REVIEW -- Metroid: Zero Mission

Metroid: Zero Mission is a side-scrolling action-adventure video game published by Nintendo, and developed by its Research & Development 1 (R&D1) division for the Game Boy Advance. It is a remake of the 1986 game Metroid—the first installment in the Metroid video game series, and is designed to retell that entry's story with modernized gameplay. It was initially released in North America in February 2004.

Like the other titles in the series, the player controls space-faring bounty hunter Samus Aran, who travels to planet Zebes after learning that Space Pirates are experimenting with Metroids in an attempt to duplicate them and use them for their own gain. The gameplay focuses on exploration, with the player searching for power-ups that are used to reach previously inaccessible areas. The remake also features new items, additional areas, mini-bosses, difficulty levels, and a rewritten story which explores Samus's past.

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Plot:

"Planet Zebes...I called this place home once, in peaceful times, long before evil haunted the caverns below. Now, I shall finally tell the tale of my first battle here.... My so-called Zero Mission." —Samus Aran

Space Pirates attack a Galactic Federation-owned space research vessel and seize samples of Metroid creatures. Dangerous floating organisms, Metroids can latch on to any organism and drain its life energy to kill it. The Space Pirates plan to replicate Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then using them as biological weapons to destroy all living beings that oppose them. While searching for the stolen Metroids, the Galactic Federation locates the Space Pirates' base of operations on the planet Zebes. The Federation assaults the planet, but the Pirates resist, forcing the Federation to retreat. As a last resort, the Federation decides to send a lone bounty hunter to penetrate the Pirates' base and destroy Mother Brain, the mechanical life-form that controls the Space Pirates' fortress and its defenses. Considered the greatest of all bounty hunters, Samus Aran is chosen for the mission.

Samus lands on the surface of Zebes and explores the planet, traveling through the planet's caverns. She eventually comes across Kraid, an ally of the Space Pirates, and Ridley, the Space Pirates' commander, and defeats them both. Along the way, Samus finds and destroys Mother Brain. However, while Samus leaves the planet in her gunship, it is attacked by Space Pirates, causing it to crash back onto Zebes, near the Space Pirate Mothership. Exploring the Mothership, Samus eventually reaches the Ridley Robot, a robot built in the likeness of Ridley. After defeating it, Samus escapes the planet using one of the Space Pirate's shuttles, while the Mothership self-destructs.

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Gameplay:

Metroid (original NES version; left), Metroid: Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance; right)

Metroid: Zero Mission takes place on Planet Zebes, a large, open-ended world with areas connected by doors and elevators. The player controls Samus Aran as she travels through the planet's caverns and environments, hunting Space Pirates. Along the way, the player collects power-ups that enhance Samus's armor and weaponry, as well as grant her special abilities. These abilities allow Samus to access areas that were previously inaccessible, so that the game can be played linearly or non-linearly. For example, the player may come across underground caverns that bypass certain sections, a method termed sequence breaking. To save their progress, players can enter either Save Rooms or Samus's ship on Crateria.

As a remake of Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission's layout bears a resemblance to the original, and various power-ups and items make reappearances from previous games in the series, with similar uses, effects, and appearances. However, the game adds new items, areas, and mini-bosses, as well as a completely new area named Chozodia.

Zero Mission is the first game in the Metroid series to include a sequence in which the player controls Samus without her Power Suit. In this portion of the game, Samus is more vulnerable to damage, must crawl through ducts on her hands and knees without the help of her Morph Ball mode, and has a weak pistol that briefly stuns enemies as her only weapon. However, Samus retains all energy tanks she acquired previously.

Completion of the game unlocks an emulated version of the original Metroid game. Zero Mission also allows players to unlock the Metroid Fusion picture gallery by linking between Zero Mission and Fusion cartridges via the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable.

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The Verdict: 

Since I have stumbled onto the wonders of Wii Homebrew, I re-discovered this game via emulation and streamed a bit of it on my Twitch channel. So bare with me that my experience with this game is via emulation and not on it's original platform on the Game Boy Advance.

Watch Kraid Boss Attempts from xionzeros on www.twitch.tv

Even though the original Metroid came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), I honestly never played it or stumbled across a physical copy over the years. The first Metroid game I have ever played was Metroid II: Return of Samus on the original Game Boy, followed by it's sequel on the SNES, Super Metroid, via emulation. Despite enjoying the hell of AM2R (my review of that game can be found via the link) via PC a few years ago, I haven't played a 2D Metroid game since Fusion back when it first released in 2002. I remember that game fondly, beating it several times in study hall that year. I still regard that as the best 2D Metroid outing as while I think Super Metroid is an excellent game, I think it's extremely overrated by the hardcore Metroid fans. Fusion never overstayed it's welcome and despite being VERY linear, it was a great adventure that faithfully explored Samus' past with it's narrative - something that the controversial Metroid: The Other M ATTEMPTS to do, but fails horribly at. Zero Mission, on the other hand, uses story elements from the Japan-exclusive gamebook, Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order, to expand on the lore from the original Metroid. 

Watch Ridley Boss Attempts from xionzeros on www.twitch.tv

This game, much like Fusion that released around the same time frame, has a pretty steep difficulty curve in some sections, but then again, I never played the original Metroid on the NES, so that could be just Nintendo being faithful to the original. The post-game section of navigating through the Space Pirates' Mothership was notoriously difficult since you were stripped of Samus' Power Suit and only armed with a pistol to stun enemies. Enemies in this area can easily wear down your health to nothing with their attacks, even after you regain the Power Suit. This new challenge is turned up another notch in a sense that you are unable to regain/farm these enemies for health/ammunition for your special weapons.

Watch Zero Suit Stealth Section & Chozo Ghost Boss from xionzeros on www.twitch.tv

It felt like a cheap attempt of adding a Metal Gear Solid-esque stealth component to the gameplay but it really doesn't feel fun at all. While I applaud Nintendo for the extra/additional content, the poor stealth mechanics here felt tacked on and took a little of the joy out of what was an otherwise fun adventure. There were plenty of moments where I suffered cheap bursts of random bouts of detection that turn this section of the game into a mad dash to the next room(s) where you can find a safe spot to hide until the Space Pirates can't find you. It's a lot of unnecessary trial and error navigating through this clusterfuck of a maze that is the Space Pirates' Mothership.

Mecha Ridley's weak point is that red spot on his chest, but good luck hitting that since getting anywhere NEAR that either bounces off or you take contact damage from getting too close. 

Watch Mecha Ridley & Mothership Escape + Credits from xionzeros on www.twitch.tv

Once Samus makes her way to the end of this section after regaining her Power Suit and unlocking her full powers, the final boss that you face is Mecha Ridley. Despite the fact that he goes down off at least 8-10 Super Missiles aimed at his core, this fight still felt pretty cheap to me given the fact that it doesn't take much for Mecha Ridley to wipe your E-tanks out to zero between his claw swipes, eye beams, and missile volleys. It wouldn't be that difficult if his core wasn't such a damn tiny target on his body that requires a precisely aimed shot to hit it without bouncing off the rest of his armored body. I thought Mother Brain was just as cheap earlier in the game too, if not more so from the array of Metroids you had to contend with before getting there. That last room where they trap you in there with at least 6 at once is straight up bullshit. I'm just going to put that out there right now.

Whoever conceived of this cruel joke towards the end of the game deserves a stiff kick in the nuts - REPEATEDLY. 

Watch Metroid Hunting from xionzeros on www.twitch.tv

If the original Metroid was as hard as that, then I tip my hat to the folks who finished that with flying colors on the NES. I would've thrown my controller at the TV if it weren't for save states.

In terms of gameplay improvements over the original Metroid, I enjoyed the quality of life improvements over previous entries in the series as the map gave you updates of your next destination instead of sending you wondering throughout the massive game map without the faintest clue of what in the blue hell of what exactly you should be doing or looking for.

I liked that all of your beams "stack" like they did in Super Metroid as well, but I wish you could toggle abilities on/off like that game. That was allegedly a feature that was removed from the game prior to release, but can be activated via hacks/modifying the game's source code. (Sighs) What could have been, I guess. That was a highly beloved feature in Super Metroid, even to this day by the speedrunning folks.

I never knew how bare bones Samus' abilities were in the sequels until I played this entry. She had to acquire the means for ledge hanging  (Power Grip), long range firing (Long Beam), missile usage and capacity (in Metroid II, you start off with 30 missiles), and the ability to crawl into small spaces (Morph Ball) instead of having these abilities right off the bat in Metroid II: Return of Samus.

I know Super Metroid enthusiasts - or rather fanatics - will hit me for this, but I never knew how to perform a ShineSpark (and all of its variations) until I played Metroid: The Other M. That being said, I adored all of the clever uses of this ability coupled with the normal usage of the Speed Booster to collect the various hidden items tucked away on Planet Zebes. If I were to replay this game to collect all of the items for 100% item completion, it would be to explore all of those means with this ability. I had seen some of it from the numerous speedruns of this game and Fusion on GDQ (Games Done Quick) or other noteworthy speedrunners' Twitch channels, but wouldn't mind taking the time to do so myself.

Watch Mother Brain Boss Attempts & Escape from xionzeros on www.twitch.tv

I'm sure someone will correct me otherwise, but one thing that threw me off a little was that I was getting hit out of the Screw Attack in this game. If memory serves, Samus is supposed to be completely invincible during this attack, but during the Space Pirate Mothership section of the game, the Pirates were hitting me out of it left and right. I can understand the black Space Pirates showing some tolerance to it, but that just felt cheap when the normal ones were occasionally hitting me out of the animation. Back in Metroid II: Return of Samus, I vividly remember using that ability to avoid contact damage from Metroids and everything else under the sun. Once again, this was a minor gripe, but I can see why Nintendo possibly removed the i-frames of invincibility on this ability as it was a tad overpowered in that game.

Samus having some of these abilities that weren't seen until her 2nd and 3rd adventures create a bit of an inconsistency with her lore as in one of the later games, she clearly mentions that she wasn't taught how to use particular abilities until AFTER the events of this game, so it comes off as odd as trying to reconnect the events of Capcom's Maverick Hunter X (remake of the original Mega Man X) to the rest of the X series after Keiji Inafune left Capcom. In that regard, it's just best to treat this as a fun "spin" on Samus' initial adventure and not hold it too faithfully to her canonical narrative.

A part of me wished that this game let you bookmark stuff on the map like how Castlevania: Lord of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD did for further reference to aid you when backtracking with newly acquired abilities, but I had to mentally hit myself as a reminder for when this game was released. Features like that wasn't even considered back at that point in gaming, so we should be grateful that Nintendo even revamped the original Metroid title - period. Speaking of which, the original Metroid from the NES is unlocked on the main menu after you clear the game. In that regard, I found myself playing an emulator within an emulator as this was emulated within Zero Mission's ROM file. I think I played about 5 minutes of it and quickly realized that the difficulty curve on the NES original was much more brutal than what I was treated to playing Metroid II: Return of Samus on the Game Boy first. (Laughs) I definitely got the kid gloves in terms of my formal introduction to the series.

Play It or Don't Bother?

If I actually owned a Game Boy Advance, I totally would have owned this in my gaming library, but if I had a choice between this title or Metroid Fusion, the latter gets my vote any day of the week as the better of the two titles.

If you're a Metroid series fan, then this is a no-brainer to give this game a shot. Over the years, I have come to an understanding that there's a hard division between the Metroid community that either prefers Samus' 3D/first person shooter (FPS) outings with the Metroid: Prime series over her 2D sidescroller adventures, but I think there's something for both sides of the spectrum to enjoy here in terms of enjoying this remake of Samus' initial adventure. While I wasn't too crazy about the spikes in difficulty in certain portions of the game, I ultimately enjoyed playing through majority of the game as a whole. I feel like this is a respectful homage to Samus' original adventure, even though the latter portion of the game gets pretty tedious while exploring the Space Pirates' Mothership. I suppose that could be remedied for newcomers by choosing an easier difficulty setting, but that's to each player's own personal preference, of course. While this isn't one of my favorite 2D outings of Samus Aran's adventures, I still don't regret a moment of playing through this game. 

REVIEW -- AM2R: Another Metroid II Remake - Return of Samus (Fan-Made Game)

Not the REAL NES box art, folks. Cool nonetheless though...

AM2R (also known as Another Metroid 2 Remake or AM2R: Return of Samus) is a fan remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus, developed by Argentinian independent programmer Milton "DoctorM64" Guasti. The game updates the 1991 version with color, a visual style similar to Super Metroid and gameplay similar to Metroid: Zero Mission. After years of development, the game was released for free to Windows-based computers on August 6, 2016, coinciding with the Metroid series' thirtieth anniversary. However, one day later, Nintendo sent DMCA notices to websites hosting the game, including the official blog and the Metroid Database, forcing their removal. The game is still available through torrents.

On June 13, 2017, Nintendo announced an official remake, Metroid: Samus Returns, for Nintendo 3DS. Some fans have speculated that this was the true reason AM2R was shut down by Nintendo. DoctorM64 stated in response: "N won E3 for me, #SamusReturns looks like the Metroid 2 I always wanted to play. Looks like the ANOTHER part of #am2r still makes sense now."

Plot:

"Metroids.
Numerous incidents in the past have brought to light the highly destructive power of these life forms, spreading fear across all known planetary systems.
Hoping to secure peace in the galaxy, the Galactic Federation orders the extermination of the Metroid species. I was the best candidate for the job.
Once again I find myself standing alone against the Metroid menace. What horrors await me within the depths of their homeworld? „—Samus Aran

The game's plot is largely unchanged from Metroid II. It now features a Super Metroid-style introduction narrated by Samus Aran (narration above), about the nature of her mission on SR388. Over the course of the game, Samus's scanners automatically download Logbook entries similar to the Metroid Prime series that reveal additional lore about areas and bosses. She can uncover optional areas that include the landing sites of the G.F.S. Thoth and an Anhur-class patrol ship carrying the two ill-fated Galactic Federation teams sent to rescue the previous research team. Metroid II did not feature the final resting places of these Federation teams, despite mentioning them in the manual. Samus also encounters surviving Federation Marines battling a Zeta Metroid that metamorphoses into an Omega Metroid before effortlessly killing them. The mysterious earthquakes linked to the deaths of Metroids are insinuated to be caused by the Queen Metroid herself, as her cries can be heard during the last few in the game. The Logbook reveals that the cave system is located between two tectonic plates on SR388. The game ends with Samus killing off the remaining Metroids, the Queen, and discovering an infant Metroid she later calls the baby.

After the credits, Samus speaks the famous introductory phrase from Super Metroid: "The last Metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace." In the best ending, Samus is seen in her Gunship calling the Space Science Academy about the baby, leading into Super Metroid.
EndingsEdit

The endings were conceptualized, drawn and detailed by Azima Khan, an artist who has created several 3D models pertaining to Metroid including the Samus Aran model seen in Rainfall Films' short film Metroid: The Sky Calls. More endings were planned for a future update before development was forced to end. The images below are high definition versions of the endings; ingame, they are pixellated.

The "worst" ending, which depicts a fully-suited Samus and the baby returning to her Gunship. Appears with over 4 hours of play time.

The "middle" ending, where a helmetless Samus observes the baby in her Gunship. Appears with between 2 and 4 hours of play time.

The "best" ending, where Samus sits in the cockpit of her Gunship, clad in an Ending Outfit similar to that from Zero Mission and calling Ceres Space Colony about the baby. Appears with under 2 hours of play time.

Gameplay: 

As stated, the gameplay has been updated in the style of Super Metroid and Zero Mission, and now allows for some Sequence Breaking in the way of hidden paths to skip otherwise required items. A Map system, stacking of beams (thereby removing duplicates from Metroid II), the Power Grip and the previously mentioned logbook have been added, as well as the new abilities to automatically morph into tunnels, autoclimb small ledges, dedicated keys to morph and aim lock, and an Ukemi ability to breakfall an attack that knocks Samus off her feet in similar manner to Super Smash Bros.' teching. Moreover, the remake allows abilities to be toggled on and off at will - a feature formerly exclusive to Super Metroid. The Five-Bomb Drop technique from Super Metroid and Other M returns, and when used in midair, causes a triangle of Bombs to appear and propel Samus far into the air when they explode.

Unlike in the Metroid Prime series, Logbook scans are obtained automatically upon entering new areas, and defeating Metroids and bosses. Items that were not present in Metroid II but later became series staples now appear in AM2R, such as the Gravity Suit, Charge Beam, Speed Booster, Super Missiles and Power Bombs. The "tractor beam" effect from the Prime series is present in AM2R, which allows Samus to use her Charge Beam to draw in nearby pickups.

The game also features two new areas and several new non-Metroid bosses, including Serris and Genesis, creatures that were present on the Biologic Space Laboratories research station orbiting SR388 in Metroid Fusion. Curiously, Blob Throwers and Septoggs are completely absent from AM2R, and were planned for a future update before the game's cancellation. The number of Metroids has been slightly increased from 48 to 55. The Metroid Detector rises up to 1 after the baby hatches, unlike the original game.

Several changes have been made to the Power Beam. In addition to stacking, the Spazer Beam and Plasma Beams are now stackable, a feat not possible in Super Metroid without glitching. However, as a result of stacking, the beam's rate of fire decreases as the more beams are stacked together, for balancing purposes. Also, the Ice Beam has notably undergone a complete revamp, mirroring Metroid: Other M: instead of freezing enemies in place to be used as a suspended platform like in other 2-D games, almost all frozen enemies would fall to the ground and shatter or if frozen on the ground they would simply shatter after a few seconds. This change was made as there was no situation where the platforming feature could be used, and was quickly rendered irrelevant with the Spider Ball and Space Jump being acquired shortly after. As the most powerful weapon in the game, the Ice Beam was moved from Phase 2 to a new area between Phase 7 and Phase 8 as the final suit upgrade.

Missile Batteries and Big Energy Balls were removed; Save Stations will now replenish Samus's energy and ammo while simultaneously saving the game. However, Save Stations will automatically save the game when stepped on without providing any prompt.

The Verdict: 

Speed Booster in action...

What can I say? I freakin' LOVED this game. There's a reason that most hardcore Metroid fans prefer Super Metroid as the best that the series had to offer in it's 2D outings and that is on full display here. Nintendo better hope and pray that their own upcoming Metroid: Samus Returns is even a fraction as good as this title was. Simply put, this game took everything that players loved about the original Metroid II: Return of Samus and added the graphical style of Super Metroid along with those various improvements to the gameplay. 

I know it's hard to see in this darkened cavern, but YES, that's Samus facing TWO Metroids at once!

The gameplay differences were specified above, but I want to sound off on a few things that I really enjoyed about revisiting this game. First of all, I loved the improved AI for the Metroids. That added a new layer of depth to these "mini-boss" encounters, especially with Zeta and Omega Metroids that felt like they were entirely new creatures in this game. The multiple bosses fights throughout Samus' journey through SR388 were a welcome addition which definitely gave the vibe of Super Metroid even more, along with the increased number of Metroids to hunt down on the planet. Every Metroid encounter kept me on my toes, especially those with multiple Metroids at once.

The "tunneling" sewer fast travel chain that you find towards the end of the game was a nice touch as well, especially for completionist who want to explore every corner of SR388 and collect every beam upgrade, missile tank, energy tank, and item power-up available for Samus in this adventure. Speedrunners might detest that as there's a bit in terms of progression through the game where you can't skip over particular events to save time since some of the adventure is linear to an extent, but there's still enough freedom (like the original Metroid II) to hunt down the Metroids in that particular area at your leisure. Much like Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD (Ironically the same studio, Mercurysteam, is working on the Metroid: Samus Returns revamp for the Nintendo 3DS), I loved the inclusion of an in-game map. That minor addition helps tons while traversing SR388 and helping players figure out where to go next, instead of a lot of the guesswork that the original Metroid II (along with most of Samus' 2D outings) was known for.


If I had one very minor grip about the game, I will admit that I wasn't particularly keen on most of the remixes to the original tracks from Metroid II: Return of Samus. To be fair though, a lot of the music was more than appropriate though. I would have been fine if they didn't change the original music at all.

Play It or Don't Bother?

Go ahead and take a chance at this reimagining of Samus' adventure on SR388... Just don't get carried away like I did here.
I think most players will enjoy the added challenge. 

Definitely go out of your way to play this revamp of Metroid II: Return of Samus. The game is pretty old now in terms of it's release, but you can still manage to find copies pretty easy online despite the DMCA notices from Nintendo. Go out of your way and show your appreciation for DoctorM64 as he responds to his tweets regularly. Nintendo's Metroid: Samus Returns releases on September 15, but this will easily keep Metroid fans busy by the time that drops. On the plus side, you don't have to own a 3DS/2DS to play this adventure. The only downside is that if you're one of the few Metroid fans who detest Samus' 2D outings, then this isn't for you in the least.   

REVIEW -- Metroid: Other M (Wii) -- REVISITED

It's time to rewind the clocks back to 2010 as we take a look at Nintendo and Team Ninja's joint project, Metroid: The Other M, which was exclusively made available for the Nintendo Wii console.

This said title received a ton of critical reviews, ranging from long-time fans being upset and others expressing their distaste for Samus Aran's devolving from her roots as a strong female heroine. I managed to breeze through the game over the weekend and I'm going to share my own thoughts on this title to see whether or not the bad press was necessary or not.

Revisit Note (8/12/17): In August 2017, I streamed this game in its entirety on Twitch TV (with the archive uploaded to my YouTube Channel) and I thought it would be fair to revisit my thoughts on this game after revisiting it five years later.

The Plot (contains full spoilers)

As much as I enjoyed Samus' solitude in her gameplay, I thought it would have been a welcome change if Nintendo kept the
Galactic Federation soldiers around throughout the course of the game outside of the first boss fight. I think a squad-based
Metroid game could be fun if done right. 

The game begins with a dream recounting the climax of Super Metroid, where Samus battles against Mother Brain and watches the baby die. After giving a mission report, Samus departs for space. Weeks later, she picks up a Baby's Cry distress signal from the derelict BOTTLE SHIP. Samus is compelled to follow it.

Soon after landing on the seemingly deserted BOTTLE SHIP, Samus encounters the Galactic Federation 07th Platoon, and is greeted by Anthony Higgs, an old friend from her days in the Federation Army. Leading them is Commander Adam Malkovich, her former commanding officer. Adam refuses to divulge why they are on the station, but Samus decides to stay on board for the sake of the platoon. The team discovers the body of a Lab Worker, and are soon attacked by a collective mass of purple insects. Samus and the platoon work together to take it down.

Adam tells Samus the conditions of her cooperation in the mission.

Adam allows Samus to cooperate in their mission, under the condition that she obey his orders and refrain from using certain weapons and equipment until he authorizes them. He orders Samus to find the Exam Center in Sector 1. On her journey through the tropical area, she encounters a small, furry creature that begins to follow her.

Samus later reaches the Exam Center, and finds James Pierce doing something under the desk of the main computer. The rest of the platoon then arrives, although Lyle Smithsonian is missing. Investigating, Samus discovers the cybernetic body of a Space Pirate Zebesian with the Galactic Federation insignia on its chest. The platoon discovers that the purpose of the BOTTLE SHIP was to conduct research on bioweapons, a practice that is illegal within the Federation. They learn the person in charge of the project was Dr. Madeline Bergman.

A large purple creature launches itself at Samus from the Exam Centre's tower.

Outside, the Platoon is attacked outside by a large lizard-like creature, who viciously attacks Samus when she comes to assist them. After being wounded by Anthony Higgs' Plasma Gun, the creature flees. The group discovers the bodies of Lyle and the skin of the creature Samus encountered, "Little Birdie". She is ordered to follow the lizard creature.

A Federation Trooper operating a large Ferrocrusher machine attacks Samus in the Cryosphere Warehouse.

Midway into her search for the Mystery Creature in Sector 3, Samus is redirected to the icy Sector 2 to search for survivors. While there, she discovers the body of Maurice Favreau and spots a young woman in the Materials Storehouse, who flees. Samus gives chase and tries to talk the woman down. The woman refuses to cooperate, fearful that Samus is here to silence her, and implies that Maurice was killed by a fellow soldier. The two are then attacked by a soldier wearing a Galactic Federation Power Suit driving an RB176 Ferrocrusher, and the woman is separated from Samus. Samus destroys the machine, but the operator escapes.

Returning to Sector 3, Samus concludes that there is a traitor within the 07th Platoon, and nicknames him "the Deleter" until she learns his true identity. Back in Sector 3, Samus encounters Anthony. He explains he was sent to open the magma-eruption port in the Geothermal Power Plant, along with the rest of the Platoon. However, none of his comrades showed up at the rendezvous point. Parting from Anthony, Samus continues until she finds the empty husk of the lizard creature. Samus enters the dimly lit Geothermal Power Plant and reunites with Anthony. The monster, now winged, ambushes them. Samus, confronting it alone, opens the magma-eruption port and brings light into the room. To her horror, the creature is revealed to be none other than her nemesis Ridley, whom she believed to be permanently killed with the destruction of Zebes. Overcome by posttraumatic stress disorder, Samus is unable to save Anthony when he is seemingly killed by Ridley. Samus's anger empowers her to battle Ridley once again. He escapes.

Samus is forced to battle Ridley again.

Leaving the Pyrosphere, Samus realizes she cannot contactAdam, and fears that the Deleter may be or already has targeted him. She then spots one of her comrades entering Sector 1. Samus pursues him to the Bioweapon Research Center, where she instead finds the young woman again. After calming down, the woman introduces herself as Madeline Bergman. She reveals that the Federation was gathering Zebesians and other deadly organisms to enhance them through cybernetics to serve as a special-forces unit for the Federation, modelled after the original Space Pirates. The project became disastrous when a "certain presence" (Samus assumes she is referring to Ridley) caused the life forms to suddenly become aggressive beyond their control.

Madeline reveals more; the scientists were propagating Metroids as well, cloned from remains of the baby found on Samus's Power Suit after her return from Zebes. They unknowingly recreated Ridley as well. Madeline also reveals that an AI named "MB", modelled after Mother Brain, had been created for the purpose of controlling the Metroids. MB and the Metroids were stored in Sector Zero. Madeline goes on to say that Adam is behind Project Metroid Warriors. Samus leaves for Sector Zero. Afterward, Madeline is approached by the Deleter, who shoots her.

Arriving at the entrance to Sector Zero, Samus encounters a Baby Metroid that reminds her of the hatchling from SR388. Before she can kill it, she is struck from behind, disabling her Power Suit. Samus recognizes her attacker as Adam, who kills the Metroid just as quickly. Adam claims that Metroids in Sector Zero were genetically manipulated to be unfreezable, while assuming that infant Metroids have not grown into this invulnerability. He also explains that he had written the Metroid report against the idea of using Metroids; although the Federation agreed, a small faction of the Federation went ahead with the project.

Adam reveals that he plans to enter Sector Zero to set off its self-destruct mechanism and cause it to detach from the BOTTLE SHIP. He shot Samus to render her unable to storm past him. Before leaving, he orders Samus to locate a survivor in Room MW, to divert the BOTTLE SHIP off an intercept course with Galactic Federation Headquarters and to defeat Ridley. Despite her pleas, Adam leaves Samus for Sector Zero, which detaches with him inside and explodes.

Swearing to finish the mission, Samus returns to the Bioweapon Research Center, and finds the body of James Pierce, as well as the mummified remains of Ridley. She later discovers the survivor Adam mentioned, who opens a large, dark room. A Queen Metroid emerges from the chamber. Samus faces the Queen in a difficult battle when the ship's emergency brakes suddenly become active. Samus resorts to an old tactic and grapples into the Queen's mouth to obliterate it with a Power Bomb through its stomach.

Samus dodges the Queen Metroid's flames.

The survivor absconds. Samus chases the woman down, who identifies herself as Madeline Bergman. She explains that the woman Samus met earlier was actually MB in an android form. At first, the android displayed amazing skill and learning capability, and developed a consciousness of sorts with the Metroids and a mother-daughter relationship with Madeline, but soon became self-aware. She began to disagree with the scientists, to the point where they thought it was necessary to alter her programming. Feeling betrayed by the scientists and Madeline, who did nothing to help her, MB unleashed all of the experiments to run rampant throughout the station, leading to the current state of the BOTTLE SHIP.

Samus and Madeline are then confronted by MB herself. Madeline attempts to negotiate with MB, who insists that all humans should be judged. MB is then frozen by a group of invading Federation Marines, but she quickly thaws off. MB summons the BOTTLE SHIP's most dangerous creatures to attack. Madeline stops the battle by freezing MB again. On The Colonel's orders, MB is killed by the Marines. Madeline, devastated and heartbroken, is quickly restrained. The Colonel compliments Samus' efforts but orders a Marine to escort her back to her ship. Much to everyone's surprise, the soldier reveals himself to be Anthony. He and Samus are thus allowed under the Chairman's orders to take Madeline with them. The trio leave for Galactic Federation Headquarters. On the journey home, Samus questions whether MB was truly evil all along, or misunderstood.

Samus recovers Adam's helmet.

Days after the incident, the Galactic Federation decides to destroy the BOTTLE SHIP by utilizing its self-destruct mechanism. Before this, Samus returns to recover an important treasure, Adam's helmet, which she finds in the Control Room. The ship's self-destruct sequence is activated shortly afteward. Samus quickly escapes the BOTTLE SHIP with the helmet before it is destroyed.

The events of Metroid Fusion follow. 

The Verdict: 

My Thoughts: 

The plot is what other reviews note as the reason why this game received such a bad reputation. There was this anti-feminist vibe that is understood between the lines of this game's narrative, starting with the fact that Samus deactivates all of her powers and abilities just because a man, namely her former superior tells her to.

On one hand, I can understand where this harsh critique, especially where these restrictions make little to no sense. The common example that I have seen people cite is Samus' journey through the Pyrosphere. Samus treks through this highly dangerous territory that damages her from the extremely high temperatures in the volcanic environment and she doesn't activate her Varia Suit until AFTER Adam authorized it, even though she is risking her life without it. This decision makes no sense at all. I can understand she is having "daddy issues" between Adam and herself, but this does not seem like the same intelligent, courageous woman that has saved the galaxy on multiple occasions prior to this adventure. Even after losing contact with Adam, she seeks his approval in her actions, namely when she activates both her Space Jump and Screw Attack abilities, she clearly states, "Any objections, Adam?"

I think all players were thinking the same thing at this moment of the game where you encounter Ridley...

I couldn't fathom why Samus Aran, who has defeated Ridley on MULTIPLE occasions now, would drop to her knees and tremble in fear as she metaphorically becomes a defenseless child in the face of this creature. It was as if she was begging for Big Daddy Adam to tell her it was okay to fight back. This moment alone is the embodiment of how weak Team Ninja as managed to pull Samus' character development back another decade. I can't say I'm surprised with Team Ninja's portrayal of Samus here, as this is the same company that produces the Dead or Alive series and Ninja Gaiden series, where women have no other role in gaming than being eye candy or a damsel in distress with a sprinkle of bad-assery.

On the other hand, when Samus is in the player's control, she contradicts every weakness that she expresses when she is taken out of the player control. She is still the same Metroid slaying bad ass queen that we know and love. There is not a mere moment of the gameplay where she is deemed inferior to any adversary she faces in this title. To be honest, during the last half of the game, Samus' weaponry easily outshines anything the game tosses in your direction save for the boss encounters. And even those few annoyances are minimal threats to Samus' dominance on the battlefield. That being said, Samus' dominance is properly displayed when the player has the means to immerse themselves into the title by controlling every fiber of her actions. Otherwise, when that said control is taken away as the player is forced to sit through one of the many lengthy cutscenes, the player feels betrayed at the portrayal of Samus Aran in cutscenes where Samus, as a character, does not equal the warrior-like presence she displays on the battlefield. Instead, she comes off as an inexperienced, cowardly, and foolish individual - a complete opposite of the character we have known over the course of Nintendo's flagship series.

Revision Note (8/12/17):

In a September 2011 interview with G4 TV, regarding of Ninja Gaiden 3, Other M producer Yosuke Hayashi explained that the game's story was entirely written by Yoshio Sakamoto, not Team Ninja:

“ The story for Other M was definitely the product of Mr. Sakamoto at Nintendo. We definitely worked with them on the project, but that was all him. [...] There are definitely things we learned from Other M by working with Mr. Sakamoto and with Nintendo that we’ve applied to the NG development. „
—Yosuke Hayashi

With that information in mind, I had to think about this...

Let's face it, Samus has been a blank slate to this point (the Prime trilogy is considered mostly non-canon from what I have been reading online so correct me in the comments if this is not true). In Metroid Fusion that this title serves as the prequel of, Samus is characterized as hating to follow orders, but I can see why everyone is in an uproar playing this game in contrast. Her character depicted here is like day and light in these stark comparisons. I don't want to make any exceptions for Nintendo, but as a one-off story (or rather a sidebar entry in contrast to her other adventures), this narrative isn't THAT bad. If you make it through the opening hour(s) of Samus taking orders from her former superior without question and her long drawn-out monologues, her motivations actually make sense. The only thing she wanted was to make the one person she felt that completely understood her see her in a positive light. Haven't we all been in place before? Humanizing Samus isn't a bad thing, especially if you want to show some vulnerability in these heroes. This game's biggest problem is presenting Samus here in a fashion that it gives off the wrong vibe that she's not independent female bad-ass but her actions in this game are a weakness of being a woman. I think that's the wrong message that was portrayed here by most gamers and were immediately turned off to this game despite the gameplay.

Gameplay

If you have played Team Ninja's recent new direction with the Ninja Gaiden series, then you won't be surprised in the least here. Samus moves as fluidly as Ryu Hayabusa in battle and the simple, yet easily accessible control scheme adds to the charm. You hold the Wiimote sideways like a NES controller for most of the game, but point the Wiimote at the screen to switch to first-person mode dubbed the Sense View and view the action from behind Samus' battle visor to use missiles and scan objects, much like in the Metroid Prime trilogy. This is truly an unique experience on it's own, as this layout allows the combat in this game to exceed any previous Metroid title to date. I personally felt that the Sense View was a little cumbersome to control (much like the motion controls for most Wii titles) and left Samus vulnerable to attacks since she was left stationary while implementing this feature. Sadly, this is Samus' only means of using Missiles (and their upgrades - Super and Seeker Missiles) in this game. Fortunately, there's not a heavy demand of using Missiles in this title (your beam attacks are devastatingly more powerful than Missiles by the end of the game outside a few select rare enemy encounters) outside of the opening hour(s) of the game.

Instead of a block button found in the Ninja Gaiden series, Team Ninja have given Samus a different means of defense to aid her in combat. Enter the Sense Move, where Samus evades out of the way of a incoming attack if you hit any direction on the direction pad. Samus is completely invincible during the animation of this move and can repeat it multiple times in succession. Mastery of this technique will be highly beneficial at the beginning of the game, as it would make the later half of the game much more easier as several bosses have devastating attacks that need to be evaded with Sense Move to avoid taking massive amounts of damage. It is a very powerful tool when mastered as Samus' adversaries will have little to no means of dealing damage to her. I think critics were far too harsh on their judgment of this ability. It's not as overpowered as one would think as you can't trigger it unless an enemy attacks Samus; otherwise, she moves around normally.

Speaking of Ninja Gaiden, Samus takes a page from Ryu Hayabusa's playbook to finish off stunned/weakened foes with her Lethal Strike finishing moves. These easy to execute maneuvers allow Samus to dominate even more in combat, making some encounters that were taxing to endure normally, much more easier to defeat after neutralizing the threat with a Lethal Strike after dealing significant damage to the foe. This addition allows the Metroid series' combat to have a bit more depth than the simple run and gun gameplay that we have been accustomed to for the last few decades in this franchise and the Mega Man series.

Boss battles are reminiscent to those found in The Legend of Zelda series - large in scale and monumental. Samus' and the player's skills are constantly being tested as each boss encounter requires your mastery of her weaponry and abilities. As Samus Aran's weapons and abilities are unlocked, you get a sense of growth as Samus' power grows with your own mastery of the game. This is definitely the main thing that both Nintendo and Team Ninja have gotten right here. It's that feeling of accomplishment that drives one to keep on playing, anxious to keep acquiring and mastering the new weapons and abilities. I thought it was a nice touch that even bosses can be stunned/disoriented enough to allow Samus to perform a Lethal Strike on them as well for massive damage. These bosses will test your mastery of the Sense Move as well.

On the downside, the game is very linear all the way up until it's finale. You have little to no means of free exploration like previous Metroid titles. The option to freely explore the Bottle Ship is not unlocked until after completing the game, where Samus acquires Power Bombs (usage is authorized while triggering a new enemy type upon using Power Bombs on special doors/walls that require them to be opened). Afterwards, you're allowed to backtrack and explore to reach 100% completion. Since the narrative shows Samus without her armor on multiple occasions, there is no extra bonus for clearing the game in speedy fashion either.

Revision Note (8/12/17): The game does offer a final challenge after the credits roll in the form of an extra boss battle against Phantoon from Super Metroid when Samus Aran returns to the Bottle Ship to reclaim Adam's helmet. Acquiring the helmet after defeating Phantoon triggers the traditional Metroid series "escape" sequence where Samus (in her Zero Suit armor) races back to her ship within five minutes on the timer.

As for the extreme details of the gameplay, hardcore Metroid series purists have sounded off in the comments with their thoughts and weighed in. Truth be told, I'm not a speedrunner nor am I a "hardcore" Metroid player. I have played the bulk of the series over the last few decades and there's things that I like from both Samus' 2D and 3D outings and others I didn't like. This game brought the best of both worlds, while trying something different. It could use some polish but I have played far worse games than this.

Play It or Don't Bother?

Given Samus Aran's portrayal in cutscenes, I could easily give this game the thumbs down. No, that would be too easy, and besides I have played FAR worse games than this. This definitely isn't at the top of my list of favorite adventures with Samus Aran, but it's definitely not the worst game I have ever played. If you can stomach the "teenage girl diary" style cutscenes and melodrama, you will definitely find the some of core elements that make up the Metroid series we all know and love. The first few hours of the game give off a bad impression, but this is one of those titles that rewards its players for sticking through the rough beginning hours.

I give this one a 7.5 out of 10. The story for me hurt the score more than anything but the gameplay makes up for its shortcomings. I humbly suggest that Metroid fans old and new at least play this game at least once to see what Nintendo did well here and what they could improve upon with future Metroid titles.

As a fan of the Metroid series, I want to say that Nintendo were very bold to take a shot in the dark and do a title like this. It's far from perfect but it's definitely a step in the right direction if they want Samus Aran to last in gamers' hearts for another decade or two. There are going to be long-time fans that will be upset on how Samus was portrayed here, but at the end of the day, the actual gameplay speaks for itself. This is STILL a Metroid game and it's far from being a bad one. All that I ask is that my fellow Metroid fans support this title by giving it a fair shot from start to finish before passing the final judgment.

** Update (5/1/2014) ** I humbly respect the feedback that I'm getting on this review out of nowhere lately, but I want to clarify a few things. This game is "good" at being a 2D Metroid game. I get that it's linear, but I'm not faulting the game for that because the number one complaint for most newcomers to this series is that it's so easy to get lost unless you are already a fan and will take the time to find the proper direction on where to go and what to do. This game remedied that in manner than held players' hands more than Metroid Fusion ever did and constantly kept you moving in the right direction.

Is The Other M good in relation to the Metroid Prime series? Hell no. Given the bare bones that this franchise has come from in its beginnings, this was a barely passable attempt to a revision the franchise. Were Team Ninja and Sakamoto Yoshio's combined efforts were at fault for the faults in this game? Of course.

I respect each and every one of your comments below, but in turn, I ask for your respect and don't vent at me like I was responsible for your personal distaste with this game. I honestly enjoyed actually playing this game, but wasn't too crazy about the narrative. I like seeing Nintendo trying new things with this series for it can continue to be a staple of the Nintendo family like the Mario and Zelda series.

Revision Note (8/12/17): After revisiting this game for the first time in five years, I feel the same way as I did from the first time playing this game outside of a few minor tweaks and additions I made to this review. Give this game a fair shot - most will hate and loathe it, others will tolerate it, then a select few will find something to enjoy here.