A solid yet flawed Metroid game
I'm a big Metroid fan, I love the feel of loneliness the games give, the backtracking for hidden items, puzzles and exploration. The problem is that Metroid Other M lacks somewhat in exactly does areas. But makes up for it a lot with the return of classic characters and filling out some of the story behind Samus and the Metroids.
Controls
The game uses a combination of holding the Wii remote sideways and using a first person perspective. Though this takes time to get used to, about an hour in I was doing crazy flips throughout the room and figured out when entering first-person mode was a wise thing to do. The biggest problem with first-person mode is that you are unable to move freely, you can still dodge a bit but this becomes virtually impossible with multiple enemies around and as such you are very vulnerable while in first-person mode. All in all it adds to the difficulty as the opportunities to effectively use rockets become scarce.
Graphics
The game uses what perhaps can best be described as plastic colors, it didn't disturb me personally in fact I think the game looks great as it is. But I must say that, in comparison, I prefer the less bright coloring as seen in Metroid Prime 3.
Sound
The Metroid music will never get old. The familiar tunes will make any Metroid fan fill with joy. There are also some nice details such as the sound of broken glass when Samus walks over some. It is a small thing but something I noticed when playing and it adds to the feel of the game.
Story
This is the heaviest story-filled game in the series. Which is told by CG cut-scenes and in-game voice acting. The cut-scenes are great and even though the quality of the voice acting can be a bit shaky sometimes, it does a fine job delivering the story. Possible problems will arrive for those familiar with the history of Samus. If you place this game in the Metroid timeline, Samus would have destroyed Mother Brain two times, killed Ridley four times, made a species extinct and destroyed countless other enemies. With that in mind sometimes her actions felt out of character to me.
Overview
All in all I enjoyed the game a lot. The controls require some getting used to but after that don't get in the way of the action anymore. The visuals and sounds are great, the story fills a lot of with perhaps the only real downside being the portrayal of Samus as a perhaps too frail woman. Still this is a proper Metroid game and it left me more than satisfied. Any Metroid fan shouldn't be afraid to pick this up, it's a great game for anyone interested in a quality action adventure game.
Score notes
Without revealing anything, the ending felt a bit sudden to me.
Furthermore, the lack of needing to explore the game for every item, the location of every pick-up is given away at the moment you can reach everything and is not an option. Also there is no special ending for getting 100% or completing the game within a certain time.
They are not game breakers but they are things I have come expected from a Metroid game which made me grade the game a bit lower than I would if say this was my first Metroid game.
