Snow

Snow... a lot of people I know hate the stuff. Personally, I love it. Christmas Day is not complete in my book without plenty of snow on the ground and a few flurries falling. It creates the perfect picture out the window. Right now there isn't enough on the ground. It looks stupid with the tips of the blades of grass poking out. It reminds me more of the end of winter, when the snow is just starting to melt. There is a little bit of snow falling right now, and all I could hope for is some more accumulation to cover up those dumb grass blades. Plus, I wanna dig a snow tunnel.

The Search for "Tron"

I wasn't around when Tron first came out. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I have not seen it. However, with Disney's new Tron Legacy on the way, I really really want to.  Problem is, I can't find it. ANYWHERE! None of the local video rental stores have it. Netflix does not have it in there infinite archives of DVDs, nor is it available on Netflix streaming. Oh, sure, I can find it on internet shopping sites like eBay or Amazon.com, but there isn't a single copy out there that's going for a reasonable price. I'm sorry, but I really don't feel like paying $90 to watch a cheesy sci-fi that uses "breakthrough" animation from 1982.  I did manage to find cheaper DVDs in the $40 range, and that got me excited, until I found out they were "Region 2" DVDs. That means they will only play on European DVD players. That does me a lot of good. I live in the US of A. It's probably not gonna happen. My last ray of hope resides in the possibility of Disney re-releasing it around the release time of Tron Legacy. But I haven't heard anything about that happening thus far. It would be cool, considering the movie hasn't been in print (if that's the right term) since 2002. Oh well. One can only hope...

Side note: this is probably my lengthiest post in a really long time. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. But since I spent all this time typing it, feedback would be nice. 

Black Friday

Yeah, yeah. I know what you're thinking. "But Black Friday was yesterday! Why didn't he post about it then?" Let me tell you, it wasn't because I was out shopping. I hate Black Friday. I hate oversized mobs of insane shoppers that are fighting to get in the store to get one of 15 super cheap HDTVs. You just might be one of those lucky 15 people. But I never win drawings, or raffles, or any sort of crap like that. So I'm not even gonna bother. "But the ad says minimum of 6 per store!" I got news for ya, buddy. There will be exactly 6 no matter what store you go to. But enough of that. Wanna know what I do on Black Friday? I decorate. Because I looove Christmas. But I hate Black Friday.

New Gadget

On the right sidebar you will find a "Leave Me A Voicemail" gadget courtesy of Google Voice. Go ahead and give it a try!

Christmas Without Video Games

On September 30, 2010, my parents decided i needed a "lifestyle change" (read: no more videogames). they wanted to see if i could go a whole year without them, blah blah blah. So i havent played video games since the 30th of September of this year, and cannot play them until the 30th of September 2011. So far it's been okay. The real dilemma, though, is what to ask for for Christmas. Sure, i get gifts other than video games, but it's still kinda puzzling. I did discover the wonderful world of ThinkGeek, which has some pretty amazing stuff, but (just my luck) my parents claim theyre finished shopping. oh well. Better luck next year...

Test Post

This is a test at posting to Project 538 from my cell phone. I will be absolutely thrilled if it works. Along with the text i have included a picture of my house with the Christmas lights up that was taken last night. Enjoy!

EDIT: Actually, scrap the aforementioned pic. you can see my house number. i'd rather not have that floating around on the internets. i'll attach a random test pic instead

Perfectionism

I don't know what the deal is, but I can never seem to satisfy myself with the layout of this blog. I've moved things around yet again. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I guess part of the reason I can never decide if the blog looks good enough is because nobody ever comments on the looks of the blog (or comments on anything, for that matter). *cough* comment you guys *cough*

Christmas Lights

I put some Christmas lights up on the front of our house this evening. It may seem a little early in the year, but Christmas decorations are like my favorite thing ever. So... yeah. I want to put more up, but my parents don't want me falling off the roof, so it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. It looks too minimalist too me right now though. Eh, we'll see what happens

Twitter

Check me out on the Twitter @Project538. I've added a gadget on the left sidebar that shows my most recent tweets. If you're on Twitter, follow me! If not... well then join Twitter!

New Features

Please take a moment to note our new features: Fun with Fish (we'll see how long this one lasts), a search bar, a popular posts list, a pageview counter, and a few "reaction" checkboxes below the posts. Feedback is appreciated.

Podcast 538

I think it would be really fun to do a podcast to go along with the blog. Problem is, I don't want to do one alone. I would be happy to have a reader as a co-host. All you need is a microphone and audio chatting capabilities, as I will take care of the rest. Email me if you are interested (watch this get no response whatsoever).

Design Changes

Hey!

Let me know what you all think of the design changes in the comments below. Thanks!

Name Change!

Quick note: I've changed the blog name. The URL will remain the same for now. Continue to read and tell your friends about us!

UPDATE: The URL has been changed. We can now be found at http://www.project-538.blogspot.com.
This will probably make us more difficult to find, as the old URL will not redirect here. Please, followers, tell your friends about the blog. Thanks!

It's All in the Name

See You Next Mission began as a blog about Metroid. This made sense at the time I started it, seeing as how Metroid: Other M's release was upcoming. After the release of the latest Metroid installment, I decided that a Metroid-exclusive blog just wouldn't work. Since then, I've expanded the focus of my posts, but I kept the name of the blog as "See You Next Mission". I've come to the conclusion that this doesn't really work. This is where you guys come in. I need a new blog name, and I really would like a reader-inspired one. Email your suggestions to project538@gmail.com, and I'll pick the four or five I like best. Then, I will put those submissions in a poll, and the poll winner will be the new blog name. This is something that reader response is required for. Am I capable of thinking of a new name? Absolutely, but I think it's more fun this way. Even if you feel that the blog doesn't need a name change, email and let me know. See you next mission!

-Nate

Stupid Sandals...

Hang around me for any period of time and you will realize something: I hate shoes. I only wear them when the situation demands it; most of the time you will find me in my well-worn Birkenstocks. Until today, that is. I was out on a walk, and I stubbed my toe on an elevated section of sidewalk. At first I thought it was no big deal, but then I looked down and saw a cut running across the front of my right foot's big toe. Oops. I was a few blocks from home, so the first thing I did was whip out my cell and call to inform my sister to have bandages and antiseptic ready. Let me tell you, walking three blocks in a puddle of sticky blood that is slowly collecting in your shoe SUCKS! By the time I got home, my foot was covered in blood. It looked like I had been shot in the foot. I cleaned and dressed the cut (ok, my mom did), then attempted to save my favorite pair of shoes. Alas, the blood had soaked into the sole. I had to throw them away. Stupid sandals. I love them, but if I had worn real shoes, this never would have happened...

Quickie Post: HOMECOMING!

Yikes! It's tonight! I guess I shouldn't be to worried. I don't have a date, so I'm going with a group of guy friends instead. I can't dance, but there's this girl that insists she's going to teach me... AT THE DANCE! I agreed, so that should be interesting. Also, my tie is purple. Who doesn't love purple, right? Stay tuned for an update. I work all day today, then have dinner, then the dance, then the afterparty, so if you wanna know what happened ASAP, check back at like 2:00 a.m. Central time. Unless, that is, I forget to post because I'm too tired. Which is very likely. So, yeah, just check tomorrow morning. See you next mission!

-Nate

Why the Readers Don't Write Back

The post title is more of a question than anything. Four people actually follow this blog (five if you count me), but judging by the numbers on the statistics page, I know I get more hits than that (for those who are wondering, only I can see the stats page. Sorry!). The only thing I ever get response on is the polls. Eleven people voted in the "Favorite Metroid Game" poll, and three have voted in the current "Best OS" poll. In the last post I tried to start a contest: send in a screenshot of your high score in Tetris and I'll publish the names of the winners here. So far, I've received no response (does nobody play Tetris anymore?). Nobody comments, nobody emails. If there's something wrong with commenting (e.g. you have to be signed in to comment) then please, someone email me and let me know. The four followers are nice, but I really want to know if anyone is actually reading this blog. If you think I'm whining, comment or email and tell me to shut up. Trust me, I'll listen.

On the Infinite Replay Value of Tetris

Everyone knows what Tetris is. Even people who don't play video games know what Tetris is. That's the beauty of it; it's simple if you want it to be, but it's challenging at the same time. You don't "beat" Tetris. It goes on forever, and that's the beauty of it. It's been potted to pretty much every system ever, including cell phones, and if you have it on a mobile device it's great for on-the-go play. The real reason that the replay value is infinite though is because you only play against a high score. Another great thing: Tetris never ends. If you're good enough, you could technically play the game forever. I pick up and play Tetris in quick spurts on my iPod touch when I'm waiting for someone or during car rides. Tetris is, in one word, amazing. So, what do you think? When do you play Tetris? Do you even play Tetris at all? Show how amazing you are at Tetris by sending in your high scores (screenshots are required for verification) to project538@gmail.com. Make sure you have "Tetris" in the subject line so I don't mark it as spam. I'll post the highest scores here when I get enough responses. See you next mission!

Buying Crap I Can't Afford

When it comes to spending money, I have a problem. Not as bad as some people, mind you, but it's a problem nonetheless. Of course, being under 18 I lack a credit card, which is something I'm actually glad about. However, this doesn't stop me from wanting to buy things I really don't need and also really can't afford. The most recent example is an Apple iPad. I had a rather heated discussion with my parents last night about buying one. It basically came down to this: most of the things I would do on the IPad I can already do on some device I already own, and spending a rather large chunk of my savings account (yeah, I have no money) on something I don't really need is stupid. Of course, there's also the classic case of "buyer's remorse"; a week or so after I would have bought the thing I would have felt stupid for doing so. Then you have to take into consideration the fact that the iPad is an electronic gadget that is periodically updated (although hasn't been yet), and if you haven't bought one at this point it's probably best to wait for the iPad 2 (or whatever they will call it). So, what do you guys think about this? Sound off in the comments section below, or email me at project538@gmail.com! Also, take note of our new Sidebar Survey question (yeah, I thought of that name as I was typing this), "Which OS do you prefer?". I'm a Mac person myself, but I know we all have our preferences. See you next mission!

-Nate

A Change in Subject

Since the Metroid: Other M hype has kinda died down, I feel a little silly doing an entire blog dedicated to Metroid. Therefore, I have decided I will post about stuff that interests me, which happens to include Metroid. The blog's name won't change, and I'll keep the sweet Screw Attack background for now, but don't expect every post to be something regarding Metroid now. I'd like to hear from the followers on this, but since I've started See You Next Mission the feedback from followers has been pretty nonexistent. You know who you are. Contact me anytime at project538@gmail.com, and make sure to leave your comments right here. See you next mission!

-Nate

Contacting Me/Other M Help

I have received a request to offer help on Metroid: Other M. I will be glad to post answers to any Metroid-related questions (or any questions you have, for that matter) right here on this blog. You can contact me at any of the provided accounts, but please do not @ or DM me on Twitter, as I currently am unable to access my account from my mobile device. As always, email is going to get you the fastest response. If I get a lot of questions I will make regular "help posts", but you can feel free to contact me about almost anything! See you next mission!

-Nate

Metroid: Other M - Review

The wait is finally over! My Other M review lies just ahead. However, I cannot promise that it will be spoiler-free. In fact, I can promise just the opposite. This review will be an absolute spoiler-fest! If you want a spoiler-free review, there are plenty of other sites out there to visit. I will mark spoiler sections, however, so if you wish to read ahead just be careful. So the adventure begins...

Metroid: Other M is supposed to be a return to the series' roots. The Metroid Prime trilogy, while excellent, takes place entirely from a first-person perspective. Classic Metroid is on a 2D plane, taking place entirely in third person. Other M is a hybrid of sorts. Is it better than Super Metroid? No, it's not. That's not to say it's a bad game, however. Read on to see what I mean.

STORY
Whoo, is there a lot of story. Narrative is the focus of Other M, and I thought it worked quite nicely. Taking place immediately after Super Metroid, Samus picks up a distress call from the Bottle Ship, a scientific research vessel in a remote corner of space. She runs in to a few old friends from the Galactic Federation Army, including her old squad mate Anthony Higgs and her former CO Adam Malkovich. I won't go in to too much detail here, but I do want to voice my complaints about the story/voice acting/dialogue. The voice acting, while ok, is far from award-winning. The dialogue is too wordy, especially the monologues from Samus. The localization team could have done a better job of Americanizing the speech, as it still comes off as "Made in Japan" even though the characters are speaking English. The story is a generic science fiction story, but it's still good. If the plot twists were not spoiled for you, then they aren't predictable. It's not perfect, but overall it's ok.

GAMEPLAY
Other M's gameplay is, to sum it up in one word, fantastic. Gone is the slow-moving, tank-like Samus of the Primes, replaced by an agile Samus who moves more like a ninja than a tank (I promise, that is the ONLY ninja comparison I will make. I have never played the Ninja Gaiden games, so this will be evaluated strictly on a Metroid game to Metroid game level). Along with you're standard beam and missile arsenal, you can perform melée attacks. The Lethal Strike is a way of taking out downed enemies with cinematic flair. The action Samus performs varies by enemy, so it's neat to try it on different creatures and see what cool thing Samus will do. The attacks range from shoving her arm cannon down a giant worm's throat to taking a Ghalmanian (giant chameleon) into a headlock and firing into it's skull. The Overblast involves jumping on enemies and firing charge shots into them, which is also very cool. The standard beam weaponry is controlled by an autotargeting system, which is really the only way they could have controlled beam firing in a 3D space. It works, but it certainly doesn't make the game easy. Missiles are fired differently, which I will discuss in the "Controls" section. Bosses are definitely challenging enough, but you almost never get rewards for defeating them. Weapons are usually unlocked, or rather "authorized", before battles by Samus's CO Adam Malkovich. Some people hate this mechanism, but it works in the context of the game. Shut up and get over it. Some of the Metroid feel is lost in this game due to it's greater linearity, but it ends up ok.

MUSIC
Music? What music? Although the soundtrack is almost entirely orchestrated, it is more ambient background stuff than the driving, memorable tunes of older Metroid titles. The two pieces that really stand out are the remix of Ridley's theme and a certain piano piece that plays near the (real) end of the game. Other than those pieces, nothing else really shines. I can honestly think of and hum at least one tune from every Metroid game except Other M. It's kinda disappointing.

CONTROLS
I'm going to be brief here, and mostly adders the major complaints I've heard about the controls. First of all, a d-pad in 3D space works, despite what you may have heard. In some instances it is preferred over an analog stick, such as when you are running in a straight line to activate the Speed Booster or trying to Wall Jump. Secondly, switching to first person for it's various uses works as well. I found it to actually be quite easy, and it becomes second nature as you progress through the game. So, all ye haters: shut up.

FANSERVICE
Yes, this deserves it's own section, as there is plenty of it. And no, I'm not talking erotic fanservice. Get your mind out of the gutter. What I mean is references to past games, cool little touches that fans want to see. Spoilers are ahead, though, as I am actually going to mention what I thought was cool. So, if you don't want to see spoilers, scroll down to the next section header. I think it's great that the game opens up with an act of fanservice in the form of a 3D recreation of the final boss from Super Metroid. Many enemies from the past games are here in 3D goodness for you to blow up. Throwing Nightmare (from Metroid Fusion) in as a boss was a nice touch. There were Rinkas (you know, the nuclear Cheerios from Metroid 1 and Super) on the way to the (sort of) final boss. My favorite thing was probably the Phantoon fight, which is what I'm calling the real final boss fight. And of course, the Zero Suit escape sequence with the Paralyzer stun pistol was really fun too.

THE VERDICT
Adam Malkovich authorizes the use of your hard-earned cash to buy Other M. So do I. While it doesn't exactly live up to previous titles, it should be appreciated by series fans. If you don't like the game, then I am sorry for your loss. You are truly missing something great. While not perfect, Other M is very well done. I don't really want to slap a number on it, but if I did I would give it a solid 9/10. As opposed to a liquid 9/10, or maybe a gaseous 9/10. Or perhaps even a... PLASMA (gasp!) 9/10.

Final score: 9/10

So there you have it. There's my review of Metroid: Other M for your enjoyment and reading pleasure. If you liked it, show your appreciation by commenting below. Feel sympathy for me, as this took ms almost an hour to type on an iPod touch keyboard (so excuse any typos). If reception is positive, I may review the other Metroid games in the future. See you next mission!

-Nate

Other M Display Stand

You may know what I'm referring to in the title. The almost 6 foot tall display stand, featuring a cardboard Samus in the center, that doubles as a shelf for game and/or movie cases. It's sweet. It can possibly be found at your local GameStop. Except for, that is, the one that was outside the door to GameStop at the Valley West Mall in Des Moines, Iowa. Because it is now in the corner of my bedroom. Now I have Samus (and Anthony Higgs, who happens to be hiding in the background) to watch over me while I sleep. That is, until my parents make me get rid of it. I sure hope they don't, but parents will be parents. How did I come across this wonderful piece, you may be wondering? Well, here's the answer: don't be afraid to ask! I asked multiple times at my GameStop, and when I was in today he said that I had waited long enough, and told me to take it with me. It barely fit in the car (I had to slightly disassemble it), but it now stands in my room. Just thought I'd let y'all know.

-Nate

Poll Results!

And....

SUPER METROID WINS! I had expected this, of course. We got a total of 11 votes. Here is the breakdown:

1: Super Metroid- 4 votes
2: Metroid Prime- 3 votes
3: Prime 2: Echoes- 2 votes
4: TIE: Metroid II/Metroid Fusion- 1 vote each

Nobody voted for Metroid or Metroid Prime 3. For the record, I did not vote, though if I had I would have voted for Super. See you next mission!

Regarding the Review Diary

So... I know i said I was going to do a review diary of Other M. I guess I lied. After playing for like 5 hours straight (and loving it), I really don't feel like attempting to chronicle what happened AND analyze it AND post my thoughts on the gameplay, story, music, controls, and all that good stuff. I will post my review of the game when I beat it. I hope you all are enjoying your copies of the game as well! See you next mission!

Poll Voting Closes Soon

Just a reminder: the voting in the "favorite Metroid game" poll I put up closes soon. I believe voting is still active on the 31st, but it may shut down at midnight tonight. I'm not exactly sure. There are currently 11 votes. First place is being held by Super Metroid with 4 votes, followed closely by Metroid Prime with 3. Just thought I'd remind you! (Of course if you follow the blog then you've probably already voted. Unless I allowed multiple votes, which if I did it was unintentional). Anyway, see you next mission!

Metroid: Other M Review Diary - Part Zero

Hey guys!

As you may know, I will be review diary-ing Other M, starting tomorrow. Don't worry about spoilers, as if I feel a post contains something significant I will say so in the post title. To ultimately avoid any spoilers, I would suggest not reading any of my review diary posts until you have finished the game. At the start of each post I will attempt to explain in a spoiler-free manner roughly where I am in the game so you as a reader know whether or not it is "safe" to read the post. I will probably segment tomorrow's review diary posts, as I am taking the day off school to play Other M. A single post about many hours of gameplay could easily turn in to a wall of text, and nobody wants to read a wall of text. Anyway, hang in there! Only a few more hours to go until the long-awaited release of Metroid: Other M! Comment, follow, contact yours truly (that would be me), and I'll see you next mission!

So... close...

Hey guys!

First off, look at the followers tab! We have three followers now!! I also rearranged the front page a little bit, so now some of the information is on the left sidebar. I was quite surprised to see that seven people had voted in the poll. Just to let you know, I am not one of those seven people. Interestingly enough, someone voted for... METROID II!!! Gasp! Actually, I'm still playing it, and quite enjoying it at that. I would like to notify you all that I will be doing a review diary of sorts for Metroid: Other M. I will mark what posts are diary posts in their titles, so if you wish to avoid such things until you play the game then you will know which posts not to read. We're so close now, just a few more days until release. Keep hanging in there. As always, comment, subscribe, contact me. See you next mission!

Really, Nintendo Week?

Hey, everyone!
First things first, I would like to apologize for not posting in a while. I just got busy, I guess. Anyway, today was the day I expected to see a Metroid: Other M episode of Nintendo Week. They announced this two weeks ago. So today, I'm all giddy with anticipation. I fire up my Wii, go to the Nintendo Channel, and click on the August 23rd episode of Nintendo Week. The opening mimics that of Super Metroid. Green text, awesome music, half-shadowed shots of the hosts faces, everything. I'm all like "this is awesome!" until I find out that the ENTIRE episode is devoted to Super Metroid. Don't get me wrong, it's probably my favorite game ever, but seriously? I tuned in to hear about new games, not games that have been out for 16 years! I learned nothing new, except for the fact that next week is the Other M episode. Next week. Thanks, Nintendo.

Two Weeks of Torture

Hey everyone,

Well, it's just about two weeks until Other M's release, and that has got me all super excited and stuff. There's a fresh batch of screenshots over at the Metroid Database, and while you're over there you can click the link to the all new INTERACTIVE Metroid: Other M trailer! It's basically just a "click the Wii remote to switch to first person" thing, but it keeps the trailer moving. It's also entirely new footage, so that's cool. One thing that kinda sucks right now is that my Metroid II save file was mysteriously erased, meaning I have to start all over. I'm kinda bummed about that. Today is Monday, which would normally mean a new Nintendo Week, but they took the week off. However, as I mentioned last week, Nintendo Week will begin to cover Other M after a one-week hiatus. That means you should check the Nintendo Channel next Monday for Other M coverage! August 31st needs to get here faster. As always, comment, email me, tell your friends about us, vote in our poll, and keep it real. I'll see you next mission!

New Other M Trailer (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

This post discusses the latest American trailer for Metroid: Other M. I will keep the text mostly spoiler-free, but attached photos are taken directly from the trailer. READ AT OWN RISK.

Greetings,

Yes, I know that a Sunday post is a bit late to talk about a trailer that premiered on Friday night (or early Saturday morning, depending on your time zone), but I've been without Internet access for the past couple of days (*gasp*) so I'll share my thoughts now. Also, this is the first time that I will attempt to attach pictures to a post! I email all my blog posts in from my iPod touch (the blog equivalent of "phoning it in"), so we'll see if it works or not. Don't be surprised if the pictures all clump up at the bottom of the post or even fail to appear at all. Here we go...

The first thing that I would like to point out is the darkening of Samus's visor. It appears that she does this when prepping for combat, as the story sequences have the visor slightly see-through, while when preparing for combat her visor will go opaque green. Also, this latest trailer showed many shots of the "Samus Screen", a screen showing your current equipment that debuted in Super Metroid. The items shown activated in the trailer are grayed out, but highlighted upon activation. My guess is that the grayed out text is added to the Samus Screen when the item is found, and the text goes from gray to yellow when Adam authorizes the item. Also interesting to note is that the SPOILER:

Speed Booster and Shinespark appear to be authorized separately, and the Grapple Beam can be used in both third and first person.

END SPOILER. I will now attempt to attach the photos, which are spoiler-ish in nature. Although they reveal no plot elements whatsoever (the trailer contained no speaking, although Samus grunted a couple times), if you wish to be kept in the dark regarding items then do not look at the pictures. See you next mission!
UPDATE: Couldn't get the photos to work, if someone knows how to attach multiple photos from an iPod touch then email me. You can watch the video on Gametrailers. For those too lazy to find it themselves, here's the link:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-action-metroid-other/702846
If you're one of those people who has so far been successful in going dark (example: not me) then resist the temptation to click the link. You're so close. You can make it! Anyway, see you next mission!

Metroid II: Quick Impressions

Hey,

Right now I'm going to do a quick piece on what I think of Metroid II: Return of Samus. I don't have long, and I also haven't gotten too far into the game, so this will just be a quickie. The cartridge arrived in the mail yesterday, and the first thing I did when I got home was tear open the package and pop it in to my Super Game Boy. Let me say this: the default color palette on the SGB is hideous. Samus looks ok (she's rendered in red and yellow), but the background is green. Yeah, like a sickly green. I played with it like that for about 2 seconds before switching to the greyscale palette which replicates the way the game appeared on the original Game Boy. I only played to the first save station, but I like the new features that this game introduced such as crouching and shooting down, which make it much better than the original Metroid. Right now I have 33 Metroids left, and so far so good. I must say that the default palette on the Game Boy Advance is much, much prettier than the default on the SGB. See you next mission!

The Unknown

Greetings,

Have you ever felt annoyed, irritated, or bugged because you didn't know something? I am having that problem right now. Bear with me, as this does pertain to Metroid. This morning on my way out the door to go to work, I noticed a small package on the front step. As you know, I recently ordered Metroid II from a third-party seller on Amazon.com. I picked up the package, and noticed it was very light. I began to get excited, thinking Metroid II had arrived. However, I still don't know. I was running a little late, so I didn't have time to open the box. Right now I'm on my lunch break at work, drafting up this post to send when I get home. I will add a few update sentences at the end of the post before I send it, and in a couple days may post a sort of "first impressions" of Metroid II. UPDATE: The package that I thought might contain my game did not. However, another package arrived later in the day which does have my game in it! *cue item acquisition fanfare* Metroid II acquired! I'll post first impressions later. See you next mission!

Other M Coverage

What's up, everybody?

Good news! Nintendo's coverage of Metroid: Other M on Nintendo Week will begin in 2 weeks. Nintendo Week is a weekly show that is posted to the Nintendo Channel on Mondays. Yesterday the hosts announced at the end of the show that, although they have next week off, coverage of Other M will begin in 2 weeks. Also, on yesterday's Nintendo Voice Chat podcast (check it out at www.ign.com), IGN's executive Nintendo editor Craig Harris announced that he has his review copy of Metroid: Other M. Unfortunately, he isn't allowed to talk or write about it until next week. In my personal Metroid news, I ordered Metroid II from Amazon yesterday, and it shipped this morning. This is the only Metroid game that I haven't played, so I'm quite excited. It is set to arrive as late as August 31st. I'd much rather is show up before then, because I don't want to have to switch between playing that and Other M. I noticed that someone has voted in the poll I posted. Thanks to whoever did that; I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to vote. Hopefully we will get more followers here, as I put a link to this blog in my Metroid Database forum signature. Feel free to email me if you have a question, or just want to strike up a conversation. Keep hanging in there, Other M is only 20 days away! As always, I'll see you next mission!

Screw (Attack) this "Going Dark" Thing

Dear readers,

I apologize for neglecting to post these past few days. I've got some news that is post-worthy now, and I also have thoughts to share on it, so here we go. First, the Japanese Other M website (www.metroid.jp) has once again been updated. The "Control" section features a series of new screenshots where you can flip between third and first person viewpoints. The "Characters" section has bios on the members of the "07th Platoon", although all the text is Japanese so I can't really tell what it says. Also, the Dutch Other M website has been updated. I haven't visited it, but really Nintendo? The American website hasn't received new content since like May. Sure, it got a visual redesign in July, but no new trailers or photos have been added. It really bugs me. Finally, Nintendo has apparently lifted their media embargo on the game, which means that gaming news sites can post previews about it as much as they want. Hopefully this means we will see more on the game as the release gets closer. As always, comments are appreciated. I'll see you next mission!

-Nate

Going Dark - Day 5

Hello, people of the Internet!

I really need to get more creative with my post titles. If you've got any thoughts, leave a comment or email me. Well, there really wasn't much that happened today that I consider post-worthy. At least nothing Metroid related. I had some more driver's ed and went to a marching band practice. That ate up pretty much my entire day, so I didn't really play any games. I did play Metroid Prime for about 25 minutes, but other that that not really. This post must be terribly boring to read. I figured that I would rather post about nothing than just not post, but maybe my logic is flawed. As always, if you're reading this, leave your comments and tell your friends about us (or me, rather). Remember to vote for your favorite Metroid game in the poll (closes on the 31st). See you next mission!

Going Dark - Day 4 Part 2/New Stuff

Greetings once again!

I would like to begin by directing your attention to the bar that runs down the right side of the page. Are you looking at it? Ok. First you will notice a list of ways to contact yours truly, ordered top-down by response time (I respond fastest to my email, next is probably a Twitter post/DM, etc.). I don't really care why you contact me, as I'm always up for a chat, but please no spam. Below that lovely list is a survey! I would just like to get an idea of what the favorite in the Metroid series is. I have an idea as to what game will win (if anyone votes at all), but we will see. The poll closes on August 31st. Not much happened in regards to Metroid today. I did finish files on both Fusion and Zero Mission, and continued on what must be my tenth playthrough of Metroid Prime. I can't get enough of that game. Followers (and non-followers), comments would be appreciated. They let me know that someone is actually reading this. Respond to the poll, drop me a line at any of the listed contact options, comment, subscribe, tell your friends to subscribe, and do not feed the Metroids. See you next mission!

Going Dark - Days 3 and 4

Hey, people!

Sorry for not posting yesterday. Stuff happens, what can I say? Anyway, I really suck at this whole going dark thing. Yesterday I visited the Metroid Database (wonderful site, by the way). While browsing the forums, I came across a new topic regarding Other M. Some never-before-seen cutscene footage from Comic-Con had been uploaded to YouTube. The footage revealed a picture that Adam had sitting on his desk. For the sake of not spoiling anybody who might actually be reading this, I won't say who was in the picture. It's not a huge deal to me, as I gained no real new information from watching part of this cutscene. So yes, I cheated. Big deal. I broke my half-hearted promise to myself to only watch official Nintendo trailers. I didn't think I'd break as early as August 2nd, but whatever. I stepped into the light for a few minutes, time to go hide in my dark corner and play some Metroid Prime. Also, we have gained another follower! Welcome, Joseph! That's all I've got for now. I'll probably do another post later tonight; it's only noon where I'm at so today's events can't really be accurately written about yet. See you next mission!

Going Dark - Day 2

Hello world!

Being in the dark wasn't too hard today. I went to church, went out to eat at Chili's with the family, played a little Metroid Fusion, played some darts and ping-pong with my dad, watched Leverage, and am now writing this. Tomorrow is Monday, which means a weekly update to our favorite Nintendo Channel. If that update brings with it a new trailer for Other M, that's great. Yes, I will watch it, because presumably it would be a translation of the latest Japanese trailer, so no new content there. If it is different, that's great too. I would like to take this time to wish you all a happy "Month of Metroid". August is the month in which many of the Metroid games came out. Metroid, Metroid II, Metroid Prime 3, Metroid Prime Trilogy, the Virtual Console release of Super Metroid, as well as the upcoming Metroid: Other M. (not sure if I got all of them, but that's a few). I would also like to point out that we here at See You Next Mission are proud to announce that we have our first follower! I hope you're reading this, Princess Leia. Having followers makes me feel like my random musings mean something. I'm glad to know they're being read by at least one person in the world. I'll update you again tomorrow. If you'd like, you can drop me a line at project538@gmail.com. See you next mission!

Metroid: Other M - Going Dark - Day 1

It's July 31st. Metroid: Other M comes out in one month, on August 31st. I have decided to "go dark" in regards to various news things about Other M. Back in early May, the advertising for Super Mario Galaxy 2 really took off. Almost every day there was a new gameplay trailer on Nintendo's YouTube channel, and every day @NintendoAmerica posted a link to artwork from the game on their Twitter account. On top of that, IGN had frequent updates to their "Previews" section of the game. I took in every bit of this information. By the tome the game came out on May 23rd, I knew everything there was to know about Super Mario Galaxy 2. Nothing in the game was a surprise to me, which kinda sucked. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't done that. I've learned from my mistake, so I'm going to avoid that kind of stuff with Other M. Now, that shouldn't be too hard if nothing changes from it's current state, as Nintendo is heavily pushing the game in Japan, and we're getting absolutely nothing Stateside. However, things could very well change for the better, and that's when I'm going to have to be more careful. This isn't to say that I'm going to entirely avoid the Internet until the game comes out since I might get spoiled. If Nintendo posts a video on the American Nintendo Channel (a video service for the Wii console) I'll watch it. I'm mainly concerned about story-related and powerup-related spoilers. I don't want to know any major plot points or any new powerups ahead of time, but rather discover them as I play the game. I'll update you daily on how my "going dark" is going, as well as take this time up until Other M comes out to post my thoughts on the other Metroid games. See you next mission!

Mission Briefing

Welcome, blog readers. Let us begin. Time is most critical. This first post here is just to let you know what this blog's about. For the most part it will be Metroid related, although I will post general stuff about life as well. If you think I'm interesting, tell your friends. If you think I'm boring, leave a comment or email me (project538@gmail.com) to let me know what I can do better. See you next mission!