Metroid II: Return of Samus

"A great game to play, provided you are prepared to stick with the limits of the platform."

For starters, I am going to mention that if you are unable to cope with a game that was created for an 8-bit system in black and white, don't bother with this game. However good the game really is, you'll just slam it like many of the reviews here.

If you don't mind exploring a blast from the past, you're in for a treat that could well be one of the best games made for the original Game Boy.

Graphics: 9/10 for Game Boy
You're unlikely to find much better than this in terms of graphics (for the Game Boy). The visuals are sharp and distinctive with no graphical glitches. I was impressed to find when played with Game Boy Colour or Advance that Samus's suit came out in the traditional red and yellow colours. If anybody is interested, to view the original black and white 'colour' scheme for GB games when playing on GBC or GBA, one must hold the B button and press left when the Game Boy logo flashes on start-up.

Sound: 5/10
I'll be honest; it's not groundbreaking. It is worth noting though, that it is adequate. The lasers sound lasery, the music is recognisably atmospheric. On most games it would be par for the course, but here it feels somewhat disappointing. Nevertheless, as I say, it is by all means functional.

Gameplay: 8/10
Here it is, make or break time. There are many accusations made upon MII:RoS that it is too hard. All I'll say is this; I completed it and I couldn't complete Metroid Prime. Be under no misunderstanding, though, this is not Metroid Prime. This is classic Metroid at it's simplest: side-on, half action, half platformer - frenetic fun. An obvious criticism to level at MII:RoS is that which concerns its linearity. While it certainly can feel less open than other games in the series (defeat the 'boss', move on, repeat) there is an underlying level of depth, which will encourage you to backtrack and explore regions in that way so intrinsic to the Metroid series. There is very little let-up here, though, and when you encounter enemies you really will have to sum them up and consider whether they are (to turn a phrase from a popular US ex-sitcom) 'missileworthy'. That is to say, missiles will not be eminently forthcoming.

Conlusion:
Metroid II: Return of Samus evokes a now distant past in terms of gaming, when men were real men, women were real women, and small nerdy gamers from the depths of their bedrooms were real small nerdy gamers from the depths of their bedrooms, and that's what I love about it. Yes, alright, maybe this review has been at least partially conducted behind the warming hue of rose-tinted spectacles, but I stand by it. MII:RoS is by it's very nature hardcore - there's no room to spare in the limited 4MB cartridge for something as worthless as a story. That's all written down anyway, so they chucked it in the manual. This is a game about shooting nasty aliens and at that it excels.

Despite all this, I am not going to encourage you to seek out this game (unless you are a die-hard collector), because it's probably not worth it. Nor, for that matter are any Game Boy games. I would, however, suggest that if you happen to spot it at a car boot sale, or used games market, snap it up, maybe for up to £3 - £4, but no more.

Overall: 8/10 - a fun game, but don't spend the money on it that the p&p is likely to cost.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/08

Game Release: Metroid II: Return of Samus (EU, 05/21/92)