Why don't enough people like Metroid?

[DM-92]

Since when did this topic become 'Why don't enough people like Metroid: Other M?'?

[Opium]

Any mention of MoM can throw a topic off. The wounds are still fresh.

[KingBroly]

I'd say Other M leaves a lot open to the audience for them to figure out things, namely the important things. There's vagueness in everything due to the writing. The monologues need annunciation, as some lines just come off as straight reading with no inflection at all. Then some words are too well-defined, and they don't come off as natural. "something that'll happen in the next day OR two." stuff like that. Oh, and then the general "I am narrating what I am doing on screen at the present time." Seriously? I don't need to know you are looking at your hand Samus.

Other M is the latest game in the series, and that's why people are drawing attention to it. If it were Corruption, I'd say the motion controls, the first person stuff, the uneven difficulty curve, etc. Each game has problems. It's just that Other M's problems are so GLARING and new that it has become the focus.

[Troid]

Since when did this topic become 'Why don't enough people like Metroid: Other M?'?

You don't think a (in some people's minds) bad Metroid game is relevant to the topic of few people liking Metroid?

[DM-92]

It's not that it's not relevant, it's just that we have to remember that Metroid has not been well known for years. I don't think that Other M has made Metroid any less well known than it already is. Lets not forget that it got favorable reviews from critics and some fans so i don't think it's technically a bad game, it's just wrong in a few places in some peoples opinions.

Plus, if anything, Other M has made Metroid more well known due to the fact that it caused a lot of controversy and got people talking. Although it could be said that it's for the wrong reasons?

[Opium]

I'm not sure I would agree with the idea of metroid not being well known. It is one of the most well known gaming franchises ever, among gamers. I think it would be more accurate to say that metroid wasn't well known among non-gamers. I just brought it up to a non-gamer earlier today and she said: "Metroid....I know I have heard that name before. Wasn't that a series on the sci-fi channel?"
I have yet to encounter a gamer (in any feasible definition of the word) who has never heard of metroid. Even gamers who have never played it have heard of it. It's been around forever and has been one of the most influential series ever. A gamer who has not heard of metroid is like a rock music fan who has never heard of Led Zeppelin. I'll bet there are some very young gamers (under 18) who haven't heard of metroid simply because they haven't been gaming for very long, or themselves and their circle of gamer friends are sold on more new-gen stuff. I'm sure there are plenty of popular new-gen games out there that I have never heard of since I'm such an old fart at this point (36). A story on CNN last year said the average age of today's gamer is 35, so that made me feel a little better.

[DM-92]

My best friend had no idea about Metroid until i mentioned to them. But then again they are quite selective...
I think you're right about age being a factor in it. I mean, just look at the 10 year old fanboys that say that Metroid ripped off Halo...

[kamus]

I'm not sure I would agree with the idea of metroid not being well known. It is one of the most well known gaming franchises ever, among gamers. I think it would be more accurate to say that metroid wasn't well known among non-gamers. I just brought it up to a non-gamer earlier today and she said: "Metroid....I know I have heard that name before. Wasn't that a series on the sci-fi channel?"
I have yet to encounter a gamer (in any feasible definition of the word) who has never heard of metroid. Even gamers who have never played it have heard of it. It's been around forever and has been one of the most influential series ever. A gamer who has not heard of metroid is like a rock music fan who has never heard of Led Zeppelin. I'll bet there are some very young gamers (under 18) who haven't heard of metroid simply because they haven't been gaming for very long, or themselves and their circle of gamer friends are sold on more new-gen stuff. I'm sure there are plenty of popular new-gen games out there that I have never heard of since I'm such an old fart at this point (36). A story on CNN last year said the average age of today's gamer is 35, so that made me feel a little better.

i agree with you

[KingBroly]

I think the problem people have with Metroid is the pacing. It's very slow and methodical in terms of pacing. While Other M's pacing is very fast and keeps getting faster over time, the pacing is still top notch, but it's still linear. If another Metroid game kept the pacing, and fast-paced while not shoveling you to the end by making it more open, perhaps more people would like it.

[LesserChozo]

I think the problem people have with Metroid is the pacing. It's very slow and methodical in terms of pacing. While Other M's pacing is very fast and keeps getting faster over time, the pacing is still top notch, but it's still linear. If another Metroid game kept the pacing, and fast-paced while not shoveling you to the end by making it more open, perhaps more people would like it.

Not sure I get what you're saying here.

I'm assuming you're thinking of the Prime games here. The sidescrollers can be played fairly quickly, or not. That's what I love about them; sometimes I want to take my time, other times I want to rush through to the end.

The core Metroid games were mazes (branching into multiple paths towards a single goal), in terms of gameplay, however a couple were more like labyrinths (twists and turns, but ultimately a single path). The fans seem to be split on which is better. The pacing is almost always up to the player.

[iam-comics]

This is an interesting question. I think the best answer may lie in what you mention, Infinity's End, about that no one can see the face of the protagonist. Not only that, it is not obvious what she is thinking or feeling, because Samus is a serious person, and while she must struggle with countless enemies, she must also be organized and cunning to get to their destination, through the maze of Zebes or where she turns to act.

I believe that this dynamic of "attack, think, attack, and think more...by yourself" it is not so common in games, especially if it comes in combination with a character who must be interpreted and is not obvious in her actions or her feelings, as so many others.

[iam-comics]

Am I post number 666 on this topic??... COOL.

[Zeta101]

<.<
>.>

Did it end?


EEEK!!

[Taelin Aurel]

I think that the reason Metroid is not uber-popular right now is the lukewarm reception given by game critics and fans of the series on the more recent titles. Nintendo may have dropped the ball a bit by trying to tweak too much of a good think in the hopes of improving some elements of the games and it coming across as rushed or unfinished. Noting how well Super Metroid was put together and how advertizing really piqued the public's interest in the game (I was a Freshman in high school and remember seeing the commercials on Channel 1), I think that interest in the game can be increased with a little PR ground work. Nintendo is good about pushing their dancing games on the Wii, and Mario games will sell themselves based on recognition, but Metroid games would require a little more elbow grease in development and promotion, as the target gamer of Metroid games is a bit more mature than those of Mario. Also, there are other games that get the advertizing attention of gamers looking for a game to spend the next few weeks playing.

Wow, I ramble a bit tonight.

[Chris]

I think they are a number of factors so I'll just briefly list them:

• Huge gap between Super and Prime.
• Gamecube didn't sell well.
• Lack of advertising for all titles (In UK I've never seen a TV ad).
• Nintendo 'kiddy' image outside it's fanbase. (I cringed when saw a certain inbetweeners episode)
• Halo, COD, MOH etc
• Target audience has largely moved away from Wii (based on personal experiences)