Best of the Metroid Series (by Carl B.)
September 17th, 2010, by Carl B. - The Metroid franchise started on the NES in 1986 with its self-titled debut. Since that time there have been nine entries in the Metroid franchise -- not counting Metroid Prime Trilogy on the Wii -- including the latest Wii installment in the series, Metroid: Other M. Metroid happens to be one of the most critically acclaimed franchises in gaming, with most titles averaging over 90 percent on GameRankings and over 90 out of 100 on Metacritic. Of all the titles in such a highly regarded franchise, which ones are the best?Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is the second installment in Retro Studios' Prime series on the GameCube. While the previous entry in the Prime series was pure exploration in an open-ended world, Echoes is slightly more linear in progression. The world isn't completely open from the start, but backtracking through previously explored areas still plays a part in Echoes. To make up for the more straight-forward feel, Retro Studios upped the ante with the inclusion of two alternate worlds: Light Aether and Dark Aether. They work similar to the light and dark worlds in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past; when something in the landscape is altered in one dimension, the same happens in the other. Echoes is also substantially more difficult than the first Prime game as well, with the atmosphere of Dark Aether being poisonous to an outsider such as Samus. Echoes received some flack from gamers for being too brutally difficult in the spider and boost ball guardians, but those bosses have been toned down in the Wii re-release with Metroid Prime Trilogy. Echoes is also the first Metroid game to incorporate a multiplayer mode.
Metroid: Other M
Metroid: Other M is the first console Metroid title series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto has worked on since Super Metroid in 1994. Other M is a return to the classical gameplay elements the series was known for in the NES and SNES days: a 2D, sidescrolling adventure. Because of the influence from co-developer Team Ninja, Other M happens to be the most action packed Metroid title to date, full of intense firefights and heart pounding boss battles. The Wii exclusive title also brought in some new innovations, including the ability to point the Wii Remote at the screen at any time during the game and see the world from Samus' perspective, ala the Prime series. Other M shines the brightest in its beautifully rendered CGI cut-scenes that tell the back story of Samus like it has never been told before. With all the bright spots in the game, there are two glaring problems: voice acting for Samus' character and linearity. The voice actor for Samus comes off as hollow for most of the game, primarially in monologue portions. Compared to past Metroid games, especially Super Metroid, which Other M is a direct sequel to, the latest Wii Metroid is very linear. At all times there is a yellow marker on screen telling players where to go, and power ups are authorized instead of picked up in the world.
Metroid Fusion
Released in 2002 for the Gameboy Advance, Metroid Fusion was the first Metroid game to release in nearly eight years after Super Metroid graced the SNES. Yoshio Sakamoto was at the helm for the handheld entry, with Nintendo opting for Retro Studios to develop Metroid Prime at the time. Metroid Fusion's gameplay was nearly point for point identical with Super Metroid, except the game was very linear as it focused on the storyline; like Other M after it, a marker on the map would tell players where their next destination is. The storyline incorporated some nifty gameplay mechanics into the title through the use of the Fusion Suit -- Samus is able to absorb X-Parasites to increase her health and obtain other abilities she didn't previously have.
Super Metroid
Like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and many other sequels in the 16-bit era, Super Metroid was an dramatic improvement over its previous installments and set the bar for its genre during the their respective time periods. Super Metroid features a large overworld to get lost in, but that's not to say Super Metroid was only hard because the final destination and how to get there is so vague. Players will explore the overworld of Planet Zebes until they find a door that cannot be open without a specific power-up. They note that particular door, and any others they may run across, until they finally do obtain that power-up and can gain access to a new area. Often times in the game players will progress to one corner of Zebes, only to find a power-up that is used torwards the earlier parts of the game.
Metroid Prime
