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Doing Backflips And Kill Moves In Metroid: Other M

Yeah, fine, but is there a wave beam?

All I've really wanted out of Metroid since the Prime series ended is, well, another Metroid. Outside of this specific context, I'm talking about what a lot of people refer to as "Metroidvania," but since we're planted squarely in the franchise that started the whole thing, let's just call it a new Metroid game.
 

 Bet you've never seen Samus do this before.
 Bet you've never seen Samus do this before.

I wouldn't really have cared if it were on the Wii or the DS (or heck, even DSiWare--Lord knows that service could use a top-tier franchise game). I just want to collect energy tanks and an ice beam and backtrack a lot, in 2D. Metroid: Other M is not exactly that (or not entirely that) sort of game. Before I got to play a more or less finished build earlier this week, I wasn't sure what kind of game it was, but now I've got a pretty good handle on what to expect from Nintendo's next big franchise title when it ships at the end of the month. 
 
While there are plenty of signature Metroid touches in here, I was surprised at how much Team Ninja's influence seems to be evident in the game's design, too. If you haven't seen much of it in action, Other M feels a bit like a character action game--think God of War or, yeah, Ninja Gaiden. You move Samus around in 3D spaces without any manual camera control--instead the camera angle is determined by where you are in the environment--fighting and avoiding enemies with a bunch of flashy action moves, only one of which is "shooting."  
 

 YEAH SAMUS GET YOU SOME
 YEAH SAMUS GET YOU SOME

You mostly play Other M with the Wii remote sideways, like an NES controller, though I have to admit that moving Samus around in 3D with only the 8-way d-pad felt a little odd. An analog stick would probably have been more appropriate here, but then Other M also relies on enough aspects of the Wii remote that the classic controller wouldn't really cut it. When you're in third-person mode, Samus auto-aims at whichever enemy you're most directly facing, but you can go to a first-person mode by pointing the remote directly at the screen, which gives you more precise aim and lets you lock onto specific enemies with your missiles. You can't move in first-person, though, so you have to make sure you put some distance between you and any threats before you switch perspectives.

In fact, crowd control seems to be a major focus in Other M, since you'll frequently have half a dozen or more weaker monsters coming at you at once. Luckily Samus has a ton of ways to attack and evade all her foes. You can do an automated dodge move by tapping the correct d-pad direction right before an enemy connects with an attack, and you get a little flash of green energy around Samus as she backflips or rolls out of the way, to show that you pulled off the dodge. You've also got an array of fairly un-Metroid-like scripted kill moves. These seem to be enemy-specific--when I used one on a sidehopper, Samus jumped on its back and basically put her arm cannon right up against its head to blow it away. Harsh. These kind of nimble, acrobatic moves looked like they were straight out of Bayonetta or something, but then, it didn't feel inherently out of place for Samus to be doing them instead.
 
 
 In Other M, first-person is just for shootin', not for scannin'.
 In Other M, first-person is just for shootin', not for scannin'.

Speaking of sidehoppers, there were a lot of classic enemies in the demo I played, which kicked off about an hour into the game. Samus was investigating an installation that had issued a distress call, and immediately I started running into not just the hoppers but also the sorts of spine-covered wall crawlers and fly-like insectoid enemies that were all over the original NES Metroid. A more devoted fan than I would be able to tell you what all those things are actually called, but if you've played much of the old Metroid games, you'll know them immediately. Most of those enemies can be dealt with in third-person by simply mashing on the auto-aim arm cannon, but since your missiles do splash damage, you can sometimes take out a whole group by quickly dropping to the aiming mode and locking on.

At least in this early part of the game, the flow of Other M felt straightforward and pretty linear, since there was generally only one direction I could go at any given time. I'm hoping the game will open up and focus more on exploration deeper in, but even in this early area, there were at least some classic hidden Metroid items like missile tanks to find. Curiously, the game actually marks the presence of a hidden item on your map screen once you've cleared an area, but it's still up to you to figure out exactly where in the area it's located and how to get to it. Before the demo was over, I was definitely getting that familiar itch to hunt down every missile upgrade and energy tank I could find, and Nintendo reps assured me that there would be plenty of that familiar Metroid style of backtracking when you gain new items to gain better access to old areas. I just hope the game doesn't make it too easy to find all of those hidden items.

The morph ball plays a major role here, of course, since there are a lot of tight spaces you'll need to roll through to get to hidden places. Rolling through tunnels in ball form looks more or less like it did in the Prime games, though I was surprised to see that Samus can grab and hang from ledges in Other M, and then sort of hop up into small spaces by hoisting herself up and transforming into the morph ball as she does so. Of course, it wouldn't be Metroid if you couldn't drop a bomb underneath yourself to bounce upward, as well. The game seems to take most of its morph ball cues from Prime, since the camera will go to a side view for the larger mazes that you have to navigate through, like it did in Retro's games.
 
 
   

The deeper into the base I got, the weirder things started to get. Samus entered some organic-looking outdoor areas with cliff faces, flowing streams, and bright blue skies--areas that turned back into the cold grey metal of the installation once she found control panels that switched off the holograms generating the outdoor illusion. I also got to fight a sort of mini-boss here, a two-legged creature with an obvious weak spot on its chest that charged at me periodically. The solution there, of course, was to dodge out of the way and then pop into first-person to lock onto the weak point before the beast could charge at me again. Later I encountered a much bigger, scripted boss monster while I was climbing up the inside of an elevator shaft. This time, I actually had to make use of some of the machinery inside the shaft to win, but I'll avoid spelling out exactly how I did it in the interest of letting you figure it out for yourself. It's not like the game is very far off at this point.

I'm not one hundred percent sold on Other M's mixture of gameplay styles--I think its ultimate success will depend on how exploration-heavy the later game is, and how demanding and satisfying the combat becomes. But despite this unexpected new direction for the series, it felt enough like Metroid that I'm really looking forward to digging deeper into it when it ships later this month. We'll definitely bring you more media and impressions from Other M as soon as we can. 
 

Brad Shoemaker on Google+

150 Comments

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valentin_rad

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Edited By valentin_rad

How many metroids? How many metroids are enough?

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Irockz

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Edited By Irockz

looks like a prime spin off of something.

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EchoEchoEcho

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Edited By EchoEchoEcho

Samus is hot kinda hot hmm...

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Lavapotamus

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Edited By Lavapotamus

Probably my most anticipated game of 2010. Seems like a really different take on the franchise (obviously). I'm pretty confident that I'll enjoy it for what it is, regardless of the overall quality. I can appreciate the risk they're taking. Even if it doesn't pay off as well as the Metroid Prime trilogy did, at least it's not a complete rehash.

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Snakes_Mullet

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Edited By Snakes_Mullet

Omg until I saw that video I had no real interest in that game, now I am going to buy it.

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leaveit2beav

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Edited By leaveit2beav

 
I hope I can get into this better than the Prime series.

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popmasterruler

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Edited By popmasterruler

The trailer looks cool but the music is shit.It's just the same repetitive beat going on and on in a loop.

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CpgamerX

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Edited By CpgamerX
@Danterion:
it means  he got more depth than u, dood! pack it up!!
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warbadger

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Edited By warbadger

 I love Team Ninja.  This combination seems a little weird, but I think between Team Ninja and Nintendo, it will be a quality...well whatever it  actually is.

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Classic_Gs

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Edited By Classic_Gs

I am interested but still unsure.

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ApolloBob

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Edited By ApolloBob

Every video game preview ever written:
 
"Looks promising, but we'll have to wait and see."

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RobbyGreene

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Edited By RobbyGreene

Going to be as Epic as the others!

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AddyMac

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Edited By AddyMac
@Hailinel said:
" @AddyMac said:
" You can thank Super Smash Bros. for selling us on the idea of Samus being a kung-fu master. "
You mean it's otherwise illogical that a bounty hunter skilled in combat would have hand-to-hand fighting skills? "

 When none of the other games have so much as a melee attack? I'd say so.
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Craiglestyx

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Edited By Craiglestyx

i've gotta say that i'm really, really looking forward to this game. 
i need to buy a new wii.

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helfmyselp

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Edited By helfmyselp

I am so torn about switching between first and third person, but I still can't wait for this game.

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Hailinel

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Edited By Hailinel
@AddyMac said:
" You can thank Super Smash Bros. for selling us on the idea of Samus being a kung-fu master. "
You mean it's otherwise illogical that a bounty hunter skilled in combat would have hand-to-hand fighting skills?
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zitosilva

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Edited By zitosilva

I've read a lot of info about this game, and even seem some demo videos and I still don't quite get it. I think it'll be a case of trying it out to finaly understanding it.

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Dalai

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Edited By Dalai

Oh the negativity. I have faith in this game.

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boop3000

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Edited By boop3000
@strikeAG:  i so agree with u.
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crushed

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Edited By crushed
@Max_Hydrogen said:

I can appreciate you disagreeing with me but when you write "blah, blah, blah" instead of quoting what I wrote, you really come off as a childish asshole. But I should be used to that by now, after all, the Internet is infested by twats like you.

I wrote "blah blah blah" because it was just short hand for "I don't want to make this page harder to read by quoting a large post."
 
But uh, okay, thanks for insulting me (ironically calling me a "childish asshole"), twice!
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Kayrack

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Edited By Kayrack
@thetrin:
Me Too
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gogobomb

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Edited By gogobomb
@SkullcrusherMountain: terrible? it'll be awesome!
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Max_Hydrogen

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Edited By Max_Hydrogen
@Crushed: 
 
Yes, Samus communicates information in the first person in Super Metroid's animated intro, but  who does she address? Ostensibly to herself but ultimately to the player and in the game itself there is no indication that she actually produces speech. This kind of monologue is regularly used as exposition. Yes, there is a still shot of her handing the larva to a scientist but the only human beings Samus actually encounters as you play are DEAD.
 
 
   

  
  And the same goes for Metroid Fusion with the addition of elevator monologues in which she references other people and takes orders from an AI but still, she is alone.
 
"Other M developers have stated that exploration and isolation are a huge part of the game..." Well they better say that or else it won't be a true Metroid game.
 
I can appreciate you disagreeing with me but when you write "blah, blah, blah" instead of quoting what I wrote, you really come off as a childish asshole. But I should be used to that by now, after all, the Internet is infested by twats like you.
 
 

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IAmTheRad

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Edited By IAmTheRad

If this does good, perhaps they'll finally work on a new 2D Metroid game. Perhaps we would finally see Metroid: Dread

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thetrin

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Edited By thetrin

I don't really get the negativity for Other M. As a fan of Metroid, I'm looking forward to it.

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Ahoydizzle

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Edited By Ahoydizzle

I'm really hoping this will be good.

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ShadowDoGG

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Edited By ShadowDoGG

This has more appeal to me than any of the metroid prime ones. It was just slow and sluggish controls I thought

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smokmnky

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Edited By smokmnky

This might be enough for me to finally break out the Wii after months of neglect

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lihtster

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Edited By lihtster

Dont see this as a must buy.

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eternaLightness

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Edited By eternaLightness

I'm still kinda interested in the game. Really have to play it before I make any judgement really.

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Cypholis

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Edited By Cypholis

I'm pretty sure this will be awesome.

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miva2

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Edited By miva2

looks better than i thought

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kratosauron0

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Edited By kratosauron0

How smooth is movement and transition between third and first person views?  And is the action still exploration-focused, or more action-focused?

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crushed

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Edited By crushed
@eponymous said:
" Is Metroid Dread even a thing anymore?  Was it ever a thing? "
It was on a Nintendo E3 press release in 2005, so it WAS a thing at some point. But Sakamoto said that it's not being developed right now, but it may come out some day.
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eponymous

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Edited By eponymous

Is Metroid Dread even a thing anymore?  Was it ever a thing?

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Kaibun

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Edited By Kaibun

The Metroid games were all about exploration, and getting lost was part of it all. 
 
The elements are mostly there, but I'm still unsure if Team Ninja's blend of action will meld well with the rest of the dish.  Still, it's good to see the series taking a new direction, for better or for worse.
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sixpin

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Edited By sixpin

I loved Metroid, Metroid II, Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, and Metroid Zero Mission. The Prime series I didn't care for. I also don't like Team Ninja's games. I don't find Ninja Gaiden to be fun at all. The hopes I had for enjoying Metroid: Other M are quickly fading. Oh, well...

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crushed

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Edited By crushed
@Max_Hydrogen said:
" blah blah blah"
Samus spoke in Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, and this game apparently has very long stretches where you never see another character. The director and producer even said that exploration and isolation are a huge part of this game.
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Waffles13

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Edited By Waffles13
@MegaGoat said:
" @Waffles13:  No Metroid II: Return of Samus? "
No Gameboy, no VC release, don't currently have a GB emulator installed.
 
And honestly, going back to the original Metroid is pretty rough. It's still a great game and was super influential, but as someone who started with Prime and "graduated" to Fusion and Zero Mission, it's real hard to go back to no map, save rooms or diagonal shooting.
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D_W

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Edited By D_W

the more I hear about the controls the less it sounds well done.

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glanesb

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Edited By glanesb

Samus is a woman?!?
LoL
Seriously another addition...I am praying for this game....can't wait

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Max_Hydrogen

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Edited By Max_Hydrogen

My main concern isn't just the gameplay, which seems to consist of dropping the Samus character into some other game, but the integrity of the firmly established Metroid modus operandi, i.e.:
 
1.) Samus takes her suit off, talks and has a common, garden-variety "kick-ass chick" personality that so woefully oversaturates contemporary media. 
 
2.) There are other characters with whom she interacts.
 
This completely shatters the persona of the Samus Aran character, who only takes off a part of her armor as a reward at the end of a playthrough, never speaks and who exhibits a temperate aloofness. This would be akin to making Duke Nukem a responsible father sporting a faux-hawk and hooded blazer. Why not just give Metroid: Other M's Samus a different name if they are so intent on changing her?
 
The defining emotion which encapsulates any Metroid game is isolation. Feeling alone in a cold, alien and hostile environment is the key to enjoying a Metroid game which is based on solitary exploration and backtracking. A real Metroid fan will use the term "atmospheric" when describing the games and having other speaking characters interact with Samus blows that atmosphere right out of the sky.
 
Why not make Other M a game franchise set in the Metroid universe with its own characteristics, and which could certainly reference Samus and her exploits, but not involving the Chozo's chosen? That would seem like an interesting addition to one of Nintendo's most successful and beloved franchises.
 
...At the very least... They could make her Samus' granddaughter or something...

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soupbones

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Edited By soupbones

It looked cool at E3 - but I'm worried it isn't as exploratory as Metroid games are "suppose" to be. Just give me a big fucking maze and I'll be happy.

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Edited By slyely

I'm glad they are doing something different with this series; Nintendo always seems to be the daring ones. Plus, if they went as an FPS, there are just so many FPS games out there which I feel is getting a little boring, but this will make them stand apart from other similar games. 
 
Have to say though...a large scale 2D Metroid...yeah that would of been nice. Arcade game? Maybe?

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Shisnopi

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Edited By Shisnopi

I want this game to be good, but the more I see of it, the more I dislike.

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deactivated-5ffc9b0923f9f

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Unsure as well. I just want a new flashy 2d Metroid. I never cared for the Prime games. I'll see when this one comes out.

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pplus0440

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Edited By pplus0440

giant bombers are really annoying with there comments that try to just go with the flo. here is the thought they have "I THINK EVERYONE WILL HATE THIS GAME THEREFOR I MUST AS WELL' then you get the comments like seen above
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Demyx

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Edited By Demyx

Having never played Metroid Prime, I really want to play something with Metroid Prime :/

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Southgrove

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Edited By Southgrove
@Danterion said:
" "I want to backtrack a lot."  Are you high, Brad? "
Backtracking done in a good way (Metroid and Zelda series) is not a bad thing =)
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mostman

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Edited By mostman

"Luckily Samus has a ton of ways to attack and evade all her foes  "

Woah!  Spoiler warning! 
 
Oh...wait.  Never mind.