Team NINJA studio head Yosuke Hayashi took the opportunity to talk with Games Industry about a range of subjects, including the controversial Metroid Other M collaboration with Nintendo back in 2010. Here’s what Yosuke Hayashi had to say about the experience.
Q: We were fascinated by Nintendo’s decision to work with Team Ninja on Metroid. Looking back at the project, how do you feel about it and how Metroid: Other M was received? What lessons were learned?
Yosuke Hayashi: Other M was the first game that let us work with an external partner whose philosophy towards development is completely different to ours. This was a great chance for us to revise and rethink our approach to development, and this experience is something that is being applied in the studio.
am i the only one who liked this game?:/
I LOVED it.
I loved it, too.
same here
I played through it 4 times.
.i LOVED da gameply…..unfortunately wid so much hate…nintendo mite not make more of this type….and unlike most I loveed the story
Agreed, it was very good.
Very very good game. Primes are awesome, but Other M has much more answers to questions.
Loved it aswell, don’t understand why it gets to much hate.
If people keep on hating this game, they ARE going to kill the franchise.
It was alright.
I did. I don’t understand the hate it gets. Not every Metroid can be Super Metroid or Prime.
My problems were actually just that it didn’t have enough. The game was extremely short and the station was relatively small. The abilities and gameplay were great, but it ended too soon.
I have to agree there. It was pretty short, and it didn’t really call me enough to play the harder replay.
Yet we praise Super Metroid. That game can finished in under 3 hours. I loved Metroid: Other M. But comes nowhere close to Super Metroid or Metroid Prime
I liked it, but even though the story had good parts it didn’t have the greatest story.
i like it too, i would go back and play it again….
I also really enjoyed this game. I hope more Metroid games take on the gameplay that Other M has.
I thought it was a great return to classic Metroid gameplay.
I’m still enjoying it a ton. I’m not a religious Metroid fan who worships at the shrine of Samus, so I didn’t care if Samus was different. I just liked the gameplay and visuals.
I loved this game! At first I thought this isn’t my thing but as I got further and further and began getting comfortable with the controls, I started loving it. This was the second Metroid game where right after I completed it I wanted to replay it again (Metroid Prime 3 was my first one). Its a shame that many were disappointed with it.
Same here, I don’t know who got butt-hurt and ruined the fame this game deserved. I bet it started at IGN, those journalists wouldn’t know a great game if it went up their ass. Hopefully this doesn’t end the collaboration between team ninja and Nintendo..
How about you do some research before you start criticizing review companies if you don’t know the facts. IGN gave Other M a 8.5. That’s a pretty good score. On the podcast before the release, everyone on the Nintendo team said how much they liked the game.
I don’t see what the big deal is. Everyone complaining “they changed samus into a snotty brat”……..Samus never had a personality to begin with until Other M so what changes are these ppl talking about. She’s human, a woman, and has emotions and still kicked ass. Everyone expects her to be a silent master chief drone. The story was great and shed alot of light on her background. Gameplay was amazing
People hate it because they ruined Samus. She was a bad ass bounty hunter who did not like following rules. She was a brainless emo puppet in this game. She pretty much did nothing the entire game and had other people do it for her.
Everytime I hear someone say that, it makes me want to punch them in the face!!!!!!!
Why? Because it is true?
Because it’s not like that, Samus IS a woman not a robot.
Unless you count the player as “other people doing it for her” she does seem to kill a looot of things. And ‘brainless puppet’ fits more when she doesn’t have any dialog or cutscenes, eh? As for emo, yes. People have emo-tions, protagonists in video games included.
Of course I don’t count the player as other people doing it for her, that’s fucking stupid. In other games she let other people do stuff for her. If I recall correctly there are some boss fights where she does not even kill the boss and some other people have to do it for her. No, she does only what she is told in Other M. That is being a brainless puppet. And finally she is suppose to be a bad ass bounty hunter. She is a cry baby in this game.
One of my favourite games of all time!
I really enjoyed this game, it might be my favorite Metroid game overall.
I thought it was amazing! 2nd best game ever!
I liked it, however it had major plot-holes! They have this sub-plot that builds up to a traitor, I played through the whole game (even through the epilouge) AND YET THEY NEVER REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF THE DELETER!!! So that makes that sub-plot incredibly pointless! However the gameplay kicks ass!
Team Ninja was actually responsible for the good part of Other M, the gameplay. Sakamoto ruined everything else
Yeah, I dunno why people don’t understand this. Just because Team Ninja collaborated for this project people just assume they changed Samus
first
-_- you fail again.
damn!!you beat me
One, i think both companies will gain from the varied perspectives they share and further fine tune their individual styles. And two, if u mentaly block out the soap opera drama and cheap ass inventory unlock system, whats left is a great take on a 3rd person 3d super metroid and i loved it!
I like the game, I love the story, I love Metroid! :)
Other M was great, it was like a 3D version of Super Metroid
Why when someone talks about Other M always come the word “Controversial”. Low sales doesn’t mean a bad game, history show that fact, in the past Jet Force Gemini, Zelda Majora’s Mask, Lost Planet, Jet Set Radio and so many game had low sales but they were great games! The thing is: the days or time where the games was released, in the 2010 Metroid Other M was facing other titles that maybe cover his own shine. But i don’t think that controversial being the correct word. Other M was a outstanding piece of art, and is a diferent and necessary aproach to the Metroid franchise.
Needles to say, Metroid Prime was better, no doubt about it. But Other M was GREAT in his own case…
Agreed.
I second that
3rd that
This might even lead us into a post Metroid Fusion game ! Lets see what those haters have to say about THAT !
I agree with allot of you guys. The gameplay was awesome similar like the 2D games but good mix with 3D first person. I wasn’t bother so much with the story though, it was Samus talking. I almost felt she was very low confidence as compared to the other games. I think Other M is a perfect example of should never in the future Link talking in the Zelda games. plus samus scared at Ridley in the game was too confusing but at least you can skip the cutsecenes which is a plus. Otherwise, Metroid Other M is hardly not that different then the ohter games and I love it.
Do you even know why samus was petrified when she saw ridley. Ridley killed her parents along with everyone else she was with. In Other M, she’s only faced Ridley once so for him to resurrect and face him again……yea learn the story first
But that’s wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. At this point in the timeline Samus has faced Ridley 3-4 times already. Other M takes place after Super Metroid and before Fusion, Super Metroid and Fusion were the last two games in the series chronologically.
Other M was alright in that everything BUT shooting missiles was great gameplay. The mechanic for the missiles is the only reason I never managed to beat the game. Now, the talking, while it looked great, could have been a little less “Metroid: Other Menstrual Cycle” and more “Metroid: Other Missile Launcher.” Lara Croft pulled off bad ass right after games started being 3D. Samus failed at it as soon as she stopped being mute. :/ I’m all for Team Ninja doing another Metroid game if they don’t make put Samus on the receiving end of a master/obeyer relationship.
Team Ninja had nothing to do with the story! They only had an effect on gameplay and visuals.
And they made Samus very hot if I do say so myself…
I liked Other M, but if I could change a few things they would be:
1. The control system. Wasn’t bad but it could’ve been better with the analogue stick.
2. It wasn’t so much the content of the cutscenes that I disliked. It was the frequency and length. I’m sure plenty will argue with me but these days games seem to involve a lot of watching without doing anything for long periods.
3. The encounter with Ridley and how Samus acts with him. I’d see through it if she hadn’t defeated him 4 times prior to the encounter.
Oh I agree with you on the controls. Using the D-Pad was very awkward at times.
actually it was 2 times prior
I don’t know whose fault is, but other M didn’t work out
The whole thing with the Ridley encounter does make a bit more sense if you read the Metroid manga (which Sakamoto himself helped write some time after Metroid fusion was released). http://www.metroid-database.com/mzm/manga.php
She handled it better in Other M than she did in the manga. :P
I already under stood the first encounter but the comics is more detailed.
Never knew the link to it. ;)
This was quite possibly the worst Metroid ever made.
Guys, watch the Game Overthinker’s video regarding Other M to show how fanon and head canon are a bad thing, which the majority of you guys who hated it used.
No thank you. I think the Game Overthinker is an overrated fool with his head so far up his ass he can’t see past his own opinions.
I hate Other M’s story regardless of what was done in the manga. It was poorly written and poorly directed, no one can change my opinion on that. The game itself plays “okay-ish”, but I honestly felt that the franchise deserves much better than just okay.
You’re the one who can’t see his own opinions. You see Samus as a man-hating ice queen, according to your precious fanon, but it isn’t true. She is actually a socially awkward human who’s forever haunted by her past. Other M’s story was suppose to expand her character and how there was one person she had respect for the most. And like Pokemon BW, the storyline was trying to avoid the strict formula it had going on in the past Metroid games.
^This times 4
Hey Sickr, why can’t I use my email address? It keeps telling me I have to log in to use it.
All you need to do is type your name and email.
Don’t PRESS the other buttons towards the top, soon as you finished typing just click post.
Other wise if you still have problems…. you’ve got a problem.
It keeps telling me “you must be logged in to comment with that email address” when I try to comment with it. Have I been banned?
I wonder if they will ever do another Metroid game with Nintendo. I think that would be awesome.
I think the haters have EXTREMELY misunderstood this game.
I’m sorry guys, this is not the Samus you people, had made up! She is not just a brain dead avatar, no she has emotions and a horrific past.
It is not just the games showing this, (actually games before this did not a great job at it), the Manga is where the “real” Samus actually is.
I have made a video explaining my reasoning for some of the problems. I have more to add, but it is a work in progress.
But, my point is, it is not a bad game. Was it great? No, good? Yes.
Got cut off.
Not to mention, if we put this Samus in Metroid Fusion, it would be an exact match.
I loved Other M. The only thing I didn’t like was the 1st person view thing. I would love Team Ninja to make another Metroid.
Playing it now. Same is supa awesome. Great for those who follow the series.
I don’t know why this game has some massive hate, it wasn’t bad, I quite liked it but of course it wasn’t as good as other games. Still I think you would like the parody below (Downfall parodies) about Hitler hating G4TV and hating people hating Other M.
Are most of you crazy or just completely hypocritical?
No offense, but most of you guys were the same ones who utterly despised Metroid: Other M when it came out and did poorly. If you can’t see that Metroid: Other M was a complete failure in almost every single way, then you really need a reality check.
The fact of the matter is that Metroid games were ALWAYS about the gameplay. In Metroid: Other M, Sakamoto (not Team Ninja) threw out that notion to focus on filling the huge plot gap most Metroid games had by telling the story of Samus Aran. At first, this was interesting, but it DID get repetitive when you realize that the entirety of the game is spent listening to her monotonously read through her past in her own mind.
Not only that, but the game also made you want to personally get your ass on the Bottleship and slap some sense into Samus to get her to just use her weapons. I’m sorry, but when you have to be given permission (like the baby you know Samus is portrayed in this game) by Adam Malkovich to use weapons and suit upgrades that are already available in your arsenal, it is just a poor and lazy excuse to make the game longer.
Sakamoto screwed up. BIG time. If you can’t see that, then there is no way I could possibly reason with any of you on that.
The next issue does boil down to Team Ninja though: The game was essentially Ninja Gaiden, with Samus playing the leading role instead of Ryu.
By this logic, I mean that the game was fairly linear and lacked a proper difficulty curve. As a matter of fact, many of the boss battles and normal enemy fights were already unfairly challenging enough as is because you had to execute split-second commands (or else you’d basically be ripped to shreds). The controls only made this worse, as most commands and moves Samus MUST execute share buttons with other actions that Samus has. In other words, it absolutely ruined the quality of the gameplay itself.
Oh, and before I wrap up the gameplay portion of the game, I must state that the Hard mode of the game is almost made entirely impossible due to the horrid controls AND the fact that you get no expansions to your health or ammo, among other things. That is NOT making a game “harder,” it is just being too lazy to tinker with enemy HP and attack power. It is something Metroid never did in any other game previous to Metroid: Other M. As a matter of fact, Metroid Prime Trilogy (which gave 3 difficulty settings to all 3 Prime games, btw) and, most notably, Prime 3 was extremely difficult on Hypermode. It may have even been harder than Metroid: Other M, seeing as the only times you really die in the M:OM is when its the game developer’s fault for having no true customization with the controls to allow players to use a nunchuck, gamecube, or classic controller.
Stop acting like you know what makes a Metroid game. Metroid is about its gameplay and exploration aspects while its story unfolds throughout the action. It is an Action/Adventure game. Not a cross between a beat ’em up and fighting game like Team Ninja portrayed with Metroid: Other M. There are certain factors of a game that are good to change, and there are others that should just simply remain unchanged altogether. The Zelda series is a perfect example of how innovative changes really work.
If there is a new Metroid (and there will be a new one soon, most likely), I certainly hope Nintendo requests the help of one of their second-parties–Retro Studios and/or Nintendo Software Technology, most preferably. Both Team Ninja and Sakamoto need to stay far away from the Metroid games.
1.With Adam authorizing your weapons, I think it gives the game a more realistic plot. Also, it does make the game more difficult in some aspects. But, it is almost the same as downloading your weaponry in Metroid Fusion after your CO says too. Also, if you think about it Adam probably has to have an ok from the Federation on what weaponry you use. Well, who is behind the whole thing? The Federation! If I were them, I would not want Samus to be able to get to Sector 0, and etc. But, we also do not want to lose Samus, as she is a great asset to the Federation. That probably caused the sparatic gaining of equipment like the Varia suit. What does the Varia suit do? It makes the suit resilient to heat….AND COLD! Where is Sector 0? IN SECTOR 2!
2.The controls were ok. But, I can not see this working with a Nunchuk. The controls would be too clunky. The game has camera turning and etc, to make it easy to use with a D-pad. Not to mention, I grew up with the SNES, D-pads are WAY better than anaolog sticks. The only thing that could be left out was the first person mode. Also, I’m pretty sure Ryu does not have an Arm Canon and Morph Ball. Of course it will be like Ninja Gaiden! Look at who made it, and it was even built in an adaptation of the Ninja Gaiden engine!
3.This game was actually pretty easy. The Hard Mode was a different story, but it is not as bad as you make it out to be. I beat it!
Also, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption was TOO EASY! I want the return of the Metroid Prime 2 Echoes Hard Mode for the Game Cube, and you know, Other M did that and more.
This game did not fail. Did it live up to the impossible expectations that people like you had when they first saw it at E3? No, no game would. But, I know, if this game were made by someone other than Nintnedo it would be praised. It is something fresh and new to the franchise, do not campare, just play for the fun of playing!
Etto the Authorization System was a fucking ruse and Slap to a Metroid Veteran(Fan Since 1998 when play Super Metroid For First time), in Fusion was Canonical because the Virus and that was a original Twist, In Metroid Other M unless the offensive one, the defensive have little no sense not used it(like the laval level, the fucking Scrappy level)
In general that was the problem of Other M… we expect an Original Metroid, not 2 hour long CGI BAD MOVIE About Metroid…heck even the manga was better in the samus shock(Real First time.. Sexual innuendo Intended)
But nor beat the Dead Horse… Team Ninja were the Mercenaries because Retro Would have make an Internal Fight with Sakamoto about Other M and that would have Scrapped… but At Least we go the Better Donkey Kong Country Return with gives us a Original Villain. At Least Retro Improved when Sakamoto Fadder.
In fact i want to see Metroid 3D with a Modified Kid Icarus Engine… Kid Icarus Scream Metroid 3DS in any fashion, in fact Sakurai would have made Gunpei Yokoi(Rest in Pacem, Master) Happoy for this work.
Actually, compared to Ninja Gaiden, the game is pathetically easy.
After saying all of that it still doesn’t excuse the fact that she is no longer a likable character. Also social awkward is not where you end such a design, you quickly have to establish why she is cool. I have the game but like bad character writing I simply can not finish this game because the story is so lame.
Keep the story simple or write it as a novel and see if it works. 20 million is a lot to make a b movie.
After saying all of that it still doesn’t excuse the fact that she is no longer a likable character. Also social awkward is not where you end such a design, you quickly have to establish why she is cool. I have the game but like bad character writing I simply can not finish this game because the story is so lame.
Keep the story simple or write it as a novel and see if it works. 20 million is a lot to make a b movie.
There is lots of bad story telling… I understand she was scared but give us a scarier reason than Riley showing up…. Like some thing super natural maybe? Metroid is about the player being scared not samus, we didn’t even know it was a girl at first.
I really loved this game. Actually I prefer this instead of any of the prime saga
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