12.19.2010
Snow
11.29.2010
The Search for "Tron"
11.27.2010
Black Friday
11.23.2010
New Gadget
11.16.2010
Christmas Without Video Games
11.09.2010
Test Post
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
11.08.2010
Perfectionism
Christmas Lights
11.06.2010
10.10.2010
New Features
Podcast 538
10.03.2010
Design Changes
Let me know what you all think of the design changes in the comments below. Thanks!
10.02.2010
Name Change!
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!
9.29.2010
It's All in the Name
-Nate
9.27.2010
Stupid Sandals...
9.25.2010
Quickie Post: HOMECOMING!
-Nate
9.23.2010
Why the Readers Don't Write Back
9.20.2010
On the Infinite Replay Value of Tetris
9.19.2010
Buying Crap I Can't Afford
-Nate
9.18.2010
A Change in Subject
-Nate
9.11.2010
Contacting Me/Other M Help
-Nate
9.08.2010
Metroid: Other M - Review
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
9.05.2010
Other M Display Stand
-Nate
Poll Results!
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!
8.31.2010
Regarding the Review Diary
8.30.2010
Poll Voting Closes Soon
Metroid: Other M Review Diary - Part Zero
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!
8.25.2010
So... close...
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!
8.23.2010
Really, Nintendo Week?
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.
8.16.2010
Two Weeks of Torture
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!
8.15.2010
New Other M Trailer (CONTAINS SPOILERS)
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!
8.13.2010
Metroid II: Quick Impressions
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!
8.12.2010
The Unknown
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!
8.10.2010
Other M Coverage
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!
8.07.2010
Screw (Attack) this "Going Dark" Thing
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
8.04.2010
Going Dark - Day 5
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!
8.03.2010
Going Dark - Day 4 Part 2/New Stuff
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
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!
8.01.2010
Going Dark - Day 2
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!