EDIT: Sakamoto wanted Metroid Other M to be a 2D On-Rails like Klonoa or 2.5D

Until Team Ninja changed his "great" idea around?

Well, blame Kotaku for the misunderstanding. According to IGN, what Sakamoto really wanted was a side-scrolling Metroid game.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/107/1076861p1.html

Towards the tail end of the panel Sakamoto discussed the Metroid: Other M project and the formation of the Project M team. Once Sakamoto nailed down the situation -- placed between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion -- he searched out the best developer to bring the idea to life.

Team Ninja stepped in to work on the project and was selected because the team played off the Nintendo-based team extremely well, bouncing ideas back and forth throughout the development. Sakamoto used a specific instance as an example: he insisted that the game would be an on-rails side-scrolling adventure that used the Wii remote exclusively like an NES/Famicom controller. But Team Ninja really wanted to make it a nunchuk-analog controlling game for 3D foreground/background exploration. Sakamoto stood firm on the Wii remote exclusivity. When the Team Ninja came up with an idea that could incorporate Sakamoto's Wii remote focus into a non-on-rails design, he was skeptical -- but when he finally saw what they came up with, he thought the solution was perfect. They called it "Famicom Game Plus."

So, if this is true than Sakamoto really wanted a 2.5D Metroid game that we fans wanted but Team Ninja came in and screwed it up!?

So now I'm really worried about this game!!!

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Here's the Kotaku article:

http://kotaku.com/5491158/metroid-other-m-might-have-been-on+rails-if-not-for-team-ninja

"I thought Samus should move along a set path," Sakamoto said. "That's right. Samus would be moving along a rail, as long as the camera angle was capable of keeping up with the action."

"They understood my reason immediately," he said, so"they proposed a full 3D map, where Samus could move to other points with the control pad." When the time came for Sakamoto to test Team Ninja's proposed control scheme, "It was perfect."

Kotaku also says that Team Ninja wanted the nunchuck but Sakamoto was stubborn.

I think that no matter how this game turns out, we should commend and be thankful to Team Ninja for chaning Sakamoto's loon idea in making Metroid Other M a casual on-rails shooter. But hearing this, I'm getting more worried about this game.

Can't believe it when I heard this! This is the same guy who made those amazing 2D Metroid games!

Hearing this I don't think we'll ever see another 2D Metroid again. :(

Until Team Ninja changed his crazy idea around.

http://kotaku.com/5491158/metroid-other-m-might-have-been-on+rails-if-not-for-team-ninja

"I thought Samus should move along a set path," Sakamoto said. "That's right. Samus would be moving along a rail, as long as the camera angle was capable of keeping up with the action."

"They understood my reason immediately," he said, so"they proposed a full 3D map, where Samus could move to other points with the control pad." When the time came for Sakamoto to test Team Ninja's proposed control scheme, "It was perfect."

Kotaku also says that Team Ninja wanted the nunchuck but Sakamoto was stubborn.

I think that no matter how this game turns out, we should commend and be thankful to Team Ninja for chaning Sakamoto's loon idea in making Metroid Other M a casual on-rails shooter. But hearing this, I'm getting more worried about this game.

Can't believe it when I heard this! This is the same guy who made those amazing 2D Metroid games!

Hearing this I don't think we'll ever see another 2D Metroid again. :(

ASK_Story

Kotaku also says that Team Ninja wanted the nunchuck but Sakamoto was stubborn.

I think that no matter how this game turns out, we should commend and be thankful to Team Ninja for chaning Sakamoto's loon idea in making Metroid Other M a casual on-rails shooter. But hearing this, I'm getting more worried about this game.

Can't believe it when I heard this! This is the same guy who made those amazing 2D Metroid games!

ASK_Story

Wait... Other M will be played without the nunchuck?!? :?

Anyways, it's hard for me to imagine Team Ninja being satisfied with making a rail-shooter, given their pedigree. Heck, we're talking about the same team that has reinvigorated the Ninja Gaiden series, including the DS game, which showcased that you can make an action game with the stylus and be successful. It just wouldn't make sense for Nintendo to bring them on board if an on-rails experience was all it wanted to do.

It's Team Ninja that is keeping my interest in Other M high right now, and that's saying a lot, considering we're talking about a Metroid game. For all of the cinematic and story driven attention that has had me worried from time to time, there's little to no doubt in my mind that the action based gameplay is going to be enjoyable, and this is because of my experience with Team Ninja's previous games and the respect that I have for them when they set their minds to an action/fighting game pushing the bar. Say what you want about the fanservice side of Team Ninja, but that's a talented group that knows how to get things done!

As far as the future of Metroid is concerned, I wouldn't worry about that too much. One thing we know is that Nintendo isn't afraid to turn back the clock with a few of its franchises if that's what will help, so I suspect that when the time comes for Samus to re-unite with her 2D roots, it will happen. :)

[QUOTE="ASK_Story"]

Kotaku also says that Team Ninja wanted the nunchuck but Sakamoto was stubborn.

I think that no matter how this game turns out, we should commend and be thankful to Team Ninja for chaning Sakamoto's loon idea in making Metroid Other M a casual on-rails shooter. But hearing this, I'm getting more worried about this game.

Can't believe it when I heard this! This is the same guy who made those amazing 2D Metroid games!

Madmangamer364

Wait... Other M will be played without the nunchuck?!? :?

Anyways, it's hard for me to imagine Team Ninja being satisfied with making a rail-shooter, given their pedigree. Heck, we're talking about the same team that has reinvigorated the Ninja Gaiden series, including the DS game, which showcased that you can make an action game with the stylus and be successful. It just wouldn't make sense for Nintendo to bring them on board if an on-rails experience was all it wanted to do.

It's Team Ninja that is keeping my interest in Other M high right now, and that's saying a lot, considering we're talking about a Metroid game. For all of the cinematic and story driven attention that has had me worried from time to time, there's little to no doubt in my mind that the action based gameplay is going to be enjoyable, and this is because of my experience with Team Ninja's previous games and the respect that I have for them when they set their minds to an action/fighting game pushing the bar. Say what you want about the fanservice side of Team Ninja, but that's a talented group that knows how to get things done!

As far as the future of Metroid is concerned, I wouldn't worry about that too much. One thing we know is that Nintendo isn't afraid to turn back the clock with a few of its franchises if that's what will help, so I suspect that when the time comes for Samus to re-unite with her 2D roots, it will happen. :)

agreed, I'm pretty confident in team ninja from my past experience with their games. I'm a bit concerned about this recent statement but i have a feeling its come a long way since the initial prospect of it being an on rails shooter, it was probably only considered in the very early stages of development (im talking not even past the pen and paper concept). So i have a feeling that it will end up pretty good, with team ninjas amazing ability to create a complex battle system and Nintendos quality control and polish i think metroid is in good hands. Only time will tell

Wow, if Other M had been an on-rails shooter, that would have sucked hard.

I'm pretty sure that you're all misunderstanding him completely.

He wanted it to be in a 3D environment, but still playable exactly like the 2D games => ''on rails'', but not in terms of On Rail Shooter...

Then Team Ninja came up with the 2D/3D switch idea.

I'm pretty sure that you're all misunderstanding him completely.

He wanted it to be in a 3D environment, but still playable exactly like the 2D games => ''on rails'', but not in terms of On Rail Shooter...

Then Team Ninja came up with the 2D/3D switch idea.

MangaPicture

Now that you mention it and I've had time to think about what it is you meant by that, you bring up a good point. And given the fact that this is a game that uses only the Wii Remote, it probably would have been a good idea to create a 2D game that gives of the illusion of a 3D experience at times. Still, I'm glad that the game appears to be a project that has a little more than that going for it now. :)

My hype for this game has now died.

My hype for this game has now died.

LegatoSkyheart

Your hype died because they didn't make it a 2.5D game? :P

[QUOTE="MangaPicture"]

I'm pretty sure that you're all misunderstanding him completely.

He wanted it to be in a 3D environment, but still playable exactly like the 2D games => ''on rails'', but not in terms of On Rail Shooter...

Then Team Ninja came up with the 2D/3D switch idea.

Madmangamer364

Now that you mention it and I've had time to think about what it is you meant by that, you bring up a good point. And given the fact that this is a game that uses only the Wii Remote, it probably would have been a good idea to create a 2D game that gives of the illusion of a 3D experience at times. Still, I'm glad that the game appears to be a project that has a little more than that going for it now. :)

They proposed a full 3D map, where Samus could move to other points with the control pad.Sakamoto

That might imply that without the full 3D map, Samus COULDN'T move to other points with the control pad. But of course it's hard to know since we're talking about either a translation or English as a second language, so....

Regardless, I'm still worried that the only video we've seen of the game is cinematics. I don't know about you guys, but I don't really care about watching a story unfold in the Metroid universe. If it only interrupts the gameplay occasionally as flashbacks, I won't mind..... But if there is constant interruption to SHOW us what we could otherwise CONTROL ourselves, I'll be irritated. That's not what I play Metroid for.

Hopefully gameplay footage will alleviate my worries. The various hands-on impressions have already done a good job of that, since most of them say that Other M IS Metroid, but I really want to see it with my own eyes.

I don't know.... I reread it too and thought maybe this is right, but the last part of the quote doesn't really make sense with the whole 2.5D thing:

Regardless, I'm still worried that the only video we've seen of the game is cinematics. I don't know about you guys, but I don't really care about watching a story unfold in the Metroid universe. If it only interrupts the gameplay occasionally as flashbacks, I won't mind..... But if there is constant interruption to SHOW us what we could otherwise CONTROL ourselves, I'll be irritated. That's not what I play Metroid for.

Hopefully gameplay footage will alleviate my worries. The various hands-on impressions have already done a good job of that, since most of them say that Other M IS Metroid, but I really want to see it with my own eyes.

JordanElek

Ok, I just don't know anymore! :P

As far as the game itself goes, I think we can both say that neither Nintendo nor Team Ninja have been known for being obsessed with cinematics and pushing a game's story over the gameplay. I, too, think it's disturbing that the majority of the game we've seen thus far have been with CG cutscenes, but I'm being optimistic that this isn't one of those Square-like situations from back in the day where the cutscenes are being treated like the selling point of the whole game. Much like with the on-rails comment from earlier, this doesn't sound like one of those things you'd ask Team Ninja to help you with.

But yes... gameplay footage would be VERY nice right about now. :P

Well I keep seeing Sakamoto talk about film influences, and he keeps going back to what kinds of things led to his vision for a cinematic Metroid. I just don't like how his interviews focus on that kind of thing rather than what influenced the actual gameplay. But that's just me preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. If the gameplay is tight and Metroidish, I can forgive even excessive cinematics.

I agree, I love using the wii-mote in an nes style! Its what makes games like excite bike, NSMBW, and Punchout awesome for me!

I HATE using the freaking nuchuck and add-ons in general!

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

My hype for this game has now died.

GabuEx

Your hype died because they didn't make it a 2.5D game? :P

My Hype has gone back up to it's norm and my trust with Kotaku died.

well now that the first info was wrong i don't know what to think, i actually wouldn't mind a 2.5D metroid game, as long as it keeps the basic gamepley design.

I am sure something got lost in the translation.

If Metroid: Other M was on-rails, I would have officially been done with Nintendo. They can eff up every franchise of their's all they want, but if they ever screw with Metroid or Zelda, I'm done with them.Superzone

[QUOTE="Superzone"]If Metroid: Other M was on-rails, I would have officially been done with Nintendo. They can eff up every franchise of their's all they want, but if they ever screw with Metroid or Zelda, I'm done with them.NightTerrorX99

[QUOTE="NightTerrorX99"][QUOTE="Superzone"]If Metroid: Other M was on-rails, I would have officially been done with Nintendo. They can eff up every franchise of their's all they want, but if they ever screw with Metroid or Zelda, I'm done with them.wiifan001

Nintendo basically just gave Philips permission to use their characters as a condition for backing out of their contract; Nintendo did not exactly make those games. :P

The more news I hear about this game, the more my hype goes down. And then when I see this hawt picture, my hype goes back up again. Team Ninja truly is the company best suited to enhance Samus' assets. :P

Nobody seems to give Team Ninja or Nintendo the benefit of the doubt. Metroid Prime gave people the same "sinking feeling" the game might not turn out well and we all know what became of that.;)

Metroid Prime didn't even HAVE a known developer working on it. All the previews I've read on Other M gave it favorable opinions.

Metroid Other M is a really floppy game. Sometimes you like it, sometimes you don't.

[QUOTE="wiifan001"][QUOTE="NightTerrorX99"] I don't remeber them effing any other major games up.GabuEx

Nintendo basically just gave Philips permission to use their characters as a condition for backing out of their contract; Nintendo did not exactly make those games. :P

I would had been totally cool with a 2.5D classic metroid so long as it had used the nunchuck's control stick for movement and the wiimote's pointer for aiming.

Oh I have no doubts the game will be awesome.

I would had been totally cool with a 2.5D classic metroid so long as it had used the nunchuck's control stick for movement and the wiimote's pointer for aiming.

goblaa