Metroid Series: The good the bad and the ugly

Snu? · Apr 21, 2013

*Note: I made a new thread because the other Metroid related ones are ages old. Not sure what the bump/new thread policy is here. I'll copy/paste to other threads if this one gets locked though. No worries.

*THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE LIGHTHOUSE SUB-FORUM. Big woops

So these past couple weeks I've powered through Metroid Fusion and the original Metroid for NES, and I was reminded just how great this series is. I have yet to play all the way through most of the games, but I've played a bit of Prime 1 and 3, and I enjoyed the little time I spent on them. I plan to play these with whatever down-time I have over the summer months.

Here's what I've experienced and what I've heard:

Metroid 1 has a lot of problems. Though it is still a great game.

The tedious need for farming energy and missiles from those stupid nests really frustrates me. Along with the reappearing blocks that can be destroyed and the fact that you can only have either the wave or ice beam (but not both) at once are some of the game's biggest problems. This week, I discovered this: http://www.neillcorlett.com/metroidlua/ It remedies a lot of these problems while also including an in-game map and equipment screen. If you're familiar with emulation, I highly recommend that you check it out. It makes the NES Metroid experience a lot more fun.

Metroid 2 Nothing amazing from what I've played.

I have yet to play deep into it. It, like Metroid 1, has a lot of little problems. If I play it again, I have a feeling I won't get far without getting tired of it.

Super Metroid One of the best games ever.

You've heard it before. I still come back to this game and find things I didn't notice previously. A must play for those who haven't already.

Metroid Fusion A great sequel to Super Metroid

I found it just as fun and the story to be a little more fleshed out. It was a little more linear, but still great. Some say that it's too easy, but that mechanical spider boss took me a lot of focus and repetition to beat.

Metroid Zero Mission One of the best remakes I've ever played.

Lots of new additions and is a good balance, gameplay wise, of Super Metroid and Fusion. If you've beaten Metoid 1 before, I recommend playing it on hard. Meta Ridley and Mother Brain took me a few tries. Everything else seemed rather easy (especially on normal).

Metroid Prime Said to be the best 3D Metroid game.

Very fun from what I've played and it seems to keep true to the spirit of the 2D games. I've been told that there's too much backtracking though.

Metroid Prime 2

Worse than Prime 1 and more backtracking apparently. My brother has expressed a lot of frustration with this one.

Metroid Prime 3

Less backtracking, but I've been told it's the weakest game in the trilogy. Fewer puzzles too apparently. It's also more story driven, but I haven't heard much praise for the narrative.

Metroid Prime Hunters

Haven't played this one either. Again from my brother, he says the multi-player is decent but the single player story is weak along with the controls feeling sloppy. Multi-player isn't why I play Metroid games though. I have no plans to play this one.

Metroid: Other M Probably the most controversial of all the other games.

I've seen countless video reviews on this game. Story wise, it's garbage. Why would they make Samus someone who does whatever she's told when she's a freaking BOUNTY HUNTER? Especially after the previous games and how the fan base has expressed their love for her "badassness." Gameplay wise, it's mediocre and takes little thought with most of the puzzles being less than thought provoking. The automatic lock-on mechanic turns it into something that seems too simple. I plan to play it myself, but this game has a terrible reputation.

What are your thoughts on the series?

Metroid Series: The good the bad and the ugly

Snu?

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