The game released yesterday. Did you play it? If so, what do you think? Is Infendo on crack? Was Mark on to something in his mixed review? More importantly, where do you think this game will rank in the annals of Metroid history? Top of the food chain, middle manager, or bottom feeder? Speak up!

By popular demand, I beat Metroid Other M this weekend. Did completing the game change my “meh” opinion? No.

As rated in my original review, Metroid: Other M is an average game at best, made worse by limiting controls and a pathetic story. As a result, I believe Other M will go down as a top contender for “weakest Metroid ever.”

That said, I did learn some things from “Metroidgate.” They are as follows: (more…)

I don’t think it’s necessary for a game reviewer to finish a game before writing a review about it. If a food critic started eating a meal and it was obviously terrible after a few bites, would you still expect them to finish the entire meal? No, they can obviously give a proper review based on the exposure they had up until the point where they decided “this is how I feel about it.”

Let me know if you disagree in comments, but also let me know why. (Or if you agree!)

UPDATE: Lots of great comments. I think my favorite one is from zquar so far. Keep letting us know what you think! UPDATE 2: A formal response was published here.

[inspired by what happened here; photo from here]

Metroid: Other M is easily one of the most anticipated games of the year, but does it live up to the hype? In this critic’s opinion, no. Although a beautiful looking game and at times rewarding, it’s the other stuff that makes Other M a top contender for “weakest Metroid ever.” Primary among them: the developer seems to have been more concerned with making a movie rather than making a good game. And we all know game makers should stick to their day jobs and get out of the movie business.

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Along with resident fan-man Jack, I’ve been skeptical of Other M’s heavy use on cut scenes. After all, Metroid has always been about isolated gameplay—not dialog. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see if developer Team Ninja can smash my suspicions and surprise us all with a great game. And who knows—maybe I’ll be excited enough to bend the rules a little on when I publish my thoughts (wink, wink).