Metroid Other M Interview

1UP: What most people love about Metroid is that it offers a huge, open world. It's non-linear, there's so much to explore, and you can move about at your own pace. Is that something you're going to be retaining for this game, or is it going to be more of a linear, level by level progression?

YS: If you think about this one as being maybe similar to Metroid Fusion, then I think you'll have an idea of how the story will play out. It's still linear in the sense that there's a progression, but there are side areas that players can go into. It will retain that true, Metroid feel.

1UP: Team Ninja is known for their cinematics and storytelling. Is that something that will factor in heavily?

YS: As I mentioned before, it's kind of similar to Fusion in that there's an overarching story that the player will experience as they progress through the game. It is a game, but within it is a larger story that will unfold as the player progresses.

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1UP: So is this being positioned as a spinoff game? Or is it really the next game in the series -- Metroid 5?

YS: It's part of the flow, storywise, between Super Metroid and Fusion.

1UP: When I saw the trailer this morning, I knew it was Metroid as soon as I heard, "Any objections, Lady?" which I recognized from Fusion. Will Other M delve into Fusion's backstory and Samus's relationship with Adam?

YS: Yes, it will reveal a little of Samus' backstory and also what happened between Super Metroid and Fusion. In Fusion, Adam was no longer there, so it'll explain what happened.

1UP: There was another character who seemed to be a...bounty hunter, maybe? Can you talk about his role?

YS: He's a Galactic Federation Soldier. He's one of Adam's soldiers.

1UP: The Metroid series chronology has become pretty long and complicated with the Prime games and the games you've created directly. Are you taking into account all the titles that have come before, or are you sticking to the story that you, as R&D1;, have developed?

YS: Actually, the Prime games are just one incident within the greater story that I've worked on personally. It's not as if I was really thinking about how the Prime games fit into the sequence because, they were just one incident. But Other M will be more part of the R&D1; produced games. Maybe in "grand scheme" it would be around...3.5.

1UP: Ah okay, Super Metroid And A Half. What is the "Other M" in the subtitle?

YS: Other M has several meanings. As the story unfolds, those meanings should gradually reveal themselves.

1UP: I noticed that at the end of the trailer there appeared to be another Samus. What role does she play?

YS: She's not actually a second Samus, but she's a very, very important character within the game.

Click the image above to check out all Metroid: Other M screens.

1UP: Ninja Gaiden has a reputation for being extremely difficult, and while Metroid has been difficult, it doesn't pride itself on breaking players. Do you intend it to create a challenging Metroid, or will you go easy on us?

YH: Our goal isn't to make something that will break players. It's for Metroid fans and new players alike, so we're not taking the same approach as with Ninja Gaiden.

1UP: Mr. Sakamoto, you've mentioned a few times that your expertise and experience lie with handhelds. So, why is this a Wii game? Will we see a more traditional Metroid on DS or a future handheld system at some point?

YS: Each platform has different things to offer to the player. And because this game is being developed for the Wii, it offers things that cannot be done on the DS. I can't say whether there will or won't be a portable title, but, if we were to create something for a handheld system, it would definitely include features that couldn't be done in Other M, and vice versa.

1UP: Thank you very much for your time.

(Everyone moves to leave, but Sakamoto signals for us all to sit again.)

YS: We have three companies collaborating on this game; a team we've dubbed Project M. With Nintendo, Team Ninja, and another company that's focusing on the cinematics working together, we've broken down the walls that define each company and joined forces to form a separate entity. It's unlike anything that's ever been done at Nintendo; It's more than just a collaborative effort -- it's one group working toward a common goal.

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