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Metroid: Other M team under the Iwata Asks microscope
In an Iwata Asks interview about Metroid: Other M, Team Ninja head and Other M director Yosuke Hayashi classifies the game as "a NES game with the latest technology," an ideal that went on to inform much of the design. "Yes, we thought that if we could make a game that could be controlled with just one Wii Remote controller," Hayashi told Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, "we'd enable players who were put off by complex controls to enjoy 3D action games as well." The automatic movement of perspective enabled the game to have 3D environments while maintaining simple controls, and clever Wiimote movements like pointing at the screen to explore in 3D allowed the team to avoid "resorting to the Nunchuk," as producer Yoshio Sakamoto called it. At the same time, Sakamoto wanted the story and action to blend seamlessly, so the team worked with video production company D-Rockets. Director Ryuzi Kitaura described creating detailed storyboards to impress Sakamoto: "I think I drew more than 300 storyboards in total. The image count was over 2,000. By this stage, I was also accounting for camera work and action, so they became really elaborate production storyboards. I think I took over six months to finish them."
Sakamoto: Other M shows 'human side' of Samus
Other than knowing it's a thing, details of Nintendo and Team Ninja's collabrotive effort to bring Samus back into 2D space in Metroid: Other M are slim. In the current issue of Famitsu, a one-page interview with Metroid co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto didn't reveal much in the way of new information but the legendary creator did say the upcoming game will focus on Samus Aran's "human side." The complete Metroid: Other M experience is being produced by three teams: Nintendo will continuously peek over the shoulder of Team Ninja (presumably to ensure very few bouncy-bikini shots appear in the final game) while D-Rockets will handle the title's movie sequences. The computer-generated movie sequences in Metroid: Other M are one of the methods Sakamoto says players will learn more about Samus Aran's emotional side. "She's a strong woman, but she also has a fragile side. We want to make a game whose charms can be felt from the story areas and these human touches as well," he said. Before you begin to cringe, Sakamoto clarified that he's well aware of the core of the Metroid franchise. "It's an action game, but it's capable of having a clear emotional side." Emotionality that you can view, after the break. Metroid: Other M is expected to hit the Wii later this year.
