Metroid: Zero Mission

"Zero Ingenuity; Mission Incomplete (Revised)"

1. I owned the Famicom Disk System when it released in Japan.

2. I owned Metroid for the Famicom Disk System when it released in Japan.

3. I own every Metroid game there is.

Bragging? No. Seem like I am? Yes. Why? Simple: after spending a bit of time on the Metroid Zero Mission message board, one thing has came across more obvious than anything else: anyone who has a negative opinion about this game is instantly written off as a ‘newbie’ by the pre-pubescent children that apparently populate this website; the same kids who throw around the word “fanboy” when I give Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles a FIVE out of ten, and the same types who rant over someone having a differing opinion regardless of how well supported it may be.

With this said and done, my score for Metroid Zero Mission is quite intriguing when one considers I actually like it BETTER than the recent Metroid Fusion. Why the lower score then? Simple: Metroid Fusion’s faults were many and were noticeable. Nintendo had EVERY opportunity to correct them ALL, and yet in the end seemingly did LESS than anyone expected despite technically adding more. Confused? Keep reading.

As not everyone reading this review may be familiar with the Metroid game series, allow me first to give a brief overview. Heralded by many as the game that started the “open ended exploration” genre (see any of the GBA Castlevania games), the original Metroid featured revolutionary gameplay for its time when it released back in August of 1986. Whereas other games dealt with pure start-to-finish side scrolling elements (a la Super Mario Bros), Metroid put a new twist on them: Metroid took place in a giant planet (Zebes) and hence required open ended, exploratory gaming to complete it. The original game introduced a bunch of ideas which are now staples for the genre: upgradeable weapons and armor, multiple weapons and power ups, tricky bosses, large areas, and a hub to link everything together.

The game itself was pure gold: players explored giant tunnels (both horizontal and vertical) by opening various doors and bombing away the landscape to uncover. Hidden in a variety of locations (some easy to find, others not) were health power ups, weapon power ups, armor power ups, etc. The game required the defeat of two main bosses before the path to the final boss would open up, but the catch was in order to reach either of the two “main” bosses, players would need to play retroactively: they would have to backtrack to previously explored locations after getting NEW power ups. Only by fully exploring the planet Zebes could the resourceful gamer reach the diabolical Mother Brain and stop its plan to overtake the galaxy. Where most games end, however, Metroid did not. After defeating the Mother Brain, Samus then had a scant few minutes to escape from the planet before it exploded, a feat that required a truly skillful gamer to achieve. While the game itself is quite repetitive in retrospective, at the time there was nothing else like it.

Metroid was also the first videogame to prominently feature a female as the lead character, something which no one actually discovered until they managed to achieve the best ending wherein the presumed male Samus Aran removed “his” suit and to everyone’s surprise, revealed “he” was actually a woman.

Following Metroid, Nintendo released a less-well received follow up in 1992 for the original Gameboy. Given a completely new setting and plot, the game functioned just as the original did, but with a somewhat less memorable environment. Nonetheless, Metroid 2 introduced even more power ups for the hero, Samus Aran, to find. In 1994, Nintendo released Super Metroid for the Super Famicom/Nintendo. More a proper remake of the original game rather than an all new one, Super Metroid once again saw Samus returning to the planet Zebes with gameplay, graphics, and gaming vastly superior to not only the previous two series installments, but as even many gaming magazines believe, superior to ANY game made at that point (and arguably any game made since then).

For nearly a decade, the world clamored for another game in the series, but Nintendo would hear none of it, instead catering to the masses with crap like the money grabbing Mario Party/Tennis/Golf series instead. Then, for whatever reason, Nintendo had the intelligence to let SOMEONE work on a new Metroid game, though weren’t we all shocked when it became known that the developer was an unheard of AMERICAN studio, and what more, that they were making a 3-D Metroid in the form of a First Person Shooter no less. As luck would have it, though, the game released and was a huge hit, winning over even the most skeptical gamers such as myself who vehemently believed the premise would never work. Released simultaneously, Nintendo of Japan produced Metroid Fusion, a 2-D installment for the Gameboy Advance. Unfortunately, whereas Prime was well developed and took quite a bit of time to complete, Fusion (despite some good ideas) was a pithy, *linear* “adventure” that basically defied the entire pedigree series in its inception. (Note: You can NOT have an open ended, exploratory game if it’s linear to a fault.). It is here, a little over a year passing since the release of Prime and Fusion that we arrive at Metroid Zero Mission, a game designed to depict the original installment in a slightly modified manner, as well as bring it up to date with more current practices.

There is a growing number of gamers-myself included-who have lost their patience with Nintendo and the crap it pulls. No, I’m not talking about the really stupid mistakes like the Virtual Boy (or, as I see it, the upcoming Nintendo DS as well), heck this time I’m not even talking about the HORRIBLE support for the Gamecube or Nintendo 64 during its heyday. I’m referring, of course, to the shameless and pathetic cashing-in process which takes NO effort at all, commonly known as porting games. Let’s face it, Nintendo has more ports on the Gameboy Advance than it does original ones. Metroid Zero Mission is what one could call an enhanced port, a remake if you will: it’s the original Metroid game only updated and retrofitted with all the luxuries more known to the series such as Super Missiles, Super Bombs, huge bosses, etc; basically Super Metroid stuff. So let’s see: Nintendo actually puts SOME effort into a port (a la Kirby) and hence deserves a pat on the back…

…but not really, in fact, not at all. What’s my problem? For starters, the game is far too easy. The original Metroid is a difficult game, something oddly characteristic of just about any 8-Bit title for whatever reason that might be. Sure there isn’t THAT much to do in it, but the Famicom Metroid took quite a while to beat the first time because of difficult bosses, backtracking, problem solving, and everything else. Metroid Zero Mission is already in trouble since there isn’t a single new aspect to its gameplay, meaning that anyone who’s even so much as picked up a previous installment in the series is readily aware that certain secrets are uncovered via bombing walls, certain areas are reached via new abilities, and certain bosses are destroyed via returning later on, there is NOTHING new here, nothing new whatsoever; strike 1. Going beyond that, however, Zero Mission is far less confusing than its less impressive original because of not only a detailed world map, but because (just as with Fusion), the game will hold your hand and thus the player always knows where the next location to go is, strike 2. Finally, let is also be known that when the player first begins the game, only Easy and Normal difficulties are available for selection. Sure Hard mode opens up after completing the game once, but who even cares? You’re playing through the exact same material the second time around regardless of what difficulty you select, strike 3.

Moving on, we now come to the game itself, namely its brevity. While Metroid Zero Mission is arguably longer than its forefather, the end result is still just plain pathetic. It doesn’t matter if you’re a series veteran, or brand new to gaming in general: the Zero Mission takes less than 4 hours to complete. Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this? Something wrong with Nintendo’s charging $30 for a game which can be finished in the time it takes someone to watch a movie or two. Something wrong with spending time to completely remake a game, and yet slacking off on the actual planning and development. The ironic part is that Zero Mission actually has an entirely NEW area which is arguably longer than most any location in the first “part” of the game. The game takes under 4 hours to complete even WITH this new area included.

And so the retaliatory comments begin: “You obviously don’t know how to play the game n00b. The Metroid series have always been short and besides, the real fun is in replaying them to get better endings and more secrets.” Well you know what? It sure fooled me, I was under the (false) impression that any respectable developer would make sure their product had actual content to speak for its length, not artificial garbage tacked on which serves to encourage players to run the exact same maze again, only for a different flavored treat at the end. Look, it’s somewhat fun to run around a decently designed map and uncover upgrades, but its another to revolve entirely around them. (And seriously, I begin to wonder just who it is that has no qualms over the game’s pithiness: the decent people who paid good money to get a short game, or a bunch of pirates who stole intellectual property and hence are satisfied with the end result?)

Moreover, the multiple endings that Nintendo offers as the bait for multiple replays are all dependant on the player’s completion rate and so the game becomes a giant experiment in who can develop the most “hardcore” skills that can not only complete it as quickly as possible, but to also get every last upgrade as well. Yeah, that’s what I call fun: redoing the same exact thing over and over and over. You call that replay? I call it a sucker taking the bait, swallowing it whole, and asking for more. Since when is rushing through a game as quickly as possible actually considered an acceptable way to play a videogame, anyway? Heck, there are people who bash me because I “rush” through the Final Fantasy games and only take 23 or so hours to complete them instead of the 40 hours which “normal, sane” gamers ALL apparently take.

How about this one instead, Nintendo: add some new areas. As in more than one. As in stop porting games for a second and spend more than a weekend on those which actually have potential. This is NOT an 8-bit Nintendo. This is NOT an 8-bit Gameboy. This is NOT two decades ago when game storage was seemingly non existent and hence games had a legitimate claim for their occasionally short length. There is NO excuse why Metroid Zero Mission is as short as it is, even WITH the new area taken into consideration. There is NO reason you needed to rush this game out to stores in February when spending an extra month or so and adding more to it would have only HELPED your case.

Next up: Anything New. Namely that there isn’t anything to speak of, however everything old rehashed. Is anyone else getting just a BIT tired of getting the same power ups again and again in each Metroid game? Is anyone else getting just a BIT tired of Nintendo’s lack of any creativity whatsoever in this department? We’re talking about Metroid, a series with an extremely few number of installments under its belt, NOT the endless Rockman franchise. How is Zero Mission ANY different than Fusion was? It’s not. Heck, even the GBA Castlevania games have different gameplay systems in each of them so as not to become TOO redundant. Sure, it’s great to get this attack and that weapon, but haven’t we all done this in the last game…and the game before it, and before it as well. And let’s take the feature opened up upon completion of the game, the original NES Metroid. Yeah, that’s sure cool except for the fact that Metroid Prime had this EXACT same feature. Some may give Nintendo “props” for giving fans a portable version of the classic, but I say it’s nothing more than a cheap (and now hackneyed) gimmick, once again designed to allay buyer’s anger over the ACTUAL game’s length. We’re paying for a NEW game here, not some stale coding nearly two decades old. Where are the areas from Super Metroid, which also took place in Zebes? Where are the power ups from Super Metroid, such as the X-Ray visor or Grappling Hook? Where is anything to offer us as proof that you spent more than a weekend thinking about what to add to this “new” remade game.

And while I’m at it, my ranting about lack of new stuff and all, how about the plot? At this point, I’m wholly convinced that Nintendo’s writing/scenario department is about as old as the consumers who buy its Pokemon crap, since I’ve yet to see anything come from Nintendo that didn’t have a plot which can be summed up in one sentence. The worst part of all is that Zero Mission actually has a LOT of potential for a decent plot, and yet (as with every other aspect of the game) Nintendo simply forgoes any development of it. Though the game seeks to detail the first mission of bounty hunter Samus Aran, instead of actually telling a story it leaves the work up to a series of still pictures (which, oddly enough, take linking the game to Metroid FUSION to unlock and understand) to do what any decent developer would have told the player in a more readily accessible fashion, like say…in game cut scenes. Heck, even Fusion had some, and thus more of the issue: why make an INFERIOR game to an already flawed attempt?

So what was that bit I mentioned earlier about liking the game more than Metroid Fusion? Well, it’s simple: the main problem with “Metroid 5” as the game referred to itself as, was its Final Fantasy X-level linearity: the game held the player’s hand throughout the entire thing. Metroid Zero Mission does it as well, but to a noticeably lesser extent, and thus I like it more than Fusion for that reason alone. Unfortunately, because of all the OTHER issues at hand (length, lack of originality, etc.) the game actually becomes a worse experience in the end, especially when one considers the simple fact that there was NO REASON Nintendo needed to remake the original Metroid. In fact, many of the problems WITH Zero Mission may stem from having such a narrow parameter to work with in terms of what could be added, parameters which would not have arisen should Nintendo decided to make a NEW game instead of porting an old one. WHY go even waste the time and effort to rehash the original Metroid when there is so much potential for a brand new installment. It’s not like fans DIDN’T get to play the game via Metroid Prime.

You know, the more I think about it, the more the Metroid series exists in direct parallel to Konami’s Castlevania series:

A. Great looking visuals: Without a doubt, the Metroid series has fantastic graphics that have always pushed the boundaries of a console’s capabilities. Zero Mission is no different (though in all honesty it looks a tad worse than Fusion) and hence provides for a solid experience, at least as far as viewing goes. The same can be said about the Castlevania series and its GBA brethren as well. Bosses are simply a dream come true, especially as they have weaknesses which require exploiting in order to destroy them.

B. Zero plot: To put it simply, there is no plot in the Metroid series that can’t be summed up in one sentence. While undoubtedly a result of an exclusively single player experience with no character interaction whatsoever, it is high time for Nintendo to wake up and see that not all of its customers are under parental supervision and hence expect a BIT more of a plot. It confuses me how a game with such high production values as Metroid is just left to drift when it comes to plot. It is especially annoying in pertinence to Zero Mission, as the entire point of this game was to explain Samus’ first mission, yet this never occurred specifically. With all these cut scenes Nintendo puts into Zero Mission (and Fusion as well), you’d think they could add some actual plot twists or such. Heck, I’d even take a “surprise” like the ending of Metroid 2 at this point. Need I even comment on the Castlevania series, which aside from the latest GBA release (perhaps running parallel to Metroid Fusion) has had the EXACT same plot since day one.

C. One large open area to explore: I’ve always wondered why it is the Metroid series can not expand itself to other planets or locations. Granted Super Metroid and Metroid Prime both start off on a location different from the proper game, it’s just not a “real” area, rather an introductory one. Is it too much to ask that more time be spent on developing more areas? Heck, I spent 90% of my time playing Metroid Fusion under the impression the game was going to “start” AFTER Samus left that stupid space station. Zero Mission was somewhat surprising in that the game does not end when one thinks it will, but the new area isn’t really as new as one would expect; it’s still connected to the first one. Why can’t we get an entirely new planet after finishing the first one? At least the Castlevania games of late have featured inverted castles (which artificially extend the playtime), why can’t Metroid try something like this? Sure it’s a shoddy way of extending the game, but it’s a hell of a lot better than just ending it and making players rush through a second time for “new stuff”. I just don’t get why the world map screen is so HUGE and yet only 25% of it actually has content.

D. Great music: Without a doubt the music in Zero Mission is fantastic; from the incredibly remixed original themes to the all new ones, there is clear indication that the team responsible for Metroid sound programming is at the top of their game. It’s actually quite impressive to think back at how old the Metroid series is and consider that the aural side of it is still just as new today as it was then. In fact, as with the Castlevania series, I’d actually wager the music compositions are only getting better as time goes on.

E. Incredibly SHORT playtime: The biggest let down of either game series, really. There is no reason why even a casual gamer can finish Metroid Zero Mission in such a short time. It’s understandable if a game takes 10-15 hours to complete and more advanced players beat it in half that, but with Zero Mission, one can take all the time they want and still have the ending appear before the timer even reaches 4 or 5 hours. There is just no reason for this, and it’s time Nintendo wakes up and smells reality: people expect more in the year 2004 than they did in the year 1986. Either hire more programmers, give the game staff more time to work, or just leave them alone entirely, but something HAS to be done about this. Why I can beat a game within hours of purchasing it (and in one sitting no less) is not a testament to how fun the product is so much as a representation of how shoddy the developer was in designing it.

F. Far too much catering to obsessive compulsives instead of normal gamers: Directly tied into aspect six, this goes hand in hand with the short length. Both Konami and Nintendo seem to feel that it’s perfectly acceptable to make a short game if there are hidden items and power ups to find. Yeah, that’s all fine and dandy, but once you finish a game, that’s it. You don’t need any more power ups; you don’t need anymore hidden items. Once most gamers finish a product, they’re done with it; only the more obsessive ones actually desire to go back and find everything. With this said, there is a clear lack of catering towards those of us who don’t have these kinds of behaviors. But even for those that want 100%, wouldn’t you like to be able to achieve it in MORE areas? Wouldn’t you like to explore NEW places with their own secrets? Adding more to these games would help EVERYONE out.

UNLIKE the Castlevania series, however, it’s MISSING quite a number of things as well:

A. MANY bosses: Whereas Castlevania games feature an impressive number of bosses, the Metroid games do not. Zero Mission was especially disappointing in that it seemingly features less bosses than any Metroid game in recent memory. In fact, Nintendo REMOVED some of the mini-bosses from the original Metroid, thus making the game seem even shorter. The other problem with Zero Mission is that the bosses that are in the game can be destroyed far too easily. Again: the game needed a higher difficulty level, or at least Hard more selectable from the onset.

B. Multiple characters to replay the game as: This may be solely on my part, but I’d like to see an additional character in a Metroid game, even if they can only be played on replay mode. I’m talking about playing as Meta Knight in Kirby or as Richter in Symphony of the Night. In fact, I’d actually be somewhat satisfied if Nintendo would implement this, even if the game and locations were kept as short as they are now. At least that would change SOMETHING about the game in terms of a replay. As it stands now, the ONLY difference between your first game and your fifth will be the amount of time it takes to rush through it.

C. Gameplay that doesn’t involve shooting monsters: here we go, actually. While I will commend Nintendo for adding stealth to Zero Mission (and arguably to Fusion as well), it’s only but one step which must be taken to improve the series. Why not add more areas which require expertise use of abilities (such as the insanely difficult triangle jump sections in Super Metroid)?

I’m sorry, but in my honest opinion, there was no way Zero Mission could ever be a successful remake because Nintendo had already made one. Super Metroid, for all intensive purposes, was nothing more than a rehash of the original Metroid but with a slightly altered plot. This did not stop Nintendo from adding HUGE new environments, many new monsters, new gameplay tricks, new weapons, new concepts, new bosses, and much more. Furthermore, Super Metroid actually took an acceptable time to complete and provided ample challenge-the FIRST time through it. As I see it, Super Metroid provided enough new additions as to pass every one of the complaints made about this game; while it was by no means perfect, there were enough NEW elements to it that made it stand out from both Metroid 1 and Metroid 2.

It is no surprise why so many people call Super Metroid the number one game of all time, and without a doubt the Nintendo that created it was a company on top of its…game. Zero Mission represents the Nintendo of 2004: a sinking ship that is so desperately clinging onto what ONCE made it successful that it is incapable of experimentation out of fear of being shunned by the blasé, simplistic user base which it seems to cater towards; how about a little less nostalgia for the 20th anniversary of the Famicom and a BIT more focus on your lamentable, pathetic situation of today. (In fact, let’s start with why your 128-Bit Gamecube costs as much as your 32-Bit handheld Gameboy.)

In the end, one must truly consider the legitimacy of Metroid Zero Mission: out of thin air Nintendo informs the public that it’s remaking the original Metroid, and then out of nowhere, releases it. Too many questions remain unanswered: WHY remake the original Metroid (again)? Why NOT add more new areas to it? Why NOT make gameplay changes or modifications; Why NOT borrow some ideas from Capcom’s Rockman Zero games, would it kill the series to have weapons that grow in power the more they’re used? Why NOT add a proper story? Why NOT make the game longer? Why NOT make it as deep as Super Metroid or Metroid Prime? Why NOT? Seems to me that Zero Mission does nothing more than raise questions when it was in fact, suppose to “answer” them.

I don’t know about you, but this game is a true disappointment and it’s quite upsetting: so many years passed by without any word from the Metroid universe, then an American development studio creates the phenomenal Metroid Prime, followed by Nintendo of Japan churning out soulless garbage truly seeking to cash in on the “reintroduction” of the series. Metroid Fusion and especially Zero Mission, despite being acceptable series installments, really seem to exemplify everything that needs to be updated with the Metroid series if it is to remain legitimate. If Zero Mission represents the beginnings of Samus Aran, I’m sure as hell scared to find out just how badly her future adventures will be should they continue along this line.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 02/14/04, Updated 02/17/04