Poll: Metroid: Other M killed Samus

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

They think that because most people loved the fact that Samus was kind of a mysterious character and think that this game took away alot of that mystery.

Bingo! Everyone has had their own imagining of who the woman beneath the suit was, how she acted and what her voice sounded like. People don't like it when the image they've created for themselves is shattered.

OT: I think Nintendo did a poor job on this. If they had made her feel regret, they shouldn't have turned that into overdrive. What they should have done was make the regret a reoccurring, private reflection in between fighting and shown that she disliked taking orders[footnote]maybe a line like "I'm a hunter, not a soldier Adam!".[/footnote] Making her too feminine works against the character the collective imaginations of her fans has created. This backlash shouldn't be a surprise.

I haven't played the game btw but I want to.

 

[the lapalminator]

ask movie bob. that is all

and now to avoid the short post rule
aliwfrt owjeflkajsdfjasl fjhewjf

 

[Twad]

Didnt play other M yet. For me metroid is more about exploration, sequence breaking and combat than story. However when people say samus is shown as a (afaik) submissive character i dont really like it, especially since we "know" samus as the most badass galactic bounty hunter with several planets blown up under her name... it doesnt really fit.

But hey, i diditn play it, maybe its blown out of proportions? Dunno.

 

[LeonLethality]

IGN did an article on this dude.

Didn't read the OP did you?

 

[MBurner 93]

I get what people are saying about how she had very little characterization before, but one glaring example still bugs me. Take the fight with Ridley in the Prime games. If anything, Samus looks pissed off that the bastard is still alive somehow, and proceeds to kick his ass. But in Other M, which would be like her 4th or 5th fight with Ridley, she freezes up until Adam convinces her to fight. The whole PTSD thing would have had to have shown up in the Prime games for the sake of consistency. She's already killed Ridley too many times to be that afraid of him. I see what they wanted to do. Add some character to Samus. I think they did a good job of this at the end of Super Metroid with the baby metroid, and in Fusion with her monologues, but this just strays too far from the rest of the games. The only time she was ever like this was at the beginning of the manga, and by the end, she had overcome her fears and became the badass we all know. If Other M had been a prequel to the original Metroid, this characterization would have made much more sense. It just comes way too late for her to be this afraid and doubtful.

 

[LeonLethality]

And you can only Restore Health once your about to Die.
And it only restores ONE tank

Not to mention you are a complete sitting duck while restoring it, I found this game harder than the other Metroids because you put yourself at risk during battle if you had to heal, in the others you just ran off to kill some fodder enemies and get the HP from them.

 

[Zed_Arthen]

While there are a few parts that seem a little extreme on the emotional side of things, I overall like the ideas put forth by Other M.
First of all, I have noticed a lot of people complain about taking orders from Adam, primarily since Samus is suppose to be "independent" and all. Well here is a thought. In many of the games Samus is working with the Galactic Federation. having played through every Metroid game I have grown to consider the GF Samus' primary employer. In that case would it not be in her best interest to keep good relations with them and not just say, "Yeah, screw you I work alone"?
Granted I will admit the varia suit thing is a little retarded but regardless.
I also find the whole not using items until ordered a bit of a better story mechanic than "Hey look at this item that I can arbitrarily use from this random planet." I mean really how many places did the Chozo place the morph ball upgrade?

I was at first a little peeved by the fact that they seemed to make Samus more of a sissy than she I first thought she should. Really after some thought (and some time at screwattack) I really think the over all idea of actually adding some form of character is good. Could it have been better? Yes. I think they could have made her a little stronger, and I still think a bit of defiance (or discretion) in the fire zone would have been good. In essence they took a step in the right direction, they just stepped a smidgen to far.

So in short, no they didn't ruin Samus. Just because the norm changes a bit doesn't automatically make it bad.

Edit: The game would have been much better for all characters had the dialogue been better than 4th grade level English. Really the game is rated T at least put the readability (or listen ability as the case may be) to an 11th grade level of reading.

 

[notsosavagemessiah]

did anybody read that article? i did, and it is 100 percent correct. There is a huge disconnect between the whiny stereotypical female depicted in the cutscenes and the powerful badass depicted in the games.

 

[Worgen]

ruined? no, but the plot of it was total shit, fortinatly the game play was awesome enough to hold the game together but when the plot plays I tend to go into the other room

 

[NoblePhilistineFox]

the controls were in DESPERATE need of a nunchuck, and the "find the pixel" thing did get frustrating sometimes(you want me to find green blood on grass? FUCK YOU TEAM NINJA!!!!)but other then that I liked it, it was kinda like fusion but 3D and more acrobatics involved ^_^

 

[Blimey]

Ruined? No. But Team Ninja's smelly hands stained this game. As a first-person game, Metroid was absolutely fantastic. Hands-down my favorite shooter/adventure game. It blended action, puzzles, and fun exploration in a great package. Team Ninja ditched the immersive environments and cool exploration, and exchanged it for samey-linear bullshit.

 

[v3n0mat3]

I haven't played the game, but I have seen a couple of cutscenes... and it doesn't ruin her character at all. Remember Metroid Fusion? Same sort of dialogue from her in that game, yet nobody seemed to complain (I sure didn't).

EDIT: I don't really want to play the game because of the controls, really. If they kept it to "Wiimote+Nunchuck" controls, then hell yes. That was what I was lead to believe when I first saw it. But then I found out that you only play with the Wiimote... and turn it over if you want to go into first person... That sucks. That sucks so bad.

 

[LeonLethality]

Ruined? No. But Team Ninja's smelly hands stained this game. As a first-person game, Metroid was absolutely fantastic. Hands-down my favorite shooter/adventure game. It blended action, puzzles, and fun exploration in a great package. Team Ninja ditched the immersive environments and cool exploration, and exchanged it for samey-linear bullshit.

Nintendo oversaw it all and pretty much had to approve it all, so don't be blaming Team Ninja.

 

[Zed_Arthen]

the controls were in DESPERATE need of a nunchuck, and the "find the pixel" thing did get frustrating sometimes(you want me to find green blood on grass? FUCK YOU TEAM NINJA!!!!)but other then that I liked it, it was kinda like fusion but 3D and more acrobatics involved ^_^

Despite my previous defense of the story, I completely agree. The controls and scanning could go fuck themselves. If anything that ruined it for me more than the story.

 

[Vault Citizen]

Surely if you don't like the one game you can just ignore it and remember the character as you chose to?

 

[TehDuke]

Even if the game didn't ruin Samus' character, the huge backlash about the changes and the backlash from the backlash probably will damage people's opinions of Samus. Overall not ruined, but this is a chapter of Metroid that won't soon be forgotten, for better or for worse.

Personally? Now, I'm all for three-dimensional characters and a compelling narrative and all that. And if any of Nintendo's empty vessel characters got this treatment, I'm glad it was Samus. I just don't think the game did her any justice by having the game be badly written all around.

There's also the fact that even if Samus' previous persona was just one projected by the gaming world at large, why not roll with it? Give Samus some depth, have her be vulnerable, be three-dimensional. Just have her be a badass in a power-suit in ways besides the gameplay, too. Honestly, the switches in persona are more jarring than any controller tilting.

 

[Aura Guardian]

lol.
Oh well.
ill still keep playing Metroid Regardless of other people feelings.
And Fusion is AWESOME.
I don't understand how people dislike it, especially when it plays like a tighter Super Metroid with better Art and Story.
I could have sworn that the Self Proclaimed "True Fans" have been Wanting Super Metroid Clones ever since Super was released.

Oh yeah... I forgot ..or ignored them.

More like agreeing with the true fans of Metroid.

Spoiler: Fist bunp

-snip-

Oh, hey you're here too!

Awesome picture is awesome.

 

[Aura Guardian]

And geez. It seems like I am one of the few people would loved the controls. It worked fine.

 

[For.I.Am.Mad]

I always pictured Samus as a reserved female Indiana Jones or Zoro or anything other than a whiny anime girl, like maybe a bounty hunter. But no, the Japanese businessmen made sure that didn't happen. They went anime on her ass. If this was the early 90's when heroes were heroes with only a touch of pedophilia undercurrent this might not have been so bad but now with the introverted in-the-closet Narutos sulking for 5 straight episodes and rampant pedophilia I don't want them animeing up anybody. Honestly, it's like a cry for help nowadays.

I blame Evangelion for all of this. Up yours Shinji. 'Waaah, Daddy didn't love me, waaah.' Um you do know the fate of the world rest in your hands, right?

 

[Diddy_Mao]

As I've said before I honestly believe Samus was one of the best and most interesting characters in the history of video games. There was a lot of character depth to be found if you bothered to look for it and Metroid: Other M took the established characterization and tossed it aside.

I'm not adverse to change as long as the change makes sense but a lot of the changes made to Samus just seem arbitrary at best and offensive at worst.
The point I would actually object to in the article in question is the statement. "While under the player's control, she is exactly the Samus of old"

She is? Did I miss the game previous to this where Samus was a bloodthirsty Space Marine choking the life out of enemies with her bare hands and performing acrobatic God Of War style killing moves?

She was a soldier, and a warrior to be sure but that's not really the same thing.

Anyway, I'm not going to be supporting this new trend in the franchise. I love the Metroid games and I love the character of Samus Aran but despite the name, this game doesn't deliver either of those things.