Metroid: Other M, Completion

So I finally finished Metroid: Other M a few nights ago. I waited a couple of days to spend some time gathering my thoughts on what to make of the game. This was not a typical Metroid game, but it definitely had the Metroid charm still intact. I also had to keep thinking about how I could even write this blog, avoiding all spoilers.

Unlike many reviews out there, I found the story to be quite interesting. If there are any problems with it, I would say it's that I'm still not a big fan of making Samus look weak and fragile, and that some of the cutscenes are a little lengthy. I like the cutscenes, as they add depth to the story, it's just that it can be a bit odd setting down the controller in my lap to watch a five or so minute scene, after an intense battle.

And boy were some of those battles intense. The developers did a great job with spacing out the battles, and boss battles came as a surprise. In other Metroid games, you knew when a boss battle was about to begin, after entering a rather large room with low music. But many times in Other M, you could enter a giant room only to find it empty with a few common enemies, only to enter a much smaller room not much further on containing a boss/mini boss. Boss battles also aren't rewarding, like other Nintendo games. There usually aren't health, weapon or suit upgrades after battles, which I think is awesome. It's pretty much like saying that the enemy just fought was just part of the game, and nothing more. Why should a larger enemy be so much more special than the common enemy just before it?

That's not to say that the developers did not value the boss battles. Let's just say one battle later in the game is probably one of my top five favorite boss battles in all the Metroid games I've played. They played out that scene perfectly. The atmosphere, cutscene, music, and a very fun battle all combined to form something awesome. It also wasn't until I was later viewing the artwork gallery (common with all recent Metroid games after completion) that I found that a later boss was big fanservice, bringing back a less common boss from a previous Metroid game. Was it the same boss? Of course not, the two bosses had totally different attacks, but unless I'm mistaken, their design is eerily similar.

Oh, and to the reviewer who said that the story was very predictable? I disagree. I kept trying to guess what was going to happen throughout the whole game. The game actually forces the player to do so, with one part of the story arc. On one hand, I was right with how the game ended. On the other hand, I was way off, and the developers did a fantastic job throwing in some twists. One twist I will fondly remember, and it makes me smile every time I think about it.

Overall, I would give the game anywhere from a 8.5 to a 9.0. Yes, my scores went up a little bit as a finished the game. Was it still brutally difficult? Definitely, but the game is really about figuring about the enemy's pattern, and perfecting Samus's attacking forms. That doesn't mean I'm about to start playing Hard Mode. No thanks, I'll pass, unless it unlocks more cutscenes (very doubtful). And to the developer who said about a month ago that even the hardcore gamers wouldn't find more than 30% of the items in the first playthrough? I finished at 100%, so don't go thinking that the items are THAT hard to find, because they aren't. I would say every Metroid game, besides Corruption, have harder items to find, so chew on that.

Finally, thanks to dialogue, I learned that Aran is actually pronounced like the name Aaron/Erin. Even more surprising, Zebes is not pronounced like "Zeebs" as I originally thought. It is pronounced more like Crevice...I was way off.