Imagine if Link opened his mouth in the next Zelda game, was voiced by some kid from Disney Channel, and had the scriptwriter from Days of our Lives. Well, that's what they did to Samus, our ultimate heroine.
I'll admit, I turned off my Wii during the first cutscene because I was so embarrassed (people were in the same room). I continued the game in a second room and felt like puking.
I was looking forward to this game more than any game I've ever anticipated (except for every Smash Bros. sequel). I'm a diehard Metroid enthusiast, and even I'll admit that nearly all of the entire Metroid series' worst moments make their acquaintance known in Other M; however, so do some of their best. Most of the tripe can be avoided by simply skipping some of the cutscenes (although I do recommend watching all cutscenes during your first playthrough just to know wtf is going on). Don't get me wrong, some of the cutscenes are good. They at least did right by everyone else in the game, most notably Adam Malkovich (Samus' CO referenced in Metroid Fusion) by giving him a respectable script and excellent voice actor. Unfortunately, Samus is our protagonist, and messing up her character was disastrous.
Other M promised us a highly anticipated glimpse into Samus' past, yet delivered what is mostly a wish-you-could-forget look at the cheesiest, most soap-opera-ish version of Samus imaginable. It's the same feeling you get when Disney makes the 5th sequel to one of their animated classics; you just have to pretend it doesn't exist, because it destroys a character dear to your heart.
Now that the despicable aspects of Other M have been dealt with, we now have the opportunity to discuss how Metroid Other M is revolutionary for the series.
Metroid Fusion ties with Other M as my favorite game in the Metroid franchise, but when it comes to combat, especially the boss fights, Fusion (or any other Metroid title) can't keep up with Other M.
Team Ninja crafted an ingenious way to control our femme fatale; utilizing the innovation of the Wiimote in a way no other game has. Hold the controller sideways (with your left thumb on the d-pad and your right thumb on the "1" button) and you control Samus in a 3rd person (sometimes 2D-ish) 3D environment. However, should you need to use your missiles, quickly point your controller at the TV, and you immediately switch to a first-person view (reminiscent of the Prime series). Thankfully, when this switch is made, a brief lapse in time compensates for the physical movement required on your part to shift to first-person, meaning you won't be slaughtered during your transition. Because of this blessed time benefit, missiles can be a delicious part of your balanced arsenal.
The action never disappoints, with your journey leading you to one new thrill after another without being repetitive. The boss battles are always a treat, and luckily not in short supply. Other M is truly a breath of fresh air in terms of boss battles. Each fearsome boss is rendered beautifully and battles feriociously, all without being cheap. The battles are varied, detailed, and never left up to chance or rote memorization. Other M has some of the best boss battles of all time, with the obligatory clash with Ridley being the best in the entire Metroid series.
The simple control scheme and combat mechanism are surprisingly deep. A key element of this is called "sensemove", the dodging method you'll love right away. Simply push whatever direction you wish to dodge at the right moment (just before you're hit) and Samus will dive-roll, backflip, or hand-spring out of the way in an instant. Not only that, have your beam button pressed before the dodge and the sensemove will give you an instant charge, allowing you to retaliate immediately out of your acrobatics.
This game is a must-play for all Metroid fans, but hopefully not until forewarned of its occasional cringe-worthiness, otherwise they might retract so as to protect their inner image of Samus. Hopefully the Nintendo Switch will host a new Metroid game that will take everything good about Other M and give us our first HD Metroid experience.