Series co-creator Sakamoto talks shop about the increased dramatic focus and other aspects of the newest Wii Metroid title.
Whether you've already seen it or not, what I want to ask you about the following trailer is, "At what point while watching this did you realize it was a Metroid game?" But I shouldn't bother; the majority of you saw the trailer online, plastered with headlines or promotional graphics, fully aware of exactly what game it is. Your answer would be "Duh. Before I hit play."Â
 Â
My experience was more confusing. I saw the trailer at the Nintendo E3 press briefing with no preamble indicating what exactly the trailer was for, so it wasn't until I saw the blonde girl suddenly clad in the iconic Zero suit and red helmet that I realized, holy crap, this is Metroid! I bring up this context only to convey the brief but intense confusion I felt when that recognition kicked in. (Those of you watching the live stream of the press conference at home can identify.)
Who are these people, anyway?
That this is a Metroid game shocked me because the first third of the video focuses on cinematic scenes, characters and dialogue--dramatic elements that are foreign (if not directly opposed) to the Metroid series' traditional focus on the lonely exploration of hostile alien worlds. I never came to a Metroid game looking for character development, unless those characters were Ridley and Kraid, and I was developing their nonexistence with my wave beam. Seeing multiple characters--with speaking roles!--in a game with the "Metroid" name still throws me for a loop.
This shift in focus for Other M is by design, of course. Wired's Chris Kohler did a good interview with Nintendo's Yoshio Sakamoto--director of the very first Metroid and the franchise's longtime steward--and newly anointed Team Ninja head Yousuke Hayashi about their strategy for making a new Metroid that diehard fans will accept. The most interesting part to me regards the presence of the storyline such as we've seen it so far.
Wired.com: So, then, what is your vision of the ultimate Metroid game?
Sakamoto: Within the greater Metroid series, the Other M story will tie together the stories that took place in Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. One of my goals is to present Samus as an appealing human character, and that involves explaining a little bit about what happened in her past as well as the characters that influenced her. The story will play a big part.
I wouldn't want to be in Mr. Hayashi's shoes, shouldered with the dual burden of reviving Team Ninja and satisfying the fickle hardcore Nintendo fanbase. But he does seem to have both duties in mind.
Wired.com: Team Ninja’s games are really hard, but Metroid games have a gentler difficulty curve. Can Team Ninja make a game that doesn’t just kick you in the face with difficulty at every minute?
Hayashi: It’s not our goal to make a Team Ninja version of Metroid. We’re working as part of this larger group, and so as Mr. Sakamoto said earlier, it’s our goal not just to make a game that appeals to Metroid fans or fans of Team Ninja games. It should be a game for everyone.
The full interview goes into some more depth about the size of the respective teams working on the game, and who's doing what. Give it a read if you're looking forward to Other M; information on the game is likely to be scarce for a good long while as its 2010 release date approaches.
Now you're talking my language.
In general, is Other M the sort of thing you're looking for in a new Metroid game? If not, where do you think the series ought to be going instead?
Whether you've already seen it or not, what I want to ask you about the following trailer is, "At what point while watching this did you realize it was a Metroid game?" But I shouldn't bother; the majority of you saw the trailer online, plastered with headlines or promotional graphics, fully aware of exactly what game it is. Your answer would be "Duh. Before I hit play."Â
 Â
My experience was more confusing. I saw the trailer at the Nintendo E3 press briefing with no preamble indicating what exactly the trailer was for, so it wasn't until I saw the blonde girl suddenly clad in the iconic Zero suit and red helmet that I realized, holy crap, this is Metroid! I bring up this context only to convey the brief but intense confusion I felt when that recognition kicked in. (Those of you watching the live stream of the press conference at home can identify.)
Who are these people, anyway?
That this is a Metroid game shocked me because the first third of the video focuses on cinematic scenes, characters and dialogue--dramatic elements that are foreign (if not directly opposed) to the Metroid series' traditional focus on the lonely exploration of hostile alien worlds. I never came to a Metroid game looking for character development, unless those characters were Ridley and Kraid, and I was developing their nonexistence with my wave beam. Seeing multiple characters--with speaking roles!--in a game with the "Metroid" name still throws me for a loop.
This shift in focus for Other M is by design, of course. Wired's Chris Kohler did a good interview with Nintendo's Yoshio Sakamoto--director of the very first Metroid and the franchise's longtime steward--and newly anointed Team Ninja head Yousuke Hayashi about their strategy for making a new Metroid that diehard fans will accept. The most interesting part to me regards the presence of the storyline such as we've seen it so far.
Wired.com: So, then, what is your vision of the ultimate Metroid game?
Sakamoto: Within the greater Metroid series, the Other M story will tie together the stories that took place in Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. One of my goals is to present Samus as an appealing human character, and that involves explaining a little bit about what happened in her past as well as the characters that influenced her. The story will play a big part.
I wouldn't want to be in Mr. Hayashi's shoes, shouldered with the dual burden of reviving Team Ninja and satisfying the fickle hardcore Nintendo fanbase. But he does seem to have both duties in mind.
Wired.com: Team Ninja’s games are really hard, but Metroid games have a gentler difficulty curve. Can Team Ninja make a game that doesn’t just kick you in the face with difficulty at every minute?
Hayashi: It’s not our goal to make a Team Ninja version of Metroid. We’re working as part of this larger group, and so as Mr. Sakamoto said earlier, it’s our goal not just to make a game that appeals to Metroid fans or fans of Team Ninja games. It should be a game for everyone.
The full interview goes into some more depth about the size of the respective teams working on the game, and who's doing what. Give it a read if you're looking forward to Other M; information on the game is likely to be scarce for a good long while as its 2010 release date approaches.
Now you're talking my language.
In general, is Other M the sort of thing you're looking for in a new Metroid game? If not, where do you think the series ought to be going instead?
I don't like Samus talk to a whole bunch of dudes, and I especially don't like a lot of dudes talking to Samus. I mean, the way the trailer is arranged, it seems like there exists this military hierarchy; Samus does not seem to be at the top. Now don't get me wrong, I like this idea of more story. However, the story should account for the experiences of players of past games in the series. That is, it should actively account for the desolate, lonely feeling that previous Metroid games conveyed so well. So the story should factor in Samus' burden; her being disconnected from everything else while she alone faces terrible things. Etcetera... Let's hope these guys get it right.
You know I had the same kind of trepidation coming into Metroid Prime and was blown away by how good the shift really is. Â I am willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt, after all we could find that this is something we never realized we wanted until we got it.
I'm on the other side of the fence in regards to Metriod.
I played the first one WAY WAY back on the nes and could not finish it without a guide. i also dabbled with prime for the gamecube and found the backtracking and less action focused elements frustrating and never got it finished.
This overall story driven, alien blasting back flipping trailer gets my juices flowing and gets me seriously interested in a mertroid game for the first time in like 10 years.
I didn't care for the Prime series at all, so this is interesting. I personally would want a new 2-D Metroid on DS, but oh well. I'll have to see how they take this one. And I've always enjoyed the subtle story in the main Metroid games. It's clearly inspired by Ellen Ripley in Aliens. Which is cool.
As we discussed, Samus and Metroid are about mystique and isolation. They're probably going to ruin the Samus character and the Metroid universe (Metroid Prime 3 gave it a good crack but at least Samus didn't speak) but the game itself looks interesting.
The structure of the Samus character is similar to that of the Dark Knight version of The Joker. Not knowing much about them makes them a lot cooler and 'iconic/invincible' than they otherwise would have been if everything about them was explained. Making Samus a tsundere American space-soldier makes her boring and generic unless Nintendo and Team Ninja are suddenly masters of plot and character development.
Well, that person in particular is one Adam Malkovich, Samus' commanding officer when she worked for the military in her younger years before becoming a bounty hunter. He first appeared in Metroid: Fusion as the ship AI of her new gunship. Fusion and Corruption showed little hints of the human side of Samus, I don't think developing the character more is a bad thing. As for the style of game, I'll reserve my judgement until I can reliably tell what kind of game it's actually going to be. The trailer doesn't really tell you much that isn't open to interpretation and speculation.
We've had Prime, the desolate, exploration-based masterpiece, now let's see if we finally get what we know Samus is capable of: An epic, combat-based masterpiece.
I think the fact that it was done by the guys that did the GBA games is a great sign and Team Ninja's involvement is mostly because that team wasn't confident about moving into 3D.
I enjoyed the first two Prime games (Though I haven't played the third one).
For people saying that they want Nintendo to abandon their 3D efforts and go back to 2D is an idea that I do not support. Making the Metriod formula work in 3D was revolutionary. Also, adding some voice acting to flesh out the characters of the series isn't a bad thing, either.
I don't know man, I loved the isolated atmosphere in Prime and previous Metroid games, this seems really weird. I just hope that they don't screw up the story.
Do something bold, do something new! After more than ten years Metroid got a reboot with Prime and now about ten years later it's time again for a reboot. I don't want to see a new 2D game (Let DS do that) and I don't want to see another FPS (Prime game). I am standing behind this decision all the way! Rebboting franchises and do something different is good! And to those that don't believe in Team Ninja. I don't know what to say about them but the seem competent BUT everyone seems to forget that this is a high priority Nintendo game so you can bet you sweet ass that they will guide Team Ninja through the proces, just like they did with Retro Studios.
I dreamt about a 3D action Metroid during the N64 days and Iäm really happy to see this. I'm also positive to the story bits. I don't want to explore yet another desolate world without some kind of interesting human/creature interaction. If they can manage to put drama in Metroid, let them.
People are way up tight about these games and even if they talk about innovation all that they seem to want is more of the same thing they used to.
I'm looking forward to it myself. I was never fond of the Prime series. Yes they were done well and yes they looked good but growing up my versions of metriod were always Metriod and Super Medtriod. I would say metriod 2 but I only played that like uh once on my frineds gameboy so I dunno if that counts.
I myself was way more into the idea of metriod fusion and zero mission and would gladly take those over the prime series anyday. So I'm glad that series is done with and to see what Team Ninja is going to do with metriod now. If they do some prime/classic hybrid then I guess I'll bite. This game already has me sold because it shows you fighting Ridley and shows Mother Brain. Which gets me to wonder if Other M stands for Other Mother? which would also be awesome.
I played through Prime and part of prime 2 and thought "yep this is more prime" and never touched them again. Possibly never will and I'm fine with that. So for me if this is a gap between Super and Fusion then thats already a step in the right direction.
Metroid strikes me as being NIntendo's biggest franchise that could actually benefit from a stronger emphasis on story and character development. We're not dealing with a Zelda-style situation here, where the Link and Zelda featured in the game are different incarnations most every time. Samus is a consistent character in a universe that really started getting fleshed out in Metroid Fusion, and then the Prime series. And Samus does have an interesting backstory, but it's never been made prevalent beyond instruction manuals. This seems like the game that could finally help realize the dramatic potential of the series, and that makes me excited.
Does anyone else get the impression that Nintendo dont even play their own games anymore? Dont get me wrong, as 'Haliinel' said, fleshing out the Metroid world is, in principle, a fantastic idea. Nonetheless, i cant help but feel that such a transision calls for more tact, more subtlety with a game of this distinction.
Of the top of my head........ maintian the solitary feeling of loneliness, make the 'main character' Samus' inner monologue, leave her on some planet with some mystery to solve and let the atmosphere and environment do the majority of the storytelling. For some reason, the feeling im getting is half-life/metropid prime/biochock.
Anyway, probably wouldnt work, but i think the point is clear. Im not interested in playing Metroid Gundam. Sorry, i meant metroid other M.
I'm glad to see we finally get some more story in the Metroid universe. One of the things I loved so much about Fusion was that we were finally getting a look at Samus as a character and not as a suit of armor that may or may not have a chick in it. (Spoilers: Dude, it's a chick.) And in that same vain, the generlisimo looking dude with a speaking roll asks if "There are any objections, lady?" That's a direct reference to Metroid Fusion where Samus' inner monologues talks about the first person she ever took orders from, Adam. And his big signature line was just that. So Not only am I getting an awesome Fusion reference, but more backstory. That's never a bad thing.
Metroid fans are often quick to tantrum and scream "but it's about the isolation! ISOLAAAATION!" Fusion proved that it doesn't have to be and it can still be an awesome game. It was one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite. Primes 2 and 3 also had other people, and that didn't hurt non either. It'll be okay, I promise.
If Samus was a male character and you said you wanted to humanize it, then I would say 'fuck you', but since Samus is a woman, that seems like it would make the game more interesting.
I have played almost every Metroid game in the series (lame video game creds. out of the way), and if Team Ninja can further develop Samus, then I am all for it. The problem is when you have games like Metroid Prime 3 where players have a few underdeveloped characters that break the lonesome tone of the game. I mean who cared at all about the few hunters that you help, and battle, later in the game?
For me, it's an all or nothing thing. Compose a well-developed, full story or stick to the original tone. I wish Team Ninja luck because I don't think it will be easy. But I'm all for a new experiences when it comes to a Metroid game. People always complain about stagnation in games. How many more Metroid Prime game could Retro churn out before people get tired of the same thing?
Metroid is a series that I don't want other random people in, talking to me through a headset like Halo or something. To me, Metroid was all about the lonelyness of being on a deserted planet that once had an ancient race. Not knowing about Samus just added to the sense of her being totaly alone with only her ship. Team Ninja are going to bomb this game.
I don't like other dudes talking to Samus. .....Samus in MINE !!111Â
 And hate everything that doesn't relate to my respective culture with equal passion. There should be just one culture to rule over all the other inferior ones!! So I don't have to tolerate other tastes. "Ughhhh".
I liked the story in Fusion. If they can replicate that feel of getting orders from a CO but not always being able to follow them when shit hits the fan it'll be great. Also from Fusion the SA-X concept of a creature much stronger than Samus which is hunting her is also a great idea for Metroid (where typically Samus can take on pretty much any threat) and I hope they do something similar in this.
I don't see how this would be bad, story was a big focus in Fusion and there was voice acting in Prime 3. All I know is that it looks awesome and it's Metroid, there's no way it can turn out wrong.
I'm really interested in this game. I loved the feeling of isolation in the series, I especially remember the atmosphere of the first Metroid Prime. But I'm not going to condemn an effort to add character to the Metroid universe. If it's done well, it'll be awesome. Metroid Prime 3 tried to add a bit of character to it, but it was all too cheesy and made the game worse than the other Prime games. Other M, though, looks like it could work. Samus, her backstory, the characters she's met, her life growing up, it all could make quite a large game universe. There's a chance this game could end up being a dud, but if it succeeds, it would revitalize the series and pave the path for many more Metroid games.
I enjoyed the Metroid Prime series. The Wii controls worked nicely in Corruption, and I enjoyed playing that game to 100% completion. If they were simply developing a Metroid Prime 4, I'd be plenty happy.Â
I don't object to the desire to take the Metroid franchise in a more storydriven direction. Hell, if they wanted to make a complete 'Super Mario RPG'-esc roleplaying game, I'd be totally down with that. What I'm seeing though in that trailer however looks horrible.
I mean, why did they choose Team Ninja? Why go to the developers of Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball to take the game in a more storydriven direction? Team Ninja has zero games with strong storylines, and given what I'm seeing from the generic, ugly looking anime characters in the trailer, Other M isn't going to be their first.
Im not sure why Nintendo and Sakamoto are intent on ruining this new Metroid game. One of the funnest features of previous releases was the loneliness and lack of storyline. Sakamoto saying that Other M will "tie together" other story elements from different Metroid games is ridiculous. Every new bit of information on this saddens me more.
Like eh new direction. Only an extreme minority wanted the game to stay FPS especially in this day and age when FP games are just done too much and becoming very boring and tired. I think i had likes to have seen a new 2D on a consoles game, but we will see how this one turnes out.
The one new metroid game I would like to see is an HD version of Super Metroid. I don't get why they want to mix up this franchise so much, when they have already made one of the best games ever. I don't WANT Samus to have a backstory, I want Samus to be the anonymous blond mercenary in the combat suit, battleing aliens alone on strange planets. From what I saw in the trailer, Samus in a team ninja action cinematic... it doesn't work. Her suit is built to be as effective as possible, not as flexible, fast and athletic as possible. If they wan't to make Samus more human, do it in a subtle, low-key way, like how she reacts to being injured, or exhales a sigh of relief after winning a bossfight.
78 Comments