Metroid

posted on february 23, 2004, tag: entertainment

Metroid was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, and I must have played the game for at least 5 solid months. As a kid, the game was challenging, engrossing and extremely fun. I still remember the 'shocking' ending—finding out Samus Aran was, in fact, a woman. I also remember the infamous JUSTIN BAILEY ——— ——— password, allowing you to play as Samus without her power suit. And speaking of passwords—somewhere, in some landfill, there are hundreds of scraps of paper with 24 digits written all over them in no particular order, in a 6 year-old's handwriting, with little notes like, "pink clothes" and "before brain."

A few years later, after successfully convincing my parents to buy me a Game Boy, I got a hold of Metroid II: Return of Samus. The year was 1991, the Game Boy was the size of a brick, and I was once again engrossed in a Metroid game. I remember being frustrated most of the time, however, because the game was very large and there was no map of any kind to keep track of where you were/had been, and on the small Game Boy screen that created very annoying game play experiences. Still, it was Metroid, it was more of the same (and more!) and it was good. It was nothing compared to what came next, however.

Super Metroid was released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and is still, to this day, one of my favorite games. Super Metroid was, quite literally, super. It was Metroid on steroids with better graphics, better music, better weapons, a crap-load of new stuff, and some of the tightest game play I've ever experienced. It's one of the few games that made the addition of X, Y, L and R buttons to the SNES controller make sense. I remember how perfectly I could control Samus in Super Metroid. The controller and character felt like an extension of my brain—every movement seamless. The story was great, the game could easily last you 6 hours, and was fun the entire time. It's a good thing, too, because there wouldn't be another Metroid game for 8 years.

In the time between the release of Super Metroid in 1994 and Metroid Prime for the Gamecube in 2002, I went to and graduated from Junior High and High school. I moved from Washington to New Jersey. I went to college. I dropped out of college. I moved to Staten Island, then to New Jersey again. I learned to drive, had my first screwdriver, my first cigarette. I started to think that the next time I would see a Metroid game would be when my teenage kid was playing some future console system in the underground caves humans will dwell in by then. It wasn't quite that long, though.

Metroid Prime was a fantastic game. It takes the ideas of the Metroid series and starts a completely new path into the 3D, first-person-shooter genre. The move was inevitable, and definitely not a mistake. Metroid Prime received several game of the year awards and with good reason. It's rich graphics and tight combat control made the game extremely fun to play. Metroid Prime II is in development right now.

It seemed, with the news of Metroid Prime, that the side-scrolling adventure days of Samus Aran were over. Time to grow up, to move on, to step into the new world of gaming. Everything is first-person now. Hell, I think eventually you'll see a version of the Sims in first person. You'll interact with people in the virtual world, in first-person. Like the real world, but without actually having to leave your house or shower. So too must Samus stop showering, I thought. Luckily, I was wrong.

Metroid Fusion was released in 2002—at the same time as Metroid Prime—for the Game Boy Advance. Suddenly, after 8 years, there were two Metroid games to play. Fusion was called Metroid IV, and continued in the tradition of side-scrolling action that looked nearly identical to Super Metroid (the Game Boy Advance is nearly as capable as the SNES was). The game was tragically short, but aside from that, it was fantastic. A lot of the game play comes directly from Super Metroid, but there are plenty of little additions. Once again I was carrying a Metroid game around with me, which was great.

And now, in 2004, we've got Metroid: Zero Mission. A remake of the first Metroid game and also created for the Game Boy Advance, with a ton of new stuff and a whole new ending to the original storyline. I remember reading an interview with one of the project managers who said that you would "be surprised" with the new ending, and I must say that was entirely true. After I beat Mother Brain and escaped the inevitable, standard 'Self Destruct Sequence Has Been Activated!' bit, I was surprised with what came next. I won't ruin it for you, but I will say that it adds a nice extension to the original game.

Much like Metroid Fusion, Zero Mission is entirely too short. I beat the game the first time, without rushing, in 3 hours and 15 minutes. I've been playing through again, attempting to beat it as quickly as I can, and I'm near the ending and have only been playing for about an hour. I'd be much happier if those times were at least doubled. The good news is, the only reason I'm complaining about length is because the game is so damned good.

Zero Mission also includes a few cut-scenes, which none of the other 2d games have had. They're perfect for the game—anime-style, cartoon cells animated via panning over still frames—and add even more to the experience. Especially great is the first animation in the game, just before you take control of Samus for the first time. You hear the Metroid theme and you get a great close-up of Samus' face. Her eyes are closed, and just as the music peaks, she opens them. It's simple and short, but very effective.

The future for the Metroid series seems to be bright. If Nintendo can release a GBA game every year or two, and a Gamecube game every 2 years, I would be in heaven. Between this and The Legend of Zelda, I don't need any other games. Metroid has been a part of my life for almost 18 years now, and every time a new game is released I get all excited like a little kid. Zero Mission was no different.

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