since its 10-year anniversary is coming up i figured i might as well dust off this copy of Metroid Other M and finally give it a shot, and well....this game sure does deserve its reputation. it isn't the worst thing ever made, but it fucks up just about everything it tries to do, and isn't even a very good metroid to to boot.
for starters, if they were gonna make a story-centric game then why in the fuck did they not hire an actual writer. this is late nite Sci-Fi channel bullshit at best, and all the criticism about Samus appearing weak and pitiful completely deserved. and who thought it was a good idea to make mother brain into a waifu? just a terrible story start to finish.
turning the game into an ez mode character action game is honestly the best thing in this game, as combat can be decently fun and the boss fights are by far the best thing in the game. however, the way the game forces you to point the controller at the screen to do basic stuff like shoot a missile is fucking trash and never stops being annoying. i'm fucking left-handed, aiming with my right hand is a pita.
beyond that, the level design is mostly boring and frustrating. too often you have to slow down and search for some tiny detail hidden in a smudgy SD mess in order to progress. and those times where you have to stop and pixel hunt in first person mode before being allowed to continue were the worst bits in the game by far. i ended up having to go to the internet for a few of those.
all in all the game seems to have taken the worst bits of Metroid Fusion - an overbearing and dull story mixed with constant dead ends that require aimless searching - and it drags down the whole game. it's a shame because the game coulda been great with some more intense action and a decent story, but instead we ended up with this frustrating and forgettable doodoo.
also nintendo fucking sucks for not releasing metroid soundtracks
