Super Metroid

[ZacharyB]

I didn't think Metroid II was very open-ended, because of the way the lava always seals off the next area until enough metroids are killed in the current area. I wonder how pointedly they engineered that?

[Xan]

God tier: Super Metroid Zero Mission (SM romhack), Super Metroid

Awesome tier: Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Prime

Great tier: Metroid Fusion, Metroid Prime 3

OK tier: Metroid, Metroid II, Metroid Prime 2

Die in a fire tier: Other M

This is absolutely accurate.

Zero Mission is so damn good.

EDIT: Whoops, it was actually Moniker's FTFY list I'm in agreement with. Fixed the quote now.

Prime 3 isn't better than 2... more unnecessary story parts, over-reliance on Wii gimmicks/Hyper Mode shooting, less equipment, etc.

[gct]

Thanks for this thread.

Way back in the day I had (still have) a Japanese copy of Metroid II. I was young, and got too scared by the evolved metroids and couldn't finish the game, so I basically just bounced around with the space jump and that was all I ever did. I remember the artworks in the manual being super cool.

I just bought (another) AGP-101 GBA SP yesterday and started Zero Mission, as what will by my first proper attempt at a Metroid game. Really loving it so far, both game and hardware.

[Moniker]

Prime 3 isn't better than 2... more unnecessary story parts, over-reliance on Wii gimmicks/Hyper Mode shooting, less equipment, etc.

I think that 2's ranking basically boils down to a matter of taste. I didn't like the roshambo element of the weaponry, and didn't like the light/dark worlds with the zones of damage/regen. It felt more like a Zelda game with blasters to me than Metroid, as I probably have posted elsewhere. And the storyline deviated completely from the Metroid canon (which I guess isn't all that important, but it rankled... Metroid Prime 2: Gaiden). But I do get why most people prefer it. Just didn't really enjoy it, personally.

As far as 3 goes, I saw it more as a return to form. I don't recall many Wii gimmicks; the general control scheme certainly doesn't qualify as one. I definitely prefer the Wiimote+Nunchak to the GCN pad. Weird that there weren't many Wii FPSes, since the Metroids were handled so ably. I didn't see any problem with hyper mode, either.

Additionally, no fan-hack has ever done it for me. They don't feel the same as the Nintendo made fare. If I ever needed more Super Metroid, I'd just replay that.

Have you tried Metroid Super Zero Mission? I know I've been talking it up a lot, but definitely give it a go. I've played a lot of SM hacks, and it stands head and shoulders above the rest.

[Xan]

Like having to pull Energy Cells out, as an example... it was always a bit too finnicky for my taste and just felt unnecessary. Mind you I only played the game last year for the first time (got a Wii just for it) so I still have a good recollection about what I liked and didn't like about the game.

About Hyper Mode, this article sums up my feelings on it very well. It just wasn't implemented so great, and having to rely on this single mechanic for all of the major boss fights felt tiresome after a while. And while don't mind the beam stacking, just two beam upgrades simply aren't enough for a Metroid game. They should have made it more like Super Metroid in that regard, with certain enemies having weaknesses to certain beams.

Finally, as I said earlier, they obviously tried to make it more appealing to the mainstream by including lots of corny dialog scenes and NPCs, which I didn't like at all. It makes the game lose some of that feeling of loneliness and hostilty that the Metroid series is known for.

But, to cite a good thing about the game, I loved the Skytown area

[Obiwanshinobi]

As for the story, who does actually consider Prime 1 canon? Who is that person anyway?

[Volteccer_Jack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6t8jsOI4w

"What's that? You are a person who enjoys playing Metroid? HAHAHA FUCK YOU"

Zero Mission belongs in die in a fire tier. At least Fusion was honest about taking away all freedom.

As for the story, who does actually consider Prime 1 canon? Who is that person anyway?

Sure, why not? 2 and 3 take the plot (and mechanics) into crazy town, but I don't see anything wrong with the first.

[Moniker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6t8jsOI4w

"What's that? You are a person who enjoys playing Metroid? HAHAHA FUCK YOU"

Zero Mission belongs in die in a fire tier. At least Fusion was honest about taking away all freedom.

As for the story, who does actually consider Prime 1 canon? Who is that person anyway?

Sure, why not? 2 and 3 take the plot (and mechanics) into crazy town, but I don't see anything wrong with the first.

[Squire Grooktook]

Zero Mission is so damn good.

Yes, I have to agree. Zero Mission, while a bit more linear than Super Metroid, had a much better balance of exploration than Metroid Fusion imo, as well as slightly more refined controls, good level design and set pieces, and some of the best bosses in the franchise imo.

I will also chime in and say I too rank Metroid Prime 3 very highly, despite its flaws. Prime 2 I want to like due to the more "Zelda with Blasters" design, but there's too much backtracking and annoyance for me to really call it a great game. Prime 3's wiimotion controls segments are insignificant in comparison IMO.

Also outside of Metroid itself, I personally rank Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow as one of the best Metroidvanias and the best Castlevania Metroid. Perfect length, great level design, tons of secrets, great bosses, tight controls. IMO one of the most fun and replayable Metroidvanias.

[BrianC]

Zero Mission is good stuff, especially in hard mode. What do you guys think of Metroid Prime Hunters? I heard mixed things, but it is one of the few games of its type on DS and has nice graphics for the system. The frustrating thing is that a bunch of sellers seem to be selling the demo version, first hunt, without properly labeling it.

I recently picked up a complete Metroid Prime 3 Corruption Wii in good condition at a yard sale for 5 dollars. I only tried a slight bit to make sure it works. I'm going to try and beat 2 first. I like what I played of two, though not as much as the first Prime. I like the first three Metroids and Fusion as well. I haven't played Other M and I'm not sure if I will since I heard mixed things.

[Volteccer_Jack]

Prime Hunters is "meh". Single player could've used more development time, and the whole game suffers from DS hardware and control scheme. If you're desperate for more Metroid give it a whirl, but you're not missing much that isn't in Prime 2.

That's how I felt every couple minutes playing Zero Mission. "I can wall-jump!" "...but only in this exact prescribed way that makes creative use impossible!" No sense of exploration or excitement can ever develop because every time there's any chance of having fun I slam headfirst into guardrails.

You could tell Retro Studios was not destined for greatness when their very first game rivalled Super Metroid, and their reaction to this was to immediately change the PAL version to be worse.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I haven't played Other M and I'm not sure if I will since I heard mixed things.

More fun to control than Prime if you ask me. A sound TPP action adventure. Plays fast if you know what I mean. Does feel like a sequel to Super Metroid, mechanically, if not nearly as good a game.

[Squire Grooktook]

Zero Mission is good stuff, especially in hard mode. What do you guys think of Metroid Prime Hunters? I heard mixed things, but it is one of the few games of its type on DS and has nice graphics for the system. The frustrating thing is that a bunch of sellers seem to be selling the demo version, first hunt, without properly labeling it.

Hunters single player campaign is awful. Repeat boss fights over and over, fetch quests, poor map design, copy and paste story recycled from previous games, etc. It's a massive chore.

Even the soundtrack is pretty lame for a Metroid game, though there is one incredibly creepy stand out track near the end of the game.

Multiplayer is actually the best aspect of the game. It's basically a portable Quake/Doom Multiplayer. Good for kids (like me at the time) getting their hands on babies first online fps. You're better off playing the actual Quake or Doom though, cause MPH is unbalanced as shit.

[BrianC]

So it sounds like Metroid Prime Pinball is the best DS exclusive Metroid themed game? Too bad it never got a proper 2D Metroid.

[Moniker]

So it sounds like Metroid Prime Pinball is the best DS exclusive Metroid themed game? Too bad it never got a proper 2D Metroid.

Sadly, yes. I managed pretty far on MPH, but hand cramps were frequent and awful, and once I got thoroughly stuck, I never managed to make it through. I got depressingly dominated in the multiplayer the few times I tried it... as well as accelerated cramps. TBH, though, it was a pretty damn good pinball game. I hope the 3DS gets some lovin'. Not holding my breath though, since the system has the curse of popularity.

[nasty_wolverine]

this thread got me playing zero mission again...

and i finally learnt how to morph ball jump. now only if i can figure out morph ball dash.

[BrianC]

You could tell Retro Studios was not destined for greatness when their very first game rivalled Super Metroid, and their reaction to this was to immediately change the PAL version to be worse.

I disagree on Retro. I can't comment on MP3 since I haven't given it a good play yet, but their DKC games are well made and do a lot of things better than Rare's DKC games. Also, Prime Hunters was NST, not Retro. I like their Bionic Commando and Mario vs. DK, but their games are lacking in polish in some ways.

[Squire Grooktook]

That's how I felt every couple minutes playing Zero Mission. "I can wall-jump!" "...but only in this exact prescribed way that makes creative use impossible!" No sense of exploration or excitement can ever develop because every time there's any chance of having fun I slam headfirst into guardrails.

I never quite felt that. Yeah, you can't sequence break the shit out of the game the same way you can in Super Metroid, but than most metroidvania's can't be sequence broke as easily as Super Metroid. Discounting that, progression is only slightly less on rails than Super Metroid IMO.

[BrianC]

I'm not sure if it's accurate to say the later version of Prime is worse. Some of the sequence breaking was removed, but it also lacks the occasional game crashes that occured in the earlier versions of the game.

[gbaplayer]

Super Metroid (PAL version in bigbox) is quite expensive these days, around 100-200€ on Ebay.
Glad that i picked up a copy a few years ago for around 60€.

Does other versions of the game follow this trend?

[BIL]

I got the SFC version CIB for £20 a couple years back. I think it and other marquee Nintendo SFC titles may have gone up a bit since, judging by casual eBay browsing, but still nowhere near triple figures. I got Demon's Blazon around the same time for similar, and that seems to have blown up since.

[Skykid]

Why would anyone want that clunky PAL big box shit rather than the gorgeous JP SFC version with beautiful box art and multi-language options?

Sometimes I don't understand people.

[gbaplayer]

Why would anyone want that clunky PAL big box shit rather than the gorgeous JP SFC version with beautiful box art and multi-language options?

Sometimes I don't understand people.

Super Metroid has multiple language options? Could the japanese version be turned into english in options menue?

[Skykid]

Why would anyone want that clunky PAL big box shit rather than the gorgeous JP SFC version with beautiful box art and multi-language options?

Sometimes I don't understand people.

Super Metroid has multiple language options? Could the japanese version be turned into english in options menue?

Yes.

[nasty_wolverine]

now i am playing super metroid, the horror.
tbh i suck at platformers, and i have problems with lengthy games.

[Leandro]

Zero Mission is so damn good.

Also outside of Metroid itself, I personally rank Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow as one of the best Metroidvanias and the best Castlevania Metroid. Perfect length, great level design, tons of secrets, great bosses, tight controls. IMO one of the most fun and replayable Metroidvanias.

Really? I'm currently playing DoS, and I have to say I liked Aria better. And I liked Circle of The Moon even better than Aria

[BrianC]

Why would anyone want that clunky PAL big box shit rather than the gorgeous JP SFC version with beautiful box art and multi-language options?

Looking on ebay, the JP version seems to be the cheapest version, as well.

[Skykid]

Why would anyone want that clunky PAL big box shit rather than the gorgeous JP SFC version with beautiful box art and multi-language options?

Looking on ebay, the JP version seems to be the cheapest version, as well.

It's becoming the case with most games. Srsly, no problem. Leave awful boxes, art and 50hz games to the stupids, get in on JP goodness.

[CDexWard]

Ok. A while ago I played Metroid Zero Mission until the end of Chozodia, right before the boss fight that gives you back all your stuff. But then I lost my savegame. Does anyone have a savegame at that exact point or a little bit before that? I would highly appreciate it. Otherwise I'm going to abandon this game for now and replay it from the beginning when I am motivated to play those first five hours again.

[Immryr]

i found all of the near constant pulling and turning of doors, handles and various computer terminals pretty unbearable in prime 3. I never finished the game because of it.