Metroid: Other M
Encyclopedia
is an action-adventure
video game for the Wii
developed by "Project M", a team which consists of staff members from Nintendo
, Team Ninja, and D-Rockets. A part of the Metroid
series, it features gameplay in both first- and third-person perspectives, and is the first installment of the franchise to feature melee
attacks. Other M was released in North America on August 31, 2010, Japan and Australia on September 2, 2010, and in Europe on September 3, 2010.
Impressed with the 2004 action game Ninja Gaiden, series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto
approached Team Ninja to develop Other M, while D-Rockets was brought in to handle the in-game cutscenes. The development team employed a simple control scheme to make the game more intuitive and attractive, and gave significant focus on plot and characterization, with extensive usage of cinematics and voice acting. Chronologically, Other M takes place next-to-last in the Metroid universe. The events of the game take place between Super Metroid
and Metroid Fusion
. The story follows bounty hunter
Samus Aran
, who investigates a derelict space station along with a Galactic Federation platoon, which includes her commanding officer
, Adam Malkovich.
Other M has met with positive reviews, and received an aggregate score of 79% on both GameRankings and Metacritic
, with much praise to its gameplay, graphics and overall atmosphere. Criticism was raised on its script, dialogue, and cutscene length, with Samus' portrayal considered a deviation from the character. Other M received an Editors' Choice Award and the award for "Coolest Atmosphere" of 2010 from IGN
, was nominated for Best Wii Game of the 2010 by GameTrailers
and picked by Wired
as one of the best games of the year, but was also chosen as one of the worst games of the year by Entertainment Weekly
and Attack of the Show!
. It was the third best-selling video game in Japan during its week of release, and it was the ninth best-selling game in North America during September 2010; though the long-term sales numbers were considered disappointing by Nintendo.
, tell the player where to go, and the in-game map highlights the next objective. The gameplay revolves around solving puzzles to uncover secrets, platform jumping
, and shooting enemies. While there are power-ups scattered around the Bottle Ship, a few items are already equipped by Samus, but she cannot used them until commanding officer Adam Malkovich authorizes her to do so. Unlike other games in the series, enemies do not drop items, with the restoration of health
and ammo occurring either by using the Navigation Booths, or employing of the Concentration technique, where Samus rests and replenishes missiles and health.
The regular gameplay features a third person perspective, where players hold the Wii Remote
horizontally. Samus can jump, fire the arm cannon, and turn into a morph ball, which can roll into narrow passages and drop energy bombs. While gameplay is similar to early Metroid titles, the game's environments are three-dimensional and movement is not limited to a two-dimensional plane. Other M is the first in the series to feature a melee
combat system. With well-timed button presses, players can use special techniques such as the Sense Move, which allows them to dodge enemy attacks, and the Overblast, where Samus jumps on the enemy and fires a charged shot at point-blank range.
When the Wii Remote is pointed towards the screen, the angle switches to a first-person view, where players can lock onto targets and fire missiles; however, players cannot move in this perspective. There are several instances where players will have to constantly switch between play modes; for example, fighting off a horde of flying enemies in third person, while switching to first person to destroy their spawn points. Additionally, the first-person mode is also used in exploration, such as locating hidden items.
in an android body named MB. It is modeled after Mother Brain
and is able to communicate with Metroids through telepathy. The story takes place between Super Metroid
and Metroid Fusion, and the opening cutscene
of Other M is a flashback of the climactic battle with Mother Brain at the conclusion of Super Metroid.
The player takes on the role of bounty hunter
Samus Aran
, who investigates the Bottle Ship after receiving a "Baby's Cry"-type distress signal
. Upon docking, she encountered the squad she had been a part of when she had been enrolled in the Galactic Federation Army, the 07th Platoon, consisting of several soldiers: Adam Malkovich, the commanding officer
to Samus during her time in the Federation; Anthony Higgs, the point man of the 07th Platoon and Samus's past colleague; Lyle Smithsonian, a special forces
trooper in charge of demolition assignments and who suffers from entomophobia
; K.G. Misawa, the recon scout; Maurice Favreau, the engineer; and James Pierce, a communications expert. Midpoint in the game, Samus learns that the Federation soldiers are mysteriously killed by a secret assassin among their ranks, who she calls "the Deleter", and whose identity is never explicitly revealed in the story. Other characters include Dr. Madeline Bergman, the site manager and development director of the Bottle Ship's secret projects; and MB, nicknamed Melissa Bergman, an android created to replicate Mother Brain's artificial intelligence.
from a dormant "Bottle Ship", which floats a short distance away from a Federation vessel. Upon stepping into the ship, Samus encounters the Galactic Federation 07th Platoon, which has some soldiers who fought alongside her in the GF military, such as point man Anthony Higgs, and Adam Malkovich, her commanding officer in the Federation Army. Adam treats her very harshly due to the circumstances of her departure from the army, calling Samus an "outsider" and ordering his team not to reveal any details of their mission to her. He eventually accepts her after she saves them from monsters, and from then on starts authorizing different items for Samus to use, on the condition of her completely obeying his orders. Adam also assigns the 07th Platoon to go on solo searches to investigate the Bottle Ship. As Adam orders everyone to regroup at the Exam Center of Sector 1, the Biosphere, Samus and the platoon discovers that the ship's director, Dr. Madeline Bergman, had conducted research on illegal bioweapons for the Federation. Samus is ambushed by cybernetically enhanced Zebesians during the investigation, separating her from the others. She then finds the platoon under attack by a large lizard-like creature, who viciously singles out Samus as a target upon her arrival. After the attack, Samus discovers Lyle's shredded corpse and the molted shell of the bird-like creature nearby, and is ordered to follow the creature to Sector 3, the Pyrosphere.
After reaching a dead end, Samus is ordered to go to Sector 2, the Cryosphere. While there, she finds a survivor and tries to convince her that she is here to rescue her. However, a soldier from the 07th Platoon attacks her and the survivor. Samus then learns that the soldiers are mysteriously killed by a traitor, who she calls him "the Deleter". Returning to the Pyrosphere, Samus saves Anthony from a Anomalocaris
-like creature and, possessing conflicting feelings about Adam, remembers the events leading to death of his younger brother, Ian Malkovich. During her investigation in the Geothermal Power Plant, Samus encounters the dragon-like Ridley
, revealed to have been cloned after his death and metamorphosed from the lizard-like monster that attacked her earlier. Adam tries to get through to Samus, though he is suddenly attacked. Anthony confronts Ridley, but is seemingly killed in the process—angered by Ridley's actions, Samus fights him. When reaching the Bioweapon Research Center, Samus again finds the mysterious woman, who claims that she is Madeline Bergman. She informs Samus that Sector Zero, a recreation of the Space Pirates' base in Zebes, was used to breed the seemingly extinct Metroids, and there they are controlled by an AI
named "MB", modeled after Mother Brain. Samus sets out to destroy the sector. However, Adam stops Samus from entering and tells her that the Metroids on board cannot be frozen. He orders her to locate a survivor in Room MW toward the rear of the Bioweapon Research Center and to defeat Ridley. He also tells her that he will sacrifice himself by destroying the sector.
Following Adam's orders, Samus returns to the research center, where she finds the body of James Pierce, as well as the drained, mummified remains of Ridley in another room. She later discovers the survivor Adam mentioned, who opens a large, dark room, where Samus discovers that the room is filled with Metroid Eggs, and battles a Queen Metroid occupying the area. Samus then finds the survivor, who reveals herself as Madeline Bergman. Bergman tells Samus the woman she met before was MB, dubbed as Melissa Bergman, who took an android body to build an ideal relationship with the Metroids. After developing emotions, MB revolted and developed a personality similar to Mother Brain, telepathically ordering the cloned Zebesian life forms on the ship to attack. Samus and Madeline are then confronted by MB herself, pointing a Freeze Gun at them. Despite Samus' objections, Madeline attempts to negotiate with MB, who insists that all humans should be "judged". She is frozen by a group of Federation Marines, but quickly thaws off, summoning the Bottle Ship's most dangerous creatures to attack everyone. On the Federation colonel's orders, MB is killed by the Marines. The colonel praises Samus for her involvement in the mission, but orders a Marine to escort her back to her ship, as she is no longer part of the Federation unit due to everyone in the platoon dying, and thus she cannot have any contact with Madeline. However, the Marine reveals himself as Anthony, stating that his orders, under the chairman of the Galactic Federation, are to ensure the "safety of any survivors". The three of them leave for Galactic Federation Headquarters, with Samus questioning whether MB was truly evil all along, or if she was a mere android who had a consciousness awaken in her, only to be driven mad by the greed of humans. At Galactic Federation Headquarters, Samus resolves not to grieve Adam's death.
Days after the incident, the Galactic Federation has decided to destroy the Bottle Ship by using its self-destruct mechanism. Before that happens, Samus flies back to recover "something irreplaceable". After battling a Phantoon, a monster Samus had also fought in Zebes, she arrives at the control center and discovers Adam's platoon helmet. The Bottle Ship's self-destruct sequence is remotely activated, and the game ends with Samus clutching Adam's helmet as she escapes from the Bottle Ship before it is destroyed.
, Team Ninja, and D-Rockets, with production lasting for three years. When the Wii console released in 2006
, Nintendo producer and chief Metroid
designer Yoshio Sakamoto
decided to create a new Metroid game for it, but opted to work with an outside company, as his usual development team "didn't actually have the know-how to produce something that was 3D". Eventually, Sakamoto approached Yosuke Hayashi of Team Ninja to discuss the incorporation of the flashy Ninja Gaiden engine
into a new engine to encompass his new vision of a 3D Metroid game. Sakamoto served as producer and scenario designer, and main design was done by three designers from the Game Boy Advance
titles of the series, Metroid Fusion
and Metroid Zero Mission. Team Ninja took charge of the programming and 3D modeling
, and D-Rockets handled the CG
cutscenes. Hayashi described the work on the game as "a great honour" since he was a fan of the series, and stated Team Ninja tried to include as many creatures seen in previous games as possible.
While Retro Studios
tried to create "the ultimate first-person experience" with the Metroid Prime
series, Sakamoto's approach with gameplay was different, particularly for the story Other M intended to tell. When Sakamoto met Team Ninja, he said his intent was a game with "controls as simple as those of a NES
game", so it would appeal to modern players. Team Ninja agreed with that approach, as they felt control schemes with excessive buttons were possibly turning players off the action genre, and tried to make the game employ only the Wii Remote, without resorting to the Nunchuk expansion. The development team also tried to use the simpler controls to provide flashy action, with varied special attacks that would need few button inputs to be executed. Sakamoto focused on 2D-like gameplay because he considered it more "comfortable" for audiences, particularly during shifts from gameplay to cutscenes, as he thought 2D "[doesn't] have the same distractions when you want to give them story sequences". While the developers felt no need to integrate everything from the Prime series as they were games with different concepts, a few of the elements that "made those games unique" were implemented into Other M, such as the "immersive sight" of the first-person mode. When questioned if Other M would be too similar to Ninja Gaiden, Yosuke Hayashi responded that while the new game will feature heavy action-based sequences, there will still be the exploration-based sequences characteristic of other Metroid games. Yoshio Sakamoto said that Other Ms story progression was in the same manner as Metroid Fusion
, and stated that the collaboration between Nintendo and Team Ninja is "unlike anything that's ever been done at Nintendo; it's more than just a collaborative effort — it's one group working toward a common goal".
Before Other Ms development, Sakamoto did not think too much about "what kind of person Samus Aran was and how she thinks and her personality", particularly because the games tried to depict Samus as a mysterious person. Sakamoto and Team Ninja put much focus on backstory in the game to present Samus as an "appealing human character", something important for future installments, as players would get further interest in Samus' adventures. Hayashi said that one of the development team's goals was to have the player "connect with Samus as the story and action develops". Sakamoto also said the game would "bring everyone up to the same level of understanding in the Metroid universe", and would not only introduce the series to new players but also create new challenges for fans. The chronological setting between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion was chosen because Sakamoto considered the period "so critical that without addressing it, we wouldn't be able to make new games that show Samus' adventures that take place after the events of Metroid Fusion".
D-Rockets, a company specialized in CG
animation for video games and commercials, was brought into the project for its in-game cinematics on Team Ninja productions. Director Ryuji Kitaura said when Nintendo gave him the instructions, he considered the work "overwhelming" - most of D-Rockets work only involved high-quality CG, while Nintendo aimed to "make the parts of the game that the player controls the same quality as the cinematics, in order to make them seamless" and Sakamoto intended to cutscenes to give emotional depth to Samus. Team Ninja and D-Rockets worked separately most of the time, and only started to collaborate about a year into production, to make sure the in-game action and the cutscenes had the same style. Over 300 storyboard
s which took six months to be completed, and ten teams were employed on the development of cutscenes. For increased realism, professional camera operators helped with the motion capture
, and Samus' face had a more detailed frame to make expressions more lifelike. Kitaura tried to include more scenes with Samus outside her powered armor, to illustrate "the human, weak side of Samus, her expressions and gesture", but Sakamoto convinced him otherwise with a declaration that the Power Suit acts as a shield for both enemy attacks and the reveal of her emotions. Other M uses a dual-layer disc due to "the amount of cinematics". In a September 2011 interview with G4 TV, Hayashi explained that the game's story was "definitely the product of Mr. Sakamoto at Nintendo. We definitely worked with them on the project, but that was all him." As a special feature, players can unlock "Theater Mode", a two-hour film presentation, upon completion of the game. Divided into chapters, this film contains every cut-scene of the game, along with several clips of gameplay footage recorded by the developers.
. The team was hired Haishima to write the music because the producers felt he could "tell the story with melodies" and "powerfully [helped] us depict Samus's feelings and emotions". Part of the soundtrack were recorded and performed by Arigat-Orchestra in Tokyo
and Asian Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing
. For the game's voice acting, Jessica Martin was cast to play Samus in the English version, and said that recording sessions took over a year which resulted in the voice cast being required to record lines with storyboards and unfinished cutscenes as basis. Adam Malkovich was voiced by Dave Elvin; and Mike McGillicuty provided the voice of Anthony Higgs. In Japanese, seiyūs
Ai Kobayashi
, Rikiya Koyama
, Kenji Nomura
and Shizuka Itō
provided the voices of Samus, Adam, Anthony and MB respectively. Seattle-based Bad Animals Studio
and Ginza
-based Onkio Haus
respectively recorded voice-overs in English
and Japanese
languages.
Since Other M uses a dual-layer disc, Nintendo has admitted that some Wii consoles may have difficulty reading the high-density software due to a contaminated laser lens. Nintendo is offering retail lens cleaning kits and free console repairs for owners who experience this issue.
. Fils-Aime stated that Metroid: Other M would "take you deeper into Samus' story", and also noted that the game would be a return to the style of the traditional series as opposed to the Metroid Prime
series, though the game would have a "harder edge". On E3 2010, the game had a playable demo, which GameTrailers
picked as Best Wii Game and Action/Adventure Game of the expo, and was nominated for Game of the Show. Previews of Other M were also featured in the 2010 editions of Game Developers Conference
and Nintendo Media Summit. Fils-Aime declared interest in global sales between 1.5 and 2 million units.
Metroid: Other M had an original release date of June 27, 2010, but it was postponed by two months; it reached North America on August 31, as the high standards of the development team got them behind the completion schedule. In other territories, Other M was released on September 2 in Japan and Australia, and one day later in Europe, where its release was preceded by a big marketing campaign with television spots, trailers at theaters, and online ads. Prior to the game's release, an "Art Folio" was offered by GameStop
to players who preordered Metroid: Other M either online or in store, containing 16 individual high-quality cards with concept artwork, in-game screenshots, and a description from Samus' perspective.
Other M was the third best-selling video game in Japan during its week of release with 45,398 copies sold. It sold an additional 11,239 copies the following week. It placed twelfth in the United Kingdom
during its first week, but failed to chart the following week before it had fallen out of the top 40. It was also the ninth best-selling game in North America during September 2010, selling 173,000 units. By November 2010, Other M had yet to sell a "half a million" units in the United States, far below Nintendo's expectations.
and GameRankings, based on 71 and 52 reviews respectively. Critics' reception of the title's gameplay was positive. GameSpot
praised the control scheme, combat system, and the search for secrets; they wrote that the former two were "unique and responsive" and the latter was "very rewarding". Famitsu
reveiwers complimented the Sense Move technique as "by far the best", and the switch between perspectives, which "works surprisingly well". IGN
called the gameplay "a really impressive evolution of the old-school Metroid design", and GameTrailers
described it as "a nice compromise between satisfying fans and opening up the series for a wider audience". Bob Chipman of ScrewAttack
described the use of the directional pad for 3D controls as "innovative". Good Game
s two presenters "enjoyed the atmosphere of it [...] and was quite hooked to keep making progress". The game's graphics were also well-received, garnering some acclaim. Eurogamer
exclaimed that Other M bears graphical similarities to Metroid Prime
which "tend to come across as nicely-built video game levels at best". IGN claimed that despite the graphics was not on the same standard as the Prime series, it was still regarded as "one of the best looking games on Wii". The Daily Telegraph
described the environments as "lush and detailed", and said they helped "capturing the ethos
of old-school Metroid". IGN also praised the game's "storytelling with motion-captured acting and voice-over", and Wired
applauded cutscenes "with slick graphic effects". The music was praised as atmospheric and faithful to the franchise, though GameSpot felt they were "more like outtakes from older entries than a moody new soundtrack".
Complaints were raised on the first person perspective. The A.V. Club
s David Wolinsky felt that the "Where's Waldo?
-like sequences" were irritating. Similarly, Ryan Scott of GameSpy
complained that they were "oh-god-I'm-going-to-snap-the-disc-in-half frustrating" and considered the perspective a "weird forced handicap", while Official Nintendo Magazine commented that "[t]hese bits are atrocious" and took "20 frustrating minutes trying to figure out what we were supposed to look at during one scene, only to realise there was a tiny green patch of liquid on the grass". Game Informer expressed disappointment that "[it] also takes away your ability to move [while in first person view]". Critics responded poorly to the mechanic of power-up restriction; they derided it as a deviation from the series' tradition of item discovery, and even more strongly criticized it as nonsensical and condescending in terms of story. GamesRadar
derided the game's linearity in comparison with Metroid Fusion, a game which took a similar approach. The website also found the enemies to be a "a largely unimpressive collection", a gripe which Edge
also had; it wrote that "truly testing enemies are only found in the last stretch". Other Ms short length was criticized by reviewers, by critics such as GameTrailers, which writes that the bonuses such as art galleries were not stimulating enough to entice replay value.
Major criticism focused on the script, dialogue, and cutscene length. GameSpot felt that the "unskippable" cutscenes and "the overabundance of story in Other M were a negative deviation from Metroid tradition". Game Informer
states that they "often run as long as 15 minutes, exhausting players with repetition of obvious plot points and overwrought dialogue as mature and interesting as a teenager’s diary" and declared Samus as "[t]he biggest culprit in the bad storytelling". 1UP.com
complained that as the game progresses "instead of getting more of the things that work [combat], you get more of the things you don't care about [overwrought story]". Reviewers described the dialogue as "sounding like they came from a tween drama" and cited the plot as "the future's dumbest soap opera
". Wolinsky echoes the misgivings about Samus's immaturity, petulant behavior, and misguided loyalty. GamePro
writes that while the story and Samus' monologues did not compel them, "it helped contextualize her entire existence" which developed the character to "an actual human being who's using the vastness of space to try and put some distance between herself and the past". Chipman applauded the elaboration on Samus's character. He argues that her breakdown is an accurate depiction of posttraumatic stress disorder and that she is portrayed as a three-dimensional character, a step up from the fans' long-standing misconceptions of Samus as "pathologically emotionless man-hating ice queen". Contrarily, Justin Haywald of 1UP.com found the portrayal "lifeless and boring" and "nonsensical". G4 TV
's Abbie Heppe considered a portrayal of Samus as "sexist"; she wrote that she "cannot possibly wield the amount of power she possesses unless directed to by a man", and found that her anxiety attack cannot be reconciled with her previous portrayals. However, Chipman feels that "supposedly enlightened gamers and game commentators" are making gender assumptions that are "all in [their heads]." Luke Plunkett of Kotaku
felt that may fans have "[blamed] the game's developers, Team Ninja for [the game's story], but that's not very fair. You need to blame [Sakamoto] instead."
. IGN
also gave the game an 'Editor's Choice' award. GameTrailers
nominated Other M for Best Wii Game of 2010; however, it ultimately lost to Super Mario Galaxy 2
, while Wired
listed it 12th on its list of the twenty best games of the year. On the other hand, X-Play
chose Other M as "Game That Gave Us The Biggest Headache"; they wrote that it was a "morass of bad decisions", from the controls to Samus' portrayal. Another G4 program, Attack of the Show!
, named Other M one of the worst games of the year. Entertainment Weekly
chose the game as the second worst of 2010. GamesRadar chose Other M as the "Mangled Makeover" of 2010; they wrote that it painted Samus, widely considered a strong female lead character, as "an unsure, insecure woman who desperately wants the approval of her former [male] commanding officer". GameTrailers additionally nominated the game for the Most Disappointing Game of 2010, but also praised the game for its wonderful graphics and gameplay. Ben Croshaw
of The Escapist
ranked Other M as the second-worst game on his list of "Top 5 of 2010." He likened it to "mistaking a deep fat fryer
for an eyewash
station," saying that her portrayal in the game was a "desecration of classics" comparable to "farting the Moonlight Sonata," given how powerful she'd been portrayed as in earlier games. Game Informer
listed Samus first on their list of the "Top 10 Dorks of 2010" due to her "lame backstory" and placed Other M third on their "Top 10 Disappointments of 2010" list, ranking behind "studio closures, layoffs, [and] restructurings" and the "Infinity Ward debacle".
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
developed by "Project M", a team which consists of staff members from Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, Team Ninja, and D-Rockets. A part of the Metroid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
series, it features gameplay in both first- and third-person perspectives, and is the first installment of the franchise to feature melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
attacks. Other M was released in North America on August 31, 2010, Japan and Australia on September 2, 2010, and in Europe on September 3, 2010.
Impressed with the 2004 action game Ninja Gaiden, series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto
Yoshio Sakamoto
is a Japanese video game designer working for Nintendo. He is a key member in the development of the Metroid series, having worked as director, scenario designer, and script writer for many of the games. Sakamoto grew up with Nintendo toys, which he noted to be inventive and occasionally "strange"....
approached Team Ninja to develop Other M, while D-Rockets was brought in to handle the in-game cutscenes. The development team employed a simple control scheme to make the game more intuitive and attractive, and gave significant focus on plot and characterization, with extensive usage of cinematics and voice acting. Chronologically, Other M takes place next-to-last in the Metroid universe. The events of the game take place between Super Metroid
Super Metroid
, also known as Metroid 3, is an action-adventure video game and the third game in the Metroid series. It was designed by Nintendo Research & Development 1, programmed by Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
and Metroid Fusion
Metroid Fusion
, also known as Metroid 4, is an action-adventure video game published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2002, and in Japan in February 2003. The game is the fourth main installment in the Metroid series...
. The story follows bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
Samus Aran
Samus Aran
is the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female ex-army soldier bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles...
, who investigates a derelict space station along with a Galactic Federation platoon, which includes her commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
, Adam Malkovich.
Other M has met with positive reviews, and received an aggregate score of 79% on both GameRankings and Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, with much praise to its gameplay, graphics and overall atmosphere. Criticism was raised on its script, dialogue, and cutscene length, with Samus' portrayal considered a deviation from the character. Other M received an Editors' Choice Award and the award for "Coolest Atmosphere" of 2010 from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, was nominated for Best Wii Game of the 2010 by GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
and picked by Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
as one of the best games of the year, but was also chosen as one of the worst games of the year by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show! is an American live television program shown weeknights on G4, G4 Canada and Fuel TV in Australia. The program is hosted by Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey...
. It was the third best-selling video game in Japan during its week of release, and it was the ninth best-selling game in North America during September 2010; though the long-term sales numbers were considered disappointing by Nintendo.
Gameplay
As in previous Metroid games, Metroid: Other M is set in a large open-ended world with elevators that connect regions. Each elevator contains rooms separated by doors, which mostly open automatically, but sometimes need a special action to be unlocked. Other M unfolds in a more linear manner due to its focus on storyline; Navigation Booths, similar to the Navigation Rooms from Metroid FusionMetroid Fusion
, also known as Metroid 4, is an action-adventure video game published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2002, and in Japan in February 2003. The game is the fourth main installment in the Metroid series...
, tell the player where to go, and the in-game map highlights the next objective. The gameplay revolves around solving puzzles to uncover secrets, platform jumping
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, and shooting enemies. While there are power-ups scattered around the Bottle Ship, a few items are already equipped by Samus, but she cannot used them until commanding officer Adam Malkovich authorizes her to do so. Unlike other games in the series, enemies do not drop items, with the restoration of health
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
and ammo occurring either by using the Navigation Booths, or employing of the Concentration technique, where Samus rests and replenishes missiles and health.
The regular gameplay features a third person perspective, where players hold the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
horizontally. Samus can jump, fire the arm cannon, and turn into a morph ball, which can roll into narrow passages and drop energy bombs. While gameplay is similar to early Metroid titles, the game's environments are three-dimensional and movement is not limited to a two-dimensional plane. Other M is the first in the series to feature a melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
combat system. With well-timed button presses, players can use special techniques such as the Sense Move, which allows them to dodge enemy attacks, and the Overblast, where Samus jumps on the enemy and fires a charged shot at point-blank range.
When the Wii Remote is pointed towards the screen, the angle switches to a first-person view, where players can lock onto targets and fire missiles; however, players cannot move in this perspective. There are several instances where players will have to constantly switch between play modes; for example, fighting off a horde of flying enemies in third person, while switching to first person to destroy their spawn points. Additionally, the first-person mode is also used in exploration, such as locating hidden items.
Setting and characters
Metroid: Other M mostly takes place in several locales around the Galactic Federation Bottle Ship. The main environment is the vessel interior, known as the Main Sector, along with the other environments that are contained in "sectors" or gigantic spheres within the ship. The ship is later revealed to be a secret facility which contains many different lifeforms with the purpose of turning them into bioweapons, and is also breeding an army modeled after the Zebesian Pirate forces. The facility eventually abandoned them after the crew managed to breed a Queen Metroid and propagate Metroids in Sector Zero and interfaced with them via an artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
in an android body named MB. It is modeled after Mother Brain
Mother Brain (Metroid)
is a fictional video game villain created by Nintendo for the Metroid series. She is a large brain with one eye, who sits in a large jar. From this jar, she controls the Space Pirates on Zebes. She is killed multiple times by series protagonist Samus Aran...
and is able to communicate with Metroids through telepathy. The story takes place between Super Metroid
Super Metroid
, also known as Metroid 3, is an action-adventure video game and the third game in the Metroid series. It was designed by Nintendo Research & Development 1, programmed by Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
and Metroid Fusion, and the opening cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
of Other M is a flashback of the climactic battle with Mother Brain at the conclusion of Super Metroid.
The player takes on the role of bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
Samus Aran
Samus Aran
is the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female ex-army soldier bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles...
, who investigates the Bottle Ship after receiving a "Baby's Cry"-type distress signal
Distress signal
A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals take the form of or are commonly made by using radio signals, displaying a visually detected item or illumination, or making an audible sound, from a distance....
. Upon docking, she encountered the squad she had been a part of when she had been enrolled in the Galactic Federation Army, the 07th Platoon, consisting of several soldiers: Adam Malkovich, the commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
to Samus during her time in the Federation; Anthony Higgs, the point man of the 07th Platoon and Samus's past colleague; Lyle Smithsonian, a special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
trooper in charge of demolition assignments and who suffers from entomophobia
Entomophobia
Entomophobia is a common fear of or aversion to insects and similar arthropods, and even other terrestrial invertebrate animals, such as worms. Commonly, this condition might be referred to as the "fear of insects or bugs". This condition causes a slight to severe emotional reaction, a form of...
; K.G. Misawa, the recon scout; Maurice Favreau, the engineer; and James Pierce, a communications expert. Midpoint in the game, Samus learns that the Federation soldiers are mysteriously killed by a secret assassin among their ranks, who she calls "the Deleter", and whose identity is never explicitly revealed in the story. Other characters include Dr. Madeline Bergman, the site manager and development director of the Bottle Ship's secret projects; and MB, nicknamed Melissa Bergman, an android created to replicate Mother Brain's artificial intelligence.
Plot
A few weeks have passed since the destruction of Zebes. Samus Aran receives a distress signalDistress signal
A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals take the form of or are commonly made by using radio signals, displaying a visually detected item or illumination, or making an audible sound, from a distance....
from a dormant "Bottle Ship", which floats a short distance away from a Federation vessel. Upon stepping into the ship, Samus encounters the Galactic Federation 07th Platoon, which has some soldiers who fought alongside her in the GF military, such as point man Anthony Higgs, and Adam Malkovich, her commanding officer in the Federation Army. Adam treats her very harshly due to the circumstances of her departure from the army, calling Samus an "outsider" and ordering his team not to reveal any details of their mission to her. He eventually accepts her after she saves them from monsters, and from then on starts authorizing different items for Samus to use, on the condition of her completely obeying his orders. Adam also assigns the 07th Platoon to go on solo searches to investigate the Bottle Ship. As Adam orders everyone to regroup at the Exam Center of Sector 1, the Biosphere, Samus and the platoon discovers that the ship's director, Dr. Madeline Bergman, had conducted research on illegal bioweapons for the Federation. Samus is ambushed by cybernetically enhanced Zebesians during the investigation, separating her from the others. She then finds the platoon under attack by a large lizard-like creature, who viciously singles out Samus as a target upon her arrival. After the attack, Samus discovers Lyle's shredded corpse and the molted shell of the bird-like creature nearby, and is ordered to follow the creature to Sector 3, the Pyrosphere.
After reaching a dead end, Samus is ordered to go to Sector 2, the Cryosphere. While there, she finds a survivor and tries to convince her that she is here to rescue her. However, a soldier from the 07th Platoon attacks her and the survivor. Samus then learns that the soldiers are mysteriously killed by a traitor, who she calls him "the Deleter". Returning to the Pyrosphere, Samus saves Anthony from a Anomalocaris
Anomalocaris
Anomalocaris is an extinct genus of anomalocaridid, which are, in turn, thought to be closely related to the arthropods. The first fossils of Anomalocaris were discovered in the Ogygopsis Shale by Joseph Frederick Whiteaves, with more examples found by Charles Doolittle Walcott in the famed...
-like creature and, possessing conflicting feelings about Adam, remembers the events leading to death of his younger brother, Ian Malkovich. During her investigation in the Geothermal Power Plant, Samus encounters the dragon-like Ridley
Ridley (Metroid)
is a video game villain for the Metroid series. He is a dragon-like extraterrestrial that acts as Samus Aran's nemesis due to his attack on her homeworld; despite being killed multiple times by her, he is always revived by the Space Pirates using cloning or robotics...
, revealed to have been cloned after his death and metamorphosed from the lizard-like monster that attacked her earlier. Adam tries to get through to Samus, though he is suddenly attacked. Anthony confronts Ridley, but is seemingly killed in the process—angered by Ridley's actions, Samus fights him. When reaching the Bioweapon Research Center, Samus again finds the mysterious woman, who claims that she is Madeline Bergman. She informs Samus that Sector Zero, a recreation of the Space Pirates' base in Zebes, was used to breed the seemingly extinct Metroids, and there they are controlled by an AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
named "MB", modeled after Mother Brain. Samus sets out to destroy the sector. However, Adam stops Samus from entering and tells her that the Metroids on board cannot be frozen. He orders her to locate a survivor in Room MW toward the rear of the Bioweapon Research Center and to defeat Ridley. He also tells her that he will sacrifice himself by destroying the sector.
Following Adam's orders, Samus returns to the research center, where she finds the body of James Pierce, as well as the drained, mummified remains of Ridley in another room. She later discovers the survivor Adam mentioned, who opens a large, dark room, where Samus discovers that the room is filled with Metroid Eggs, and battles a Queen Metroid occupying the area. Samus then finds the survivor, who reveals herself as Madeline Bergman. Bergman tells Samus the woman she met before was MB, dubbed as Melissa Bergman, who took an android body to build an ideal relationship with the Metroids. After developing emotions, MB revolted and developed a personality similar to Mother Brain, telepathically ordering the cloned Zebesian life forms on the ship to attack. Samus and Madeline are then confronted by MB herself, pointing a Freeze Gun at them. Despite Samus' objections, Madeline attempts to negotiate with MB, who insists that all humans should be "judged". She is frozen by a group of Federation Marines, but quickly thaws off, summoning the Bottle Ship's most dangerous creatures to attack everyone. On the Federation colonel's orders, MB is killed by the Marines. The colonel praises Samus for her involvement in the mission, but orders a Marine to escort her back to her ship, as she is no longer part of the Federation unit due to everyone in the platoon dying, and thus she cannot have any contact with Madeline. However, the Marine reveals himself as Anthony, stating that his orders, under the chairman of the Galactic Federation, are to ensure the "safety of any survivors". The three of them leave for Galactic Federation Headquarters, with Samus questioning whether MB was truly evil all along, or if she was a mere android who had a consciousness awaken in her, only to be driven mad by the greed of humans. At Galactic Federation Headquarters, Samus resolves not to grieve Adam's death.
Days after the incident, the Galactic Federation has decided to destroy the Bottle Ship by using its self-destruct mechanism. Before that happens, Samus flies back to recover "something irreplaceable". After battling a Phantoon, a monster Samus had also fought in Zebes, she arrives at the control center and discovers Adam's platoon helmet. The Bottle Ship's self-destruct sequence is remotely activated, and the game ends with Samus clutching Adam's helmet as she escapes from the Bottle Ship before it is destroyed.
Development
Metroid: Other M was developed by "Project M", a team of over 100 people which includes staff from NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, Team Ninja, and D-Rockets, with production lasting for three years. When the Wii console released in 2006
Wii launch
The Wii launch was the release of Nintendo's seventh generation video game console. This successor to the Nintendo GameCube was released in most territories in November and December 2006...
, Nintendo producer and chief Metroid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
designer Yoshio Sakamoto
Yoshio Sakamoto
is a Japanese video game designer working for Nintendo. He is a key member in the development of the Metroid series, having worked as director, scenario designer, and script writer for many of the games. Sakamoto grew up with Nintendo toys, which he noted to be inventive and occasionally "strange"....
decided to create a new Metroid game for it, but opted to work with an outside company, as his usual development team "didn't actually have the know-how to produce something that was 3D". Eventually, Sakamoto approached Yosuke Hayashi of Team Ninja to discuss the incorporation of the flashy Ninja Gaiden engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
into a new engine to encompass his new vision of a 3D Metroid game. Sakamoto served as producer and scenario designer, and main design was done by three designers from the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
titles of the series, Metroid Fusion
Metroid Fusion
, also known as Metroid 4, is an action-adventure video game published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2002, and in Japan in February 2003. The game is the fourth main installment in the Metroid series...
and Metroid Zero Mission. Team Ninja took charge of the programming and 3D modeling
3D modeling
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model...
, and D-Rockets handled the CG
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
cutscenes. Hayashi described the work on the game as "a great honour" since he was a fan of the series, and stated Team Ninja tried to include as many creatures seen in previous games as possible.
While Retro Studios
Retro Studios
Retro Studios is an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in October 1998 by the video game veteran Jeff Spangenberg after leaving Acclaim Entertainment, as an independent studio making games exclusively for Nintendo Company, Ltd.On May 2, 2002, Nintendo...
tried to create "the ultimate first-person experience" with the Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube, released in North America on November 17, 2002...
series, Sakamoto's approach with gameplay was different, particularly for the story Other M intended to tell. When Sakamoto met Team Ninja, he said his intent was a game with "controls as simple as those of a NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
game", so it would appeal to modern players. Team Ninja agreed with that approach, as they felt control schemes with excessive buttons were possibly turning players off the action genre, and tried to make the game employ only the Wii Remote, without resorting to the Nunchuk expansion. The development team also tried to use the simpler controls to provide flashy action, with varied special attacks that would need few button inputs to be executed. Sakamoto focused on 2D-like gameplay because he considered it more "comfortable" for audiences, particularly during shifts from gameplay to cutscenes, as he thought 2D "[doesn't] have the same distractions when you want to give them story sequences". While the developers felt no need to integrate everything from the Prime series as they were games with different concepts, a few of the elements that "made those games unique" were implemented into Other M, such as the "immersive sight" of the first-person mode. When questioned if Other M would be too similar to Ninja Gaiden, Yosuke Hayashi responded that while the new game will feature heavy action-based sequences, there will still be the exploration-based sequences characteristic of other Metroid games. Yoshio Sakamoto said that Other Ms story progression was in the same manner as Metroid Fusion
Metroid Fusion
, also known as Metroid 4, is an action-adventure video game published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2002, and in Japan in February 2003. The game is the fourth main installment in the Metroid series...
, and stated that the collaboration between Nintendo and Team Ninja is "unlike anything that's ever been done at Nintendo; it's more than just a collaborative effort — it's one group working toward a common goal".
Before Other Ms development, Sakamoto did not think too much about "what kind of person Samus Aran was and how she thinks and her personality", particularly because the games tried to depict Samus as a mysterious person. Sakamoto and Team Ninja put much focus on backstory in the game to present Samus as an "appealing human character", something important for future installments, as players would get further interest in Samus' adventures. Hayashi said that one of the development team's goals was to have the player "connect with Samus as the story and action develops". Sakamoto also said the game would "bring everyone up to the same level of understanding in the Metroid universe", and would not only introduce the series to new players but also create new challenges for fans. The chronological setting between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion was chosen because Sakamoto considered the period "so critical that without addressing it, we wouldn't be able to make new games that show Samus' adventures that take place after the events of Metroid Fusion".
D-Rockets, a company specialized in CG
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
animation for video games and commercials, was brought into the project for its in-game cinematics on Team Ninja productions. Director Ryuji Kitaura said when Nintendo gave him the instructions, he considered the work "overwhelming" - most of D-Rockets work only involved high-quality CG, while Nintendo aimed to "make the parts of the game that the player controls the same quality as the cinematics, in order to make them seamless" and Sakamoto intended to cutscenes to give emotional depth to Samus. Team Ninja and D-Rockets worked separately most of the time, and only started to collaborate about a year into production, to make sure the in-game action and the cutscenes had the same style. Over 300 storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
s which took six months to be completed, and ten teams were employed on the development of cutscenes. For increased realism, professional camera operators helped with the motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
, and Samus' face had a more detailed frame to make expressions more lifelike. Kitaura tried to include more scenes with Samus outside her powered armor, to illustrate "the human, weak side of Samus, her expressions and gesture", but Sakamoto convinced him otherwise with a declaration that the Power Suit acts as a shield for both enemy attacks and the reveal of her emotions. Other M uses a dual-layer disc due to "the amount of cinematics". In a September 2011 interview with G4 TV, Hayashi explained that the game's story was "definitely the product of Mr. Sakamoto at Nintendo. We definitely worked with them on the project, but that was all him." As a special feature, players can unlock "Theater Mode", a two-hour film presentation, upon completion of the game. Divided into chapters, this film contains every cut-scene of the game, along with several clips of gameplay footage recorded by the developers.
Audio
The soundtrack of Other M was composed by Kuniaki HaishimaKuniaki Haishima
Kuniaki Haishima is a Japanese musician and composer.-Overview:Haishima is known for his music in several animated and Tokusatsu shows...
. The team was hired Haishima to write the music because the producers felt he could "tell the story with melodies" and "powerfully [helped] us depict Samus's feelings and emotions". Part of the soundtrack were recorded and performed by Arigat-Orchestra in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Asian Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. For the game's voice acting, Jessica Martin was cast to play Samus in the English version, and said that recording sessions took over a year which resulted in the voice cast being required to record lines with storyboards and unfinished cutscenes as basis. Adam Malkovich was voiced by Dave Elvin; and Mike McGillicuty provided the voice of Anthony Higgs. In Japanese, seiyūs
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
Ai Kobayashi
Ai Kobayashi
is a Japanese voice actress from Adachi, Tokyo. She is affiliated with HeaT.-Television animation:*Detective Conan *Ergo Proxy *Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart *InuYasha...
, Rikiya Koyama
Rikiya Koyama
' is a Japanese actor and voice actor who is a member of Haiyuza Theatre Company.He has done popular voicing roles in Hajime no Ippo, Utawarerumono and Kamen no Maid Guy.He is also known by the nicknames "Rikki" and "Riki-chan".- Biography :...
, Kenji Nomura
Kenji Nomura
, nicknamed "Nomuchin", is a Japanese voice actor from Okayama Prefecture affiliated with Aksent. He graduated Kurashikishiritsu Chayachō Elementary School, Kurashikishiritsu Tōyō Junior High School, and Okayamakenritsu Amagi High School.-Television animation:...
and Shizuka Itō
Shizuka Ito
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is currently represented by Ken Production. When voicing adult games, she is also known as , , , , or .Itō and fellow voice actress Hitomi Nabatame formed a voice acting unit called "Hitomi Nabatame and Shizuka Itō"...
provided the voices of Samus, Adam, Anthony and MB respectively. Seattle-based Bad Animals Studio
Bad Animals Studio
Bad Animals Studio is a music and media recording studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. It was originally founded as Steve Lawson Productions by founders Steve and Debbie Lawson in 1979. In 1991, Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson joined forces with Lawson to create Studio X. In 1992, the studio...
and Ginza
Ginza
is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...
-based Onkio Haus
Onkio Haus
is a company operating sound recording, mixing and mastering studios in Ginza, Tokyo, owned by Magazine House, Ltd. and others. It also provides video editing and postproduction services for TV program and commercial film projects...
respectively recorded voice-overs in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
languages.
Technical issues
Metroid: Other M was reported to have a game-breaking bug shortly after the game's release. Due to a coding error, backtracking to a room "where the Ice Beam was obtained" in the Pyrosphere causes a normally unlocked door found later on to be permanently locked and impassable, rendering the player unable to complete the game without starting over or using an old game save taken before the bug occurred. Nintendo has set up a program that allows players affected by the bug to send in a SD card or their Wii console with their save files to be repaired.Since Other M uses a dual-layer disc, Nintendo has admitted that some Wii consoles may have difficulty reading the high-density software due to a contaminated laser lens. Nintendo is offering retail lens cleaning kits and free console repairs for owners who experience this issue.
Release
The game was first announced by Nintendo of America president and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime and a trailer was briefly shown during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, commonly known as the E3 2009, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 2, 3, and 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment...
. Fils-Aime stated that Metroid: Other M would "take you deeper into Samus' story", and also noted that the game would be a return to the style of the traditional series as opposed to the Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube, released in North America on November 17, 2002...
series, though the game would have a "harder edge". On E3 2010, the game had a playable demo, which GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
picked as Best Wii Game and Action/Adventure Game of the expo, and was nominated for Game of the Show. Previews of Other M were also featured in the 2010 editions of Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
and Nintendo Media Summit. Fils-Aime declared interest in global sales between 1.5 and 2 million units.
Metroid: Other M had an original release date of June 27, 2010, but it was postponed by two months; it reached North America on August 31, as the high standards of the development team got them behind the completion schedule. In other territories, Other M was released on September 2 in Japan and Australia, and one day later in Europe, where its release was preceded by a big marketing campaign with television spots, trailers at theaters, and online ads. Prior to the game's release, an "Art Folio" was offered by GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
to players who preordered Metroid: Other M either online or in store, containing 16 individual high-quality cards with concept artwork, in-game screenshots, and a description from Samus' perspective.
Other M was the third best-selling video game in Japan during its week of release with 45,398 copies sold. It sold an additional 11,239 copies the following week. It placed twelfth in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during its first week, but failed to chart the following week before it had fallen out of the top 40. It was also the ninth best-selling game in North America during September 2010, selling 173,000 units. By November 2010, Other M had yet to sell a "half a million" units in the United States, far below Nintendo's expectations.
Critical reception
Reviews for Other M were divided but generally positive. The game has received an average score of 79 out of 100 at both MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings, based on 71 and 52 reviews respectively. Critics' reception of the title's gameplay was positive. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
praised the control scheme, combat system, and the search for secrets; they wrote that the former two were "unique and responsive" and the latter was "very rewarding". Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
reveiwers complimented the Sense Move technique as "by far the best", and the switch between perspectives, which "works surprisingly well". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called the gameplay "a really impressive evolution of the old-school Metroid design", and GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
described it as "a nice compromise between satisfying fans and opening up the series for a wider audience". Bob Chipman of ScrewAttack
ScrewAttack
ScrewAttack . is a video game-related website that showcases original entertainment for an audience of video game enthusiasts. Its content is also shown on GameTrailers and IGN...
described the use of the directional pad for 3D controls as "innovative". Good Game
Good Game
Good Game is an Australian video gaming talk show television programme created by Janet Carr and Jeremy Ray currently on ABC2. It premiered on ABC on 19 September 2006...
s two presenters "enjoyed the atmosphere of it [...] and was quite hooked to keep making progress". The game's graphics were also well-received, garnering some acclaim. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
exclaimed that Other M bears graphical similarities to Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube, released in North America on November 17, 2002...
which "tend to come across as nicely-built video game levels at best". IGN claimed that despite the graphics was not on the same standard as the Prime series, it was still regarded as "one of the best looking games on Wii". The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
described the environments as "lush and detailed", and said they helped "capturing the ethos
Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of...
of old-school Metroid". IGN also praised the game's "storytelling with motion-captured acting and voice-over", and Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
applauded cutscenes "with slick graphic effects". The music was praised as atmospheric and faithful to the franchise, though GameSpot felt they were "more like outtakes from older entries than a moody new soundtrack".
Complaints were raised on the first person perspective. The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s David Wolinsky felt that the "Where's Waldo?
Where's Wally?
Where's Wally?, published in the United States and Canada as Where's Waldo?, is a series of children's books created by British illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicting dozens or more people doing a variety of amusing things...
-like sequences" were irritating. Similarly, Ryan Scott of GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
complained that they were "oh-god-I'm-going-to-snap-the-disc-in-half frustrating" and considered the perspective a "weird forced handicap", while Official Nintendo Magazine commented that "[t]hese bits are atrocious" and took "20 frustrating minutes trying to figure out what we were supposed to look at during one scene, only to realise there was a tiny green patch of liquid on the grass". Game Informer expressed disappointment that "[it] also takes away your ability to move [while in first person view]". Critics responded poorly to the mechanic of power-up restriction; they derided it as a deviation from the series' tradition of item discovery, and even more strongly criticized it as nonsensical and condescending in terms of story. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
derided the game's linearity in comparison with Metroid Fusion, a game which took a similar approach. The website also found the enemies to be a "a largely unimpressive collection", a gripe which Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
also had; it wrote that "truly testing enemies are only found in the last stretch". Other Ms short length was criticized by reviewers, by critics such as GameTrailers, which writes that the bonuses such as art galleries were not stimulating enough to entice replay value.
Major criticism focused on the script, dialogue, and cutscene length. GameSpot felt that the "unskippable" cutscenes and "the overabundance of story in Other M were a negative deviation from Metroid tradition". Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
states that they "often run as long as 15 minutes, exhausting players with repetition of obvious plot points and overwrought dialogue as mature and interesting as a teenager’s diary" and declared Samus as "[t]he biggest culprit in the bad storytelling". 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
complained that as the game progresses "instead of getting more of the things that work [combat], you get more of the things you don't care about [overwrought story]". Reviewers described the dialogue as "sounding like they came from a tween drama" and cited the plot as "the future's dumbest soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
". Wolinsky echoes the misgivings about Samus's immaturity, petulant behavior, and misguided loyalty. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
writes that while the story and Samus' monologues did not compel them, "it helped contextualize her entire existence" which developed the character to "an actual human being who's using the vastness of space to try and put some distance between herself and the past". Chipman applauded the elaboration on Samus's character. He argues that her breakdown is an accurate depiction of posttraumatic stress disorder and that she is portrayed as a three-dimensional character, a step up from the fans' long-standing misconceptions of Samus as "pathologically emotionless man-hating ice queen". Contrarily, Justin Haywald of 1UP.com found the portrayal "lifeless and boring" and "nonsensical". G4 TV
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
's Abbie Heppe considered a portrayal of Samus as "sexist"; she wrote that she "cannot possibly wield the amount of power she possesses unless directed to by a man", and found that her anxiety attack cannot be reconciled with her previous portrayals. However, Chipman feels that "supposedly enlightened gamers and game commentators" are making gender assumptions that are "all in [their heads]." Luke Plunkett of Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
felt that may fans have "[blamed] the game's developers, Team Ninja for [the game's story], but that's not very fair. You need to blame [Sakamoto] instead."
Awards
In IGN's Best of 2010 Awards, Other M received the award for Coolest Atmosphere. It was also nominated for Best Story award, but lost to Epic MickeyEpic Mickey
Epic Mickey is a 2010 Mickey Mouse action-adventure platforming video game designed by Warren Spector and developed by Junction Point Studios for the Wii console...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
also gave the game an 'Editor's Choice' award. GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
nominated Other M for Best Wii Game of 2010; however, it ultimately lost to Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It was first announced at E3 2009 and is the sequel to Super Mario Galaxy. It was released in North America on May 23, 2010, in Japan on May 27, 2010, in Europe on June 11, 2010, and in Australia on July 1,...
, while Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
listed it 12th on its list of the twenty best games of the year. On the other hand, X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
chose Other M as "Game That Gave Us The Biggest Headache"; they wrote that it was a "morass of bad decisions", from the controls to Samus' portrayal. Another G4 program, Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show! is an American live television program shown weeknights on G4, G4 Canada and Fuel TV in Australia. The program is hosted by Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey...
, named Other M one of the worst games of the year. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
chose the game as the second worst of 2010. GamesRadar chose Other M as the "Mangled Makeover" of 2010; they wrote that it painted Samus, widely considered a strong female lead character, as "an unsure, insecure woman who desperately wants the approval of her former [male] commanding officer". GameTrailers additionally nominated the game for the Most Disappointing Game of 2010, but also praised the game for its wonderful graphics and gameplay. Ben Croshaw
Ben Croshaw
Benjamin Richard "Yahtzee" Croshaw is an English comedic writer, video game journalist and author of adventure games created using Adventure Game Studio software. He writes articles for Australia's Hyper magazine, a major games publication...
of The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
ranked Other M as the second-worst game on his list of "Top 5 of 2010." He likened it to "mistaking a deep fat fryer
Deep fat fryer
A deep fryer is a kitchen appliance used for deep-frying.While commonly used in commercial kitchens, household models are available and have become common.-Features:...
for an eyewash
Eyewash
Eyewash is a fluid, commonly saline, used in the aid of rinsing of the eye. Eyewash may also describe the apparatus used to physically wash the eyes in the case that they may be contaminated by foreign materials or substances....
station," saying that her portrayal in the game was a "desecration of classics" comparable to "farting the Moonlight Sonata," given how powerful she'd been portrayed as in earlier games. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
listed Samus first on their list of the "Top 10 Dorks of 2010" due to her "lame backstory" and placed Other M third on their "Top 10 Disappointments of 2010" list, ranking behind "studio closures, layoffs, [and] restructurings" and the "Infinity Ward debacle".