Part of the cultural heritage

In the video games world, the word Metroid evokes feelings of sentimentality in any gamer. It's not like you have to have even played the game, or know that that agile superbot you control is in fact a woman (and a true pioneer for female video game characters). Any self-respecting gamer will know that Metroid, like Zelda and Mario, is among Nintendo's elite game series. Subsequently, the Metroids have been developed using that trademark combination of nostalgia and innovation that makes Nintendo games eternally appealing.

The Metroid series can't be pinned down to a single genre. While Super Metroid for the SNES was a platformer, the later Metroid Prime games for the GameCube gave the series a complete makeover, using a first-person perspective and a heavy emphasis on exploration. This makeover revived Metroid and made it one of the most critically acclaimed games of the last decade. It's therefore hard not to be a little surprised that the upcoming Metroid: Other M, with a new development team at its head, takes the series into a completely new direction.

The Plot thickens...

These brave young developers are Team Ninja (of Ninja Gaiden fame), who have decided to reinvent the series on several levels. For the first time in Metroid's history there will be a heavy focus on the plot. Taking place between the events of Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, the plot involves the obligatory distress signal from a nearby vessel and exploration of it with a group of corporate army squaddies. Nothing new I hear you say, but adding some psychological depth is the fact that Samus is all along being haunted by dreams of the baby Metroid that sacrificed itself for her at the end of the Super Metroid storyline; should this be read as Samus realising she's getting along and thinking about starting a family? Other than that, Nintendo have stated that questions will be answered about just who Samus is, her background, and how she became the formidable force that she is.

But let's not forget good old action

The gameplay is perhaps the most divisive aspect of Other M, as Team Ninja have decided to make it more akin to the Metroid games of old rather than the first-person Prime series. Frankly, the fusty old naysayers should stop complaining as this approach is looking innovative as well as aesthetically pleasing. Holding the Wii-mote like a NES controller, much of the game is played on a 2.5 dimensional side-scrolling plane and involve you jumping around shooting, bombing and grapple-hooking your way through an army of insectoid alien creatures. Fans will also be pleased to hear that Samus retains here ability to turn into a morphball, allowing the player to get to roll through vents and get to those hard-to-reach places.

However, more recent footage shows Samus freely running around an open forest area and using the first-person view to detect crucial objects, adding a sense of freedom to the gameplay. This is achieved by pointing the Wii-mote at the screen and is handy not only for exploration, but also for taking out enemy spawn points, targeting parts on a boss and other fine actions. While you can switch to the first-person view at any point in the game, you can't move around in that state, so its best saved for either those special moments or if you're feeling nostalgic for the 1st-person view of Metroid Prime.

Old-school 2D platforming spliced with third person exploration and first person elements; it's safe to say that Other M spoils us for genre variety. While it may sound eccentric, it's a great way to keep the experience fresh all the way throughout the game, satisfying the old-school sentimental gamer as well as those seeking something new and progressive.

Another nice innovation with the Wii-mote is the ability to replenish your missiles and energy. If you find a quiet moment when you're not in combat, pointing the wii-mote vertically and holding the A button will get you back to fighting form. Like the switch to first-person view, this struck me as intuitive use of the Wii's abilities and a sign of how Team Ninja are succeeding in incorporating classic Metroid elements into a new gameplay formula.

Impressive

What impressed me most – visually at least – out of the plentiful footage I've seen is just how cinematic Other M looks. Taking a page out of God of War's book, the camera sweeps up behind Samus as she jumps onto a boss's back, gains her balance and blasts him in the head with her, well, blaster. If you reach a significant point in the story, the game smoothly flows into a cut-scene, always keeping the gameplay feeling close to the plot. At these borders between gameplay and plot, it becomes much clearer why Team Ninja chose not to make Other M a purely first person experience. I can't honestly say I've ever played a FPS in which I gave a toss about the protagonist (except maybe feeling pity for everyone's favourite mute, Gordon Freeman) and think it hinders a game from developing a convincing story. Having seen the interplay between the various gameplay aspects of Other M and the story, it looks like the dev's have got the perfect balance to make this the most intriguing Metroid outing to date.

There's no denying that Other M is turning away from a successful formula used in the Prime games. However, considering how long these games have been in existence, it's about time Nintendo gave us more insight into the bionic, leggy being that is Samus Aran. Team Ninja have not taken the responsibility of continuing this legendary saga lightly, and Metroid die-hards can rest assured that this will be a truly unique experience that all the while remains digs deep into the series' roots.