The Metroid Prime games brought the series into 3D as a First Person Shooter. Metroid: Other M goes in a different direction, looking to pick up where Super Metroid left off. The game is still in 3D, but you control heroine Samus Aran from the outside, not in the first-person. The controls are kept as simple as possible - you only need the standard Wii remote controller, not the nunchuck attachment. You control Samus much like the old school Metroid games, move left to right, jump & shoot.
I had heard there would be a larger emphasis on story, and this is apparent immediately. As awesome as Nintendo games are, they have been dragging their feet big time on the movement to make games more cinematic, often preferring simple text and characters who don't really speak (or speak just a couple of phrases - I'm looking at you, Mario). Metroid: Other M, on the other hand, has beautifully rendered cutscenes and full voice dialogue. An awesome character like Samus Aran has always deserved this kind of treatment, and it's great for her to finally get it.
I'm barely an hour into the game - this is a first reaction. The cutscene retelling the story from the finale of Super Metroid when Samus is saved by the 'baby metroid' in her battle with Mother Brain is absolutely beautiful. The controls feel great. I love how Samus is an agile warrior again. I really enjoyed the Metroid Prime games, but you definitely lost something about being Samus, the way she sprints and somersaults into the air. You moved slow, and platforming was a chore, more often than not. It's not so fun to jump from platform to platform when you can't see where your feet are! It really is glorious to have the feeling of Samus back again in Other M, to move through the environments with speed and style.
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