Super Metroid (SNES Review) by lmalsbleckly

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo Research and Development 1
System: SNES
Release: America: April 18, 1994 (JP: March 19, 1994; EU: July 28, 1994)

Story
During Metroid II, Samus Aran, bounty hunter extraordinaire, destroys every Metroid, except one, on planet SR388, their home world. The last Metroid is then taken to the Creres Research Station, however, the evil leader of the Space Pirates, Ridley, attacks the station and steals the Metroid. Your mission: to travel to planet Zebes and retrieve the captured Metroid and defeat the Space Pirates, Ridley, and ultimately, Mother Brain, one of Samus’s most powerful enemies of all time.

Sound 11/15
The sound itself doesn’t power the game anywhere near as much as the absence of sound. Gaps between the creepy music and the eerie silences propel the player into a pure sense of action and exploration. Super Metroid’s audio provides a unique sense to the game that ends up being critical for its numerous successors.

Graphics 20/20
As far as SNES games in 1994 went, this game had some amazing graphics. Super Metroid was a major step forward in spriting, advancing the previous 8-bit graphics to astounding 16-bit graphics more than most other games. Truly a graphical masterpiece of its time, the intense spriting would be nigh impossible to reproduce without shaming the true splendor of the game.

Appeal 21/25
For anyone who has played Metroid Prime (2002-2003), Metroid Prime: Echoes (2004), or Metroid Prime: Corruption, the latest installment in the series (2007-2008), a curiosity for the original games arises (comparable to Super Mario Bros. for the NES compared to modern Mario games). As great as Metroid and Metroid II are, Super Metroid takes the cake. At first glance, it might seem a tad odd, but as soon as the Nintendo logo and the title screen appears, you’ll be thrust into an absolutely credible story, as well as a classic piece of video gaming history. Also, its availability makes it a must-have for any owner of the Nintendo Wii, thanks to the Virtual Console download on the Wii Shop Channel (800 Wii Points, or approximately $8). However, there is a drawback. As great as the game is, there is a large amount of backtracking that can be very frustrating. Going from Crateria to Brinstar to the Crashed Ship to Norfair and back again is tedious indeed.

Gameplay 40/40
Super Metroid is notable for being one of the first games to include a full range of motion to shoot, with eight different ranges of motion (up, down, left, right, and diagonally). The intense puzzles, interesting enemies, challenging boss battles, easy controls, and around a hundred hidden items will not only keep you occupied for hours, but will have you playing again and again, trying to get a better time, or a higher completion percentage. So if action, platforming, shooting, space, pirates, adventure, chicks in armor, or pure awesome are right up your alley, then stop hesitating and buy this game! You’ll be blowing up Etecoons and Geemers all day.

Overall92/100
Sure, there are newer, 3-D Metroid games out there, but its not likely you’ll get an experience as great as you would in Super Metroid. Despite that Metroid III has just celebrated its 15th birthday it remains one of the greatest games of all time. I guess you really can’t beat the classics after all.

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