What is this Wannabe Metroid Shit?

[Alessa Gillespie]

The more I think about it, even with the interesting potential of a story where we find out that a chick we thought was a badass without dependence or "woman issues" turns out to be one of the most codependent, weak and emotionally self-destructive characters ever -- with all of it very much being tied to the fact that she's a female -- I would still think it was the wrong choice to do it with Samus. I say this because it's being done with an established character who was long an icon for being a badass who just so happens to be female.

Not "female but strong" -- "female and strong."

Now, she's irrelevant. I'm not even saying that this sort of thing couldn't have been done within the "Metroid" series, or even with Samus herself if it were done as an Elseworlds type story. Some kind of foil to Samus could be interesting. Unnecessary, I think, giving the prevailing designs of characters like her, but it wouldn't have been entirely without merit.

This kind of is.

Basically, it sucks for me because there weren't a lot of female characters in video games growing up for me, except for Samus. She was one of the few video game characters who could kick butt and was female. I liked her for that.

But the Other M doesn't show her as the strong, independent woman in a power suit I had come to admire: she's constantly under the thumb of some guy, which would have been okay if he wasn't such a douchewad and we could see why she liked him so much. We don't. And this bugs the hell out of me that one of my big role models has been reduced from strong and independent to snivelling over some dude.

 

[ForceStealer]

I have a question, would any of your opinions change about this game if her commander was a woman? All other things equal?

Not to imply that your arguments are invalid or anything, I'm just curious if its the fact that Samus is so subservient or because she is to a man that's the problem. I admit I feel like if it were a woman there would just be a bunch of lesbian fanart and then forgotten

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

If Adam was a chick, it would still be bullshit. That he's not makes it potentially worse, though, depending on the intentions behind the choice to portray Samus in such a fucked up relationship as this.

The character would be shat upon either way, but with Samus -- long and widely renowned for being, as Tina said, "one of the few video game characters who could kick butt and was female" in a genre where she was less than a minority -- becoming such a weakling over this guy, it raises the question of further implications beyond just the bastardization of the character.

You know Sakamoto didn't go more than two decades without an awareness of the iconic status his creation had gained before he soundly smashed the life from its lungs. That leaves us to then ask "What the fuck, man?"

Hell, my opinion would even be open to change if the dude in question was actually even her commander, but he's not. He just used to be. She's under no obligation or duty to do a damn thing he says, especially when it comes to stupid shit like not using her suit's thermal protection -- but she does it anyway because his voice makes her knees tremble or something.

 

[Max Payne]

I have a question, would any of your opinions change about this game if her commander was a woman? All other things equal?

Not to imply that your arguments are invalid or anything, I'm just curious if its the fact that Samus is so subservient or because she is to a man that's the problem. I admit I feel like if it were a woman there would just be a bunch of lesbian fanart and then forgotten

Adam's character isn't the problem, Samus' is.

 

[ForceStealer]

Makes sense. I was just curious.

Hell, my opinion would even be open change if the dude in question was actually even her commander, but he's not. He just used to be. She's under no obligation or duty to do a damn thing he says, especially when it comes to stupid shit like not using her suit's thermal protection -- but she does it anyway because his voice makes her knees tremble or something.

And that's really stupid then. I didn't even know that, lol.

 

[Max Payne]

CONFESSION TIME

 

[Ryushikaze]

Actually, she is under an obligation- she's literally allowed there only under his sufferance, and would otherwise be classed as a trespasser and enemy combatant.

That doesn't excuse the hell run and his not activating defensive systems, but there is a reason for her being temporarily under thumb and they do come back to this later when the GalFed threatens to treat her as a criminal after the apparent demise of everyone on the team.

Null, I don't mean she's become Anakin as a character, but the course of her life events run pretty parallel to Ani's.
I wonder how much of the problem in this game is Samus's flat delivery. Would the same lines, in a snarkier, sarcastic tone, have presented Samus better?

Also, more Anthony. Lots more Anthony.

 

[Max Payne]

Samus isn't obligated to operate under anyone's authority given the skills she has and the power under her command.

She could easily have ignored Adam entirely.

 

[null]

I have a question, would any of your opinions change about this game if her commander was a woman? All other things equal?

Not to imply that your arguments are invalid or anything, I'm just curious if its the fact that Samus is so subservient or because she is to a man that's the problem. I admit I feel like if it were a woman there would just be a bunch of lesbian fanart and then forgotten

My opinion wouldn't change. First of all, the Ridley business. Come the fuck on. If she can

Spoiler: handle this without shitting her suit

, I would think after that it's pretty obviously all downhill for the rest of her life. And if they're going for the PTSD angle, they're doing it wrong. Way, way wrong.

Second, it's just out of well established character, even with the manga and more recent entries in the series. Imagine if Link became the obnoxious lecherous douche he was in the old non-canon cartoons. We'd get a similar outcry.

Third, I can't stand this paradoxic portrayal of powerful women with medieval stereotypes. Sometimes there is a justification for a strong character being emotionally weak (Cloud is a perfect example, he essentially had his powers infused). Samus has been through hell and back - alone - and became a cosmic badass through trial by fire. Realistically, she ought to be a devil-may-care maverick. Of all the flaws they could choose to expand her character, they picked the least plausible ones.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Actually, she is under an obligation- she's literally allowed there only under his sufferance, and would otherwise be classed as a trespasser and enemy combatant.

As I remember it, she chose to stay there and began waiting around for his authorizations before he even asked her to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs1q6FZ5kAI

Check around 3:15. She says that she chose to stay for the sake of the others, and then we get a message that reads, "Samus has decided not to use bombs or missiles until Adam authorizes them."

Now, the concept of her awaiting word that it's safe to use some of her more powerful weaponry isn't bad in and of itself. After all, this is a rescue mission, and it simply wouldn't do to have her throwing Power Bombs left and right without an awareness of who she might be vaporizing. That made sense.

However, that simple concept is not what we see in play. Not at all. She's only too eager to throw herself under his command, even to the extent of not using basic self-defense systems that wouldn't endanger anyone else to begin with.

Besides, didn't you say before that she could easily take Adam down if she wanted to? Really, what obligation -- even threat -- was she under?

 

[Ryushikaze]

Becoming an Enemy of the GalFed. Samus can take Adam in a fight, but the GalFed are another matter.

And yes, Samus chose to stay and be subject to the rules imposed. I'm not denying that. My point in in choosing to stay she was staying at his sufferance. She's a heavily armed civilian on restricted Military grounds allowed to remain because the CO has given her conditional access. Her desire to help people has caused her to accept restrictions on her weapons and armor usage.
She can break the rules at any time, but risks being reclassed as an enemy or criminal. I'm not saying the rules she stayed under aren't stupid, but they are rules the CO would have the jurisdiction to impose.
Samus is a Badass, but even before Other M, she's been Lawful Good to her own detriment. And she's lawful good in a largely corrupt world.

All that aisde, I do agree, I would have liked an excuse as to her armor being shut off, even if it was some handwavium about causing unintentional side effects in the machinery or driving monsters into frenzies or something.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I'd even take her ship blowing up on approach and her losing her crap over how it went down. A retread would be better than shooting the character in her metaphorical face.

 

[Tetsujin]

They should've given her completely new suit upgrades instead of just the same old of going through the order of Power>Varia>Gravity.

Prime 2 and 3 let you start out with the Varia suit as well and instead give you completely new suits that aren't just palette swaps.
Other M doesn't even give you a palette swap when activating the gravity suit.

Basically, Other M should have introduced at least SOMETHING new imo.

 

[ForceStealer]

It did!

TEH DRAMAZ

 

[Super Mario]

I hope we get to kill Adam in a future instalment where he becomes a big bad of sort. It would be much satisfying after all this Adam's order bs.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

I hope we get to kill Adam in a future instalment where he becomes a big bad of sort. It would be much satisfying after all this Adam's order bs.

adam actually dies at the end of this one, and his personality is installed into samus' hardware computer. but considering what an ass he is, i hope we get to do to him what dave did to HAL in 2001

 

[Super Mario]

FFFFFFUCK.

The road not taken. : (

 

[Tetsujin]

He died while taking a potentially cool and nostalgic portion of gameplay away from you.

 

[Strangelove]

Because turning Samus' story to shit wasn't enough for him

 

[Super Mario]

They need to make a game about Ridley. Killing adam. It will be legendary.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Turns out, Nintendo is surprised and confused as to why this didn't sell a million copies in the US.
If anyone's wondering, Other M has sold almost half that currently.

Maybe they should just look at the internet. I'm sure there're plenty of other threads just like this one.


X

 

[Shademp]

Is it really that good a game, silly writing aside?
Been a while since I looked up info on the game, but I heard that replay value is pretty much zero. Am I wrong?

 

[Ryushikaze]

Is it really that good a game, silly writing aside?
Been a while since I looked up info on the game, but I heard that replay value is pretty much zero. Am I wrong?

Nah, there's hard mode, for uber challenge. I mean, it's got as much replay value as Fusion, I'd say.

And yes, combat, at least, is fun.

 

[ultimamarx12]

My own opinion

ok people this is where i get off saying that ur being very prejudice yes her constant cliche of emotions conflicted with her awesomeness and yeah ninja team turned an innocent character into a moreso sexually portrayed heroine, but seriously the whole idea for permission from adam....... that could be thought of as another way of obtaining items, its unoriginal, another thing: because this actually showed her full emotions dont u think it was appropriate to cower before something she previously assumed was dead? it killed her damn parents! otherwise i thought it was a great game, u people down it as if it was emant to be the SAME EXACT THING even after being handed over to another company........

 

[Hisako]

um

okay

this is where I mention how the writer was exactly the same yet did a face-heel turn for the character and how the "other company" was in charge of the gameplay mechanics mostly