RATING: 4/5

This year seems to be the year for Nintendo to strike back. Earlier during E3 they announced several classic franchises that would be returning to the Wii, including “Metroid.” “Metroid: Other M,” ends up being a mixed bag of “amazing” and “why did they do this?”

“Metroid: Other M,” picks up shortly after the Super NES’ “Super Metroid.” Series heroine Samus Aran responds to a distress signal coming from a seemingly abandoned spaceship.

While the cutscene-heavy story is a pleasure to see unfold, Samus’ character is different. Normally seen as a tough and fearless bounty hunter, Samus is now a chatty character with emotions. While this may not sound like a bad thing, it still seems too out of character for Samus.

Gameplay in “Other M” is also unusual for the series. It’s a third-person action game, a 2-D platformer, and a first-person shooter all mixed into one.

With an added dodging move, combat is manageable for the most part. That is, until it’s time to go into first-person to use missiles. While it works well in one-on-one boss battles, pointing the Wiimote at the screen to aim in first-person becomes cumbersome in hectic battles.

The game also cuts out a large chunk of the “Metroid” series’ exploration. A smaller version of it is still present, but the game is fairly linear in comparison to other titles in the series. This, along with Samus’ odd character and the lack of almost any memorable music makes the game feel less like a “Metroid” game and more like a game with “Metroid” characters in it.

The game, however, doesn’t abandon all the classic series’ flair, and still manages to entertain.