G4: Metroid: Other M Review -- 2/5

As the 11th game in the series, Other M is a bizarre collaboration between the Metroid series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto and Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame. Indeed, "odd pairings" becomes the common thread throughout the game and its clashing dualities extend to the storyline, control scheme and onscreen action.

[SasanovaS1987]

hmmmmmm well thats not good

[Lovable]

Yeah...I'm quite surprised to be honest.

[darkcharizard]

same here :(

[ABizzel1]

After listening to their review and complaints I can see why it wasn't a 5/5, but the 2/5 is a little harsh.

I think it's because this is such as huge franchise known for great games, and this has been the odd child. I'm going to rent it for myself, but it's safe to say that they need to rework the controls for this game.

[TheDeadMetalhead]

The review sucks. They barely even said anything about the game itself. Just non-stop complaining that "ONOEZ SAMUS HAZ EMOTIONS NAO!!1". I really doubt that it's as bad as this review makes it out to be.

[Spider050]

FAIL

[specialguest]

I bet Morgan from G4 deducted an entire star due to the fact that Samus isn't this harden heroine with no emotions or real internal struggles, as what Morgan imagined all these years.

[Lekumkee]

She didn't review it.

[specialguest]

Then what the hell is this:

http://g4tv.com/videos/4831...

Lets suppose it was reviewed by Abbie...same thing. Abbie couldn't stand that fact that Samus has real emotional weakness, instead of being a strong and tough heroine, which is why she probably deducted a star.

[A Cupcake for Gabe]

Morgan is a Nintendo hater and a open anti-Wii gamer. She had bad things to say about Kirby, Mickey, and Mario Galaxy 2. If she reviewed it I could believe the score, but most G4 reviewers are generally fair.

[ReservoirDog316]

G4 has many reviewers but Adam and Morgan are usually the ones who read the reviews in video reviews cause they're the hosts. So even the she's reading the review doesn't mean it's her opinion.

That said, the review surprises me.

[Reibooi]

Personally I don't trust G4 reviews. They always seem to tear games apart but never really delve to deeply into why they did.

A good example is this is the Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII review. That game was pretty much universally praised as one of the best PSP games of the time. Yet G4 trashed it and after reading the review all I could walk away with is that the review was a jaded fanboy who dislikes Final Fantasy VII and didn't care for the game and thus gave it a lower score completely ignoring it's quality.

Something similar seems to be happening with Other M. Many of the early reviews are positive. Yet this review seems as if it's a fangirl who doesn't want to see change in the metroid series despite the massive change it has already been through(platformer to FPS). Maybe it's just me but I don't really trust the review at all.

@specialguest

I thought something similar but the review is not by Morgan Webb but Abbie Heppie but I would assume the reasoning you present is pretty spot on because everyone who complained before the games release basically said they didn't like seeing that Samus was gonna be a deeper and learn more of her they just wanted silent hero Samus which is stale in my opinion.

[Lekumkee]

Ouch! The first Metroid game built from the ground up for the Wii and it bombs. Should've stuck with Retro Studios, now they know how to make a Metroid game.

Edit: NVM after reading other review scores "bomb" is a little harsh.

[BrianB]

ahh it looks like shadow complex is the superior game and its cheaper with better graphics

[Spaghett]

I new it wouldn't reach its full potential with Team Ninja at the helm. The studio has made two very fun and pretty polished games: Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden. The rest of their games seems to be shit. Especially that one about traps.

Edit: Although this probably is the first bad review I've seen but I haven't really been checking. Gameinformer gave it a good score and I typically agree with their reviews.

[Reibooi]

...

You know that the only games Team Ninja has ever made were DOA and Ninja Gaiden games right?

Any other game that comes out of Tecmo is not from Team Ninja they are a separate team inside of Tecmo that only worked on DOA and Ninja Gaiden.

Most of Tecmo's games do indeed suck but that has nothing to do with Team Ninja so saying what you did makes no sense.

[maniacmayhem]

One about traps??

You better not be talking about Deception because those games were bad ass!

I still remember the one scenario where a father enteres your castle to find a cure for his sick daughter and you end up killing him. A cut scene later shows his daughter crying for her dad and then dying.

AWESOME!

[frankymv]

oh this is getting ugly.

[lolzers]

Oh my yes. I just can't believe it. This means I will never enjoy the game when it gets delivered to my doorstep, I will be so disappointed.

But what do I know, I only play games every day and base my opinions on what I play?

[AWBrawler]

boy stop all that damn knowledge. when i rome do as the romans. So lets all act brain dead and stupid like them and let one review tell us what we like

[bustamove]

Oh snap. o.o

I expected a good score.

[eagle21]

Gamespot 8.5
Eurogamer 8/10
joystiq 4.5/5
IGN 8.5/10
famitsu 9/9/8/9
Manly webb and crew = WTF?

One thing is for sure: Nintendo will be back to making the next Metroid 100% in-house...lol. :)

[TheCapto]

Game Informer 6.5
Destructoid 6.5

Everyone has their own opinions, some sites don't like it. Read the review, then pass judgement.

[-GoldenTimeLover-]

Play the game for yourself, THEN pass judgment.

[GodHandDee]

Ouch!!!!

that is all.

I STILL love their TV ad tho

[BannedForNineYears]

Lol@Wii game failing. Lololololololol.

[lolzers]

Lol at wii games having the highest ratings out of all console games this generation.

[BannedForNineYears]

Sauce or that's a lie. ~_~

[lolzers]

Here you go.

[BannedForNineYears]

Sauce = source. ~_~

[rumplstilts]

Here is your "sauce. And also spend less time on 4chan.

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

[BannedForNineYears]

Ahem, I hope you realize that was the lesser equivalent of me posting
http://www.metacritic.com/g...

~_~
Fail noob is fail.
If you go by Metacritic, GTA4>SMG2.

Edit: I don't think this comment is complete until I add another meme, so.
Fission mailed.

[Theonik]

Still buying it.

[BeaArthur]

A harsh score but after checking out the review her points seem valid.

[tunaks1]

g4 also said "Controls don’t add anything to the experience" for prime 3...
clearly their reviews are the last to be looked at.

[GuruStarr78]

I wished all along they had just stuck with the original 2-D formula..."if it aint broke, don't fix it".

[Lovable]

But then reviewers will reap them a hole for not moving the series forward...lol

[Unicron]

Yup, damned if you do...

[Trroy]

Glad I cancelled my preorder.

I cherish Metroid Prime Trilogy, and don't want to ruin the experience with bad stories.

[lolzers]

If you cancelled your preorder based on a review, you're an idiot.

[GuruStarr78]

@lolzers:

agreed; G4 is one of the very few sites that gave this game below 80%...Alot of what this bad review is based upon is the "feministic" views of this reviewer.....while I can see what she's saying and she has valid points, most reviews for this game have been positive.

[swice]

Moron

[rumplstilts]

That is the stupidest logic ever. I also know that you never pre-ordered it in the first place.

[colonel179]

This game got broken with the poor decisions in the controls, and the story. Why would she decide not to use her weapons until a guy says so??

Hopefully Nintendo pulls a Hulk and forget this game never happens, and redeem themselves with the next game (whether for Wii or next gen console).

I am still want to try the game myself, to have better jugement of the game, but I am dissapinted to hear about all the poor choices Ninja Team made with metroid.

PS. Next time, give the game to Sony's Santamonica Studios, Naugthy Dog or Visceral Games (I know the first two are impossible)

[tunaks1]

please,
you talk as if you've played it.

[lil boy blue]

I agree but the metroid fans aren't used to criticism. I didn't see you say it a bad game just a a rough diamond that needed same more work.

[swice]

No.

He's taking as though he's already played the game. It just doesn't make sense and isn't fair

[Doc Sony]

A huge Nintemdo franchise taking a hit ? Been a long time.

Next up, LOZ:Skyward Sword !

[Homicide]

I trust these guys. They were one of the few that gave Crisis Core a well deserved score.

Anyways, I'm a little disappointed with the scores it's getting. It's not bad by any means (minus this one), it's just I've never seen a Metroid game dip below 90.

Also, this review made some good points; rental.

[tunaks1]

Crisis Core was not a 2 out of 5, it was a great game.
g4 hates jrpgs, and let their prejudices trinkle into their reviews, they are the fox news of gaming.

[Naughty Dog]

Yeah the score is too low, I expected higher scores overall but I can't trust this review because Crisis Core was a great game, they under-rated it imo, the story was awesome, graphics, sound and voice acting was great but the game-play had some flaws like a luck system but it was fine.

IGN and Gamepot gave it 8.5 and Eurogame gave it a 8, so that's good enough for me.

[Quadrix]

^Stopped reading there.

[pcz]

they really laid into the game hard, more a condemnation then a review.

it seems this game has serious flaws that are unavoidable even to fans.. i will still buy it, just because it 'looks' so good, but i am disappointed with the response it has evoked so far.

[Zinc]

I read the review and I have to say, I have not played the game, so I can't really pass judgment on it. However, I can critique the review and reviewer. That entire review was angry and threw out an irritated vibe. This Abbie, has to take into consideration that: 1. They are telling the story of Samus in their vision of the story. It's not like they didn't work with the original creator of the concept. Nothing happens at Nintendo, without Nintendo's approval on their first party properties. 2. Not everything has to be about sexism, racism, or other isms. That sounds like a very big chip on someone's shoulder there. 3. It's fleshing out the character of Samus... Samus is a human being, with thoughts and emotions. Did she spring up from the ground and simply become the universe traveling killing machine she is now? Of course not. 4. Japanese/Asian sensibilities are somewhat different than Western ones. Granted we are all fundamentally the same, but they are much more emotionally driven in their games and other creative outlets than what you see in mainstream Western equivalents. They also seem to view women as something special and pure. Look at all the Goddess references in games from Japan. They see women as emotional and innocent for the most part.

It seems to me they took a very heavy topic and tried to express that innocents and vulnerability, along with her obvious strength and ability. Why follow the orders of some... man? Maybe she has something to prove to herself, more than some man. Sometimes, following someone's lead can be the hardest thing you can do, but it's something you must do.

It just seemed like the entire review was vitriolic and based not on the game, but on some kind of failed idea she had built up in her head about the main character. Hardly the fault of the designers.

Someone mentioned forgetting this like they forgot about the first Hulk movie... Ang Lee was had a vision of telling a story about why The Hulk was who he was. The world made The Hulk, The Hulk didn't make the world. There was a certain artistic and very human sensibility to that movie.

[tunaks1]

great review of g4's review
+bubble

[iceman06]

I think that she was angry at this idea for a reason. She see's this as horribly cliche. The one woman that she thought that she could count on to hold her own with Master Chief, Marcus Phoenix, and the damned terminator himself turns out to have these vulnerabilities and sensitivities that can be seen as weakness. Sure, nobody ever really said that Samus wasn't sensitive...it was just a given because she kicked so much ass. So, I agree that her prejudices and preconceived notions about Samus and who she was got in her way of her review somewhat. I also agree with your Ang Lee comment. He tried to bring some artistry and emotion to a comic book character that actually displayed that. But, the masses just wanted action.

[Xander-RKoS]

It seems as if the people most upset about the game, are those who projected their escapist fantasies onto the mute heroine that is Samus Aran. Like, they were suppose to. The only flaw this game seems to have from a story-telling stand point seems to be making the character more human based on her canonical backstory as opposed to more recognizable one-dimensional bland characters that makes up most other games.

[swice]

I'm very happy that you brought up the Western/Japanese emotional differences. I've been thinking this the entire time I've been reading the reviews.

+Bubbles up

[rakunado]

Destructoid and Game Informer both provided their respective opinions and their points made sense at least. IGN and Gamespot pretty much found the combat decent compared to the other two reviews. This review however just seems very angry... almost too angry to the point that the review is based more upon Samus character setting back the feminist movement rather than the way the game is played. A good review is unbiased and looks at it from every angle. This review straight away says the game sucks which is bit far fetched compared to all the other reviews... 2/5... its really that bad huh? I'll find out this week.

[Xander-RKoS]

Even then, that seems like the complete opposite of what Samus originally did. Samus was one of the the first positively portrayed female game characters, even designed so that under her suit, you could not tell her sex.

The idea of fleshing out a back story and giving her vulnerabilities and weaknesses isn't setting back any feminist movement or anything like that, in fact, I would imagine that it producing a stronger image for women in the medium considering she still kicks an extreme amount of ass, but is still a human being and in fact, is not the by-product of men's ideal woman.

I dunno know about the rest of you, but given the backstory presented in Metroid Prime (various lore and stuff) and just the way her eyes move in certain cutscenes throughout the Prime trilogy, the eternally cool and collected sexy space bounty hunter is never how I imagined Samus. She gets scared, and angry, and sad (oh God the ending to Prime 3) just like everyone else which is why she is one of my favorite game characters of all time.

[rakunado]

^^ agree with your points.

Never really thought of Samus as anything apart from a woman in a suit. Was impressed it was a woman in the original metroid on the nes when you just escape motherbrain and her 8bit form turns into a woman. But since she never spoke, never really had a back story or anything I didn't read too much into it. Now she has all of that, and some people don't like it.

My main point is... just because preconceptions were dashed. Is it really fair to mark it down in points? I thought that was the job of fanboys and girls not a reviewers job(and that is me assuming the low score was partially due to this, if it wasn't then they really didn't explain in detail why the score was so low in the first place, why they said the word "suck"). But oh well.

[Shnazzyone]

It's pretty obvious she has purely damned the game for the story. I will say it is a little silly to search for cutscenes rather then hidden items. However i am not countinbg this game out... under all the hate on the game for what webb deemed sexism she also says the fighting and platforming works well.

It seems if you review this game for it's platforming, gameplay and action then it's a pretty good game. If you review it for it's storyline... and you are a girl sensitive to sexismn.... then it is not very good. Strangely she mentions that part of the storyline is good... so only half the story is sexist i guess.

I officially will have to rent this before i decide to buy it or not. I imagine as bad as the story could be... it still at least will make way more sense then heavy rain.

[tiamat5]

Gamers are fair weather friends. Any site that doesn't give the game they expect to be good a high score immediately becomes untrustworthy. Suddenly their opinion doesn't matter. G4 has always given Metroid games good scores before, so because they don't like it this time it means it's time to blacklist their reviews. If they gave it 5/5 you would be saying 'good review G4'

[Xander-RKoS]

People also apparently have problems with how the review is written in terms of what it focused on.

[tiamat5]

Gamers are fair weather friends. Any site that doesn't give the game they expect to be good a high score immediately becomes untrustworthy. Suddenly their opinion doesn't matter. G4 has always given Metroid games good scores before, so because they don't like it this time it means it's time to blacklist their reviews. If they gave it 5/5 you would be saying 'good review G4' BTW Shnazzyone could you leave Heavy Rain out of this please

[tunaks1]

other m's "low" scores are being overblown,

GameFan Magazine - 9.5/10
Wired - 9/10
Joystiq - 4.5/5
Worth Playing - 9/10
Famitsu Magazine - 9/9/8/9 for a total of 35/40
Nintendo Power - 8.5/10
IGN - 8.5/10
GameSpot - 8.5/10
Metroid-Database - 85%
Digital Chumps - 8.4/10
Eurogamer - 8/10
GiantBomb - 4/5
GamePro - 4/5
Kotaku - Text, no score, but very positive.
N-Sider - Text, no score, but very positive.
Games Radar - 7/10
Destructoid - 6.5/10
Game Informer - 6.25/10
G4TV - 2/5

from Alextended

[Titanz]

Shocked to say the least, but after watching those awesome gameplay videos, I tell the game was a "must have" title for me(Pre-order it!).

[nepeon]

I facking h8 them. Guys I just got the game by Walmart (street date broken)and the facking game is a perfect 10 I swear to god this game will blow your facking mind!. Right now I'm on the 3rd sector trying to find out who kill 1 of my comrade. Can't say more cause don't want to spoil it but if u guys believe G4 and don't buy this then u can't live your own life and have to depend on someone else to make choices for you. The gaming world would be more better and games would sell more if facking there were no one picking on them saying if its good or bad. I don't care what G4 gives this but I am facking so glad I bought this. L8r.

[MrRockman64]

I agree!!!!, i just hate game reviews from people who can care less about games, i dont care if they gave it a 1 or 2, ill buy it!!! period

[matey]

Devs should not let certain people Review there games full stop Morgan i hate her she bought a 360 i think and acts like a child like back in the Sega/Nintendo days proper bashing a game because its not her cup of tea,U still need to Review a game properly i hate GTA4 but i would review it 85/100 u still have to be REAL she isnt and Devs need to keep an eye on them mindless reviewers to put an end to it trust me,If Nintendo said to G4 u cant review our games anymore they wouldnt get as much traffic on there site G4 be careful and show respect Morgan Mario Galaxy 1/2 are the pinnacle in gaming the 2 best games this gen.

[pcz]

now we know why nintendo are so reluctant to give link a voice...

they gave samus a voice and she's just a whining little bitch.

its true though, in my mind, samus is a woman, a strong authoritative woman, not a high school cheerleader that these reviews suggest she is now.

[Xander-RKoS]

Based on the opening movie that was leaked a while ago:

Samus seems more troubled by the fact that a being that thought of it as its parent recently DIED protecting her and she is still pretty grief stricken. Considering that canonically, Samus has this thing where people and things that love her DIE, she seemed a lot more monotone, cold, and sad than anything high-school cheerleader type personality.

Also, seeing as before this I think Samus had one game that reflected her actual personality (Fusion), any personality you associated with Samus is whatever projection you put on her. Up until then, she was purposely left as a player avatar to do just that.

[swice]

Don't forget that she also blew up Zebes: a place where she grew up and trained with the Chozo.

If Earth blew up while I was away and my son died saving my life, I would be PRETTY FU*KING UPSET too.

[EvilTwin]

I tried to watch their vid on this. Tried. I thought they were supposed to be gaming journalists, not internet trolls.
(And yeah...I know reviews are subjective. But 2/5 is a score for Carnival Games or something. Shovelware.)

[matey]

I bought a Sun Paper on Friday and it says Its like controlling a Bloody good film and that the visuals are on par with ps3 and gave it a 8/10 same as what they gave Mafia 2 for ps3/360 so the games average is about 88% not bad considering they only use a wiimote it sounds like if the nunchuck was used Reviews would have been higher in half the reviews sa far so very very good game.

[Seekerofthewind]

How odd, considering that her main complaint is that they gave Samus emotions. >.>

[rivithed]

Sounds like another G4TV review slip up. Remember The Elder Scrolls IV Obilivon review? 'Nuff said (and why I no longer give any weight to a G4TV game review).

[ChickeyCantor]

God that woman is annoying, this wans't a review.
Little to no depth whatsoever.
Just whining and repeating over and over the relation between Adam and Samus.

[setsuken]

I kinda have to agree with the sentements in most of the comments here and on G4. It seems like the characterization of Samus is what pissed the reviewer off and brought in a huge amount of bias.

I'm not debating as to whether her claims are true or not, but it largely SEEMS that way from her words. Its not a professionally written review.

[lizard81288]

http://tinyurl.com/2ctdkh9

[pork_chop_express]

yeah she be pissed :)

"if you like this game i dont even want to talk to u or know you"

[MrRockman64]

Maybe Morgan has some serious issues, i wonder why.........