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Added by Brad Shoemaker on June 17, 2009

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." 

  

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?
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.
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?


Filed under : Metroid: Other M

76 Comments

Bigandtasty is online
on June 17, 2009
I'm iffy about it but will wait for the end result to make0 more conclusions.

Double0hFor
on June 17, 2009
this game looks way too "Japanese" for me, i liked it back when it was a fps aka Metroid Prime

BongChilla
on June 17, 2009
Metroid is awesome

RVonE
on June 17, 2009
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.

slinky6
on June 17, 2009
As long as it isn't first person (which it probably won't be as I don't think team ninja has ever done a 1st person game)  I'm happy.

jaymorgoth
on June 17, 2009
You know I had the same kind of trepidation coming into Metroid Prime and was blown away by how good the shift really is.  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.

Zabant
on June 17, 2009
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.

TripMasterMunky
on June 17, 2009
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.

coffeesash
on June 17, 2009
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.

makari
on June 17, 2009
Who are these people, anyway?

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.

alsnuts2
on June 17, 2009
I am glad for one that they are expanding the universe.  The Prime formula got old for me pretty quickly.

My only question is how will Team Ninja handle the franchise? I dont understand all the excitement? Ninja Gaiden2 anyone? that game was really flawed.

That being said, I think it will turn out alright

GaZZuM
on June 17, 2009
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.

oraknabo
on June 17, 2009
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.

Kiemoe
on June 17, 2009
That is BAD. ASS. I think I'm gonna go back and actually play Prime.

Kou_Leifoh
on June 17, 2009
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.

darksamus
on June 17, 2009
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.

ghostchant
on June 17, 2009
I'm hesitant about the new direction because Prime 1 and 2 are probably both in my top 10 games ever.

Dogma
on June 17, 2009
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.

Looking foward to this!

zityz
on June 17, 2009
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.

TheHBK
on June 17, 2009
This looks pretty impressive, except for the japanese art direction.  Ugh, so typical of team ninja.


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