Some of you may know that I am a huge fan of the Metroid series: I own almost every single Metroid game that has been released to date. Yesterday I finally managed to get my hands on Metroid: Other M. I have played it for about two or three hours now and I think now is the appropriate time to write my “First Impressions” review.

The first question that I’d like to answer is: Does it deserve the title of “Metroid”? My answer so far is: yes it does. Nintendo is indeed trying something completely new with this Metroid game with more focus on the story and Samus’ history, with the addition of being the first Metroid game that is played from third-person mode. New stuff may always sound frightening, but the main ingredients of Metroid are still there.

Now I have not played through the whole game, but currently there is still that feeling of loneliness when you run around the humongous Bottle Ship, even though there are Galactic Federation troopers exploring the ship too. While the game seems to be more linear when compared to other Metroid games, there is still some of that exploring and puzzle solving included from previous Metroid games. This usually involves finding your way through certain rooms or finding hidden items.

I can’t really say much about the story yet, but it has at least caught my attention and I cannot wait to see what happens next. So far Samus’ history has been all about her “relationship” with her former commanding officer, Adam Malkovich. Nothing too interesting at the moment. By the way, Samus talks a lot in this game. I am not a huge fan of Samus’ voice acting: there are parts where it feels like the producers just threw a piece of paper in her hands and quickly went “Read this! Now!”. Troopers and Adam on the other hand are doing a decent job (so far).

Now the gameplay is the one that I really enjoy. I was really worried when I first heard that we would play Other M holding the Wiimote sideways and using the D-pad to move Samus. You would think that using the D-pad in a game that plays in third-person mode wouldn’t work at all, right? Well it actually works quite well, it isn’t the same as using the analog stick, but it gets the job done. Samus may look like she moves way too fast in some of the gameplay footage, but trust me, you are in total control when it comes to controlling Samus. Blasting your way through hordes of enemies and using all those cool moves, like Lethal Strike, feels really satisfying.

Switching from third-person to first-person view by pointing the Wiimote at the screen is really useful when it comes to finding items and locations where you need to go, but in the heat of a battle it can be really frustrating. When you are surrounded by enemies and you need to shoot something using the missiles can really earn you some smacks and punches from the enemies surrounding you. Speaking of punches, Other M is surprisingly difficult. It’s not mind blowingly difficult, but when compared to previous Metroid titles, it certainly ranks up as one of the difficult ones. There has already been couple of parts where you are immediately killed if you do not react quickly enough.

So far my experience with Other M has been fairly positive. I especially like the graphics (although not in par with Metroid Prime 3) and gameplay. I will tell you my final judgment when I finally manage to finish the game. Any objections? No? Good! Mike signing out!