PixlBit

I just beat Metroid Prime for the second time a half an hour ago. So I figured I'd end the month with one of gaming's greatest series, and one of my favorites. Granted, I have not played every Metroid to completion so I won't be able to get everything on here. But I think I have enough on each one to give something interesting.

Metroid

Like many other NES games, this is something I appreciate a lot more than I like. It's scope and scale are great, it's just that I'm not a fan of how stiff the controls are, how barren the world looks, and the password system. I like the atmosphere the visuals to these games normally provide, but plain black backgrounds are not areas I want to explore, they do nothing for me. And while the Wii, 3DS, and Wii U offer save states, I don't like how I lose everything if I die. Yes, there are save states on the systems, but I always forget about them, something which save points would eliminate. I get why this was mind blowing at the time. It's just that it led to bigger and better things, which I played first.

Metroid 2

A game I actually can't remember if I played. If I did, I didn't play it for long. But hunting down Metroids does sound like a fun gameplay objective. I'd love if we could get a remake like the original got with Zero Mission.

Super Metroid

This is a game I enjoy a lot, but don't quite love it as much as most gamers. I think my issue was that I played Fusion and Zero Mission first and I just prefer how fast and smooth their controls are, which was a disappointment to me. I feel like they make the bosses and tough enemy encounters more fun on the GBA. Though it's more of a personal preference. And Super does have some higher points over them. I like how it does nothing specific to guide you, it's all about remembering clues and hints from past areas, really thinking about how you can use your tools to get to new areas.

Though (and I'm ashamed to admit this) I still haven't beat it. I've tried twice, the first time I got stuck near the end while....I don't exactly remember why I stopped the second time. I probably should fix that soon, especially since the Wii U gamepad makes playing retro games so much easier. I think I'd have more motivation if I didn't already know how it ends. That's the thing, the end has been talked about so many times that I already feel like I've beaten the game. Some of the magic of beating a game for the first time was taken out.

Metroid Fusion

The first Metroid I ever played. I got this shortly after I started an EGM subscription and reading their impressions on these games convinced me that I needed to give them a try. So I started it up and enjoyed it a lot. Nowadays I'm a little more critical on it, but it has a few points that still make it a great game. For starters, the objectives are usually pretty fun, the game rotates the areas very well and there's always something interesting to try. The boss fights are also fantastic, very challenging and really test your reflexes. And I actually really enjoyed the story. There's a lot of mystery to it, always making me want to see what happens next. Not to mention how creepy the villain SA-X is.

But there is some bad to it. The game is way too linear for one thing. I didn't mind this at all my first run, as I didn't know what Metroid is. But after playing other games in the series, I wanted to explore anywhere of my own free will, not where the game tells me I can explore. Though this is a bit of what I want the game to be vs what the game is, as it's still a fun setup. Just not as fun as exploring.

A less subjective negative: There is an absurd amount of dialog in this game. There are so many times where I'm just ready to get on with a mission and I have to go through a huge wall of text that could easily be summed up in half the time. It really hurts the game's pacing. But again, it's still a great game. 

Metroid Prime

While Fusion was a game that grew worse with time, Prime has only improved. It's the kind of game where everything just works. Every gameplay mechanic just goes hand in hand together flawlessly, the power ups are all interesting and fun to use while the areas incorporate creative ways to use them and while making areas where they are used pop out. You'll see something you want behind a giant pile of rubble or on an out of reach platform, making a mental note to revisit the area. It's brilliant.

Areas are fun to explore in and of themselves. There's so many secrets everywhere, encouraging exploration while the environments are incredibly varied. One second you'll be in a cave full of pools of lava, the next you'll be in a snowy abandoned lab. Everywhere also has their own initial areas followed by a second area full of hidden secrets, whether by the Space Pirates or ancient civilization of the Chozo, adding to the mystery.

Bosses are an absolute blast to fight. They all feel epic with many towering over Samus. They don't really fall into the Nintendo formula either of having to hit their weak point three times. Most instead feel like real fights, you're chipping away whenever you can while getting a sense of their attacks. 

It's such a fantastic games and one of the best of the 6th generation. An absolute must play. Unless you hate motion controls in any way, shape, or form with a passion, I'd recommend the Wii version. The Wiimote works wonderfully pointing and shooting while widescreen support is really appreciated. The Gamecube setup still works great, one of those games that was designed so smartly around that controller and has an easier setup for switching weapons and visors. I just prefer the freedom from the Wii version.

Metroid: Zero Mission

If there's any game that can compete with Prime, it's Zero Mission. It's a very short game and just a remake of the original, but man is it fantastic. This is the gold standard for remakes, what every other remake should strive to be.

It takes the basic world from the original, but doesn't decide to just stop at updating the visuals. Bacgrounds are much busier and more interesting while still retaining the dark look and atmosphere from the original. Boss fights meanwhile, have been completely overhauled with bigger enemies, more aggressive attack patterns and just more fun overall. They even have these neat cutscenes prior to each one which only help them feel more special.

It even adds a bonus mission after the main game is over. This has Samus outside of her suit where you have to sneak around and avoid enemies, able to only stun them. Eventually you get her suit back, stronger than ever and just destroy everything in your path until there's a final encounter with Ridley. Getting the suit back may very well be the most satisfying part of any video game I've ever played.

I can't count how many times I've played this game and I know I'll play it many more times in the future. It's just that good.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

I didn't get too far into Metroid Prime 2 and while sometimes I just lose interest in a game, here I have a very simple and specific reason: The dark world setup. It has you go through the same world, just with a few tweaks to it. It's a mechanic Nintendo loves and overall is kind of hit or miss with me.

To explain why, the best way would be to explain it in terms of the Link to the Past/Twilight Princess setup. The Link to the Past setup uses the second or "dark" world to flesh out the first world, it lets you find new secrets is a puzzle in and of itself. The Twilight Princess setup, meanwhile, has you do boring or frustrating objectives in the second world in a desperate attempt to bring variety to the second world. The second world is a chore to go through and makes exploring the world less fun.

Metroid Prime 2's falls closer to the Twilight Princess setup. The second world has a few domes which are immune to damage while the main world has Samus get hurt as she roams through it. It's not the best setup. Will I give it another go some day? Probably. But I'm not looking forward to the dark world setup here.

Metroid Prime Pinball

Never played it

Metroid Prime: Hunters

One of the original DS' flagship titles. And man was it awful. It takes everything good about Metroid and throws it out the window. The controls are awkward, either making you use the buttons to aim (without a lock on unlike Prime 1 and 2) or use the stylus to aim which is uncomfortable. And if you use the stylus, you have to double tap to jump which is just as bad as it sounds.

The setup is even worse. Rather than give new powers, the game just has different weapons which open different doors. That's it. And the weapons have ammo which gets annoying if you run out when you need to open a new door. Meanwhile rather than put you in a big world, the game has four smaller ones, each one ending with one of two bosses (seriously, they just designed two and the final one) then escaping to your ship. It's horribly repetitive and bland. 

Multiplayer I actually had a lot of fun with playing with my friends. There's a lot of characters to pick from and the arenas are fun to fight in. Their alt forms also give the multiplayer a really interesting twist. But it still has those awkward controls. I'd like to see another attempt on it with good controls, but Ninty first needs to pull Metroid out of the trash bin and give us another Metroid before they think of that.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

For a while this was my favorite of the Prime games. While I definitely like Prime 1 more now, I don't think it quite gets the respect it deserves. A few of the bad changes would be the lack of alternate weapons, instead giving you ice missiles and your beam with the corrupted mode (more on that later). I wish I could still have those four beams each with their special super missile. Another thing I dislike is how it wants to be a shooter more than the other two Prime games. You'll have to face off in enemy encounters with less weapons than before. I feel they should have made it an interesting shooter while keeping what works for Metroid rather than just keeping it Metroid then awkwardly shoving in shooter bits.

Most can just be beaten easily by corrupted mode anyways. This mode has Samus injected with Phazon which drains her health with every shot. If she stays in it too long, she becomes corrupted and the game's over. But it's very powerful and many enemies need are very difficult or impossible to be taken out unless you're corrupted. It's an interesting system which made combat a little more interesting, though not as interesting as an actual shooter. 

The planets are hit or miss. The original Norion is bland and boring. Bryyo is a lot better with a variety of locations in it, feeling a bit like a mini version of 1's world. Elysia meanwhile has great visuals and locations, but has a confusing and a bit tedious of travel system, having you grapple onto a zipline from one area to another. The Pirate homeworld hits everything perfectly from the visuals to the gameplay objectives to the boss battles, one of my favorite levels from any game.

Metroid Prime 3 may not be as good as 1, but it's still a great game that I highly recommend.

Metroid: Other M

The black sheep of the series, this game gets a lot of hate and it's easy to see why. The story is not just bad, it ruins Samus' backstory and character. It attempts to humanize her in cutscenes which make no sense in ways which make only make her look weak and stupid. That Ridley fight for instance. She's fought him four times before and NOW she's cowering in fear? I can see that happening the first fight against him. Not the fifth. It just makes her look weak for no good reason. And to add insult to injury, this is the worst Ridley fight in the series, little challenge and very formulaic.

Then there's that infamous lava bit where Adam refuses to give Samus protection even when she's burning to death. Why? What did that accomplish? But there's even more bad cutscenes. There's a cutscene where Adam sacrifices himself while Samus cryingly gives him a thumbs down that's supposed to be emotional but just comes across as stupid. Not to mention that the main story ends in an overly convoluted manner for no reason other than to connect it to Super Metroid. And there's no boss fight, only the epilogue gives the game an epic boss fight that it should end with.

But there is some good to it. For one thing, the combat is pretty damn fun. It's simple, sure, but it works pretty well and the enemies are agressive enough that just dodging and using your few weapons is enough to keep it interesting. Finding the upgrades is also more fun than other Metroids, as they're based around puzzles and problem solving more than ever, feeling almost like a Zelda dungeon.

There are some bad points, however. While I'd say the control scheme by tilting the Wiimote sideways works alright, it would be better with a real controller. I wanted a real analog stick to move in a 3D game, not a D-Pad. Tilting to aim at the screen is also pretty awkward, especially mid-battle. It's a mechanic that as a whole, I could have done without. Even worse is when you have to find something in first person and it is way too specific with where you need to point.

The game's also too linear. Not Fusion bad, but I could have done with more exploration and the game not dictating where I can go. It just works better for these kinds of games. 

So overall, it's decent as a game. It's fun to play in parts, not so fun in others and always terrible in the story department. It's nothing you need to play, but if you do there are some things here to enjoy. Other M just is not as good as the other Metroid games. And it's really hurt the series, as Nintendo hasn't even mentioned anything Metroid in five years. I hope they do give us more Metroid games, especially since I want to see what they can do with the Wii U's hardware.