Wacky Wednesday: Minitroid

Presenting Wacky Wednesday, a weekly article in which 3RM brings out the weird, the wacky, the whimsical, the wild, the wildebeest...wait. No, not that. We here at Third Rate Minion take the time to help spread the oddities of the Internet, whether they are extremely unique Rom Hacks, independent games, odd gaming-related videos, or any other intriguing media for the 3RM audience.

Wacky Wednesday #2: Minitroid

Since Metroid: Other M came out this week, I figured it would be nice to look at a particularly interesting game developed in the Metroid universe by a fan. Whereas Metroid: Other M is a story-driven title with a longer completion time than most previous games in the series, Minitroid promises to bring a much more condensed and story-free game into the mix.

The game is developed by Tokinsom of Metroid Fan Mission, a website dedicated to Metroid Fan Games. He is also known for developing the title Metroid +H, a super-deformed Metroid title that is currently shelved. In light of that project being shelved, he has been working on a shorter, simpler game experience.

When he originally announced the project, he cited:

So here's a little game I've spent a few days on practicing a new RAD program. There's not much to look at right now..just seeing if anyone thinks it would be interesting to play.. It's essentially a Metroid II minigame. At first I was thinking you do nothing but hunt various Metroid larvae which have infested the planet, but that could get boring after a while so I added a hornoad and plan to add other enemies..but then ya got a real mini Metroid II..hm. anyway..

Now over a month later, the game's small, pixelart title seems to be shaping up quite well. There are a number of enemies to fight and Metroids to kill. It really looks like a Mini Metroid II in a way. Certainly worth a look at the gameplay.

Hopefully this one makes it out of the woodworks!

VIDEO


MINITROID THREAD

Nintendo Starts Metroid: Other M Advertising

Nintendo's newest venture into the Metroid series is almost upon us, and the company has made sure as many people know as possible. This past week, after rumors of a live action commercial, 3RM can confirm that the rumors are true.

All three major sales regions (the US, Japan, and UK) have started to see unique commercials pushing for Metroid: Other M, which launches in the US on August 31st.

[CLICK ON THE PICS FOR THE ADS THEMSELVES]

The American commercial, having both a minute and half-minute iterations, shows Samus Aran in her Zero Suit, walking through various memories in her life: from Ridley's attack on her space colony to her discovery of the last Metroid on SR-388. An emotional and impactful score hits as gamplay comprises the remaining time of the ad, and the logo arrives just at the end.

While Sin and Punishment 2's advertisement was poison, this ad rings similarly with the Super Mario Galaxy 2 Ad that came out not too long ago.

Meanwhile, Japan is getting two flavors of Metroid: Other M advertisements. One demonstrates the evolution of the gameplay as a "Famicom+" style game. It shows how the controller is held like a Famicom controller until turned toward the television, sending the game into a first-person view.

The second Japanese ad is the opposite: it shows the story elements completely, ignoring the gameplay in favor of pushing the game to a story-driven crowd of gamers. I would say more, but I personally cannot understand what the characters are saying.

The UK is getting a slightly more casual look at the game. In this ad, a man is shown expressing his excitement over scenes from Metroid: Other M. While it demonstrates the main gameplay aspects, his appearance might be a bit too dramatic to appear enticing. This nearly reflects the "Wii Would Like to Play" commercial shown for Metroid Prime 3 in the US, but I will not reflect on it here.

Metroid: Other M is the first non-first-person-exclusive title since Metroid: Zero Mission, over five years ago for the GameBoy Advance. It is a collaboration between Nintendo's Metroid team and Tecmo's Team Ninja, along with new company D-Rockets.

OFFICIAL SITE