Metroid Fusion

The Good
Metroid Fusion is chronologically the last Metroid game(the Metroid Prime franchise takes place between Metroid 1/Zero Mission and Metroid II: The Return of Samus), and it's Samus' first 32bit adventure on the Advance.

Personally, I really enjoyed the game throughout. There were some things I disliked about it but generally the whole experience is very enjoyable. Samus' new abilities, such as climbing ladders and the Power Grip which allows her to grip ledges come in handy for sure. I also like that they made the missiles upgradeable, that really simplified a lot of things for sure. Overall, Metroid Fusion feels simple, easy to play, and something you can just pick up and play, which is how handheld games should be like. The sound effects are very well done in comparison to older games.

The Bad
I didn't quite like the fact I couldn't skip the cutscenes. Having to watch the long intro every time I start a new game is a real pain in the butt. Also, I didn't like how much the game relied on story and mission objectives. I felt that the freedom and non-linear experience I had in Super Metroid was completely absent. Also, the music isn't nearly as memorable as the Super Metroid soundtrack, but it fits the atmosphere well.

The Bottom Line
Metroid Fusion is a game that some will find very entertaining and exciting, with huge replay value as you will try to find more and more items and do it with less playtime, while others might find the increased linear story-driven gameplay boring and uncharacteristic for the series in general. But all in all, Metroid Fusion is not a bad game. It's maybe not the best in the series(I give Super Metroid that title), but it's playable, and it gives room for another prequel.

The Good
The music, and, kinda, the story. The gameplay is, sometimes better, sometimes worse than Super Metroid - Let's keep in mind the lack of graphical resolution of the GBA compared to the SNES. This alone makes the tiles smaller, and thus the mobility of Samus had to be changed. I personally like how you got more control with the Space jump/Screw attack in MF. The morphing ball's spring ball and bomb are also sort of more controllable.

Graphically, the game is a nice sight. Compared to Super Metroid, is much more complex. More colorful. But for some reason, the game is not as atmospheric as Super Metroid. Maybe the color palette of Super Metroid was the help it needed to give its creepy atmosphere. Metroid Fusion is too vibrant, too colorful, and since it has many colors, it doesn't give you the effect, the creepynes that Super Metroid has. Although the game can immerse you quite good. Specially while Dealing/Hiding from SA-X. During these moments, the game atmosphere tells you that YOU CANNOT FIGHT SA-X. In the end, you KNOW you have to beat SA-X.

Personally, the game makes you feel as if you were playing a Resident Evil/Metroid combo. Very suspenseful, I have to admit.

During my journey thru the BSL, I enjoyed a very decent soundtrack. In fact, one of the best I have ever heard in MEtroid Fusion. Part of the atmosphere in Metroid Fusion is due to its almost-entirely orchestrated Soundtrack. Horns, Timpani, strings creeping the hell out of you, the game makes a GOOD use of the background music. This is nearly flawless. The sound effects are also well done.

The gameplay, as I said has changed a bit, improving some things, but getting bad in another ones. The wall jump totally sucks in Metroid Fusion. It cannot be executed like in Super Metroid or like in MZM, where you can use a single wall to reach big heights (Although is more limiting than in Super Metroid). On the other hand, the Shinespark works wonderful in Metroid Fusion. If you hit an elevation on the ground while shinesparking, samus will run again with Speed Booster. In Super Metroid, that didn't happen. Lateral Shinespark is also easier to execute than in Super Metroid, although the animation effect is much slower. The Screw attack and Space jump, are also much easier to control. While jumping/falling, press A again and Samus will spin/spacejump. So if you're falling a big height, and it is "hard" to return to where you was, if you have the space jump, it will be easier to return above. The Power Grip also makes for a good add-on.

The Bad
A computer telling you what to do all the way. The Galactic Federation providing Samus with power ups. That moment, Samus lost protagonism. Well, it's the only way to justify the absence of the Items provided by the Chozo. I would have preferred this game to take Samus back to SR-388 instead of a space colony orbiting it. Would have made more sense, and Samus would have not seen in need for the Federation to progress.

The Bottom Line
This game by itself is a good game. Good music, Good graphics, Good challenge (Although I felt the game a bit too "Contra/Probotector", you need to hit certain bosses in specific spots), but in the end, It doesn't feel "Metroidy". It has the Metroid gameplay, but it's not an usual Metroid. Substitute Samus' sprite with any of the Belmont Family, and place the game in a huge castle, and there it is. A Castlevania of the "Simplony" generation.

Sad thing is, I ended up sorta liking this game...

The Good
Some friends almost forced me to play this game - bus when I laid in the bed, connected the GBA to my stereo, adjusted the light and was sucked into this strange, paranoid and very intense world... At first, this is just a simple 2D jump 'n run - but it turnes out to be much, much more! Sound and graphics are well - the gameplay is fantastic! And bonus-thumbs-up for the intuitive controls!

The Bad
Difficult questions! I'd say, that this game is a bit short - but on the other hand, it offers enough replayabilty. And then, there are some bosses, that are invincible for hours - until you find out the right technique, and finish them off in a minute...

The Bottom Line
Classical 2D jump 'n run thru a complex spacestation, where a strange alien virus break free. You have to shoot enemies, turn switched, discover secret rooms&tunnels. Doesn't sound special, huh? But the great gameplay, the gloomy atmosphere and the simple to handle, but powerful controls turn Metroid Fusion into a triple-A title!

The Good
The gameplay was very smooth and easy to learn and just excellent. I don't think there are that many GBA games with such good gameplay. Furthermore the graphics are brilliant and when this was released back in 2002 this was one of the best looking GBA games to date and it still looks excellent. Everything is worked out pixel-perfect and the colors are beautiful and fit with the theme. The sound is simply very atmospheric and dark and just gives you the feeling of really being on the space station featured in the game but it's a bit repetitive, though. The story has always been a strong part of the Metroid series and with Metroid Fusion it's not different. Samus Aran is being infected with a deadly virus but a Metroid medicine saves her and makes her immune to them and able to feed on them to replenish energy. however the virus called X can mimic every creature. Now Samus must find her way through an X infected space station and destroy the X thread. The story builds up very well throughout the game. Simply a very dramatic and interesting storyline! there's also a nice link function when you complete the GameCube game Metroid Prime. You can import Samus' new Fusion Suit from Fusion into Prime.

The Bad
The music as mentioned before is good but repetitive. The replay is a bit disappointing because if you play trough it more quickly you only get awarded with a few more pictures. It gets worse if you know that the hard-mode was cut from the western release.

The Bottom Line
Another brilliant piece of shooting and jumping and most importantly exploring to get back your abilities. Fun for both fans or newbies (like me). Buy it!

The Good
Metroid Fusion is a departure from the Metroid series in a lot of ways, but still maintains the many good aspects of the series. The graphics and level design are awesome, and I still find myself wondering how the GBA was capable of such things. There are still plenty of kick-ass boss fights, each one offering you a new power-up. I liked the whole concept of the X parasites too. Being able to absorb them for health and missiles proved more convenient and predictable than the items dropped by enemies in past Metroid games. The length and difficulty of the game are also satisfying, which proved to me (back in the day) that not all handheld titles are short and easy.

The Bad
The main problem with this game is that there's too much text and linearity. You constantly have to wait and read what Adam has to tell you, and it's often a simple objective that you could easily figure out on your own (go in, kill boss, activate something, get out). Also, the fact that you're confined within a sector for each objective greatly decreases the amount of open-ended exploration which you can do, a thing that the rest of the series is greatly known for. However, aside from these minor (in my opinion) problems, the game is still damn good.

The Bottom Line
Metroid Fusion takes the main gameplay mechanics from Super Metroid, and applies them in a different fashion. It's a very different game in the series, but is still worth checking out. And if you don't mind the text and linearity, there is literally nothing keeping you from loving this game.

The Good
The game is a good example of how Metroid series could logically be something else than what it usually stands for. So far, Metroid games had been mostly lone adventures where the plot is largely of the implied kind; Fusion, on the other hand, relies on direct narration and even - as unusual it sounds in a Metroid title - dialogue. So, this game is a refreshing change of pace; it's actually quite nice to see Samus, for once, having to cooperate with other people.

Also, the pacing changes are just beautifully done. The space laboratory undergoes changes. Power goes down, and suddenly you have to figure out different routes. There are times when you just have to make quick decisions.

The environments are beautifully done, and the graphics are surprisingly detailed for a 2D sprite game - a tradition which fortunately continued in Metroid: Zero Mission. Music is somewhat different from the usual Metroid tunes, but fit the game very nicely anyway.

The Bad
This game is much harder than Metroid: Zero Mission, and the boss fights, at times, approach Metroid Prime in their careful crafting of annoyance. How hard would it be to put the save points right next to the annoying boss fights? In a few places, I just hated to walk around for several tricky minutes from the nearest save point to the boss room where the boss flattens me in no time at all. And, of course, the last boss fights in particular were a marathon in murder. (Luckily, usually the most aggravating part was first in these...)

It's also a less open-ended game, which obviously comes from having such a strong plot this time... No problem in that in itself, but if you combine the annoying bosses with no freeform exploration, you get a distinct "oh man, I again need to trudge through those annoying rooms to get to the spider from hell, maybe I'll play this next week instead" feeling.

It's almost if this game needs more deliberate planning to play through; it's a game that you plan to play, instead of a game (like Zero Mission) that you can play in small doses and go in random directions and still make progress - something that is a good quality in a game for a portable system.

But maybe that feeling will wear off once you play this through a few times and you develop an understanding of the game, the same way you can develop an "understanding" about Zero Mission. I don't know yet, personally.

The Bottom Line
Fourth 2D part of the Metroid series is a nicely crafted continuation from the groundwork set forth by Super Metroid, and, control-wise, is built to work perfectly on the Game Boy Advance. A lot of strange things are going on this time: a whole new kind of an enemy that is also a master of mimicking, X Parasite, wreaks havoc in a scientific space station. Samus gets infected, disinfected with a new vaccine, and her old Chozo suit gets replaced with something odder.

We also see an evil clone of Samus herself, sure to induce some fear with its awesome weaponry - equivalents of which have traditionally been strewn around the station and you need to go grab them again.

This time, Samus takes orders from an artificial intelligence program which Samus calls Adam, and we also see, much to our non-surprise, that things people would rather not discuss are going on in the space station. Samus talks in this game, (though if you wanted sound samples, we had to wait for Brawl) and also uses her amazing blogging skills more than she used them in Super Metroid, now in form of many diary notes.

So here we have it: Fascinating science fiction tale in crammed, scary quarters of a huge space station - a finely crafted tale at that, if you are into that sort of things. Those new to the series should not take it as a representative of the series what comes to the look, plot and narration, because a lot of things are very different and unique in this game - just the basic gameplay and equipment remains the same compared to the rest of the series. This game works pretty well on its own, but I might recommend trying Metroid: Zero Mission first to get your feet wet - but that's not entirely necessary, I wager.

The Good
This game is possibly the best Metroid game yet. It's graphics are amazing for a game boy game. Like most metroid games it is quite long. It's music is great and the gameplay is especially good. There are tons of different weapons and special abilities that you recover along the way.

The Bad
One downside is that some of the bosses are way to hard. You will probably start to get annoyed at them towards the end and want to throw down the game. Also likle Metroid Prime you can only save at special points.( i don't know about the other games)

The Bottom Line
If you have a lot of patience then this game is for you. overall it is a very good game worth the time and money that you will put into it.

The Good
Imagine a gameplay screen. Imagine all the different things that can be displayed on such a screen. Now, Metroid Fusion decided to do something epic and fill that screen with crumbling blocks. These are ominous symbols of desolation and sorrow. What Samus has to do is either Space Jump like there's no tomorrow, or remain in a Shinesparking state and run past these blocks. There is also symbolism in this. Some of these rooms require very extensive use of the Shinespark technique. Samus remaining in a state of light (Remain in Light) is symbolic of the ever-present battle between light and dark, good and evil.

There are also Screw Attack blocks everywhere. The thing is that you don't get Screw Attack ability until near the end, and after that, the game will direct you to fight the final bosses, effectively preventing you from exploring the rooms behind the Screw Attack blocks. This adds a sense of distrust and unrest. You shouldn't trust the in-game navigation computer. You're still the rogue agent who answers to no one but her own plans and strategies. After the Screw Attack ability is unlocked, you'll travel in some amazing paths that connect the puzzle pieces you collected throughout the adventure. Things finally make sense.

The Bad
Some puzzles don't make any sense. Bomb the center of a platform to reveal a bridge? Kill a spider and expect it to morph into another creature and kill that and wait for it to morph into yet another?

No X-Ray. The Select button is useless in this game and could have been used to activate the X-Ray ability found in Super Metroid. Without X-Ray, plus the fact that the game violently dictates where you should go next by disabling doors and paths that were previously open, you just feel that the game is bullying you and deceiving you at all times.

Lack of moves and tricks. The map and layout of the rooms aren't memorable enough, probably the least memorable Metroidvania map I've played. I can't tell the various areas apart since they look alike and have similar layout.

The Bottom Line
It took me 15 hours to beat it with 99% item collection rate. Metroid Fusion is solid, but life is too short and I wouldn't really recommend a game that's not excellent. If you have played Super Metroid and liked it, it's probably a better idea to just replay Super Metroid, rather than playing this.

The Good
I liked the in-depth plot of Samus and the difficulty of the stages. Metroid has always been one of my favorite games and a must have for all gamers.

The Bad
They could have had a more variety of music to play.

The Bottom Line
Splendid display of colors, a great storyline and definitely worth your money.