"437"

I remember getting this game before any of the other Metroid games and...I hated it. I thought it was too hard and it confused me. But I picked it up 2 years later,and started playing and was strangly enthralled with how fun it was,and played it for 2 days straight until I finally beat it!This game,despite some very skewed and objective opinions on it,is definately a solid handheld game,a great addition to the Metroid series and unfairly(and harshly)underrated by many,in my opinion.But I will forgive them because there are also many like me,who know what a deep and enjoyable game Metroid II is.Here's the review!

Story 7/10: Samus Aran, after singlehandedly annihilating the space pirates operation on Zebes and shutting down the Space Pirates Phazon mining colony on Tallon IV,is now called upon by the Galactic Federation to investigate a distress call to the planet SR388,(The original planet from which the Space Pirates discovered the Metroid lifeform.)from which 2 teams were sent in by the Federation and never returned. The Federation worried that if the space pirates were to find more existing Metroids on SR388,that they could launch another attack upon the Federation. Samus is sent to investigate and if nessicay,eliminate the Metroid threat...


Gameplay 10/10: It's classic Metroid pint-sized for a short adventure(but still complete in itself)with the addition of the spiderball and jumpball,the main goal is exploration to find and eliminate the Metroids.Your mission throughout the entire game is to find and exterminate the Metroids,which are on your handy dandy metroid meter at the bottom of the screen.Now the Metroids are not clones,but pure Metroids so you'll find them in different forms the deeper you trek into the hive.The difficulty is a good learning curve,with finding more powerful Metroids later on.One of the worst enemies in the game is stationary ooze known only as ''the liquid'',which eats through samus suit,and only drains when a certain number of Metroids are defeated.(go figure)

This game is very engaging,even for a portable game and the exploration and secret passages that metroid is known for are all there and hidden powerups are still just as satisfying when you find them.

Graphics10/10:The graphics are extremely good for a first generation gameboy title,samus and her suits look neat,and the Metroids are really cool looking.(especially when they mutate)And the overall artistry makes for a feasable ''underground world'' scenario that is within the graphical grasp of the GB.The enemy animations when they pop out of the ground or buzz around are surprisingly fluid,for an 8 bit handheld.

Music 10/10:Once again,the musical MIDI tunes and classical Metroid tunes are here with some genuinly creepy sound effects that begin when you get close to the end of the game.There aren't a lot of sound effects aside from the eerie backround noise in each area and your typical Metroid style ambient background noises,which isn't that bad and adds suspense when a Metroid pops up from nowhere and starts trying to drain you.

Control 10/10:Samus is as responsive as ever,even with the old Gameboy D-pad.There aren't any problems,and pulling off the screw attack or space jump with perfect timing no sweat.Aiming is easy enough,and the controls are so simple that there is really no reason for them to be a problem or hindrance.

Overall 10/10:The game is extremely fun and engaging,it was when it came out and it's still fun to me as a pick up and play if I want a good adventure game that takes less than 5 hours to finish.It's extremely replayable when you know what to do,and it's actually fun to try and blaze through the game really fast for an extra ending or just playing to kill some metroids.If you're into a lot of ''old school'' type games and if you can come to the simple understanding that in 1993 this was the abosolute best availible in a handheld,then this game's for you.I would say that if you can find it for a reasonable price,then you should definately pick it up.Have fun!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/25/02, Updated 12/10/03