Team Ninja was able to free up some time in their schedule now that they’ve released Metroid: Other M among the masses. So naturally, we were expecting to hear about their upcoming projects. The company didn’t disappoint today, announcing Ninja Gaiden 3.

The announcement came from Yosuke Hayashi at an event earlier today (er-last night) at the Tokyo Game Show. News of Ninja Gaiden 3 came bundled with a concept art (pictured above) showing the series’ star Ryu Hayabusa, with blood splattered on his face as well as his half-clenched hand, held in front of his face.

The game is slated for a 2011 release, with no console confirmation given.

Kotaku

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Nintendo holds its beloved franchises close to the chest, so when the company surprised fans last year by announcing a Team Ninja collaboration for the Wii title Metroid: Other M, some were worried. But deep down, a deep trust was rooted in the space series, as Samus Aran has consistently kicked enemy butt time and time again. Based on the first Other M reviews however, Team Ninja not only crapped all over a beloved franchise, but they turned Samus from a powerful bounty hunting hero, into a submissive space girl.

Many critics are slamming Team Ninja for the way Samus uses — or doesn’t use — her power-up abilities in the game. In the past, it was common for upgraded weapons to be acquired throughout the adventure. This time however, Samus has them all along. She only uses them when she’s given permission by her male captain Adam Malkovich. Critics also aren’t thrilled with the sexualized and dumbed down version of Samus we see in Other M.  Constantly following a captain’s orders, repeatedly demonstrated through excessive cut scenes, and it just doesn’t feel like the same Samus you’ve grown up with. You don’t get the vibe that she’s been a galactic hero for years, but instead is just some aiming to please space vixen.

Other critical judgment has been geared towards the ridiculously forced control scheme. By switching the gameplay between sidescroller (using the Wii Remote sideways) and first-person shooter (facing the Wii Remote towards the sensor bar to shoot missiles), Team Ninja was asking for trouble. Not only does it destroy any sense of flow, but there are tons of limitations by locking gameplay to the Wii Remote. If a Nunchuk option was added, it would have alleviated your inability to move Samus while using the Wii Remote in one hand. Instead, you’re locked into a rhythm of moving the controller between your hands.

The review embargo was lifted today, so you will likely start seeing a wave of different Other M reviews floating about. Some may be good, especially from those willing to dismiss flaws just for the sake of having a new Metroid. However, based on what’s been circling the net, you may not be too happy with the outcome.

G4TV (2 out of 5)
GameInformer (6.2 out of 10)
Destructoid (6.5 out of 10)

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Based on how cool this trailer looks, I really do have faith that a movie based on a video game can be great, but maybe they serve better as commercials. Nintendo has been pumping out Metroid: Other M ads left and right, and the latest is easily the best so far.

Taking from the Wii’s Nintendo Channel, the above video is a live-action trailer that is sure to excite Samus Aran fans young and old. Hopefully we’ll get one in better quality soon, but this will do for now.

What do you think?

Kotaku

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Nintendo of Japan has announced the release date for the much anticipated Team Ninja developed game, Metroid: Other M. Samus Aran’s adventure will continue on September 2nd. If you’re keeping track, that’s two days after the U.S. release, which is scheduled for August 31st. Initially, the game was slated for a June 27th release in the U.S., until it was delayed for fine tuning.

In addition, the Japanese website for the game has been updated with a few new screens, background videos and new tunes from the game.

A release date for Europe still has not been announced.

Metroid.jp
via CVG

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We posted this yesterday, but it was initially a screen-captured video posted on YouTube. It was a little on the dark side and hard to see, so I’ve managed to upload the high quality version straight from Nintendo. It’s much cleaner, much clearer.

I still can’t get over how amazing this gameplay trailer looks. It’s fast, it’s fluid, it shows of the new controls, how easy it is to transition between third- and first-person, the restoration of Samus’s agility in 3D… and apparently the mole on the left side of Samus’s chin has been darkened. I didn’t recall seeing a mole at all before, but after going back and checking the previous trailers, it was definitely there before… just much fainter. Or maybe Samus just doesn’t wear makeup while using the suit. Huh.

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Well, my worries are put to rest – Samus is actually agile again! This brand spanking new trailer from Nintendo shows off just what we’ll be looking at as we’re playing through the game. Third-person. First-person. Exploring different areas. Fighting different enemies. It’s all right here. The trailer also shows off what we already knew about the control scheme: it will be played NES-style for third person view, though it’ll make use of the remote-style when in first-person view in order to use the pointer.

It’s pretty amazing that all this can be done with just the Wii Remote alone. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Nintendo end up creating the Wii Nunchuk at the request of Retro Studios for use with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption? I guess Metroid will just continue to define how we play games on the Wii.

Metroid.com

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Those of you who caught the latest episode of Nintendo Week may have seen the segment with Yoshio Sakamoto, the producer behind one of 2010′s most anticipated Wii games – Metroid: Other M. In it Sakamoto commented on the collaboration behind the game.

“The teamwork between Nintendo, Team Ninja and D-Rockets is perfect, and we’re working to bring you an exciting Metroid and an attractive Samus. I hope you’ll wait a little longer, and look forward to its release.”

Perfect, huh? That’s reassuring. The game has some amazing talent behind it, but so far it’s just been so different from what we’ve come to expect in recent years from Metroid in a console game that I haven’t been totally swayed. But hey, if that talent is working as harmoniously as they say it is, I’ll have an even better time waiting for June.

And attractive Samus? Well, yeah, I guess I tend to be a sucker for the short hair.

Official Nintendo Magazine

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Last week, Craig Harris spoke with Metroid producer Yoshio Sakamoto about Metroid Dread, Metroid: Other M, and WarioWare D.I.Y. There’s some good conversation going on there, just a sampling of which is previewed for you below.

So, to address the cries on the message boards, is there going to be a nunchuk option for those who want to play it the “core” way?

Sakamoto: No, there is no alternate control setting in Metroid Other M. Honestly, If we felt there was any more comfortable way to play the game then what we were envisioning, then we would have certainly would have just done that. But we do feel that this is the most appropriate and most comfortable way of playing the game and I don’t think we made the wrong choice. We want to emphasize that this is the best way, we stuck with a single control scheme and were very committed to that from the beginning…

Curious as to what the story is on Dread? Wondering what the true reason is for choosing Team Ninja for Other M? Head on over to check out the interview.

IGN Wii

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Want to know more details about the upcoming Team Ninja developed Metroid title? Nintendo has released a brief fact sheet, letting fans know what they can expect when the game ships this June. Also released is a brand new trailer for the game. The trailer is not the same trailer released during last week’s Nintendo Media Summit. Although there’s no gameplay footage within the trailer, it does give a glimpse into Samus’ story.

Game Information

Metroid Franchise’s Heroine Gets Personal
For decades, Samus Aran has been known as one of the first female protagonists in video games, and one of the most enigmatic. Having traded her haunted past for the solitary life of a bounty hunter, Samus™ finally tells her own tale in this revealing, personal story of her failings, her flaws and ultimately her motivation. Metroid: Other M is an unprecedented collaboration that blends the slick, action-packed production of the world-renowned Team Ninja development team with the game design talents of the creators of the original Metroid. Metroid: Other M is a dramatic new direction for a legendary franchise and a bold new blend between cinematics, storytelling and the best in interactive entertainment.

FEATURES:

• Metroid: Other M takes the best elements of 1st-person and 3rd-person gaming to create a seamless blend between gameplay, story-telling and dynamic cinematography, that feels like a movie the player can control. Players hold the Wii Remote™ controller sideways while navigating and battling in 3rd-person. However, at any moment, players can switch immediately to Wii Remote pointer controls to examine and explore the environments in 1st-person perspective.

• Metroid fans know more about Samus’ suits and weapons than they do about what drives her. That’s about to change. The story begins immediately following the events of Super Metroid, when a baby Metroid gave its life to protect Samus. With voice acting and a rich story, players learn the engaging backstory of Samus as she weaves through an action-packed adventure aboard the Bottle Ship, a decommissioned space facility. As she hurtles into this new adventure, Samus will encounter her first mentor and Commanding Officer of the Galactic Federation, Adam Malkovich.

• The development of Metroid: Other M is an exciting collaboration between Nintendo’s Yoshio Sakamoto and Team Ninja. Sakamoto was the director of Super Metroid in 1994. Team Ninja is the renowned action developer of Ninja Gaiden. Metroid: Other M pairs Sakamoto’s expert level design and exploratory focus of the classic Metroid series with Team Ninja’s signature stylish, no-holds-barred action.

Nintendo

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There’s no real breaking news here, but it’s just nice to hear about. As I’m sure many of you know, Tomonobu Itagaki is the former leader of Team Ninja, and he has since left the company and now works with a large number of his former Team Ninja colleagues in an independent game developing company that they’re currently calling the Tokyo Vikings. Meanwhile, Team Ninja is now working hand-in-hand with Nintendo on Metroid: Other M. What does Itagaki think about the project? Here’s a bit from a recent interview:

How do you feel about the Team Ninja-doing-Metroid-reinvention news? Is this something you would have welcomed when you were still there?

Itagaki: Metroid is a fantastic game that I played a lot on the Disk System when I was a child. I also know Mr. Sakamoto, the producer at Nintendo, very well. He fathered Samus Aran. He’s been making games since I was a child, so he’s a veteran I really respect. I think [Yosuke] Hayashi will learn a lot working with him. I hope Team Ninja works hard in making a good game.

Like I said, always nice to hear these things.

1UP.com

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Not sure why, but some fans are thinking that Metroid: Other M‘s title suggests that the title will be a mature, M-rated game. I’m pretty sure the ESRB hasn’t played through anything remotely close to a final build, and I don’t recall developers or publishers ever naming a game based on its age rating or appropriateness for certain audiences. Here’s what Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime had to say:

“Big Metroid surprise. We’ve been holding this one very close to the vest to make sure that the surprise would be there. Not only the game itself looks fabulous but also this collaboration with Team Ninja, which has been very fruitful, very great work together. Not necessarily [M-rated]. At this point, it is very early, we said it’s a title that’s going to come out in 2010. Really, Project M is our internal terminology for the collaboration for what’s being done. Don’t read into it as to what the ESRB will be.”

Oh shucks, it might get a “T” rating. I’m sure most of you are going to skip out on it now.

Nintendo Everything

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So, Team Ninja’s working with Nintendo on Metroid: Other M and, as a result, the Samus Aran character. Those of you familiar with with Team Ninja’s work know their resume is littered with Dead or Alive games, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, and you’ve all seen Rachel from the Ninja Gaiden games. Clearly, Team Ninja loves working with the ladies.

In another chat with Yosuke Hayashi, the topic was brought up how they would handle Samus’ character. Are they going to keep Samus as the character she is, or she going to end up wearing something even more revealing than her Zero Suit? Not to worry, says Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi!

“Every female character in our games is as attractive as possible, both inside and out. There has to be something attractive. But as long as we provide that in the one place – the inside – that’s what’s important with this game.”

Aww… Nice that we’re keeping things classy in this game. As Luke Plunkett points out, though, there’s always other games to worry about… You think Nintendo would greenlight a follow-up Xtreme Beach Volleyball game?

Kotaku

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Despite the Nintendo’s heavy push for the Wii MotionPlus at this year’s E3, their biggest surprise title from the show won’t be supporting it in any fashion. Team Ninja’s Yusuke Hayashi explains just why Metroid: Other M will rely purely on “traditional” Wii Remote controls.

“It [Metroid] is not compatible with the Wii MotionPlus. One of our major goals with this game is beautiful game design and as we were progressing through development we discovered that it [MotionPlus] was actually not working with what we were shooting for. Once you get your hands on a demo and really experience it for yourself, you should understand what I’m talking about.”

I can understand opting not to use the enhanced control… but MotionPlus not working with what they were shooting for? It’s a hindrance?

G4tv.com

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Confused about how the camera works in Metroid: Other M? Yeah, me too. Yoshio Sakamoto recently talked about the game’s perspective, along with issues like balancing Metroid‘s sense of adventure with Team Ninja’s knack for action, the fate of Metroid Dread, and the game’s gorgeous cinematics.

How do the third-person and first-person action coexist? 

Yoshio Sakamoto: Unfortunately, I can’t give you details on how the perspective is going to be used in the game either, but if you take the time to really dissect the trailer, you should get a pretty good idea of maybe how the game is going to play. Our goal ultimately is to create the ultimate Metroid experience so really pay attention to the trailer and I think it should give you some good impressions. That said, though, development is progressing at a pretty good pace, so I’m think I should be able to supply a demo for you guys to experience pretty soon.

Head over for more of the Sakamoto interview!

IGN Wii

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Were you surprised by Metroid: Other M on Tuesday? So were we. With everyone expecting Zelda, Mario, and Pikmin, all on top of the fact that we were already getting a Metroid Prime compilation from Retro, no one saw a joint Metroid project from Nintendo and Tecmo’s Team Ninja coming. In fact, Koei, the company that merged with Tecmo, didn’t even know about it.

Team Ninja was already knee-deep in Metroid when the merger began, and Nintendo was so protective of the project that Tecmo couldn’t disclose the project to Koei. There are roughly 100 members of Team Ninja… talk about being stealthy!

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