Okay, so remember when I said that I thought that Nintendo’s saving grace for the Wii U (for lack of a better term) was a return to turning heads with odd choices that would turn into great decisions? Remember the “decision” that I thought it might be? A direct sequel to Metroid: Other M, MOM 2 could be that game because it would, one, turn the heads of people wondering what in the crap Nintendo is doing making a sequel to the most polarizing game they’ve ever made, and two, give the next gen a Metroid game.

Now, for me, I was saying that a second game could make people like the first game’s story more because they would then get more information and, in turn, they could understand why things happened the way they did. Of course, I know many needed to just do their homework (many questions could be answered in the very good Metroid Fusion on the GBA). I also likened it to Metal Gear in how polarizing that series can be at times.

So why am I talking about this again? Simple: I’m going to do something I’ve never done before in a blog. I’m going to give you my personal ideas on how MOM 2 could go. Now, keep in mind that this is my own idea, and I encourage you to respond with your own ideas on how you would go making such a game (and “not make it” doesn’t count as an idea). Also, though I would never know if it would actually sell or not until people see it, I believe that these ideas could be used in a way that makes the player immersed more into the game and want to play on, face and beat the challenges to see what happens in the story. Maybe ideas are the type of thing that Nintendo needs to get the juices flowing. Finally, this is not set in stone. There are possibilities to change or modify or add to anything I put here. I have many things fleshed out, but not everything, and some I'm holding back in case I do decide to just do a fanfiction based on what I put here.

So, here we go.

STORY

Obviously, the story is one of the main driving forces in a game, and with Metroid, no game in the franchise was as story driven as Other M. This is actually a good thing, as it gave it its own flavor and its own style. I always thought that delving into Samus’ back story was needed, and her own voice to carry her emotions and thoughts was always needed. Whether it worked or not is left to the eye of the beholder, but I thought they did well with it despite it feeling rushed and left us with more questions than answers. But questions can be a good thing, as it leaves you wanting something to answer those questions, whether it be questions of logic or substance or whatever. What good is a franchise if it blows its biggest secrets in the first game?

In that sense, the story I thought of became so fleshed out that I figure that I could make a fanfiction with this (as I've pointed out before), but I also wanted my gameplay ideas to show, too, so thus, just this blog (for now).

The story would be set after the events of Fusion. After the events of her past three adventures, especially the ones on the Bottle Ship (Other M), and what transpired in Fusion, she has seen that the Galactic Federation are not who she thought they were. They have a bigger plan that conflicts with her moral code, and artificially creating their own Metroids, and the sacrifices made by those like Adam (and what they did to the AI to copy him) she feels have been in vain unless something is done about it. She wants to know the real reason, but she is suspected of treason by the GF because of her prodding. She realizes that the Federation was not really on her side, and she decides to completely sever all ties from the Federation. The GF soon brands her as a traitor to their causes, which some in the public buys.

But to get to the bottom of what they are really planning, she needs help, which she gets from her longtime friend, Anthony Higgs. His character was one of the best in Other M, and the two had superb chemistry with one another. Which is why I want his return. He doesn’t believe the smear campaign, and also quits the GF, joining Samus in what becomes her own organization. Its goal is to stop the artificial conception of Metroid to further the secret plans of those willing to use them for personal gain. The game would begin by her going to an information broker in a space cantina that is willing to sell them some key information about the GF’s true purpose, but he doesn’t get far with the information as Ridley attacks the cantina. Thought he was dead? So did both Samus and the broker, the latter actually screaming that he knew Ridley was dead. The broker dies, and Samus escapes before the cantina goes up in flames.

The problem with Samus, though, is that she also has more personal issues. She is beginning to question her own psyche. Her stress levels are increasing, so much so that it’s beginning to worry Anthony and a few people that have hijacked one of the GF’s old star bases to use as their own. They believe that the more she chooses to continue to fight despite her psyche beginning to catch up to her, the more the risk of her losing control increases. It’s not just fear and sadness anymore, but now anger from people stabbing her in the back.

But right when they are about to decipher the information the broker gave them, they get a distress call from a planet in another galaxy. They are getting Metroid attacks, and it seems these Metroids are of a new species. Not as strong, they have failed to completely kill off the life of the planet, which means that when Samus and company go to the planet (I named it Tromell), they find it still inhabitant of life. The people there don’t exactly want them there, though, which makes them wonder who sent the distress call. In order for Samus to find out what is going on there, she must win their trust. Only thing is that Tromell holds a nasty secret: they do have a way to kill off the Metroids, but it seems these Metroids are also smarter, and they seem to have a conscious: they’re keeping them from using something that the GF seems to also want for their own game. The secret: they have a nuke, which, if used, would kill off the Metroids, but also let off a sea of radiation that could cross galaxies and lay waste to life on other planets.

But the GF is also there to harvest the new Metroid cells. Reason: they think they can create the ultimate super soldier to completely eliminate the space pirates. The soldier would be injected with cells, similar to how Samus was saved after being attacked by the X Parasite. Injecting themselves with the cells would make them virtually unstoppable, but also under complete control of the GF. And if they were willing to betray Samus’ trust, could they possibly be lying about the real reason they want to make super soldiers?

Yes, I like complicated stories. There’s a reason why I loved the MGS series, and why I like the openness they did with MOM. I know it might be too complex for some, but I think complex stories that make you think and ask questions are good to immerse the player better.

GAMEPLAY

So, now that you know the story, what about features I’d do for this game? Well, returning would be Samus having a voice, and yes, my love affair with Jessica Martin would continue. I think she has a great range of emotion in her voice acting, and she would do extremely well with this type of story that deals with Samus being angry and having to show such animosity. One of the biggest things I’d do with this game is not worry about keeping it Teen rated. I’d want to show blood when needed, and for the dialogue to show the change that Samus experiences when she loses control of herself.

As well as the player. One of the biggest changes I’d do is to break the fourth wall. During the game, you’d be presented with a sanity meter. Certain things will fill this meter, and some would empty it without consequence. When you fill it, you are in danger of losing control, and are given a bit of time to find some way to calm yourself down. If you do not, you enter an enraged state. Every stat increases: you’re stronger and faster than before, and your shots do massive damage. But the flip side is that you lose all judgment, as well. The screen would turn a deep red hue, and you would not be able to tell who’s an enemy or a friend (you’d only see living things on the screen as black blobs). Not being careful in a populated area while in this state could lead to serious repercussions, but there are times where the buffs can be of use. There will also be times in the game that you will be forced to keep yourself from getting into that state, and times when you are put into that state automatically.

The requirement of caution is because the planet is still inhabitant with innocent life that, if you gain their trust, can help you by offering you weapon refills, information, upgrades, etc. This would be another key change: you would be able to gain reputation, and get help from them in even killing monsters if you’re getting chased by them. However, if they don’t like you, they can choose to try to kill you instead. You would need some of their trust to complete the game, too, so you will need to show them that you’re on their side.

But what of your powers? Morph ball? Power bomb? Space jump? How will you lose them and gain them? Simple: YOU DON’T! This would be the biggest thing I’d do, I think. I would say, you don’t lose them at all. You get all of Samus’ weapons and skills from the start. However, not only will there be brand new weapons and upgrades you can get on Tromell, this game would introduce a role playing element. You can level up your gear and weapons. At first, each weapon can only do so much. For instance, normally the Wave Beam can pass through walls, or the Speed Booster can help you break them down. However, at level one, the beam might only be able to get past certain types of walls, and the booster might only let you get past those same walls. As you level them (by using them effectively), you can increase their strength, making it be able to pass through stronger types of walls. You might also be able to jump higher with the booster. With the Space Jump, you might be able to go faster, and the Screw Attack might come automatically from leveling up that skill.

The entire planet of Tromell would be able to be explored from the start, too, marking it another first I’d do. However, certain weapons might not be in their places until you experience a certain part of the story. Like, until you see a certain cutscene, you might not see a weapon in a particular place, but once the scene happens, go back there, and you will see the weapon ready to be used. And you will be able to change weapons on the fly using the tablet screen of the Wii U controller. That is, if you want to use it: full support for the pro controller (remember that thing?) would be enabled.

But the final big change is that at some point in the game, Samus would be incapacitated. The way you get her back to normal is by taking control of a brand new, mysterious character who has a similar power suit as Samus. The only big difference is that she uses light-saber like blades instead of arm cannons. Her attitude is not one of wanting help of any kind, and throughout the story, we learn more about this character and why she’s there: she was one of the first subjects that the GF wanted to inject the cells into, and they were somewhat successful. She is halfway to super soldier, but she still has conscious, and escaped before they were able to continue the process (she was taken against her will).

FINAL THOUGHT

Well, there you go. I don’t know if I’d do anything like this again as a blog (unless this is a popular thing that people want me to continue doing in the future, then who knows). However, what I made was something that I had thought about for a few years now (reason it’s been fleshed out this much). To me, making so many changes could actually make sense, as we haven’t been on an inhabitant planet for a Metroid game, we haven’t been able to keep powers before, never had a different playable character before, or seen what can piss Samus off. It’s also a complicated story that would leave people guessing at every turn, I think.

But I know this is just one idea. Let me know what you’d change (and I encourage intelligent, worthwhile discussion about ideas, so no points for trolling), or if you had any ideas. Again, I might not do a blog like this again, or I might give other ideas. Depends on how people respond to something like this.

Regardless, I think this renews my belief that Nintendo can hit a home run with a game that can make people talk in one way or another, and further solidifies that I think a second Other M could be that game.