Other M is one of those games that makes too many compromises, sacrificing itself in the process.
The main game was not really all that fun for me. It feels like they had all these ideas, but none of them were really used to their potential. Over the shoulder segments were weird and pointless, making you walk very slowly for no real reason at all. The searching segments were also pointless, as they often gave very little indication of what you were searching for, and even when you do know what to search for...it isn't fun at all in the first place. And then there's the combat. It ultimately ends up in: charge shot, dodge, shoot. And then there's the platforming: non-existent. Metroid was never truly about platforming, but there were always some parts in older metroid games where you had to run and jump in tight, dangerous areas. While there was a bit of that here, the jumping was so overly generous that there is no satisfaction to it.
The most fun to be had is in the end game where you must find the powerups. However, there is both good and bad here. The good? Well, it's got something of a Metroid feel as you need to go around and figure out how to reach everything. The bad? The powerups at this stage of the game are pointless as you've already unlocked all the good stuff. There's no satisfaction to be had when you go through all this effort for a bit more health or missle capacity. Plus, even though you have to search to find everything, at the same time, the puzzles in this game are so simple that you won't even notice them!
Is it a bad game? I don't think so. However, I never found it fun with the exception of a few small areas where I actually felt a bit of inspired gameplay. Everything else, however, feels so...typical or strange.
The Good: Fast action, intense boss fights, end game feels like Metroid.
The Bad: They give you power ups too late, often making you do stupid stuff (like running through heat, or staring at enemies through glass) for no reason but to waste your time. Platforming is too simple and boring. There's no exploration or atmosphere. There's almost no music, nothing memorable. CG movies look kind of nice, although the character designs are kind of ugly, especially all the guys. The art design of the areas are ugly and the Bottle Ship is a very bland looking ship.