I'm sure the eerie ambient music will be in the game, it probably just wasn't in the demo. Don't forget, it was only 45 minutes long...

the embargo is long over and most sites have registered their impressions. here are all of them i've managed to find, for those of you who didn't stay up until 2AM reading about metroid-

IGN: http://wii.ign.com/articles/107/1071925p2.html
KOTAKU: http://kotaku.com/5479418/metroid-other-m-a-change-of-perspec...
DESTRUCTIOD: http://www.destructoid.com/metroid-other-m-to-bring-you-close...
1UP: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3178106
N SIDER: http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=3997
GAMESPOT: http://www.gamespot.com/events/nintendo10/story.html?sid=6251...
GIANT BOMB: http://www.giantbomb.com/news/metroid-other-m-hands-on-no-nun...
GONINTENDO: http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=115449

i didn't realize there were even that many gaming news sites present.

there's a theme here if you read all of these- major simplification. samus automatically aims with little input from the player, wall jumping amounts to just pressing 2 over and over, health and missiles refill just by tilting the remote, hidden items appear on the map right from the start, no switching to missiles in 3rd person combat... all of this automation may wind up making the game feel a little on-rails after all. my favorite thing about super metroid was the complexity and precision of the controls; i just have to hope that dumbing down is the right way to go for their vision of the game.

I was psyched for Other M to begin with. Now that it's confirmed to be a side-scroller with 3D elements, I'm even more excited (I thought it was going to be like Devil May Cry originally). I have new questions about the game but I guess I'll have to wait awhile until those questions are answered. How exactly are the cinematic action events executed control wise? Is there a consistent reason to switch to first-person mode if you only move left and right (maybe shoot out of reach objects)? It will be interesting if new puzzles come from such an interesting feature.

I've heard it's going to have NES style controls. Is that true?

Wall Jumping in Prime was just an embarrassing effort on Retro's part. Clearly they just wanted to say, "Hey look another Super Metroid item," without really thinking how it would fit in the game. So it's certainly a relief that it's more like Super Metroid here.

Despite assurances, hands-on impressions lead me to believe this is very much an action game. Having Samus always at a run seems awkward. I never liked that in 3D games. IGN speculates that you can't find weapon upgrades either, but you are simply told when you are allowed to use a certain upgrade by your commander. I'm sure that'll make it an interesting game, but it flies in the face of everything Metroid. Oh well, the game sounds fun enough, if not the game I was expecting.

I admit, some of the details revealed have left me a bit uneasy, but I'm confident the full game will not disappoint...

Sold!

http://www.gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=115449

Having Samus always at a run seems awkward.

Samus always runned in 2d- games so what's wrong with the idea?

I don't think the game will have hardly anything common with Ninja Gaiden. Metroid developer has said in an interview that this will be the ultimate Metroid experience with traditional Metroid structure. There is propably more cutscenes than before though. I think we should be happy that Nintendo is ready to reimagine their series and not doing the same thing year after year. What would you prefer? Super Metroid 2 with identical gameplay and graphics? Metroid Prime 4 with more phazon and dark samus again? Jesus... at least i prefer variety.

Yeah, the game seems to be a lot like Metroid Fusion with Hollywood production values. Of course there's nothing wrong with that. In fact that just has me more excited for the final product.

@Ninten
You heard right. There are some unusual uses for the classic control scheme though, like being able to go into first person. I was a bit perplexed too. Maybe you should read one of the links romulux kindly posted.

Wrong. Samus only runned in Super Metroid if you held B. However, as I said, it's really only a problem for me in 3D where the character has to be much more animated. It just looks weird, especially when you just want to walk a couple feet but your character runs there instead like an impatient child. The impressions I was reading said it was odd, too, so it's not just me. Certainly not a deal breaker at all -- was just saying.

That's a giant leap there. Believe it or not, there is a gap between a complete reimagining and a cookie-cutter sequel. There has been lots of hype around the potential of this being more akin to Super Metroid but in 3D than Prime was. However, some of those hopes have already been dashed. In the demo you were only allowed to switch weapons when the commander told you to, which seems to imply that you don't collect different weapons or switch by your own decision. Given the limited amount of buttons, this doesn't sound far-fetched at all, but it means the exploration factor will not be remotely the same. If true, this would change the game much more than necessary to prevent it from simply being Super Metroid 2.

I'm not as hesitant, and to be honest, I expected at least as much change as this, but though I'll go into the game and enjoy it for what it is, it won't stop me from wishing otherwise if what the demo implies is true.

"Wrong. Samus only runned in Super Metroid if you held B"

No, she runs all the time. You can't walk in the game. Pressing B made her run higher speed. You can't change weapon in the game? I really hope that concerns only the demo, cos that would be true issue :/

@Adam From a preview I read, it's not that you CAN'T use special weapons at will. You just have to wait for authorization for the first use. Then, you have free shot at when to use it. But only in 1ST person.

Personally, I like it. Usually, there's something freaky that happens that makes the protagonist lose his weapons/skills early in a game (Like Link in MM, or Metroid itself in some of the earlier titles) and this is just a plot device. Would have been the same, when talking about practicability, had they let you find the item in order to use it.

That tells me there will be tension between you and the guy, which makes for a very interesting dynamic especially when you consider that the game narrates to you in Samus voice and in first person thought. I wouldn't be surprised if very early on the adventure everyone gets killed and you are by yourself.

Sure, the running animation may be odd, but there could be a run delay (build momentum) and that would fix things quickly. (Meaning if you press the directional button for less than a certain amount of time, she walks or jogs and the longer you hold, the more momentum). Another slight change they made that could be somethign to think about is that in 3rd person you don't really aim. You just have to be in the direction of your target and it auto locks. If the game is not chaotic this may cause boredom. But nothing about the game so far says anything other than "chaotic", so I'm optimistic.

I was skeptical before, but after reading some previews and hands-on stuff I'm convinced it will be a great game.

Crap, I was terrible at Super Metroid. I only made it to the Kraden thing.

Edit: Oh wait, that's a character from Golden Sun. I meant Kraid.

Maybe... It's easier?

@zez: Only if you think it'll be easier to try to replenish a tank while enemies/bosses are coming at you with everything they've got. We'll have to see just how long you need to hold 'A' for a tank to replenish. Either way, it seems like it'll keep you on your toes, kind of like losing the charge in your Beam Katana in NMH...

... sounds like dumbing down to me. First bad news I've heard about the game already. I'm surprised as a fanboy you are... in favour of this?!

That post wasn't really in favor of that mechanic, in fact, I have about 10 cons based on what I've read from the hands-on reports. Reading some of these reports has left be a bit skeptic, but I have total faith in Nintendo and I know I'll love this game regardless. Besides, this was only a 45-minute demo, there's still plenty we don't know...

Thanks for the clarification, Big Dog. That still sounds less than ideal, but it does sound much better than how I read it. I, too, hate the constant thin plot devices Metroid has given for suit damage, but that's why plot never really belonged in Metroid to begin with. Samus is a bounty hunter, anyway, so this commander has no authority over her, making this only a slightly better plot device. But regardless of how they excuse it, it still dramatically changes how the game works. What makes a Metroid game Metroid is finding new weapons in hidden places. Take that away and it's just another game masquerading as Metroid.

And as a disclaimer, yes, I know it's just a short demo and we still don't know much. This is just idle speculation.

This game might be the best 2D Metroid yet! I love Metroid Fusion, so I can't wait to get my hands on this!

The description of the demo has given me good hope that this game is going to feel a lot like a classic metroid game.