Metroid: Other M for Wii Reviews by Gamers

Metroid, the other M, is a very solid and entertaining game, marred only by its overuse of cut scenes, and slighlty 'dumbed down' nature. All in all, it's a much easier and linear game then most of the previous ones, but it's still a very fun shooter. The controls were a little baffling at first, but I soon picked them up and had a good time. All in all, it's not perfect, but it's a great start to a far more traditional Metroid. As someone who didn't especially like the 'prime' games, I like the changes.

Metroid: Other M has ruined the Metroid series for me.

My primary criticism is how they've ruined Samus as a character. Before this game, she was voiceless and mysterious, and yet a player could somehow feel a sense of familiarity with her throughout the series. We could infer that she was a loner, but also very heroic and courageous. We also got a peak into her psychological profile during her many interactions with Ridley. Other M ruins this sense of mystery. Now she's been given a voice. She constantly broods over the past and sometimes seems incapable of taking care of herself as she always has. Adding so many other characters that have connections to Samus has ruined her image as someone who prefers to be solitary. Her emotional connections to some of these new characters even effect gameplay at some parts, one of which is very similar the worst part of Metroid Prime, which was my personal favorite game of the series. The Samus established by the Prime trilogy has been tragically murdered. She has lost her depth.

That aside, the combat system was pretty fun. The cutscenes were plentiful and they often dragged on, which could sometimes get annoying. Combat may have been different, but it still feels very strongly like a classic Metroid game. My only criticism of the gameplay is having to switch to first person to fire missiles. You can't move around in this mode and it's impossible to get accustomed to doing this every time a missile is needed.

It's a fairly well-made game, with impressive graphics and combat, but it was far too story-oriented and destroyed many of the themes that defined the previous games in the series. A decent game, but not nearly on par with the usual standard of brilliance for Metroid games.