowly in an over-the-shoulder view are another waste of time. They stop being suspenseful the moment you realise there's no danger and nothing can attack you so all they do is slow up the game.
- The combat didn't impress me. Against anything that can't be dealt with in 1-2 charged shots the best strategy is the repetitive "combat dodge, charge shot, combat dodge, charge shot, combat dodge, charge shot..." These enemies get stunned when they take enough damage and can be finished off with a special close-range move that I'm still not sure how you were supposed to trigger but running up to the stunned enemy while holding a charge usually worked for me. Speaking of special animations they aren't nearly as fun when they happen to you. Getting grabbed in a melee and watching Samus take 60 damage from a scripted attack gets old quickly.
- Doors get locked far too often. Metroid Fusion at least tried to give justification for why places became inaccessible. It didn't just seal off areas you had already been through, with items you could now collect, without a reason.
- The twist of Samus not activating her power-ups until she needs them misses more than it hits but 'acquiring' the Varia Suit deserves a special mention for stupidity.
Final status: tied with Zero Mission as least favourite Metroid.
Liked
- Fighting certain unexpected bosses from the older games in 3D was cool.
- I like how this game makes the Shinespark a more functional tool instead of a gimmick that's only good for getting hidden items.
- New Power Bomb animation is impressive. It's never looked so powerful.
Didn't like
- The new health system is broken and oppressive and has 'cheap deaths' written all over it. This is something which would have been better off staying the same as the old games.
- Whenever the game locks you into first-person mode whatever happens next will usually not be enjoyable. First-person battles are taxing enough but the pixel-huntinting nonsense, where Samus can't move until the player scans some unmarked part of the environment, is far worse. The one at the very start of the game only held me up for a minute but later ones drove me to GameFAQs twice for a solution. These are stupid and there is no reason why any of them shouldn't have just been cutscenes.
- The parts where you walk around slowly in an over-the-shoulder view are another waste of time. They stop being suspenseful the moment you realise there's no danger and nothing can attack you so all they do is slow up the game.
- The combat didn't impress me. Against anything that can't be dealt with in 1-2 charged shots the best strategy is the repetitive "combat dodge, charge shot, combat dodge, charge shot, combat dodge, charge shot..." These enemies get stunned when they take enough damage and can be finished off with a special close-range move that I'm still not sure how you were supposed to trigger but running up to the stunned enemy while holding a charge usually worked for me. Speaking of special animations they aren't nearly as fun when they happen to you. Getting grabbed in a melee and watching Samus take 60 damage from a scripted attack gets old quickly.
- Doors get locked far too often. Metroid Fusion at least tried to give justification for why places became inaccessible. It didn't just seal off areas you had already been through, with items you could now collect, without a reason.
- The twist of Samus not activating her power-ups until she needs them misses more than it hits but 'acquiring' the Varia Suit deserves a special mention for stupidity.
Final status: tied with Zero Mission as least favourite Metroid.