The Video Game Critic

Over the past few days or so I finally finished Super Metroid on the Wii U's virtual console. I had started it a few times previously, but never got very far and couldn't seem to get into it. The only other Metroid game I've ever finished was Return of Samus. I don't know what changed this time, but I was completely addicted to it.

I haven't been doing a lot of retro gaming recently, so the game's willingness to just let you go figure stuff out was refreshing and frustrating at the same time. I had a lot of fun meticulously x-raying walls to find new passageways (for the most part), and finding new suits and abilities always seemed like a real upgrade. I think I'm used to RPGs, and modern games in general, gradually giving you upgrades through leveling and long, branching skill trees. Here, when I found the Gravity Suit or the Plasma Beam I instantly felt significantly more powerful.

The times of frustration was usually caused by me overlooking something in a room, going across the entire map, and then finally getting back to the original room and figuring out what I missed. The one spot where I think it was the game's fault was with the wall jumping. I had an incredibly difficult time wall jumping with any consistency, and it really wasn't even necessary in the game. I'm pretty sure the only time the wall jump was actually needed was the instance where the game "teaches" you how to do it. And "teaches" isn't even the right term - it basically showed you that it could be done without any direction on how to do it. I wasted a lot of time wall jumping at other times in the game, only to give up and find that I didn't actually need to wall jump in the first place.

Despite whatever minor criticisms I have, the game is a masterwork. I bought Metroid Prime Trilogy immediately after finishing it, and plan to plow through those next. In terms of Nintendo franchises that are on my personal pedestal of greatness, I've always considered the Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong series as my three favorite by far, but I may have missed the boat on Metroid for a long time.

Metroid: Zero Mission, a GBA remake of the original, is right up there with this one. If you're ever in the mood for another 2D Metroid, I highly recommend it.

Should be on the Wii U's Virtual Console relatively soon, since it's already available in Japan.

While I don't personally hold the Prime series in high esteem, many others do. I feel like they're the B-Series of the whole franchise and a big reason why Metroid isn't as relevant or popular as some of Nintendo's other franchises.

The games to track down are all on Nintendo handhelds.

Metroid II: The Return of Samus (GB) - Don't be fooled by the fact that this is an original gameboy title. It's a massive game that made improvements to the original Metroid formula and is worth tracking down. This one still holds up.

Zero Mission (GBA) - This is a remake/retweaking of the original game. It's an improvement upon the original game in every possible way. Great game.

Metroid Fusion (GBA) - Some will argue that this is the other great Metroid game besides Super Metroid...and I think it is. This is a highly atmospheric game with a good story and that classic 2D gameplay. Awesome game.

David wrote:O
I haven't been doing a lot of retro gaming recently, so the game's willingness to just let you go figure stuff out was refreshing and frustrating at the same time. I had a lot of fun meticulously x-raying walls to find new passageways (for the most part), and finding new suits and abilities always seemed like a real upgrade. I think I'm used to RPGs, and modern games in general, gradually giving you upgrades through leveling and long, branching skill trees. Here, when I found the Gravity Suit or the Plasma Beam I instantly felt significantly more powerful.

You have discovered the joy of an adventure game, where no "grinding" is needed, just finding the appropriate items to "power up" your character.

Metroid Prime is also an adventure game, don't let the perspective fool you into thinking it's a first person shooter.

Yeah, I've tried Prime before too and couldn't get into it. I think this time will be different. I actually might make Fusion my next game before Prime. Another think I like is that the games aren't 25 hour games. I finished Super Metroid in 8-9, and the Prime games seem to be in the 15 hour range.

Yeah, check out the GBA metroids next.... They're awesome.

I agree about the wall jumping. When I first fell into that hole where those little guys show you how to do it, I couldn't figure it out. So....I would reset the game and try to figure out how to avoid that hole, which is impossible, of course. Thankfully, I later got the power....Nintendo Power!

Voor wrote:Yeah, check out the GBA metroids next.... They're awesome.

I agree about the wall jumping. When I first fell into that hole where those little guys show you how to do it, I couldn't figure it out. So....I would reset the game and try to figure out how to avoid that hole, which is impossible, of course. Thankfully, I later got the power....Nintendo Power!

Yeah, I tried not to use a guide for the game, but had to succumb after I almost threw the controller through the TV.