Who'd have guessed Samus Aran had so much on her mind all these years?
While the Metroid franchise's leading lady has always been known for kicking alien ass, few would describe her as chatty.
However, the upcoming Wii installment "Metroid: Other M" aims to dig deeper than Samus' futuristic armour to paint a detailed portrait of the famous bounty hunter.
Picking up where the SNES classic "Super Metroid" left off, "Other: M" smacks you over the head with a whole whack of story at the outset.
Following her battle with Mother Brain and subsequent escape from Planet Zebes, Samus awakens on a Galactic Federation ship. Upon leaving the vessel, she answers a distress call and bumps into a military unit lead by her former commander, Adam Malkovich.
Now, in my haste to cram as much gameplay time in as possible, I attempted to skirt all story sequences. Unfortunately, "Other: M" carries with it the unforgivable gaming sin of unskippable cutscenes.
Since these moments can drag on and the dialogue is rather painful to listen to -- at least in the scenes I was forced to endure -- it may be wise to lock away all sharp objects in your home prior to turning on your Wii.
However, once you actually get play it, "Other M" seems right on track. Classic "Metroid" fans will embrace the franchise's return to its roots. The bulk of the action is viewed from a 3D side-scrolling perspective, but at times it will be necessary to switch to the first-person viewpoint from the "Metroid Prime" titles by aiming the Wiimote at the screen.
During one boss battle in particular, Samus takes on two large scorpion-looking aliens. After the initial scuffle, the creatures turn invisible and fire projectiles. In order to get them to reappear, you'll need to switch to first-person in order to utilize your missile attack. Once you break them out of their comfort zone, you can return the third-person perspective to continue the assault.
Switching between the two perspectives works rather well, but "Metroid Prime" veterans will find the adjustment tricky at first.
Though my play time was limited to only two sections of the game, "Other M" certainly feels like a classic Metroid title. However, whether it captures the franchise's trademark exploration remains to be seen.
