Zero Punctuation: Metroid Other M
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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Well, I can't really agree on any points, not having played the game, or even watched any cutscenes, but I do hope that Yahtzee was exaggerating about Samus's new character traits. I mean, it is nice, I suppose, that she *has* character traits now, but I'm unsure that generic dependent female was the best way to go about it...
Still, I'll reserve judgement on that until I've played the game, or at least watched a let's play.
Still, I'll reserve judgement on that until I've played the game, or at least watched a let's play.
The whole traitor thing... I thought it was pretty obvious who the "traitor" actually was from approaching the idea from the perspective of who the traitor could be, then eliminate anyone that couldn't be the traitor by paying attention to the course the game took. I only came up with one possibility. MB. Thinking about it for a second, MB had the motives and the ability to kill the Marines. MB wanted to invade the Federation but Madeline sabotaged the facility and sent out the distress call that Adam, the Marines and Samus received. Due to "interference" the coms of the Marines wouldn't work, something that MB would be able to foresee and protect against as she was on a Science Vessel of the Federation. But Samus Aran's Power Suit... she could not foresee her arrival and so could not prep against the bounty hunter's technology which is why for the most part, the Marines have issues where Samus has a relative cake walk when Adam authorizes the use of her systems.
MB played the "I'm Madeline Bergman" card when Samus corners her to cause Samus to trust her. She then goes on to "spill the beans" and gives a very believable lie by interspersing truth and "revealing everything." Since MB recognized and knew that Samus was responsible for killing the Metroids and Mother Brain, MB knew that Samus would attempt to kill resurrected Metroids and destroy the reincarnation of the rogue AI Mother Brain in order to keep the universe safe. MB then attempted to set Samus on the path of killing the genetically engineered Metroids (in Sector 0) that couldn't be frozen, an act that almost certainly would lead to Samus' death because she wouldn't attempt to avoid the Metroids, but kill them. Even if Samus figured out something to do in Sector 0 to survive, she would be out of commission for a while at the least and would be removed as the biggest threat on the Bottle Ship to MB's plans.
I can understand some people saying, "But what about that big machine that was driven by a Marine that tried to kill MB? That's a hole in your logic." To this, my response is that everyone assumes it is a Marine because of the power suit. But these power suits are full suits, covering someone from head to toe. In the Metroid world of the future, you also can be safe assuming that these suits are full of computers and electronics. In order to be worth wearing, they have to give benefits and throughout the game, it is shown that these suits allow the Marines to stay agile while still protecting them. This would suggest that the suits themselves have servos and other methods of propulsion to assist in movements so that they can be heavily armored enough to protect without restricting the movement of the Marines inside. Because of the electronics and internal systems, MB, using the fact that she is an android and telepath, could have controlled an empty power suit with a crude AI and caused it to attack her and Samus to discredit the idea that MB is killing off Marines in Samus's mind. In addition to this, the machine stays to fight with Samus, allowing MB to flee. The machine only comes out when Samus corners MB and after the fight, the "Marine" is no where to be found. There are also other portions of the game where Marines are alive then later dead where MB is.
MB played the "I'm Madeline Bergman" card when Samus corners her to cause Samus to trust her. She then goes on to "spill the beans" and gives a very believable lie by interspersing truth and "revealing everything." Since MB recognized and knew that Samus was responsible for killing the Metroids and Mother Brain, MB knew that Samus would attempt to kill resurrected Metroids and destroy the reincarnation of the rogue AI Mother Brain in order to keep the universe safe. MB then attempted to set Samus on the path of killing the genetically engineered Metroids (in Sector 0) that couldn't be frozen, an act that almost certainly would lead to Samus' death because she wouldn't attempt to avoid the Metroids, but kill them. Even if Samus figured out something to do in Sector 0 to survive, she would be out of commission for a while at the least and would be removed as the biggest threat on the Bottle Ship to MB's plans.
I can understand some people saying, "But what about that big machine that was driven by a Marine that tried to kill MB? That's a hole in your logic." To this, my response is that everyone assumes it is a Marine because of the power suit. But these power suits are full suits, covering someone from head to toe. In the Metroid world of the future, you also can be safe assuming that these suits are full of computers and electronics. In order to be worth wearing, they have to give benefits and throughout the game, it is shown that these suits allow the Marines to stay agile while still protecting them. This would suggest that the suits themselves have servos and other methods of propulsion to assist in movements so that they can be heavily armored enough to protect without restricting the movement of the Marines inside. Because of the electronics and internal systems, MB, using the fact that she is an android and telepath, could have controlled an empty power suit with a crude AI and caused it to attack her and Samus to discredit the idea that MB is killing off Marines in Samus's mind. In addition to this, the machine stays to fight with Samus, allowing MB to flee. The machine only comes out when Samus corners MB and after the fight, the "Marine" is no where to be found. There are also other portions of the game where Marines are alive then later dead where MB is.
You know, I keep hearing the Moviebob argument on how gamers are just acting pissy over the fact that they're unwilling to look at Samus as a third dimensional flawed character since she's proven herself a badass in a one dimensional mute sort of role.
But the fact is Team Ninja weren't the right people to go to give the Mass Effect treatment to this game. Team Ninja just did not do a good job fleshing out the character and they substituted bland and toneless melodrama for story.
You want a good example of an emotionally scared and jaded bounty hunter take Wrex from Mass Effect.
Samus on the other hand sounded and looked like a 15 year old cheerleader rehearsing for a Tennessee William's play.
Moviebob's argument is flawed for this fact, he's willing to accept and applaud the courage of taking such a risk, but unwilling to accept that it was a failed attempt at doing so.
I honestly am not against adding some depth to this series and to Samus' character, but like Yahtzee said in his review, it's a matter that needs to be handled very delicately since Samus is already a long time established character that we all know. And If Nintendo is still willing to take this series in this direction I'd hope for a reboot with a more qualified team because to me Other M was nothing short of a disaster.
But the fact is Team Ninja weren't the right people to go to give the Mass Effect treatment to this game. Team Ninja just did not do a good job fleshing out the character and they substituted bland and toneless melodrama for story.
You want a good example of an emotionally scared and jaded bounty hunter take Wrex from Mass Effect.
Samus on the other hand sounded and looked like a 15 year old cheerleader rehearsing for a Tennessee William's play.
Moviebob's argument is flawed for this fact, he's willing to accept and applaud the courage of taking such a risk, but unwilling to accept that it was a failed attempt at doing so.
I honestly am not against adding some depth to this series and to Samus' character, but like Yahtzee said in his review, it's a matter that needs to be handled very delicately since Samus is already a long time established character that we all know. And If Nintendo is still willing to take this series in this direction I'd hope for a reboot with a more qualified team because to me Other M was nothing short of a disaster.
Oh right, like when Solid Snake blac... or when the guys from Gears of Wa... or how even Master ch... well the guy in Call of Dury probab... well, the GTA IV guy probably had one of t...Aiddon said:
Oh wait, I just remembered that I can't think the last time I saw a main character have a complete freak out outside of a JRPG, also aumisngly enough, it happens when it is a woman, har har, because those can't control their emotions, am I right?.
Also, something tells me that the people that still suffer PTSD long after the traume happened aren't capable of picking up what caused the trauma and beating the shit out of it, Samus on the other hand has beaten the cause of her fears, 4 times no less.
The point is she is a power fantasy character, she embodies strength, power and being able to go beyond your limits and fears. The manga did the job nicely, we have a young Samus who is in dire need of experience, who doesn't really know what shje is doing most times and so on. But here comes the funny part, she overcomes that, she learns to deal with it and the sad thing is in this game she isn't a young green lass that is full of insecurities. This is a woman that has been hunting for menaces all over the galaxy for I would dare say at least 8 years. So we have a character that never had any semblance of doubt till now when they decide she is a bloody emotional wreck after 8 years??? Good god man, she isn't a heroine, she is an incredibly insecure person that is a danger to herself and everybody around her if she is that much of an emotional wreck.
Also, people act like if she only saw one death in her life. She saw the death and betrayal of the chozo, she lost comrades in the army and she has probably killed and seen more death then a hell of a lot of people, and she keeps going at it. You know what they could have done that wouldn't have been bull about her character? The idea that she desires to be alone, to not be hurt again by losing them, would also fit in nicely with the loner concept we have always had of her, but gives it an extra dimension as to why. Hell, it could be a running theme about how after she tries to open a bit more, she ends up alone again.
I think criticism of professional media writers needs to be a bit more savage than primary school sports day where everyone gets medals just for taking part.BlueInkAlchemist said:
It would have been noteworthy if they'd succeeded, but if you try something bold and fail spectacularly all you did is call attention to how much you failed.
*long string of expletives-deleted*
For some reason it just clicked in my head, I'm not sure why it took so long I guess it was simply too stupid for me to consider an option, Other M is a really, really, really cheap anagram of "mother" hence all the parent-related issues with this colossal turd. Suddenly Samus feels like a mommy to the thing she captured and brought back -TO HAVE PEOPLE PERFORM EXTREMELY PAINFUL EXPERIMENTS ON- and then there's her daddy issues and it all takes place on a bottle ship.... something with a disappointing lack of alcohol. Now, I'm going to go curl into a bottle of Jack Daniel's, partially because I feel like an idiot, but mostly because I don't want to remember this sudden revelation.
For some reason it just clicked in my head, I'm not sure why it took so long I guess it was simply too stupid for me to consider an option, Other M is a really, really, really cheap anagram of "mother" hence all the parent-related issues with this colossal turd. Suddenly Samus feels like a mommy to the thing she captured and brought back -TO HAVE PEOPLE PERFORM EXTREMELY PAINFUL EXPERIMENTS ON- and then there's her daddy issues and it all takes place on a bottle ship.... something with a disappointing lack of alcohol. Now, I'm going to go curl into a bottle of Jack Daniel's, partially because I feel like an idiot, but mostly because I don't want to remember this sudden revelation.
Yeah, taking a look at that linked video, I also have to agree with the basic premise that Movie Bob is putting forward. While Team Ninja may not have handled the implementation of the character and story well, it really seems that what people are complaining about is more that their fantasy of Samus, which was based on no information at all, is not being upheld. This, naturally, is upsetting folks (most people don't like having their ideals, no matter how far fetched, pissed on).luckey said:
EDIT: I had a much different post, which, after some consideration, just sounded too preachy and accusative. Plus, I feel it was too much for me to be saying as one who has not played much of the Metroid series(I have played some, just not much). However, I still stand behind my original statements about escapism: it's not a good habit as a prime coping mechanism (in fact, the fact you engage in a coping mechanism at all should be a personal red flag, as I have personally learned over the years, that something is very wrong and needs to be addressed directly), and it can destroy your life in the long run if you engage it too much (I speak as one who has spent 14 years escaping). I also stand behind my original statement about memes: they're usually just shit people make up and fail to re-examine for validity and veracity.
You people need to stop taking MovieBob as a credible source for video games, like I've stated before and I'll state again the man is just way too invested in the Nintendo brand name to take him seriously. Any sense he tries to make is always bend around this fact and it becomes way too clear when you've seen enough of his Overthinker videos.
Moviebob has done nothing but twist the Other M argument to where he's blaming the players perception in female protagonist instead of the developers in failing to create a fleshed out third dimensional character. Another words he's pretty much saying it's our fault for not liking the game not the developers....0o
Moviebob is the Michael Moore of Nintendo.
I bet when Mass Effect the movie comes out, if the movie turns out to be any good, he'll start lamenting on how a Metroid rip off (yeah, he would claim such a thing!! I mean in one of his videos he went so far as to say Half Life was in some degree a Metroid rip off, I'm not making it up!!) got a chance into being made into a decent movie before Metroid or (and I know he'll squeeze in Mario some on) Mario ever did.
Don't believe me? Well he's already done it to some degree....-_-
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/1740-Prince-of-Persia
Moviebob has done nothing but twist the Other M argument to where he's blaming the players perception in female protagonist instead of the developers in failing to create a fleshed out third dimensional character. Another words he's pretty much saying it's our fault for not liking the game not the developers....0o
Moviebob is the Michael Moore of Nintendo.
I bet when Mass Effect the movie comes out, if the movie turns out to be any good, he'll start lamenting on how a Metroid rip off (yeah, he would claim such a thing!! I mean in one of his videos he went so far as to say Half Life was in some degree a Metroid rip off, I'm not making it up!!) got a chance into being made into a decent movie before Metroid or (and I know he'll squeeze in Mario some on) Mario ever did.
Don't believe me? Well he's already done it to some degree....-_-
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/1740-Prince-of-Persia
As everyone before posted and since I hate repeating them and myself, we were 100% okay with giving Samus a personality, we were just afraid they'd go and screw it up, which they did.geizr said:
Her new personality does not fit with any of the past games, only going on missions alone, her fighting style, it even doesn't fit with the manga, as she gets over the whole Ridley thing and evolves more as a person than this robot straight out of Twilight.
I also have to question, what kind of people do you know that are messed up, but go forth to do a hard days work? I know messed up people too, they want nothing to do working to further society, but that's just who we know.
Finally, as a response to the video, I think it says just as much about Bob and others that they prefer these types of heroines.
I am, very sincerely, at a loss for words. You just completely melted my brain.BlueInkAlchemist said:
I had rescinded that entire post after I had thought about it some more, and you caught it before I had a chance to edit it.Warachia said:
It still looks to me like people generated a fantasy of Samus based on little or no information, and that fantasy is not being upheld by the current game. This is why some people are upset.
As for messed up people going to work, I've known a number (one, in fact, I knew personally had worked for years with a fairly distinguished career before she finally did commit suicide; absolutely none of us saw it coming because she was smiling and happy as normal on the job). In fact, coming from a more impoverished background, it was much the norm because people had to survive doing whatever job they could, despite all their frustrations, anguishes, and issues. Plus, they usually were single-parents with several children, which is an intrinsic recipe for mental instabilities, based on having lived around a number such people and coming from a single-parent home.
My point in my original post (which I rescinded because I felt its approach just wasn't appropriate) is that we only have really known Samus on her job and that this is not sufficient information to truly derive any knowledge about what she is like as a person. We've built up an ideal, and that ideal is not being fully upheld. I'll admit, Team Ninja was probably ham-fisted in their handling, but much of the cry I've seen elsewhere on the web (not just Movie Bob) has been exactly that the fantasy is not being upheld.
