Post-Mortem: Metroid: Other M

Exactly a week ago, I released my Metroid: Other M Retrospective-slash-development history documentary video!  I'm beyond happy with how it came out - I didn't think I'd end up making a video that would overtake The Legend of Dragoon video as my "favorite" project of mine so soon, let alone in the same year, but I think this one was it.  I'm thrilled by the response it's gotten so far, and I do want to share a bit more about it for you fine folks that helped make it happen!

For those of you that may not know, this video started as a VERY different project.  Initially, and I forget if I shared this part with everybody or not, I had an idea to make a video asking a question: What is Nintendo's most damaging game?  Not the game that hurt them financially the most, but the game that hurt their fanbase or a specific franchise irreparably.  I discussed this as a potential polling topic with the Golden Bolt-tier Patrons, and that ended up being a topic that everybody (or, well, just GoldStorm, but that's everybody right now!) was most interested in of what we'd brought to the table.  It boiled down to two key titles: Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and Metroid: Other M.  Sticker Star I'd already played (mostly) and covered in my Ranking Every Paper Mario video around this time, but I hadn't played more than half an hour of Other M, and that was five years ago.

By the time I sat down to finally work on this video, after other projects (as usual) jumped ahead of it, I was only an hour into Other M when I realized I had so much I could already say.  I was mesmerized by how botched this entire project was, and I wanted to talk about every detail.  And then I realized that Other M was turning 10 years old just a few days later, at the time I was playing.  So, as tends to happen with me, what was meant to be an easy project ballooned into a much larger one, and the more I read about the game's development, the longer it got.  By the end, as you've probably seen by now, I needed to call in the cavalry, bringing on seven voice guests to help me depict each of the developers I quoted directly in the video.  What started as a video about multiple failed games turned into a story not just about one failed game, but also of the obsession, the ambition, of the one man who led to the game's failure.  I don't hate Other M, and I never will; in fact, I've ended up growing an appreciation for, and a sympathy for, Sakamoto as a result of my research.  Hopefully the man has a chance to fully redeem himself, or at least that one last try before he rides off into the sunset.  If he screws it up another time, well, that's on him, but I'd like to see a happy ending to his story with Metroid.

Naturally, I have a few people to thank as well, beyond all of you folks for helping me even be able to make that video.  Other M took I believe over 60 hours to make in total, split between my own work and the wonderful work of Chris M. KonosFan, who edited together the first version of the 30 minutes or so, while I worked on the rest.  Like many projects given my tight life schedule, I couldn't have done it without him, and thus I couldn't have done it without some of your Patreon support helping me bring him aboard.  Beyond Chris, I want to thank once again TokenGeek, That Trav Guy, Rayare Reviewing, PrimeHylian, TheCrazyEven, and CreepyElliot for being not only great friends and great people over the years, but also for bringing these personalities to life.  

And, well come on I've gotta say it, I owe my thanks again to SomecallmeJohnny not just for biting the bullet and voicing Sakamoto for this video, but for being the guy who first introduced me to Metroid.  Without his videos about and his passion for the series, I never would have started it.  And, in fact, without hearing his words of encouragement to all potential and aspiring creators at his 2015 TooManyGames panel back (the first year I went, actually!), I don't know that I would've finally muscled up the drive to start the channel I'd been thinking about doing for a few months before that.  For him to have led his voice to this project means so much to bright-eyed, bushy-tailed 2015 pre-The Golden Bolt Kevin...even if heartless, grizzled 2020 Kevin is a bit less fazed by that sort of moment.  

Oh also there's a Crash 4 demo video out too, I guess.  Neat.