Not perfect, but definitely very good!

As a great Metroid fan of the second hour (I started although only with Metroid 2 on the Game Boy, up on Corruption but I have played through each part at least three times), I of course could it do not let take that long-awaited Metroid Other M preorder from Amazon as soon as this was possible.

The delivery amazon typical as always exemplary and time so that the game arrived on launch around noon at my house.

The anticipation was of course great to finally be able to play a Metroid in a classic style, not from the first-person perspective, but in the original 3rd.-person look.

Graphics:
Optical Metroid Other M is a feast for the eye and currently the title for the Wii, on which all the other games will be measured.

The player moves Samus by a very attractive graphics and detailed 3D environment and considered the game from the air usually from the side or from behind, sometimes from the front, so that the character occasionally runs towards the player. The size of some rooms, in some cases by a, let's call it, "invisible barrier" limited, so sometimes you enter spaces that appear at first glance slightly larger than they actually are walkable. The true scale of the rooms can be on the located in the upper right corner of the screen Radar or Automap recognize (reached via the Plus button).

At almost every conceivable point the player can switch from 3rd.-person view in the also very pleasing first-person perspective, by directing the WiiMote at the TV.

The game begins with an almost bombastic orchestrated intro video, which, reflecting the end of the third part of the Metroid series, Super Metroid from SNES and shows Samus' struggle against Mother Brain. Especially at the beginning the game is often interrupted by rendering sequences in which the story is retold. Some of these videos are kept but also for in-game graphics. All videos are for Wii ratios at the highest level and run absolutely smoothly.

However, while playing I had several times the impression that in too much action on the screen short but noticeable slowdowns were observed. Even in a quick change of rooms, just for a freshly charged savegame, it is often times to loading delays in which the game completely freezes and the word "charging" appears.

Sound:
Here, unfortunately, is the biggest flaw of the game.
Previously shined all previous parts with more or less catchy-like background music, which contributed significantly to the typical Metroidatmosphäre. I am thinking specifically of the two pieces of music of the Tallon Overworld of Metroid Prime 1 that go directly into the ear. Unfortunately, this is completely missing in Other M.

In a few places approaches are metroidtypischer sounds recognizable, such as when loading a saved game in the navigation terminal or at one or the other Boss Fight. Overall I clearly too little Metroidmusik is personal but contained. The different level portions are indeed backed by a background music, but this is barely noticeable and certainly not memorable enough. Not even the gathering of missiles or energy tanks was accompanied by music with the jingles known since the dawn of Metroid series. Here, unfortunately, a lot has been given away.

However, the rest of the background sound is quite consistent and succeeded. Thus, the player receives for example an acoustic feedback from the speaker of the WiiMote as soon as the batch Beam is fully charged. Know to please even the rest of the sound effects for missiles or bombs Power.

Gameplay:
The player controls Samus through the station by the WiiMote (the Nunchuk is not needed) horizontally like a classic gamepad holds and directs with the directional pad, with 2 jumps and shoots with 1. This works surprisingly well, after a few minutes you'll be well used to it and controls Samus unerringly through the corridors.
With the Plus key toggles the menu where you will find the map, information about Samus' equipment or the course of action. The minus key can finally skip the cutscenes player.

As already mentioned, you go into first-person view by showing the WiiMote at the TV. In this view, Samus can not walk, but look around only by holding down the B button and aim at enemies or other objects and shoot with A.
Again, this works perfectly and is in many situations also need to find z. B. in the room hidden inputs or switch and especially to exist the Boss Fights.

What diehard fans immediately noticeable is the fact that the doors no longer have to shoot up, but this open automatically when you are in the immediate vicinity. That does not detract from the game though, but does not prevent me yet before the doors press repeatedly out of habit reflexively on the fire button.

Also new is the fact that you now no energy capsules or missile gets more from defeated opponents. The only way to completely recharge its energy and missile again, is the numerous scattered navigation terminals on which then also the score can be saved. In addition, you can however also go to the Concentration Mode its missiles completely and the energy that they should be dropped below 25, to charge up to a certain level again. However, a prerequisite is that you will not be taken during the charging process, which takes about 5 seconds, otherwise everything was in vain.

Other new features include the Sense Move, Lethal Strike and Overblast.
With the Sense Move you can press a direction key at the right moment, just before you get hit by an opponent's attack, dodge the attack and charged by timely press the fire button to charge full beam directly.

When Lethal Strike is a particularly powerful attack. The player must control Samus on a downed opponent and holding down the fire button. When fully charged Charge Beam Samus then executes a particularly effective attack.

When Overblast it behaves similarly to the Lethal Strike, only that Samus the opponent has to jump on the head and the opponent does not have to be anesthetized.

Here lurks the gameplay Another big negative aspect:
The game is clearly linear!
How many times I've been looking forward to finally getting the item XY, with whom I finally could get stuck in place Z now ... But far from it!
Adam, the commanding officer, which Samus must submit in this game, prohibits the free Explore the space station. As in Metroid Fusion, there is once again someone who Samus says what you have to do or not do. Visiting previously erkundeter sectors with newly acquired equipment is not provided unfortunately. Only after the completion of, I'll call it "Story Mode", one returns again to the ship and, the hitherto closed areas finally revisit and especially freely.

But here, unfortunately, is hidden directly another nerve factor:
So you will start again on the main deck and want, for example, the sector 3. Here the direct route to central transporter room from unspecified reasons being blocked suddenly (one of the elevators on strike) and one must now take a tedious detour over half a different sector in buying To get to the transporter room.

That would only be half as bad, you would not start after the really final exit of the game and reloading this saved game back at the beginning of the main sector, and if one wants to defeat the Final Boss again, again just have to go down this detour.

Also a bit annoying are numerous passages where you have to control Samus pace through the corridors. The character you can look most of the rear right over his shoulder, just as you know it from Resident Evil 4. Here Samus can not run or shoot. In addition, I feel at these points the control as easily hakelig. The whole thing bothers my mind somehow the flow of otherwise high game pace and could have gladly be solved differently.

The bosses are all very well staged, but some old acquaintances from previous Metroid parts.
This fact I see a little bit with mixed feelings. On one hand, the whole thing has a very slight smack of "We recycle bosses of old games". On the other hand, these are but presented so brilliantly staged and that has always set me immediately of "Wow, how cool is that! Effect" and I was very happy about the reunion of old adversaries.

Bonuses:
After the end of the game, a gallery and a cinema mode will be unlocked.

In the gallery there are artworks of the game, but which are only fully unlocked, if you have found 100% of the hidden items.

In Cinema mode is a nice feature, in which you can watch Metroid Other M as a movie. It is a series of all render sequences where normally the player takes on the points to take control of the player character, are interrupted by vorgescripteten sequences in-game graphics. How long is this movie, I can not say I have not looked at him at a stretch, unfortunately. It would, however so run around the 1.5 hours.

As a special challenge there is the option to play through the game after the "real" end on hard again. The player must complete renounce rocket or power extensions. This can lead to defeating the occasional boss until the 20th start since partially requires only a hit in order to bless the temporal.

Conclusion:
In Metroid Other M is a very solid game in which you can safely access. It falls on "easy" relatively difficult to die, the other way around is true, however, on "hard" where one bites all nose long in the grass. The game has a moderate level of difficulty, is not unfair, but offers "hard" countless frustrating moments that made me so often almost the Wiimote in the television have had to throw.

In addition, the game is unfortunately kept quite short, I had later received after only 3 days the first guy and 2 days the finals to face (no, I have not been hanging around the clock in front of the telly).

Just Metroid fans like me will nevertheless take pleasure in this game. Although the puzzles proportion unfortunately is very low, it did me too much captivate more than the last Metroid part for the Wii, Metroid Prime Corruption, in which up to now I could not bring himself to me to finish it at least once.

I would like to be awarded the highest rating, but has unfortunately deduct a star due to the aforementioned negative points.
Nevertheless, a strong buy recommendation applies to all Metroidfans and those who want to become one and are on first-class entertainment on the Wii.

SPOILER !:

PS:
That may now total surprise some of you, perhaps even shocking, but:
Samus is a woman ;-D