Nintendo offers impractical solution to Metroid: Other M bug in Japan

by Griffin McElroy on Sep 27th 2010 1:15PM

With a regular software update framework in place, Nintendo would have no problem patching out a recently discovered, game-breaking bug in Metroid: Other M. Unfortunately, such a system doesn't really exist, leaving the company to adopt a more ... unique approach to solving the problem. Nintendo is asking people living in Japan who have experienced the bug to send the SD card or Wii console with their game save on it to its Kyoto-based service center.

We've contacted Nintendo of America to see if it's come up with a more practical -- or any -- approach to fixing the issue. As it stands right now, homebrewers had a fix ready to go about a week ago, and that's ... well, that's just silly.

Update: NoA has posted a detailed explanation of the issue on a support page where it describes how to both create and avoid the bug. If you mistakenly did the former (or were just plain curious), there are also instructions to "set up a repair" and send Nintendo your save file on an SD card. Hopefully, it won't have to travel all the way to Kyoto and back.

Via: Kotaku
Source: Metroid: Other M support

Tags: bug, fix, glitch, japan, Metroid-Other-M, nintendo, team-ninja, wii

Reader Comments (51)

that is really crummy solution. maybe by thier next console they wont be afraid of real social online gaming?

@Nintari

I think he meant they'd embrace online with a better friend system and better support for multiplayer/multiplayer features (like WiiSpeak/chat).

@Nintari

Baby steps first. They need to open up to the wonder that is the internet and its uses in the gaming industry.

@Nintari

I agree with you mostly. I love my PS3 but some things it does annoys me and people consider these consoles the "future" of gaming. First, updating the console is one thing, but downloading patch updates constantly for DLC I'm not going to buy, dealing with inane load times, installing game data, upgrading hard drives....ugh, it gets to be such a pain.

With a Nintendo console I can happily put in a game and play it. What a freaking concept. Admittedly this issue should be patched out, but how often does a game from Nintendo actually have a game breaking bug in it? Not often. I mostly agree with you because I wouldn't really call them the last true gaming company, but I do love them for keeping gaming simple and effective just the way I like it.

@acefondu

You don't need to upgrade your hard drive, but at least they're catering to the people that want to.
I haven't seen many games get a lot of patches, so it's not as if every game is making you download tons of patches.
All disc-based consoles have load times. The PS3 just so happens to have the slowest-to-read media, but even DVDs can have bad load times.
Most PS3 games these days don't require you to install them to the hard drive. A few offer optional installs these days, but required installs are a much smaller issue these days.

But I will agree that PS3 firmware updates are annoying. I'm on a 150kb/s max download connection so the updates tend to take awhile to download and install, not to mention they've been known to brick a console or two on occasion (though, in fairness, the Wii has done the same).

@sonicspike41

Actually, DVDs can have really slow read times as well because of rotational velocity. With Blu-Ray readers, you're essentially getting a constant read.

The only reason why the PS3 has "slow" read speeds is because it was one of the first platforms to incorporate Blu-Ray, running at 2x speed at the time of its launch.

A 4x Blu-Ray reader handily beats a 12x DVD drive. Considering that the current standard for a Blu-Ray player is 4x or 6x, the PS3's technology is essentially limited by what was available to it at the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc#Recording_speed

"Recording speed" is a misnomer:
http://www.blu-ray.com/faq/#bluray_speed

Look, I condone Nintendo's approach to pre-release QA much more than I do the Microsoft or Sony approach (that is, throw it out there and see what happens), but this bullshit has *really* got to stop come the next generation.

@darkinchworm

I don't see how Microsoft or Sony "throw it out there and see what happens". You know a huge percentage of Xbox and PS3 owners never connect their console to the Internet?

@darkinchworm
Yea totally. This was a similar bug in one of the latest Prince of Persia games had. but that was easily fixed on the PS3 and 360 through a patch.
This is kinda why i gave up on Nintendo couple months after i got the Wii from launch date.

@Raffi256 I concede that I phrased that much more harshly than I could and should have, and I will also admit that I made this realization before pressing submit and am too much of a lazy bastard sometimes.

I should have said that they are or at least seem to be more relaxed about the condition of their games at release, which may or may not have a lot to do with their ability to patch things up - I have no doubt that they at least test things well enough that your average Joe can play through the game worry-free, and I personally can attest to almost never running into game-breaking or otherwise aggravating glitches while playing 360/PS3 games. But look at the patch notes for their games and you can see they leave a fair amount of work to be done. Though it can also be argued that their games have much more depth and complexity than a Nintendo game.

Yeah, back to the original point - I admire that Nintendo does a body good, but they really, really, really need to embrace patches.

Pretty sure if I hit this I'd just stop playing the game, it would be the last straw.

@Raffi256 - And it seems that game-destroyed glitches are affecting Metroid titles more than anything when it comes to Nintendo titles.

Anyone remember the Metroid Prime 2 glitch in Sanctuary Fortress? Nintendo asked for your memory card and they'd "fix" the file by giving you a file that someone else had made up to that point.

This is why I hate the Wii's architecture, and Nintendo for allowing it to happen.

Yeah.. sure, sounds great, sending my Wii over sea's because they don't do patches? Awesome. Great work! Far easier!

@KindredWarr

I highly doubt they're accepting American consoles, and besides, you could just transfer the save to an SD card and send that.

@sonicspike41
I meant it more sarcastically then literally. It just seems like way too much to do "if" I had this problem and lived in Japan. Even if I did live in Japan and this problem I wouldn't want to send my damn system in for a fricken bug, surely Nintendo has to actually see how stupid this is.. far too much hassle for what should be a simple patch.

@KindredWarr

Yeah, I know what you mean. From what I understand they're just going to replace the file with one that's just past the door. That's a cheap solution and doesn't take into account things like health/missile power-ups/etc.

I'd have been pissed if this happened to me in this or MP2 and they sent me a new save file that didn't have as much (or even had too much) of the power-ups.

This is why you design the console with the future in mind. Patches are essential, game-breaking bugs can be discovered post-release, Nintendo. Asking your customers to send their save file or their entire console in is over the top silly.

Sadly, the Wii was designed to try and combat piracy and it's still not doing that either.

@Nintari

"Patches only serve to make developers lazy."

The PS3 and 360 have made developers lazy. In testing, in creativity, in everything. Wii changed the game (see: Kinect & PS Move).

@Nintari
It is absolutely not possible to find (let alone fix) every bug within a game, especially as games get more and more complex with regards to graphics, physics, etc. A lot of bugs intentionally don't get fixed because they are found too late in the process, and other bugs aren't found until a game's community stacks exploits together.

Everyone mentions Nintendo's sterling QA history, but since they don't release a lot of games, it doesn't seem like their error rate is that much better than anyone else's (feel free to correct me if you have more concrete data). This bug is particularly damning since it involves a common activity (saving the game after beating a boss) and results in a complete game-breaking outcome. You'd *think* that this kind of thing would have been caught, but as I said before, things slip through even the best QA.

@Co

Can you even possibly hope to prove that? That's an extremely untrue biased statement at best.

Remember that creating an HD game is usually more time consuming and costs more than creating a Wii game (with some exceptions of course).

Hell, look at Gran Turismo 5. It's taken forever to make because the sheer amount of content being included. That isn't lazy or uncreative. That's dedication.

Also, patches have existed in PC games forever but we still see tons of great PC games being made.

@sonicspike41 Agree. And to the other dude, what does kinect have to do with the wii? Seriously get your head out of your ass and learn something.

@Co
A game like fallout 3 has so many intricate and unique ways of approaching and dealing with things, that the testing team would have no way of picking apart every last bug. Is this laziness on the part of Bethesda for both Fallout and Oblivion? They didn't sit around for however many years developing nothing. The complexity with which games are today, especially open world types, created a much higher chance for bugs to creep in, and makes patching absolutely necessary. The fan boys need to stop defending Nintendo, and see it how it is.

@Co

http://davidwonn.kontek.net/nes.html
http://davidwonn.kontek.net/snes.html

A quick Google turned those up at the top of the search results. I'm sure I could find dozens more by digging through the results. The ideas that Nintendo's QA is immaculate or that not having patches prevents glitches are absurd.

@Nintari

Halo is in the same boat as Other M, a game made by a company not owned by the console-maker, and COD is straight third party.

Halo 3 hasn't needed any major patches as far as I know. The ones it has gotten have mostly been just tweaks to the online sections and improvements for multiplayer, but nothing that's a deal-breaker.

ODST, as far as I can remember, hasn't had a single patch. Halo: Reach doesn't have any planned patches yet either. (The Halo: Reach DRE is a Microsoft-related error, not a Bungie error.)

From what I understand Zelda: Twilight Princess had a rather huge bug that forced NOA to send out replacement discs, and Metroid Prime 2 also had a game-breaking bug that prompted NOA to replace people's save files. That's not even mentioning how the online components in their games have been exploited/broken/or generally sub-par in some occasions.

They have great QA, but they are far from perfect, just like Sony and Microsoft.

A homebrew solution? B-b-but...homebrewers are PIRATES who BOOTLEG GAMES!! They would never do something so constructive!

@GiantGamer

I'm guessing it does since using homebrew does not automatically make someone a pirate too.

The Wii can't do a game patch through software, so Nintendo can't patch it. From what I understand this fix modifies the RAM, so it seems to basically be a gameshark-like cheat code. I'm guessing it just permanently unlocks the door.

@sonicspike41
This, pretty much. You don't need to pirate Other M (or any game) to be able to do stuff like this, you mainly just need Gecko OS and some cheat files. Homebrew is really the only thing keeping me from selling my Wii...well, that and the new Zelda/Kirby games coming out.

They did this for Metroid Prime 2 on Gamecube, as well. My friend had to mail them his memory card and they sent back his card with a save (not HIS save, mind you) just past the glitched area.

@littletmart

..yeah cause people want to play someone elses save.. god thats dumb lol

We got hosed, Tommy. We got hosed.

I came in here thinking "Wtf thought people said they cant do patches" only to be "wtf kinda solution is this?" as I leave

FAIL.

This game is an embarrassment, & will go down in Metroid history as THE WORST Metroid game (yes even worse than Metroid Pinball)

@Hawaii Jeff

I doubt it. Though many people dislike the heavy focus on story and some aspects of the controls, there are still a butt-load of people who absolutely love it, or have at least thought "people over exaggerate, it's not that bad."

@sonicspike41

If it was all FPS I would be interested, the third person parts.. dont appeal to me :/

@Faenix

Yeah, MP1 is one of my favorite games, and easily my favorite Metroid game. I'm glad they did this for the people that want it, but I'd rather them have just made a new Prime with optional Gamecube controller/classic controller pro support (in 16:9 widescreen).

Though I'll probably be downvoted for saying it, I was actually disappointed to learn that the Trilogy pack didn't feature any other control methods.

@Hawaii Jeff

I actually really enjoyed Metroid Pinball.

It's amazing how successful the Wii is given its myriad shortcomings. Damn you, casual folks!

Also, this makes me even more curious as to what the Wii^2 will be like. At the time of release, HD and internal storage was relatively rare, but now it's a basic requirement.

@ch3burashka
They say you learn from mistakes, and Nintendo does at least try to do that. So maybe they'll fix these short comings in the next console.

Ok where is the fix for us US gamers?? I am just glad I didn't run into this bug and I was able to finish the game just fine.

P.S. If you decide you want to play through again, you're f***ed.

I can't imagine any reason this is being done via snail mail and not email. Those save files are how many kilobytes? It doesn't matter though, they need to man up and recall. I loved this game and I'm really glad I didn't encounter the bug but I'd be raising some hell with Nintendo if I did for choosing the worst possible solution for their customers.

@soypancho

Not everyone has access to the internet in Japan I'd imagine. They probably did it this way so that everyone, tech-inclined or not, could get a fix.

@sonicspike41

I understand that but internet cafes are extremely common in Japan and much more convenient than snail mail. I can understand wanting to offer mail as an option for those with no web access whatsoever but making everybody do it that way just seems silly unless there's a technical aspect of this that I don't understand.

Why can't Nintendo release a patch over their online store? Just have it attach to the game save itself. They patch their console over the service. What's so difficult about patching the game? The METROID game.

@DerickDBrown

The actual game has no access to the OS as far as I understand. If they included a patch in a firmware update the game would not be able to utilize the files at all. This was done by design by Nintendo.

Everytime you see the Home menu when you pause a game (the one that asks you if you want to return to the OS or resume the game) it's actually one that's hardcoded onto the game disc. Older games cannot support any newer features added into the console either (with some exceptions).

The only way for them to "fix" this is to either replace the discs or replace the save file. The current homebrew fix just modifies the currently loaded RAM info so that the door is open (think Gameshark cheat codes).

Something about this gives me the same vibe as RRoD. If this is what they do every time a game encounters a serious bug they could be in for a lot of trouble.

What happened to WiiConnect 24?, surely they enabled the game to receive updates through the service...

At-least they are already offering a solution, one game I got in 2008 had a huge game-breaking bug that was patched in 2009. Luckily for me my game never stuffed up.

For all those that are demanding nintendo to push out a patch for Other M through the Wii's Internet infrastructure as we are accustomed for games in other consoles or pc, please read http://hackmii.com/2009/02/why-the-wii-will-never-get-any-better/

See, now this is where homebrew software truly shines and is a good thing, there is an ocarina code available that successfully corrects this bug on your game with little to no hassle.

I mean, it's a hell of a lot more effective and less time consuming alternative than calling a service line, setting up a delivery, waiting to get the sd card back... and it also gives you the advantage of, you know, being actually able to play your game.

Yeah go homebrewers! As a side note, in the wii scene, there is a very large split between people who pirate and dont. So many of these homebrew people arent pirates at all. They are just awesome.

the wii may be far ahead of the ps3 and xbox 360 in sales but in terms of advancedness. it is competing with the ps2.

Am I the only that's wondering why you can't just email or submit the save online?

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Metroid: Other M

Nintendo offers impractical solution to Metroid: Other M bug in Japan

Reader Comments (51)

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:17PM KiDPANDA said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:05PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:10PM thisredengine said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 4:43PM acefondu said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 5:25PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 7:18PM mahouneko said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:19PM darkinchworm said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:22PM Raffi256 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:23PM KiDPANDA said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:34PM darkinchworm said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:20PM Raffi256 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:42PM Nintendo Tim said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:21PM KindredWarr said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:36PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:00PM KindredWarr said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:08PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:21PM Ignatius said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:13PM Co said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:14PM aristokrat said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:19PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 3:17PM logicplay said

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Posted: Sep 27th 2010 3:40PM Vidikron said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 5:31PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:26PM Asok said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:41PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:00PM Asok said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:30PM littletmart said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:38PM Faenix said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:32PM StrikeFear13 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:38PM Faenix said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:39PM Hawaii Jeff said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:42PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:02PM Faenix said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:15PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 3:44PM Vidikron said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 1:50PM ch3burashka said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:26PM RobS the 3rd said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:45PM motang said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:48PM soypancho said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 2:53PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 3:46PM soypancho said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 3:08PM DerickDBrown said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 5:37PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 3:15PM AltairtheAssassinwhokillstuff said

Posted: Sep 27th 2010 6:06PM delicatessen lama said

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