To much cutscenes, not enough gameplay in Other M?

[KRAID]

Yaaaaay another Metroid: Other M cutscene supporter!
Welcome to the club!
Now we have grand total of two members!
Yaaaaay!

cheers mate.
im not sure in terms of time how long the cutscenes last but compared to gameplay its not that much.

some of the cutscenes are tremendous.
the best cutscenes ive seen in a metroid game.

[Zynux]

some of the cutscenes are tremendous.
the best cutscenes ive seen in a metroid game.

...More like the only Metroid game that really had cinematic cutscenes? Unless you count Prime's "Panoramic Camera Circling" Cutscenes. Though funny thing is, that often told the story and got the point across much better than Other M's monologue ridden scenes ever did.

[newhenpal]

Is it true that cutscenes can't be skipped during the first playthrough? That would certainly indicate that the development teams were aware that they could simply let the player skip them from the get go, and yet they didn't allow it. Were they that proud of their cutscenes and plot?

[HYRUL3]

It's true, during the first playthrough you cannot skip cutscenes.

I believe that was Sakamoto's doing. He wanted the story told.

[okey]

In a way that's worse than not making them skippable at all, because they knew players would want to skip them.

If you know the players are going skip your story then maybe you should come up with a less intrusive way to tell it

[Zynux]

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5501

That thread pretty much sums up my raging hate for unskippable cutscenes ( ), which both the Prime Trilogy and Other M are guilty of.

What I hate most about the concept is the lack of options. Even in a Linear game, gamers can still find ways to play it to their likeness. I know many people who don't give a damn about the story, so they just skip everything. I know people who don't give a damn about the music, so they mute it and listen to their own. I know people who hate the default control scheme, and therefore change it to what suits them. While a game certainly won't be for everyone, there are measures that you can take to ensure that you are at least being considerate to those who may want to play the game a little different. That's why in MMOs and other RPGs there are a variety of classes that do a vary of things; because not everyone plays the game the same nor should a developer expect them to. I find it wrong when games, whether linear or non-linear, try to force you to watch a story you don't care about, listen to music you don't care about, and basically make you play the how they want you to play it.

And that's exactly what Sakamoto did with Other M. He didn't give a damn of whether you wanted to see his cutscenes or not; he wanted you to see those "beautiful" cutscenes and that's all that matters. He didn't care if you didn't like the control scheme, he wanted you to use those "intuitive" controls, and that's all that matters. Someone will probably argue "Well, its his game, he can do whatever he wants." Well, that is certainly true, but the reception he received from forcing no alternative control scheme and non-skippable cutscenes definitely showed, amongst other things in the game. Not to mention the fact that Other M isn't a charity, its a product. If you simply ignore what your consumers want then, well, be prepared to lose money.

One may see this as another rant against Other M but this is actually directed against developers in general that hold the archaic mindset of forcing you to even experience "little things" (cutscenes, control schemes, etc.) and to make you play the game how they want you to play it, while completely ignoring what the gamers may want (kinda why I made that other thread, heh).

Is it true that cutscenes can't be skipped during the first playthrough? That would certainly indicate that the development teams were aware that they could simply let the player skip them from the get go, and yet they didn't allow it. Were they that proud of their cutscenes and plot?

In a way that's worse than not making them skippable at all, because they knew players would want to skip them.

If you know the players are going skip your story then maybe you should come up with a less intrusive way to tell it

This may sound like I'm flip-flopping or that "I'll never be satisfied", but in a twisted way the fact that they only allowed you to skip the cutscenes after you beat the game really does add insult to injury.

[LuigiandMetroidfan20]

I think the beginning scene kind of over did it as well, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

The problem really boils down to the narrative and not the duration. A minute or two of cutsenes for me isn't that big of a deal, but if the story sucks (and if there is a lot of narrative) then I can understand why someone would perceive it as "the cutscenes are too long, not enough gameplay." And vice versa, an 8 to 10 minute cutscene wouldn't be that bad either if the story was good.

You know Super Metroid stopped you from moving while it told you you had found another Missile expansion? Every single time, right?

So did Metroid Prime, if I recall correctly.

Am I the only one that hated this? It irritated the hell out of me. It came to a point where I was like Yes, I know its a missile expansion, Get on with it.

Same here, regarding the missile expansions.


Really, aside from the beginning cutscenes, that one in the middle, and the ending scene(s), it wasn't that bad as far as the gameplay/cutscene ratio. While the story's quality is very opinion-based, but sometimes the voice acting was really... grating. At least on any run-through on any file after the first file is completed, cutscenes can be skipped.

Though, I think Ridley and Kraid may have a few... grievances with the plot.

[LuigiandMetroidfan20]

http://www.metroid-database.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5501

That thread pretty much sums up my raging hate for unskippable cutscenes ( ), which both the Prime Trilogy and Other M are guilty of.


This may sound like I'm flip-flopping or that "I'll never be satisfied", but in a twisted way the fact that they only allowed you to skip the cutscenes after you beat the game really does add insult to injury.

This is just a sidenote, but the Prime games also allow skippable cutscenes, at least in the Trilogy edition, but only after you've beaten the game once...ON THAT FILE.

And yeah, forcing you to watch cutscenes the first time is kind of evil.

[mksbf]

I loved the cutscenes of other m.

We can at least hear Samus talk, I've dreamed of that since I know Metroid (and that's a very long time!)

As said by other users the cutscenes are skippable so it's satisfying everyone

FOR MoM!!!!!