Metroid

"Most unlinear Metroid ever!"

Introduction

Metroid. One of the greatest series ever. Known for its unlinearity and exploration. This is the first. The original. One of the best games ever. Basically, you control a bounty hunter named Samus Aran, who blasts creatures like Zoomers and Skrees to bits with her blaster, and practically goes wherever the heck she wants. It rocks, but it's not perfect. Read on.

Story

In the cosmic year 20X5, Space Pirates have taken a creature native to the Planet SR388 called a Metroid, a parasitic life form that could suck the life out of living creatures. They have taken it back to Planet Zebes, and plan to use it (and its many clones) as weapons to become the dominant force in the galaxy. It's up to Samus Aran to stop their evil plan and destroy their leader, the Mother Brain!

Graphics

The graphics in this game look rather nice for their time. Each section has its own kind of detail. Brinstar has blue walls and a few plant mounds here and there, Norfair's is red and has lava, Kraid's lair is white, etc. Also, the ground and blocks are detailed perfectly. But it's not perfect. I don't think that it would hurt to add maybe a bit of detail in the background. Now, I know that this is the NES era, but still, I don't think it'd hurt for their to be a few more landmarks here and there. Okay, like the backgrounds are all black, pretty much. I know this game was released one year after, say, Super Mario Bros., which probably didn't have the best level detail, either. But that's probably the only problem. Other than that, it looks good. As for character designs, that doesn't look the best either. Aside from basic enemies, which look pretty good, Samus is probably the best looking character. Kraid looks like a yellow blob, and it took me a while to picture Ridley as his usual dragon self. I mean, it looked like his head was in two. Oh well. For their time, the graphics aren't that bad, but could've been worked on a little.

Graphics: 8/10 (Not bad, but not perfect, either)

Sound

The music of this game fits quite well. Title theme starts off good, but gets a little weird. The start music isn't that bad either. It's kinda catchy, and has a ''ready for action'' like tune to it. Now, take the heroic sounding Brinstar theme that you hear when you first start playing. It's the best music in the game! It's that kind of music that plays when you'd feel you're gonna win. Norfair's music is kinda low, but not in a bad way. You're deep in the caves of Planet Zebes. As for the boss theme, it's a little catchy, but it sounds more like a bunch of sound effects thrown together with only a few notes that play here and there. Although you can tell that it's a musical theme, that's just what it sounds like, sort of. As for the sound effects, they're varied and distinct. Your beam weapon has a high noise to it. The Ice Beam and Wave Beams sound different, though. Mainly because they're different beams. The Missiles have a rocket noise to them, too. And when you blast an enemy, it makes a ''bloop'' like noise to it. The music in this game is great, except for one theme (note that I was only giving a few examples of the themes in this game, including the boss theme. There are more, of course), and the sound effects are good. Oh, and there is one more thing. If you don't like noises that constantly go ''Boopboopboopboop...'', you best try to keep your energy units above 15. It gets annoying, but its good to inform you that you're low on health.

Sound: 8/10

Gameplay

What is Metroid known for? Exploration and non-linear gameplay. The Original Metroid is definitely that. You get to go just about anywhere you want (except for the last area, in which you need to beat the two bosses). The only exceptions are that you might need a few missiles to open certain doors. After you get your first Missile tank, you have access to practically anywhere in the game. You can now search through Planet Zebes for the expansions to your suit, all the upgrades, and the two bosses. However, this isn't flawless, either. Although it's nice to have all that freedom and searching, just one question: Where can I get a lead on where I can go or where the bosses might be? No map? Dang. Without a map, you're prone to getting lost. Although that's kinda fun, it might also get repetitive, too. Now, Samus' weapons are varied, and she's practically a war machine. She has a beam weapon, missiles, bombs, morph ball, an armor upgrade, higher jump, and even a flip attack that kills enemies on contact. Samus has 4 types of beams: Normal, Long (long range version of the normal beam), Ice (freezes enemies. Has half the attack power of the normal beam), and Wave (travels in a wave formation and goes through walls. Also twice as strong as the Normal beam). Missiles kill enemies in one hit. Bombs can be used as weapons, or open areas in walls and floors. You can also get expansions to your energy & missiles, too. Now, you'd think that with all that, this game is gonna be a cakewalk blasting your enemies to bits, right? Dead wrong. This game is HARD! You'll half to shoot, jump, and roll your way out of danger to stay alive while collecting power-ups. But it gets easier after you get your one-hit-kill Screw Attack (doesn't apply to bosses), and then hard again in the final area in your battle against the Mother Brain.

Gameplay: 9/10

Replay

After you beat the game, you'll probably want to search for all the upgrades and expansions. You'll have to search through every nook and cranny to find 'em. Also, if you beat the game with a certain clear time, you get a different ending picture of Samus, not to mention you can play as her without her Power Suit on. After that, you might still want to play it again and again. It's that much fun!

Replay: 8/10

Overall score: 8/10

To buy or to rent: Buy this game! It's an awesome classic!

Great game, great concept, but just a few minor flaws here and there that could be worked on.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/12/04