"Highly underrated as far as Metroid games go"

Metroid 2 is considered by many gamers to be the worst game in the Metroid series. I think that that might be true, it's not quite as good as '3 or classic as the original. But very close to being as good as the two other games. And one more thing; if you're thinking about playing Metroid 2, play it on a Gameboy Color or Advanced. The default color pallet is great, and the screen is much clearer.

Graphics: 7/10
Like I said, you should really use a GBC. On the original Gameboy, the game looks ok (but it is an older game). Samus' movements are smoother, and the their is a variety of different areas. The final boss, the Queen Metroid, is absolutely huge and looks very cool. Overall the graphics are good for their time.

Gameplay: 8/10
Much improved over the original game. Samus can now shoot down while jumping, and can kneel and shoot. New powerups have been added, such as the spider ball. This allows Samus to climb walls and ceilings. Many new Metroids are to be found and destroyed. These Alpha, Omega, Zeta and other Metroids all act as mini bosses which allow Samus access to new areas.

Sound: 6/10
Many different sections of SR-388 (the planet where this game takes place) have different tunes that play. While all of them are good songs, their just aren't enough to keep you from turning down the sound after awhile. I found that the songs from the NES Metroid had more depth.. maybe it's the machine, or maybe Hip Tanaka didn't make this ones music.

Play Control: 10/10
Samus is very easy to move around the screen. Jumping, switching weapons, turning into Maru Mari are all very intuitive. No complaints here.

Replay value: 3/10
There's just not enough to do once you've beaten the game. It's very linear, meaning that there's no much area to explore. However, beating the game within a certain amount of time (two or three hours) will reveal a different ending. Besides that, the only time you would want to replay this is to look for hidden areas, which are sometimes very hard to find.

Buy or rent? Buy
You can probably find this game at a used gaming store (Funcoland) or in other gaming stores (Babbages, Software Etc..) for pretty cheap. Even though it didn't score very good in the replay department, this game is definitely worth having in your collection, especially if you like Metroid or adventure games.

Don't pass this game up, if possible. It's a great addition to the Metroid series.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/05/01, Updated 06/05/01