Samus Aran as Portrayed in Other M

17 Sep, 2010

How did it come to this? How could Samus Aran go from being the most badass female character in video games to being the lamest? Metroid: Other M does a lot of things right, but accurately portraying Samus Aran as the hero we know and love is not one of them.

Samus is fully powered up from the start of Other M, but out of respect to her former commanding officer, Adam Malkovich, she refuses to use her power-ups until Adam says so. That’s right girl gamers. Samus won’t do anything unless it is first authorized by a man. As a guy, even I am appalled at Samus’ lack of a backbone.

The odd relationship between Adam and Samus borderlines on being just plain creepy. Even though Samus says she sees him as a father figure, I couldn’t help but feel this awkward sexual tension throughout the game. Maybe it’s just me.

Oh yeah, apparently Adam likes torturing Samus. From the comfort of his seat at his command post, Adam sends Samus and the Galactic Federation troopers on various missions. While exploring Sector 3, a volcanic wasteland, Samus starts taking damage when close to lava. Traditionally, the Varia Suit upgrade could be found close by, preventing heat damage.

Now wouldn’t you think that Mr. Malkovich would authorize the Varia Suit upgrade before having Samus explore a hollowed out volcano? He doesn’t do so until you’re well within the depths of Sector 3. I know it’s not very logical to conveniently find an upgrade lying around, but it makes more sense than having someone who supposedly cares about your well-being, stand by and watch you suffer.

The relationship between Adam and Samus is the tip of the ice-berg with Other M. Remember Ridley, Samus’ arch nemesis? Well, he’s back again but you would think it was Samus’ first time facing off with him. It’s as if Team Ninja and Yoshio Sakamoto completely forgot about the numerous times Samus took Ridley out prior to this. When he first appears, Samus clams up in fear and it flashes to her as a little girl crying in fear. If anything, this would have been the perfect opportunity for Samus to trash talk Ridley. She’s defeated him so many times. If anything, Ridley should be embarrassed to even show his face again.

Another thing that bothers me is the way that Samus punishes herself for leaving the Galactic Federation. She writes off her becoming a bounty hunter as a miss-step in judgment, the action of a rebellious teenage girl. Never mind all of her achievements as a solitary bounty hunter, having defeated the Space Pirates and the metroids, effectively saving all of humanity.

So what have we learned from all of this? Well, maybe Samus really is better off as a silent protagonist. Let this be a lesson to those people who rally for Link to have a voice. I would like to say that aside from Samus’ backwards portrayal, I really liked Other M’s gameplay. Team Ninja did an excellent job capturing the 2D feel of the the series, albeit slightly linear. Boss fights are frequent and on an epic scale. The d-pad works great even when traversing a 3D space, thanks to some clever programming that fixes Samus in a straight pathway. Even the first person elements transition smoothly. Just be wary of what you are getting yourself into if you’re on the fence about this one.