Yesterday I was given the chance to play one of my most anticipated Wii titles, Metroid: Other M. My friend was not very satisfied with the results. His biggest problem is that he finds it to be boring. I was still willing to give the game the benefit of a doubt, though. So I managed to play through the first hour or so.

Let me get my initial criticisms out of the way. The biggest issue I am seeing are the cutscenes. Coming from somebody that isn't used to an over abundance of monologuing in the Metroid series, I wasn't very fond of them taking up more time than necessary. The Metroid Prime series delivered very brief cutscenes and most of the story was told through manuscripts and Samus' actions. It also doesn't help that Samus' voice actress sounds so dull. Everyone else sounds decent, but Samus just doesn't sound interesting. I'm sure the cutscenes would be more enjoyable to watch if Samus had a bit more personality to her. But personally, Metroid works best without too much dialog.

I am also dissapointed by the lack of music in this game. The Metroid series has always had excellent music tracks that immersed you into each world. Some can consider the lack of music more atmospheric, but I would think that the music would help out. And possibly the biggest glaring issues I am seeing are the fact that I can't shoot open doors and enemies don't drop missles and health. These aren't major complaints, but they are noticable if you are familiar with the series. And I will jump on the bandwagon by saying that, yes, the way you obtain your weapons via authorization is rather annoying (just wait until I get into the Lava sector). My final complaint comes from the game's linearity. When I think of Metroid, I think of plenty of exploration, but in here you are always told where to go and you are given very little room for exploration.

Complaints aside, this game is actually not too bad. The control seemed awkward at first, but I quickly got used to it and it is actually rather responsive and fluid. Combat is enjoyable and pulling off finishing moves is pretty nice as well. The graphics are also fantastic, with great looking detailed environments and character models that animate rather nicely. The CG cutscenes also look amazing.

Metroid: Other M wasn't quite the Metroid adventure I was looking for, but this game is still fun enough for me to finish.