Metroid Fusion

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.