GDC 2010: Metroid Other M is a "Famicom Game Plus"

GDC 2010: Metroid Other M is a "Famicom Game Plus" Yoshi Sakamoto doesn't think of himself as the father of Metroid.

"I feel resistance when people credit me for creating the Heavy duty tarpsseries," he says. "Maybe you could say I'm the one who raised Samus. But the metroids were born by the Queen Metroid!Tarps"

The Queen Metroid, of course, refers to the final boss of Metroid II: Return of Samus, the only Nintendo-developed Metroid title in which Sakamoto didn't have a hand. Even so, its ending inspired the finest chapter of the series, Super Metroid -- the Super NES game in which Sakamoto made the jump from designer to director. And that game's finale now serves as the lead-in for Sakamoto's latest project, the Team Ninja Heavy duty tarpscollaboration Metroid Other M.

Sakamoto's speech at GDC 2010 was a rare glimpse into the reclusive designer's thought processes and inspirations. He touched frequently on his non-Metroid works ranging from Balloon Fight (which he co-created with current Nintendo president Satoru Iwata) to the upcoming WarioWare D.I.Y. Sakamoto's nearly 30-year tenure with the company has put him into contact with a wide range of games, and he spent much of his time musing over the wide range in the tone of his work. He mentally divides his creations into two categories -- "serious touch" projects like Metroid Other M and "comical touch" -- and stresses that the creation processTarpsfor the two styles of game is largely the same. "As long as someone is open to new experiences and is willing to feel them differently, you Heavy duty tarpsan use the same tool set to move people in different ways," he says.