HungerSTGF

The more media coverage that gets released for Metroid: Other M, I get more and more pumped for it. The intense looking action scenes with flashy and violent animations courtesy of Team Ninja make me excited to dust off my Wii and play it. However, the control scheme will have you fumbling your controller with awkward controls.

To begin with, Metroid: Other M is strictly a Wiimote controlled game. The buttons just don't seem plentiful enough to control Samus in 2D or 3D space. It's hard to think how you use rockets and other equipment using the Wiimote held sideways. On top of that, you can also switch to First Person mode on the fly, but that is also limited to the Wiimote. When you enter First Person mode, you have to turn your Wiimote vertically so you can point and shoot.

What's messed up is that you are a sitting duck in First Person mode. Why? Because you are ROOTED TO THE GROUND when aiming in First Person. This takes away from the agile feel to Samus created by the flashy finishing moves you can perform in the regular Third Person view. So in short, you'll be flipping your Wiimote in frantic desperation when boss fights call for you to shoot a specific spot at a certain time. You also won't be able to move. Wonderful.

It really grinds my gears that the developers really cannot change their control scheme to that of the Classic Controller or just a simple Wiimote and Nunchuck combo. They're not allowed to. Yoshio Sakamoto, the co-creator of Metroid said so. Well that's just great. Now you have two perspective modes that are awkward and clunky to take control of, and somehow accomplished messing up the two things Metroid did well in; being a first person shooter (Prime) and being a simple yet complex 2D action platformer.

Even though I seem very negative about it, I still love Metroid and am awaiting its release. And awaiting the pain in my thumbs from all the D-Pad pressing.

Note: This is a cross-post from my article written here for Bitmob.com