Zero Punctuation: Metroid Other M

[EvilYoshi]

Yes, Metroid Prime was the best one.

 

[sunburst]

Wow.

Just...wow...I didn't even notice that...

He honestly thinks that this game is BETTER than the Prime series? I mean, there's opinion and then there's just...

Seriously, you're surprised by this? What exactly were you expecting? He hates first-person shooters and absolutely loves retro-style 2D platformers. In that Heavens to Metroid video everyone keeps linking, he has an angelic hallelujah because Other M isn't first person. Sentiments like that really shouldn't be shocking anyone. It's one of the main reasons his opinions have been ignored by the detractors.

 

[ewhac]

Apropos of nothing, you guys [em]were[/em] aware that TomTom are in negotiations to use the voice of Brian Blessed in their GPS navigation products?

No, I'm not kidding... [http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/34502/tomtom-brian-blessed-voice-directions]

 

[Flamma Man]

Seriously, you're surprised by this? What exactly were you expecting? He hates first-person shooters and absolutely loves retro-style 2D platformers. In that Heavens to Metroid video everyone keeps linking, he has an angelic hallelujah because Other M isn't first person. Sentiments like that really shouldn't be shocking anyone. It's one of the main reasons his opinions have been ignored by the detractors.

I know I shouldn't be surprised but, but the way he puts it at the end of the video, it's as if he's stating it as fact.

I mean...jeez.

 

[sosolidshoe]

I would like to step in after the....13 pages of Nintendo fanboys vs everyone else which this review has no doubt generated to say this.

Ladies, gentlemen, it has arrived. We are in THE FUTURE. Yes, that's right, one can now craft a pithy remark regarding the relative stupidity of a person or thing by referring to an actual, physical, real-life robotic vacuum cleaner.

Or, in other words - get it up yae 1960's futurists, I am from the year 2010, and robots do my housework. Some of it. Poorly.

MY POINT STANDS DAMMIT.

 

[SAMAS]

1: He accuses the video of obsession with Sexualization, when the whole point of the video was that the charactization of Samus that people say has been "Raped" (actually said by Spoony) is an entirely fan-made projection. The only mentions of Sexuality are in respone to the accusations made by many critics and fanboys alike, even on this very thread (probably this very page).

There are clear indications of the characterisation we are supposed to have drawn for Samus from the limited details previously provided though. The original Metroid manual states outright that she is considered to be the best of the bounty hunters, who are only brought in when existing Federation forces are simply not up to snuff. Even before she saved the galaxy seven times over she was literally considered the single hardest person in the universe.

By people who didn't even know her gender. She's not the first character to have an exaggerated legendary status (that she actually lives up to for the most part, especially in the doing department).

Now I'm not saying Samus isn't a badass. Not even in light of this game. It's just that now we see that she does the job despite any fears and insecurities she may have inside, not due to a lack of them.

This is actually one of the first things established in the manga. Her public image is a different than how she acts when she's alone. It then goes on that she considers both sides of her as part of her whole being.

 

[Argol228]

Brilliant as always Yahtzee. I had my suspicions about this game to begin with.

awesomem review yahtzee, i had a feeling this would be rather crap.

it appears most of the other reviewers are being extra special nice to it for some reason..

I had my suspicions on Metroid Other M. Now that makes it 3:1 saying Other M is bad.

Good job Mr. Croshaw. And I can't wait for your extra punctuation column on this game.

You guys and everyone else that watches ZP reviews for anything other then comedic entertainment are idiots in need of culling. Her monotone is a suitable tone considering she is a lonely bounty hunter with the weight of the universe on her shoulders and she has lost everyone that she was close to. Family, the chozo, the baby metroid. You guys have to realize Yahtzee exaggerates everything. this game is not bad just because one guy rants about it for comedic effect.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

the actual plot of the game is totally forgettable - as in it takes a back seat to the personal story of samus - one that some people including myself didn't quite appreciate, if you want to get into semantics

either way, once the game ended and you return to the ship, that is when i thought "now this is a metroid game", nobody there holding your hand spelling out every subtle feeling Samus might have, just the world of metroid and exploration

prior to the ending tho, the game might as well have been fan fiction on a forum

Out of curiosity, have you ever really been impressed by a Metroid story or plot, though? Even the highly touted Prime games have little in the way of memorable, distinct plot. Those particular plots took the backseat to exploration and reading. Super Metroid's plot was second to playing with your various new toys as you got them, and figuring out all the little nooks and crannies you could tuck into for loot. Story has never really been their focus, always being there casually, but background to wandering around finding new ways to go to different rooms in the places you've already been.

Which makes it all the more bizarre that they suddenly decided they needed an overblown cutscene fest with linear levels instead of, y'know, a Metroid game.

You seem pretty fixated on the fact that backstory and narrative was revealed through the use of cutscene, rather than...what? Reading it off of a scan? Hearing someone spout a single line of conversation before a shootout? Playing through three and a half other games that all come after the prequel you make to be your sendoff of a series to understand thoroughly what the inevitable fate of your protagonists are? Yes, it's weird seeing and hearing what's going on behind the visor, and it wasn't handled as best as it could have been, but actually having some exposition about the woman in the suit of power armor is a nice change from just assuming everything she does is on autonomic reflex of "beep! Beep! Shoot kill!*

 

[Towels]

*snip

 

[Nintenfan81]

You're either going to ignore me completely or burn me to cinders, but I wanted to point out that Samus hadn't fought Ridly more than once at this point in the story.

Hilarious review as always!

 

[Turbo_ski]

You're either going to ignore me completely or burn me to cinders, but I wanted to point out that Samus hadn't fought Ridly more than once at this point in the story.

Hilarious review as always!

except you would be wrong. Metroid and Super Metroid precede this game chronologically.

 

[sunburst]

You're either going to ignore me completely or burn me to cinders, but I wanted to point out that Samus hadn't fought Ridly more than once at this point in the story.

She fought Ridley in Metroid, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 3 and Super Metroid. Metroid: Other M takes place directly after Super Metroid which takes place after the other 3. Why would you say something like that when you have no idea what you're talking about?

 

[SAMAS]

I'm not sure why quote is not working...

But for those of you who mentioned moviebob... [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/1982-Resident-Evil-Afterlife]

Go to the end.

Yes, he likes Other M. He says as much in the video mentioned before.

 

[SAMAS]

the actual plot of the game is totally forgettable - as in it takes a back seat to the personal story of samus - one that some people including myself didn't quite appreciate, if you want to get into semantics

either way, once the game ended and you return to the ship, that is when i thought "now this is a metroid game", nobody there holding your hand spelling out every subtle feeling Samus might have, just the world of metroid and exploration

prior to the ending tho, the game might as well have been fan fiction on a forum

Out of curiosity, have you ever really been impressed by a Metroid story or plot, though? Even the highly touted Prime games have little in the way of memorable, distinct plot. Those particular plots took the backseat to exploration and reading. Super Metroid's plot was second to playing with your various new toys as you got them, and figuring out all the little nooks and crannies you could tuck into for loot. Story has never really been their focus, always being there casually, but background to wandering around finding new ways to go to different rooms in the places you've already been.

Which makes it all the more bizarre that they suddenly decided they needed an overblown cutscene fest with linear levels instead of, y'know, a Metroid game.

You seem pretty fixated on the fact that backstory and narrative was revealed through the use of cutscene, rather than...what? Reading it off of a scan? Hearing someone spout a single line of conversation before a shootout? Playing through three and a half other games that all come after the prequel you make to be your sendoff of a series to understand thoroughly what the inevitable fate of your protagonists are? Yes, it's weird seeing and hearing what's going on behind the visor, and it wasn't handled as best as it could have been, but actually having some exposition about the woman in the suit of power armor is a nice change from just assuming everything she does is on autonomic reflex of "beep! Beep! Shoot kill!*

Honestly, as a fan, I would have preferred better cutscenes. As much as I can understand and agree with what Team Ninja seemed to be trying, Even I admit they kinda messed up on the execution.

 

[Space Jawa]

Metroid is a girl?

I would assume some of them are, given the prescience of Metroid Queens.

n most Metroid games he explodes, in Prime 3 he is actually completely disintegrated, and he still comes back for Super Metroid.

That was even after he got Balrog'd, wasn't it?

So it is decided then. Metroid: Other M is officially one of the biggest gaming shitstorms of 2010.

Of just 2010? What's the last game that generated these kinds of forum wars?

I remember the torrent of bullshit that fell on Dom from Gears of War 2 because he actually cared about the welfare of his wife, and that while we all saw it coming, empathizing with him for the revelation of her fate was still a poignant moment.

It's fine that Dom cared about his wife, but as a soldier who has an assignment that could very well decide the fate of all mankind? Though honestly, Marcus should get more of the blame there for not getting Dom to focus on the big picture and letting his friend pretty much repeat his own mistake.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Honestly, as a fan, I would have preferred better cutscenes. As much as I can understand and agree with what Team Ninja seemed to be trying, Even I admit they kinda messed up on the execution.

It's why I make the distinction of theory versus execution. There's a lot they did right, but the parts they did wrong have got the most attention.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Metroid is a girl?

I would assume some of them are, given the prescience of Metroid Queens.

n most Metroid games he explodes, in Prime 3 he is actually completely disintegrated, and he still comes back for Super Metroid.

That was even after he got Balrog'd, wasn't it?

So it is decided then. Metroid: Other M is officially one of the biggest gaming shitstorms of 2010.

Of just 2010? What's the last game that generated these kinds of forum wars?

I remember the torrent of bullshit that fell on Dom from Gears of War 2 because he actually cared about the welfare of his wife, and that while we all saw it coming, empathizing with him for the revelation of her fate was still a poignant moment.

It's fine that Dom cared about his wife, but as a soldier who has an assignment that could very well decide the fate of all mankind? Though honestly, Marcus should get more of the blame there for not getting Dom to focus on the big picture and letting his friend pretty much repeat his own mistake.

So him being a soldier makes it more bearable? Top tier bounty hunters just get the shaft, eh? That they start out alone means they get to stay alone, not allowed to form meaningful attachments?

Yeah, I'll stop that now. Take that a bit sarcastically, if you don't mind.

 

[Tharticus]

You guys and everyone else that watches ZP reviews for anything other then comedic entertainment are idiots in need of culling. Her monotone is a suitable tone considering she is a lonely bounty hunter with the weight of the universe on her shoulders and she has lost everyone that she was close to. Family, the chozo, the baby metroid. You guys have to realize Yahtzee exaggerates everything. this game is not bad just because one guy rants about it for comedic effect.

Oh, I'm a idiot? Mr. Croshaw nails almost everything on the head. Graphics and gameplay aside that it's good, it's only the long cutscenes, the boring monotone, monologues that then calls "Baby" a thousand times, Electra complex, and the cutscene that feature Samus quake in her boots for seeing Ridley.

You may not see Mr. Croshaw's review as serious, I played Other M before his review, as well as the other Metroid games.

Simply don't judge a book by it's cover.

Also, something tells me you didn't play Other M.

 

[Ericb]

This review makes me think about the interview with the developers of this game.

I did want to believe that those guys weren't just fulfilling some contract-binded marketing for the game, but alas, employers they were and creators they very little could be.

 

[Scrubbed account]

[scrubbed]