Gameboy Advance review: Metroid Fusion

When Nintendo sought to revive their long-dormant science fiction series Metroid, they released new games on two fronts. The one I experienced first was Metroid Prime, developed by Retro Studios for the Gamecube. Prime was my first foray into the franchise, and quickly rose the ranks to become one of my all-time favorite video games. Meanwhile, I knew a number of friends who owned Metroid Fusion, a sequel to Super Metroid developed on the same engine as the SNES classic, yet the closest I ever got to it was through secondhand experience. I had a couple of friends offer to let me borrow it to experience it in proper over the years, but I was frequently wrapped up in some other game or another, and thus a proper playthrough of Metroid Fusion did not come to fruition until 2013 – one week ago today, to be precise.

Metroid Fusion is effectively a trimmed down take on everything Super Metroid did – a curious tactic, considering Super Metroid did not bear much (if anything) that felt unnecessary or that came across as ‘extra weight’ to its phenomenal experience. Metroid Fusion takes place after the events of Super Metroid, opening with the famed bounty hunter escorting a research team to SR388, former home planet of the Metroids. As Samus eradicated the Metroid populous in Metroid II, there has been a significant shift in the planet’s food chain. A parasite known as X was seemingly kept under control by the Metroids who fed upon them, but have grown out of control in the absence of their primary predators. The X Parasite ends up attaching itself to Samus’ Varia Suit and begins to alter her genetic makeup. Thinking quickly, Federation scientists cut Samus out of her Varia suit and develop a vaccine from tissue taken from the baby Metroid Samus rescued on SR388, which they inject her with. This halts the progress of the X Parasite and allows Samus to collect X Parasites she might find as a means to replenish both her health and ammunition.

As the X Parasites are found within all the creatures Samus faces onboard the BSL research station, farming to restore these is a much faster and convenient process than in previous 2D Metroid titles. Samus is able to access a surprising amount of upgrades, energy tanks, and missile tanks within the game’s first hour. While this may initially seem like overkill, the fact of the matter is that the game is designed to do its best to give you a fair chance at Metroid Fusion’s notably high challenge factor – largely brought on by the game’s demanding boss encounters. Most of the bosses are designed with new combat strategies in mind, so anyone hoping to exploit the same strategies used on Crocomire or Phantoon from Super Metroid ought to think twice before taking on the likes of Serris or Yakuza. The later boss fights are among the game’s best offerings, with a few ranking among the most memorable of any of the 2D Metroid titles.

The research station is divided into six major sections, which all connect to a central hub zone. These sections are all modeled after different environments that Samus previously visited, lending to each having significantly different layouts and aesthetics. Save stations, recharge stations, and navigation rooms are all placed in strategic locations, so as to save you too much trouble with backtracking but also avoid holding your hand along the way. Samus will need to revisit each of the six areas after her initial exploration of it, but there is minimal backtracking on the whole. When Samus does eventually return to Sector 1, Sector 2, and so on, a new, generally larger section will be accessible with new upgrades and abilities, and will subsequently offer up new environmental puzzles and tougher foes. Practically all of the weapons and upgrades should be familiar to anyone who has played previous Metroid titles, even if Samus does collect them in a different order than usual.

Though it runs on the same engine, Fusion looks even better than Super Metroid due to a higher level of detail, brighter colors, and more fluid character motions – all of which is only to be expected, considering that the two titles were released nearly a decade apart. Fusion also does a great job of perpetuating the sense of horror and suspense that has frequented the series – the sense that Samus is alone in space has long been the element that added varying degrees of eerie atmosphere to her adventures. With Fusion, the fact that she is not alone, but is in fact being hunted by an X Parasite clone known as the SA-X, heightens the horror aspect. It should also be noted that Metroid Fusion is surprisingly dialogue-heavy. Samus frequently interacts with her ship’s on-board computer, and reminisces about her former CO, who she is reminded of through the computer’s mannerisms. The game is rooted in a decent chunk of context, with references to Metroid II and Super Metroid occasionally springing up. If you aren’t intimately familiar with the greater Metroid lore, it won’t hinder your enjoyment of this fast-paced action-oriented game. But if you are, Fusion draws connections to Samus’ past expeditions in interesting and unexpected ways.

The length of time it will take you to complete Metroid Fusion depends on both your familiarity with other titles in the series and your intent to collect the game’s many upgrades. If you are a veteran of Super Metroid and the two titles that preceded it, expect the game to take you anywhere between two-and-a-half to four hours. If you have little-to-no experience with the series, your play time could easily double that. This is a Metroid game designed for Metroid fans – it is thoroughly challenging, but equally enjoyable, with perfect controls and magnificent presentation from start to finish.

My rating: 9.25 (out of 10)

Metroid Fusion journal - entry one

Man, I need to stop and take a breath a moment… phew. Alright, so I just started up Metroid Fusion today, as it’s on loan from a friend of mine. Fusion is one of the few remaining Metroid games I have never played before, but I’ve heard only great things about it since its original release around the same time as Prime in the early 2000s. Prime was my first trek into the Metroid series, and quickly rose the ranks as one of my all-time favorite games. I played through the Prime sequels as they were released in subsequent years, and even took a crack at both the original Metroid and its Zero Mission remake, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed (though the latter was host to tighter controls and thus proved far more forgiving). But Super Metroid – the purported crown jewel of the series – eluded me for nearly a decade after I first played Prime. It was just by happenstance that I was browsing the Wii Virtual Console library and opted to spend some leftover points I had gotten as a Christmas stocking stuffer on the SNES classic.

For those who don’t know, I never owned a Super Nintendo console. I also knew hardly anyone that owned one until about the time I entered middle school. Every one of the neighbor kids ran either SEGA Genesis or PC games, and all of my friends were stocking up their libraries for the recently-released N64 by the time I was first getting into the video game scene. While I have played a decent number of SNES games today, most of my lengthy expeditions have been via Virtual Console, not the physical system itself (I know - ‘shun the outcast’, and all that). My standards for games have long been compared to my own first console love, the N64, and while The Legend of Zelda is bar none my favorite gaming saga of all time, I wasn’t really won over with A Link to the Past – certainly I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t anything revolutionary in my eyes when pitted against Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, the Oracle games, Skyward Sword, or even Wind Waker. Knowing that Super Metroid was frequently cited as one of the best games on the SNES, and even as one of the greatest games of all time, I was skeptical going into it, to say the least.

Fast forward past the playthrough of Super Metroid, my written review of it, and the couple of months that have passed between then and today. As it currently stands, Prime is still my favorite Metroid game, but Super is a close second. However, Fusion is proving to be a hell of a contender, and I’m not even an hour into the game yet. It runs on the same engine as Super, though Fusion looks (understandably) better due to the graphical advancements in the decade between the release of their respective native systems. It’s essentially a sleeker, streamlined take on the Super Metroid formula – which is not to say that Super Metroid had much in the way of fat that needed to be cut. But somehow, it works without Fusion feeling like a shell of Super’s glory.

Farming has long been the means of replenishing Samus’ health and missile count, but here it operates differently. Instead of shooting small Geemers and Shriekbats in hopes that they will drop the health/ammo you’re after, every enemy you dispatch ejects a single X Parasite sample, which Samus can walk into to help replenish her stock. Orange X Parasites are for health, green are for missiles, and the odd red ones cover both fronts. While this could present the possibility for the game being too lenient, Fusion in fact retains the difficulty factor of Super Metroid (and then some), offering up boss fights that all consist of two phases – the boss itself, and then a larger Parasite carrying Samus’ next upgrade. As for the standard orange and green X Parasites, should Samus not collect them after they manifest, they have the potential to latch onto nearby enemies and boost their abilities, pitting Samus against tougher foes in a matter of seconds. With any other Metroid title, I might think the chance to obtain three energy tanks and eighty missiles this early in would be overkill. But with Fusion, it feels like just the right amount.

The space station’s layout is much more intelligent from the perspective of this being a handheld game as well. Whereas Super Metroid, Zero Mission, and the Prime games required you to travel through one area to reach another (i.e. – go though Norfair to get to Ridley), each sector in Metroid Fusion is its own distinct region, and only connects to the main hub. None of these areas are exactly huge, either. Sure, there’s plenty to explore and they are all very aesthetically pleasing. But I can already tell that backtracking for further expansions is going to be significantly less of a hassle than in some of the other Metroid titles.

It’s incredibly rare that a game will win me over with so much so early, but Metroid Fusion seems to be pulling all the right punches a just the right times. The bosses are interesting and fun, though certainly challenging. The atmosphere is a perfect blend of creepy suspense and sci-fi adventure. The soundtrack and art style hold a great balance of ‘something old, something new’. This game is off to an awesome start, and while I can’t believe I waited this long to properly experience it, I’m not going to worry about pacing myself with the experience. If I blow through this game in just a few days, at least I expect to have a hell of a time doing so.

Top 10 Games of the Seventh Generation Consoles - #7: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

I consider the original Metroid Prime one of the most bold and successful revivals of a video game franchise ever attempted. I also consider it to be one of the best video games ever created. While I enjoyed the sequel Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and its light world/dark world scenario, the layout of planet Aether’s different regions did not feel as intelligently crafted as the regions of Tallon IV in the first game. Whereas the distance between save stations, weapon upgrades, and the balance of puzzles and combat was relatively consistent in Prime, it was more sporadic in Echoes – Samus could traverse incredibly short distances at times and come across a number of missile expansions or quick and easy environmental puzzles, or it could be close to an hour between two save stations.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was one of the earliest big-name titles Nintendo revealed for their Wii (or as it was known at the time, the Revolution). While the original reveal trailer didn’t show much, the final product turned out to be a balance of familiar and fresh content. No longer was Samus limited to a single planet – in their alliance with Dark Samus, the Space Pirate forces had spread Phazon across the galaxy, requiring Samus to visit multiple worlds and undo the gradual infection and mutation brought on by the Phazon. While these individual planets were scaled down in size from the regions of the previous two Prime titles, they were still bold visions on the part of the creative team at Retro Studios. The skylines that run above the clouds of Elysia, the needle-like forests of Bryyo, and the haunting remains of the G.F.S. Valhalla all made for areas that were as interesting to look at as they were to explore.

For being one of the earliest titles to make full use of the Wii’s motions controls, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is arguably among the best on the system. Response times and targeting accuracy might not be perfect, but they’re pretty great even when you compare them to later Wii releases by Nintendo. Prime 3 spends as much time exploring the core mythos of the Metroid universe – the legacy of the Chozo, the properties of Phazon, the role of the Aurora Units and the connections they share to Mother Brain – as it does providing a satisfying conclusion to the story that makes up the Prime trilogy. To that end, Corruption does as much to send the Prime series out with a bang as it does to connect the dots of many underlying tales that helped to shape the Metroid story at large.

Wii Virtual Console review: Super Metroid

While I am a big fan of Nintendo’s Metroid franchise, I have more experience with the 3D Prime titles than most of the traditional side-scrolling adventure releases. I played through both the original Metroid and its remake, Metroid: Zero Mission – two games which I quite enjoyed. However, I know many gamers who swear by Super Metroid as not only one of the best games in the series, but one of the best games of the SNES-era. Eager to check it out, I downloaded Super Metroid from my Wii’s Virtual Console library.

Fans of the original Metroid or Zero Mission should feel right at home – Super Metroid sees Samus return to planet Zebes in search of the baby Metroid that followed her home at the end of Metroid II. Ridley and the Space Pirates have captured the baby Metroid, and all-too-familiar with their track record for nefarious behavior, Samus pursues, intent on retrieving the specimen. Samus will retrace her steps through Crateria, Brinstar, Norfair, and so on, while also visiting new and expanded areas. The game does a great job of balancing a fresh and familiar feel, as each major area looks incredibly colorful and detailed. Lighting effects and objects such as pillars and stalactites go a long way in creating an illusion of depth and openness to the regions Samus visits. Meanwhile, the soundtrack walks a fine line between adventurous and eerie, perfectly fitting to one of Samus’ most dangerous missions.

The controls are far more fluid and responsive than in the two titles that preceded Super Metroid. Items and upgrades are placed at more intelligent junctures, and it certainly feels like the game does its best to direct you toward each objective, so there will be little time spent wandering aimlessly. Multiple elevators per region makes finding an entrance or exit to another region much easier, though the fact that you are only able to view the map one region at a time (depending on your current location) is mildly annoying. That said, Super Metroid holds a decent challenge factor, and seeking out at least a few non-essential energy tanks and weapon upgrades is recommended due to the gradually-increasing difficulty factor.

If there is one thing that drags Super Metroid down, it is the inability to exit certain areas. This really only becomes a problem late in the game, but always occurs immediately prior to a boss fight, and should you have fewer energy tanks or missiles at your disposal than you would like, the degree of frustration it causes can range anywhere from a mild annoyance to thoroughly aggravating. While this sort of thing only occurs a few times during the course of the game, the points where Samus is temporarily stuck are unfortunate, and the problem seems as though it lies largely with a simple oversight on the part of the development team.

There are quite a few boss fights in Super Metroid, each with its own unique strategy. Some encourage use of specific weapons, while most follow the traditional pattern of dodging swipes and firing missiles. Regardless of the required approach, the majority of the boss encounters are quite memorable – some not only because of the intensity of the fight but also because of scripted events prior to or during the encounter. As for the lesser enemies, they fit the typical Metroid designs – you can expect to run into Geemers and Shriekbats not long after Samus exits her ship, though later enemies are faster and practically require use of new/upgraded weapons if you hope to gain more health/ammo than you plan to lose.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Samus’ first outing, its remake, and even her trip to SR388 in Metroid II (the latter of which I am currently playing through), it is easy to see why Super Metroid is so beloved by fans of the series. It takes everything established by its two predecessors and cleans them up. The experience is far more smooth and streamlined, without sacrificing the challenge factor. Regardless if you are a longtime fan of the series or Super Metroid is your first outing with Samus Aran, it will certainly prove a memorable experience.

My rating: 9.25 (out of 10)

Top 5 Ladies of Gaming

It's no secret that female characters in video games have generally taken to a few generic molds. There are the scantily-clad pixelated pieces of eye-candy who may or may not bear any relevance to a game's plot. There are the grumbling, rude, and (dare I say) bitchy types who are equally as obnoxious as the whiny childish brats that are seemingly meant to act as their polar opposites. While this trend has, generally speaking, improved in recent years (due in no small part to the increase in the number of female gamers), sometimes it can still prove difficult to come across a female character that plays a genuinely interesting and convincing role in a video game.

That said, some of my favorite video game characters of all time have fallen into that last category, and so I present a list of five of my favorite leading ladies in video games. The criteria I laid out when considering individuals for this list is that they do not necessarily need to be a playable character, rather that they need to hold some sort of prominent role in the grand scheme of things. Also, I limited it to one character per game series. (WARNING: There will be spoilers for those who have not played the games in which these characters appear.)

#5 - Brigid Tenenbaum: One of the minds behind the creation of the Little Sisters, Tenenbaum is a prime example of how Rapture did not discriminate against anyone hoping to make their own way in the underwater city. Along with Dr. Suchong, Tenenbaum discovered the unique properties of ADAM and the sea slugs that produced it, as well as the fact that young girls proved the best hosts for recycling ADAM. When Rapture neared its tipping point, Tenenbaum and Suchong perfected a system of bonding each Little Sister to a Big Daddy guardian, and in that regard brought about some semblance of order into a city that was on the brink of Civil War.

Brigid Tenenbaum worked on many research projects during World War II, and while the specifics of her actions are not fully known, she does inform both Jack and Subject Delta that she feels remorse for what she did during her time in Germany. After Rapture succumbed to its own complications, Tenenbaum felt it was her duty to protect the Little Sisters from the splicers running rampant throughout Ryan's dystopia. She gathered up as many of them as she could and holed up inside the safe house with them. After helping Jack break Fontaine's mind control over him, Tenenbaum asked him to watch over the Little Sisters, and entrusted him to take them with him to the surface once he had escaped, knowing that life in the outside world would be a vast improvement over their existence in Rapture.

Years after she managed her own escape from Rapture, Tenenbaum takes notice of the kidnappings of many young girls. When she realizes it to be the work of the Big Sisters, she returns to Rapture and enlists the aid of Subject Delta to finish what she started. Early on in Bioshock 2, Tenenbaum is shown to have freed another group of Little Sisters. After leaving the company of Delta, Tenenbaum makes contact with Charles Milton Porter, an old colleague, and the two depart for the surface in hopes of mustering up some sort of plan to cleanse Rapture of the chaos and fear that holds sway over it. In the end, it is never made clear what Tenenbaum's plan of attack actually is, how long it will take, nor even if it succeeds. But between the audio diaries she left around Rapture and her more recent actions, it is easy to see the growth in Tenenbaum's character, as well as her consistent resolve to see her goals reached.

#4 - Alyx Vance: Gordon Freeman's partner-in-crime for the duration of Half-Life 2 and its follow-up episodes certainly knows a thing or two about combating the Combine. As Gordon has been absent during the years since the first game, he is dropped into City 17 as a stranger in a strange land. A fair distance from any sizeable force that would bring the fight to the combine, Gordon briefly meets with Barney and Dr. Kleiner, who introduce him to Alyx Vance.

Alyx is something of a rebellious individual, going against her father's wishes as she jumps feet first into danger. But she is not someone who could be considered reckless. She has an extensive knowledge of the Combine, from their weaponry to their behavior. That said, she does find herself in a tight situation on more than one occasion, and it is up to Gordon to come to her rescue. But there is no denying how valuable a resource Alyx proves to Gordon as his guide, ally, and friend throughout the events of Half-Life 2.

#3 - Princess Zelda: The princess of Hyrule has taken on many forms over the years, from a classic medieval damsel in distress to a pirate captain that can hold her own against monsters that roam the sea. There are a few versions of Zelda that stand out to me above the rest; her incarnations from Skyward Sword, Wind Waker, and Ocarina of Time being the best of the bunch.

Skyward Sword's Zelda has arguably the most personality of them all as Link's childhood friend. There are early indications of a romantic playfulness between these two main characters, but before things can get too far along Zelda is whisked away by a tornado and begins her own separate journey on the surface world, which will one day come to be known as Hyrule. While players are not allowed to see exactly what happens during Zelda's journey until the credits roll, the game does present the sense that she is working toward a greater goal just as much as Link is.

Tetra/Zelda from Wind Waker has some attitude. She's the captain of her own ship, and unlike previous games in the series, does not seek out Link's aid early on. Rather, she reluctantly allows him to travel on her ship. She takes a liking to Link later on in the game, allowing him to help himself to her crew's stash of stolen bombs. The only problem I have with Wind Waker Zelda is that she gets shut up in Hyrule castle only moments after her true identity is revealed, though the game sort of makes up for that by making her one heck of a shot with the bow during the final fight with Ganondorf.

Ocarina of Time Zelda is the one I use as the standard to compare to all others. It is the first version of Zelda I was introduced to, and a version of the princess that is quite interesting. While she does flee Hyrule castle when Ganondorf's forces overrun it, she does not simply go into hiding. Instead, she takes on the guise of Sheik and helps Link on his quest to save the kingdom by allowing him to access new areas and providing him with advice on how to get past certain obstacles. It's true that playing the role of Sheik forces Zelda to take on some masculine characteristics in order to see that Ganondorf fails. But it also proves how resourceful and determined Zelda is to see such a plan through.

#2 - EVA: the femme fatale of Metal Gear Solid 3, EVA is presented as a enigma. On the surface, she is a spy who is both Snake's contact for inside information regarding Volgin and the Boss, and is constantly teasing him with notions of seduction. But beyond the jumpsuit and the black bikini lies a character whose story is much deeper than Snake Eater initially lets on.

Her appeal to Snake is pretty obvious. He is dropped into the middle of a jungle and not only is she his ally, but her role as his love interest is made apparent very early on. She enjoys teasing Snake, as evident in practically every one of their encounters. But EVA also recognizes the importance of their mission, and can manage flips on her motorbike and can wield a pistol like nobody's business.

EVA saves Snake's life on a couple of occasions, and it is during these moments that her character takes a more serious approach. When Snake has his doubts about the mission or still can't bring himself to come to terms with the fact that the Boss defected to Volgin's forces, EVA is there to pick Snake back up and get him on his feet again. But she isn't there to babysit him. EVA knows that Snake needs to face his own demons, despite the fact that she tries to convince him that he shouldn't face the Boss in battle.

At the end of the game, it is revealed that EVA was in fact a spy for the Chinese, who wanted to get their hands on the Philosopher's Legacy just as much as anyone else did. EVA does not tell Snake in person. Rather, she leaves him a pre-recorded tape after they spend the night together. She informs Snake of the fact that the Boss never really betrayed him, but was pinned as the scapegoat so that the U.S. could cover their tracks. EVA then apologizes to Snake for everything.

EVA could have withheld this information, and Snake would have gone on believing that the Boss had betrayed her country and her apprentice. But she chose to reveal this to him, which was largely what led to Snake's distrust in the U.S. government, and ultimately to his organizing of the Militaires Sans Frontières and Outer Heaven. EVA truly cared about Snake, enough to disassociate herself from him for years with the hope that none of her future actions would bring him pain.

#1 - Samus Aran: The original girl of gaming herself, Samus Aran first came onto the scene as a bounty hunter that gamers assumed to be male. That is, until the ending of the original NES Metroid proved otherwise. Samus' story is a classic tragedy of a girl whose family was murdered at the hands of the space pirates. She is taken in by the Chozo, and trained by Old Bird to become the most skilled bounty hunter in the galaxy.

Her arsenal includes a wide array of projectiles like missiles, the wave beam, the ice beam, the plasma beam, and the dark and light beams. Her suit can be upgraded to accommodate to different environments, such as the Gravity Suit which allows for easier movement underwater, and the Light Suit which protects Samus from the harmful air on Dark Aether. Her morph ball mode not only allows Samus access to small areas, but come equipped with bombs and a spider ball mode that magnetically attaches to certain tracks.

Samus has crossed paths with the Space Pirate forces many times, and has gone toe-to-toe with their leader Ridley on just as many occasions. She single-handedly put a stop to the threats presented by Kraid, Mother Brain, the Ing swarms, and the entire Metroid populace of SR388. She even managed to defeat doppelgangers in the forms of the SA-X and Dark Samus, and has traversed the most dank and dark of caverns on many alien worlds. Samus is a rare breed of female lead character, in the sense that she has never been changed to appeal to the sexualization of female characters. She's a cold and solitary individual, and her story is a melancholy one. But in my opinion, her character is one of the most intriguing Nintendo has ever created.

25 Days of Villains - #4: Ridley

Leader of the Space Pirates and one of Samus Aran's oldest foes, Ridley is as mean as they come. His appearance is still reptilian like the rest of the Space Pirates, but he is considerably larger, looking much like a dragon. He's faced Samus many times in battle, and each confrontation proves as lethal and unforgiving as the last.

During her Zero Mission, Samus encountered Ridley as one of two major obstacles to reaching Mother Brain. Though she was able to defeat Ridley, she discovered later on that the Space Pirates were attempting to save him by combining his organic body with mechanical elements. While Samus was able to destroy the prototype before she escaped Zebes, Meta-Ridley would be completed on board the Frigate Orpheon orbiting the planet of Tallon IV. After Samus killed the mutated Parasite Queen and started a chain reaction that led the ship to crash into the planet, Ridley began tracking her. He watched from a distance in the tundra of Phendrana Drifts, eventually facing her head-on at the Chozo Temple where the Phazon meteor crashed. Ridley went all-out, firing seeker missiles from a distance and lashing out with his tail at close range. Despite the intense fight, Samus emerged victorious, if only for a brief while.

On Norion, as the Space Pirates engaged Federation Forces, Ridley attempted to take the generators offline. At the same time, Samus was trying to keep them online to aid the Federation's defenses, and the two engaged in battle in the midst of a free-fall down the catacombs of the base. Some years after the eradication of Dark Samus and the Metroid populous of SR388, Ridley took it upon himself to steal the last living Metroid. His forces performed all manner of experimentation on the life forms of Tallon IV and Aether during Metroid Prime and Prime 2: Echoes, the Metroids included. Though Samus was able to defeat Ridley, his goal of mutating the last Metroid was already underway.

Ridley's remains were destroyed at the end of Super Metroid, confirming his final death. But in all the times Samus faced him, Ridley exhibited a balance of intellect and deadly force. On the one hand, he is well-versed in the aforementioned genetic experimentation as well as battle tactics, with the Space Pirate forces having proved themselves capable opponents to the Federation fleet. Facing Samus one-on-one, Ridley always has speed and brute force on his side, and his attacks are carefully planned.

Boss Theme:

Though Ridley's theme has been relatively consistent through the years, the version that plays in Metroid Prime is easily my favorite. The electronic sounds really help to embody both the sense of sci-fi exploration and the intensity of facing Ridley.

25 Days of Villains - #18: Dark Samus

In the last moments of the Metroid Prime's existence, it lashed out at Samus, managing to latch onto and subsequently absorb her Phazon Suit. With the Metroid Prime already overloaded on Phazon, it continued to expand outwards until it could no longer sustain itself, which led to its demise. However, not long after Samus left Tallon IV, her mission there complete, the Metroid Prime's consciousness began to reorganize itself. The combined DNA of the Metroid Prime and Samus Aran, along with the vast deposits of Phazon within the crater, gave birth to the main villain of the Prime trilogy - Dark Samus.

In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Dark Samus spends much of her time interfering with both the space pirates' research and Samus' progress. The pirates mistake her for the famed bounty hunter, and many of Samus' own encounters with her Phazon counterpart indicate that Dark Samus is still learning how to use this new body to its fullest potential. Dark Samus spends a large portion of the game tracking down sources of Phazon, but is ultimately defeated by Samus time and time again. Her last desperate frenzy as the Ing darkworld collapses implied the death of Dark Samus.

Unfortunately, this was not the case, as Dark Samus rematerialized months later through pirate-controlled Phazon supplies. Having learned from her previous defeats, Dark Samus displays her power to the space pirates, leading them to become subservient to her goal of spreading Phazon across the galaxy. While not originally a part of her plan, Dark Samus' encounter with bounty hunters Ghor, Rundas, Gandrayda, and Samus leaves them marked, and all but the series' posterchild become corrupted by the part of Dark Samus that dwells within them.

Dark Samus does mimic Samus to some degree. Both present themselves as calm and calculating, with Dark Samus leaning towards semi-spastic reactions only when backed against a wall. Both use arm cannons, though Dark Samus utilizes the raw dark energy of Phazon. She is also given the ability to hover and dark much more quickly than Samus Aran.

Boss theme:

I love how the alien techno sounds are offset by the electric guitar and choir voices.

A Metroid Retrospective - Twenty-five Years of Samus

As Metroid has turned twenty-five, I've decided to do a bit of retrospective on the franchise. As much as I do love the series, there are a few games I have yet to play, so Metroid: Other M, Metroid II: Return of Samus, and Metroid Prime Hunters will not be included. This will not focus so much on the history of the series to present day, rather it will be a look back at what Metroid meant for me personally.

The first console I ever owned was the N64, and because of that the bulk of my early gaming experiences came from 1990s Nintendo titles. My first introduction to Samus Aran was through the original Super Smash Bros., and most of my friends were too young to have played any of the previous Metroid titles when they were first released. Thus, my knowledge of Samus was rather limited - I knew she was a bounty hunter, and that she had to have some game of her own, but I never saw a Metroid title on the N64 and kind of forgot about Samus for a while.

Not long after I purchased my Gamecube, I heard about a new Metroid title slated for release on the console. At this point I had a little more to base my judgment off, as I'd played portions of the original Metroid. From what I could gather from my Nintendo Power magazine, Metroid Prime was going to be a whole different style of game from its side-scrolling predecessors. At that time, I wasn't particularly skilled at any games that took on the first-person perspective, and I decided to rent it first. I fell in love with the game - the graphical stylings, the soundtrack, the boss fights, and the gameplay were some of coolest I'd seen in years. Needless to say, I forked out the cash and bought myself a copy, which I played through multiple times in hopes of achieving a 100% completion rate.

When the sequel was announced, I counted down the days to its release. I decorated my bedroom walls with every Metroid Prime 2: Echoes poster that Nintendo Power included with their magazine. At the same time, a friend of mine owned a copy of Metroid Fusion, and while I didn't play much of it, I got enough of a feel for the two different schools of design that the Metroid series followed. Between Fusion and Prime 2: Echoes, I also got a feel for how dark the stories could be and how challenging the games could get. Don't get me wrong, I love Prime 2: Echoes. But it has some of the most challenging boss fights in the series, and the fact that the air in Aether's Dark World harms Samus when she isn't protected by the Luminoth's crystals can get to be a bit annoying. Thankfully the Dark Suit and Light Suit counteracted this, but Prime 2: Echoes required so much backtracking and had some less-than-ideally placed save stations that I wasn't as keen to replay it as I had been with the first Prime title. At the same time, the minor issues I did have with Echoes made me realize what elements of the Metroid games I preferred.


Before Prime 3 was released, I decided to work backwards, replaying Samus' first mission to Zebes over again. Only this time it was in the form of Metroid: Zero Mission, an updated and (I would argue) improved version of the original Metroid. There's certainly no replacing what the original did in launching the series, but not only did Zero Mission look prettier and control more smoothly, it made me feel more of a connection to Samus through the narrative. Zero Mission quickly became one of my favorite Gameboy games, and my second favorite Metroid title behind Prime.

I picked up a copy of Metroid Prime Pinball not long afterwards, looking for a quick casual handheld gaming fix. While it isn't anything mind-blowing, I found Prime Pinball to be a very interesting spin on the pinball formula, combining boss fights and iconic locations from the first Prime title. The different paths the game presented made for a unique experience each time I played, with an increasing level of difficulty that was not expected but - at the same time - very much welcome.

I'd heard overwhelmingly positive responses toward Super Metroid, and decided to download it to the Wii's Virtual Console. Having played through about half the title thus far, I can see some obvious influences the gameplay style had on the design of Zero Mission. The dark and moody atmosphere also seems to have had an impact of the latter two Prime titles, as well as Fusion. And while I've always known the Metroid games to have a notable degree of difficulty to them, Super Metroid is easily one of the most challenging in the series.

Eventually I got around to picking up Prime 3: Corruption - a little later than most people, but I was still plenty excited to cap off the trilogy. One of my major concerns was the shift to motion controls. Thankfully, these were quickly put to rest following a mini-tutorial early in the game. Prime 3: Corruption felt more akin to the first Prime than it did to Prime 2: Echoes. Corruption spanned multiple planets, and though no single planet was as vast as Tallon IV or Aether, each presented beautiful and alien environments that just begged to be explored. Some voice acting was brought in - a first for the series - though this was only applicable to NPCs, and both Samus and Dark Samus remain silent for the duration of the game. The boss fights had great variety, and were as much a challenging to beat as they were a treat to play through. Some unnecessary weapons and abilities from Echoes were shaved off, and Samus' arsenal was keep to a more manageable level. That said, new inclusions were weighed more on their practicality with the gameplay, and all of that added up to an 'everything old is new again' feel about Corruption.


While I do enjoy sci-fi games like Halo, such games aim for a grand 'space battle' scenario, whereas Metroid is more focused on the solo approach of exploring mysterious alien worlds. Prime 3: Corruption and Other M are, at least to some extent, each a breakaway from the traditional Metroid formula, as they both deal with the Galactic Federation and the history of the Space Pirates. But most Metroid games tend to keep the spotlight on Samus and her personal history with the Space Pirates and the Chozo. I feel the storytelling is strongest in three games - Super Metroid, Zero Mission, and Metroid Prime. Super Metroid and Zero Mission take a similar approach to one another, revealing the narrative in cutscenes at certain points during the gameplay, though the majority of the story is meant to be tackled firsthand as players progress to each new area. Prime, on the other hand, requires players to scan the various Space Pirate computers and Chozo lore, which reveals to players not only information relevant to the story of Prime, but also ties things together with the other games in the series. Though it does require players to go out of their way if they wish to find all of the lore, the payoff is well worth it for Metroid fans.

Despite a large gap between Super Metroid and Prime/Fusion's dual release, the series has stood the test of time. Each game offers enough new features to change the game style, but never forgets it roots. Congratulations on twenty-five years, Metroid.

Some of my favorite boss fights from the series include:
- The Kraid boss fight from Metroid: Zero Mission
- The final Dark Samus boss fight at the end of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
- The Gandrayda boss fight from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Some of my favorite songs from the various soundtracks include:
- Kraid's area from the original Metroid/Metroid: Zero Mission
- The Tunnel from Metroid II: Return of Samus
- Lower Brinstar from Super Metroid
- Hive Totem/Incinerator Drone from Metroid Prime
- Phendrana Drifts from Metroid Prime
- Submerged Frigate from Metroid Prime
- The Title theme from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
- The Title theme from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
- Rundas battle theme from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
- Skytown from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Character I use most often (and win the most matches with) in Super Smash Bros., Melee, and Brawl:
- Samus Aran

E3 2010: First Impressions

The first two full days of E3 have now come to a close, and while there is still more to come I thought I’d offer my thoughts on the materials presented thus far. With their overhaul focus on the Playstation Move and Kinect, Sony and Microsoft seem to either want to play catch-up with Nintendo very desperately, or they simply have little new games and peripherals to show off at this year’s expo. Of the two situations, I really hope it’s the former, because – while I could certainly understand highlighting their new motion controlled peripherals on the first day – keeping the Move and Kinect the focus of two whole days of E3 isn’t a particularly effective way of keeping potential consumers interested.

Sony did a fantastic job this past year in realigning themselves to better compete with Microsoft and Sony. For the longest time following the release of the PS3, it seemed Sony could only promise games that would be coming out in the future, never giving the slightest hint of an expected time frame for said releases. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Little Big Planet were huge successes for Sony, while titles like Resistance: Fall of Man saw a decent return. But with so few exclusive games that were actually enjoyable to play and had a great deal of replay value, Sony was lagging behind by a long shot.

With the more recent releases of God of War III, Heavy Rain, and Demon’s Souls, Sony has reminded gamers of their last-gen successes with many a PS2 title and in turn has seen a significant spike in the sales of their PS3. Second and third party titles such as Borderlands and Batman: Arkham Asylum have also helped Sony back on its feet, and the recent PSP-exclusive release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker played an instrumental role in keeping their handheld market humming along smoothly.

With all of this in consideration, Sony should still be very cautious this coming year with their games and peripherals. Personally, I think Move is stupid, considering that Nintendo’s Wiimote controller has carried the system without a single hitch in three and a half years (not counting initial wrist strap strength issues). But if Sony wants to gamble with the Move, they better have some big titles lined up to fall back on (both new and old) in the event that their expedition into motion-controlled gaming goes belly-up.

Microsoft didn’t deliver a ton of new gaming developments in 2009 and 2010, largely due to financial reasons (with the recession both in the US and in other countries around the world). They relied heavily on second and third party developers for sequels that were as direct as they come, in the forms of Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2, Assassin’s Creed II, and so on, though this certainly didn’t cripple Microsoft in sales.

Microsoft’s biggest seller for years has been the Halo franchise and they’ve got another title in the series slated for a September release (which, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you probably already know a bit about it). This time around, Bungie is opting for more squad-based gameplay as players experience the fall of Reach firsthand. New armor abilities, weapons, vehicles, and a revamped multiplayer mode make this Microsoft’s golden goose for the Fall, but with most of the game’s major features and selling points highlighted prior to E3, it makes me wonder why this seems to be the only thing outside of Kinect that Microsoft wants to focus on. Where’s Gears of War 3? What about Dead Space 2? These and other titles have been briefly glossed over, but it seems that Microsoft is sticking with what we’ve already heard time and time again as of yet.

Nintendo, who had me both excited and disappointed by last year’s revelations, have proven that they are coming out in full force this year. The 3DS, which many people expected to be the major focus of Nintendo’s showings, has actually been reserved for later on in the show, which has me hoping and believing that Nintendo has some exciting surprises up their sleeve with the new handheld system. As far as games go, they’ve shown off plenty of the upcoming Metroid: Other M, and have finally given a name for the newest adventure in Hyrule, The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword.

But Nintendo didn’t stop with the big names everyone was expecting. They’ve announced Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, Donkey Kong, and Kid Icarus all for the 3DS, as well as Kirby’s Epic Yarn for the Wii. A lot of footage from the new Goldeneye game was shown off, utilizing (obviously) the Wii’s motion controls and replacing Pierce Brosnan with Daniel Craig in one of the most critically acclaimed first-person shooters and multiplayer games of the late nineties. What all will be included as far as new material in Goldeneye remains to be seen, but the footage in and of itself was a much welcomed surprise. The lineup shows Nintendo’s desire to balance fans of new and old gaming styles, with some traditional platforming ala Kirby and the current free-roam do-whatever-the-heck-you-want-whenever-you-want gameplay of Animal Crossing. Or if players want both old-school and new-school in the same game, then they can turn to Metroid: Other M for their fix. No news yet on Pikmin 3, but there’s still plenty of time for news on that – I’m a bit eager with this one in particular, due to how long it’s been since the release of Pikmin 2 and the fact that the third title has been confirmed as being in development.

I’m not saying that things can’t turn the other way around by the end of the expo, but Sony and Microsoft better step up their game if they want to have the slightest chance of stealing any of Nintendo’s thunder. Even Capcom with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Resident Evil: Revelations, Eidos and Square Enix with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Day 1 Studios with F.E.A.R. 3 are proving to have more impressive showings that Sony or Microsoft right now. I really hope there are many surprises in store from the two companies, otherwise 2010’s E3 will be a very lopsided and (frankly) disappointing expo.

25 Days of Christmas - #3: Metroid Prime

Reinventing a game is never an easy task to accomplish. This can be especially difficult if a game series hasn’t had a release in nearly ten years. Despite the huge challenge that lay before them, Nintendo and Retro Studios took up the task to revive the Metroid series in 3D. The road was paved with many bumps, but ultimately led to the one of the greatest adventure games on the Gamecube, and for that matter, one of the greatest games of the last generation of consoles.

As vast as the ocean was in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and as creative and diverse as all of the levels in Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles proved to be, neither of them quite measured up to the experience that Metroid Prime delivered. Samus Aran is back in action, dealing a whole lot of pain to the space pirates while exploring more of the history behind her adoptive mentors, the Chozo. The game is set between the original Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus. The space pirates have divided their forces since their defeat at Samus’ hands, sending three major forces out across the galaxy. One such group is performing experiments on the wildlife of Tallon IV, attempting to mutate them with a substance known as Phazon. Samus infiltrates their frigate, but shortly after all hell breaks loose as the subjects of experiment begin wreaking havoc on the frigate. As Samus fights her way back to her gunship, she runs across Ridley, whom she presumed dead on Zebes. As the frigate falls out of orbit and begins a collision course with Tallon IV, Samus follows in her gunship, determined to figure out what exactly is going on.

The first area on the surface of Tallon IV that players will find themselves in is the Tallon overworld. It is a lush jungle setting, with green plants growing out of the rock walls and a constant rainfall that will stream droplets down Samus’ visor. This first step onto the planet’s surface is so surreal and captivating, and gives players a taste of what is to come from later areas. The different areas of Metroid Prime are beautifully detailed and throw various environmental challenges at players, as well as unique wildlife. The narrow lava-filled Magmoor Caverns will be incredibly unforgiving to players who fall off the rocky platforms, and is infested with Triclops beetles and Magmoor Dragons. As serene as the snow-laden temples might be, Phendrana Drifts pits Samus up against packs of hungry baby Sheegoth, and is host to one of the games most challenging boss fights. The Phazon Mines, which are accessible much later in the game, delve deeper into the history of the space pirates and their exploitation of the planet.


The scan visor serves two purposes to the player. The first is to learn more about the different creatures in order to understand how to counterattack and defend oneself. The secondary focus is to unlock bonus material in the art gallery upon completion of the game. The more scans a player makes, the more bonus material is unlocked for them. Later visors include the thermal visor and x-ray visor, practical for detecting enemies in dark areas and locating cloaked platforms respectively.

As with any Metroid title, the weapon variety is impressive. The four major beam types – Energy, Wave, Ice, and Plasma - make good use of their individual uses for both combat and puzzle solving. These can be used in conjunction with missiles, though players will be required to seek out these upgrades of their own accord, as only one is central to the gameplay. The morph ball has small bombs that can be used to break through barriers, larger bombs to take down thicker material and debris, a boost ability for launching Samus up half-pipes to greater heights, and a spider-ball ability that magnetizes the morph ball to tracks in order to traverse difficult terrain.


The game is deep and fairly long, but players will be required to perform a significant amount of backtracking during the second half. This is nowhere near as tedious and annoying as in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes as most of the time spent revisiting areas in Metroid Prime opens new rooms and grants players weapon and suit upgrades. Such is the case with the Gravity suit, which once acquired allows Samus to move freely through the water without any constraints due to the weight of her suit.

While the space pirates are Samus’s main foes in the game, they do improve their skills as the game improves. While the beginning of the game has Samus up against mostly grunt soldiers with little armor or weapons, she will encounter airborne Jet troopers who send a barrage of missiles at her, as well as underwater forces that launch torpedoes and evade Samus’ beams. Much later in the game, Samus will encounter pirates who have reversed the Chozo technology and created energy-specific armors, as well as massive space pirates who were victims of Phazon experimentation.

The bosses in Metroid Prime never dish out the same fight. Battling Flagraah requires players to be swift as they attempt to cut off the plant’s energy source with the use of both Samus’ beam weaponry and morph ball attacks. Thardus’ battle forces players to constantly refer to their various visors, but never feels like it is moving along at a sluggish rate. Fighting Meta-Ridley challenges players to dodge his bombardment of the Chozo temple while firing everything they’ve got at the space pirate leader.

While Retro Studios and Nintendo didn't have to add any more to the game, they went ahead and did it anyways. Included on the disc is the complete game of the original Metroid, exactly as it was in its 1987 release, Justin Bailey codes and all. Players can also connect to Metroid Fusion via the GBA-Gamecube cable to unlock the Metroid Fusion suit for play in Metroid Prime.


The game has beautiful graphics that really push the limits of the Gamecube. Even when compared with many of the system’s later releases, Metroid Prime looks as great as ever. There are no load-ins for areas or textures. Everything flows seamlessly from one area to the next. However, as great as the art style and graphics are, the aspect of the game’s design that I found to be the most captivating was the soundtrack. The sounds of the original three Metroid titles are present, but improved on tenfold. From the drum-heavy sounds of Magmoor Caverns to the calming piano that plays over Samus’ exploration of Phendrana Drifts, the music conveys the mood of the game perfectly. Though many thought the series impossible to revive, Retro Studios executed Samus' return perfectly. The story is deep and sets up wonderfully for the other Prime titles. Metroid Prime is easily the best game available on the Gamecube, and one of Nintendo’s most impressive releases ever.

25 Days of Christmas - #18: Metroid: Zero Mission

The original Metroid was released in Japan in 1986, and hit the United States one year later. The planet of Zebes was full of life, with creatures large and small sprawling over the planet’s interior. Each area was distinctly different, and housed a tough boss character. Heroine Samus Aran’s gender was kept a secret until the conclusion of the game, shocking many gamers. After the success of the first game, the original girl of gaming headed for the Metroid home planet in Metroid II: Return of Samus. It was the first game in the series to be released on a handheld, and proved to be quite popular. And in 1994, Super Metroid was released, boasting better graphics, a darker mood, and some of the most challenging boss battles in the entire series.

Twelve years passed. Samus made a brief appearance in Super Smash Bros., and there were rumors of a Metroid title for the N64, but no such game was released. Then in 2002 Nintendo released Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion, two Metroid titles that drastically changed the way the series was played. Using the same basic engine as Metroid Fusion, Metroid: Zero Mission followed two years later. Zero Mission was both a remake and a re-imagining of the original Metroid game. The graphics were significantly updated and the soundtrack given a cleaner sound due to the capabilities of the Gameboy Advance.



Zero Mission brought back the three most famous villains in all of Metroid history: Kraid, Ridley, and Mother Brain. Their boss fights were changed slightly, as their attacks were now more varied. These villains even received their own cutscenes from time to time, which expanded on their story – something that confused some gamers in the original Metroid. An extended ending was also included, which showed Samus destroying the space pirate mothership after defeating Mother Brain. Players controlled Samus in her zero suit for the first time, and while the controls remained the same, Samus' defensive and offensive capabilities were altered greatly. Because of this, players were required to be more stealthy in the presence of space pirate patrols. The new ending focused heavily on the space pirates, helping to bridge the gap to their story in the Metroid Prime titles.

The game flowed more smoothly, even in the smallest of ways. No longer were load-ins for each individual area present. Granted, they were very short in the original game, but in Zero Mission they were nonexistent. Three separate save files were included, as well as two difficulty settings. Two image galleries could be unlocked, one upon completing the game multiple times with different criteria, and the other by linking Zero Mission to Metroid Fusion. As if Nintendo hadn’t managed to pack enough material into a single cartridge already, the original Metroid was included, completely unaltered from its initial NES release.

Some critics of the series complain about the cast being so small (with the exception of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption). But the story of Metroid is about Samus' growth. Her initial intent is to seek revenge upon the space pirates for destroying her home, killing her parents, and taking away any chance she may have had at a childhood. In Zero Mission, Samus is no-holds barred against the space pirates, as they have now defaced her adopted home planet of Zebes and turned everything the Chozo people worked for towards their own sinister purposes. Samus matures over the course of the game, and the desolation she experiences is both physically and metaphorically appropriate.



Zero Mission is one of few gaming remakes that is arguably better than the original. While it can never replace the first Metroid, Zero Mission took the mechanics of its predecessors and fine-tuned them. Its cutscenes were rendered beautifully and its graphics finely polished. It may not have been as difficult as the original, but then again it was nowhere near as frustrating either. Zero Mission provided some of the best handheld gaming in years, and showed just how well a series can age.

Space Pirates beware...

It's official - the Metroid Prime Trilogy is in stores. All three of Samus Aran's first-person adventure titles are now available in one metal box which includes an art booklet. The controls to the first two games have been updated to accomadate for the Wiimote, with slight graphical updates as well. Apparently Retro and Nintendo thought it was a good idea to tone down some of the more difficult boss battles in Prime 2: Echoes - for those who have played it, you know how irritating the boost and spider-ball guardian could be.

However, for those who are not as familiar with the games, I'll give you a quick overview. The games are set between the original Metroid and Metroid II and elaborate on the story of Samus' relationship with the space pirates and their leader Ridley (whom Samus defeated in the original Metroid). Fueled by vengeance and greed, the space pirates split their forces into three main teams. One begins mining phazon on Tallon IV (Metroid Prime), another engages galactic federation troopers in orbit above Aether (Prime 2: Echoes), and the third falls to will of Dark Samus (Prime 3: Corruption). Samus is sent on a mission which initially entails her deaing with said pirates, but quickly escelates to something greater. In Prime, your main enemies will be the space pirates, with the element phazon leading you through the other mysteries of the game. Prime 2 pits you against the Ing - creatures from an alternate dimension - as well as a dark phazon-infused version of Samus. Prime 3 begins with Samus aiding the federation in their battle against the pirates, but ultimately sends her out to recover missing tech and put an end to Dark Samus.

Stepping into the varia suit as you become Samus Aran is almost surreal for gamers. In the past Metroid was always seen as a side-scrolling platformer with a plethora of weapons and colorful alien baddies to shoot. The Prime series certainly uses a fair share of shooter elements to its control system, but with the different visors, third-person morph ball mode, and countless puzzles to be solved, the Prime series is better classified as an adventure series. The series sports a wide host of creatures both new and old, and explores the history of the Chozo - Samus' mentors - in subtle ways. The environments are breathtakingly detailed and well thought-out, from Phendrana to the G.F.S. Olympus - though some may be turned off by the Ing-infested dark world of Echoes.The soundtrack is moody and is a nice throwback to the soundtracks from past games, while creating an entirely new feel.


The Metroid Prime series carries about it an air of "everything old is new again" and gives gamers a truly unique experience. It's rare these days for a game to feel completely original, but the Prime trilogy pulls it off beautifully. If you already own the games seperately, I wouldn't really suggest you go out and buy this package - unless you are a die-hard Metroid fan or want the special metal box. But if you're new to the series or you just never got around to playing the Prime games when they first came out, I'd definitely say that the Metroid Prime Trilogy set is well worth your time and money.