Metroid Fusion

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A worthy follow up to Super Metroid

From the moment when the game says "Metroid IV" before the opening cinematic you know you're in for something special. It has been years since Metroid had seen a new title, and now it's back in force. Metroid Fusion is a departure from the norm, but it definately lives up to its Metroid name.

The story is as follows, you, Samus Aran, are sent to help scientists of the Biologic Space Labs study life on the planet SR388 after Samus removed the top of the food chain by exterminating all Metroids on that planet during Metroid II. This seems all dandy and peaceful until you discover a strange floating viral organism that infects Samus and her power suit. Samus' suit is cut away in attempts to save her life and she's given a vaccine of Metroid DNA, Metroids being the sole predator of the virus organism which is dubbed "X", so the vaccine kills the virus and as a side effect it allows samus to absorb the virus.

Samus is then sent back out to see to a problem at the Biologic Space Labs in her modified and weaker power suit only to find that all hell has broken loose. This is where the gameplay starts and the differences begin.

First of all you're on a space station instead of a planet (The different areas are built to look like different ecosystems on a planet anyway). The graphics are phenomenal and a big improvement over Super Metroid. The gameplay has remained largely the same but that's a good thing, you take a lot of damage which can be explained away since your power suit is crappier than your old one. Also on this mission you're given missions dictated to you by a computer named Adam. This takes away from the non-linear gameplay of previous metroid games and makes it a tad bit more linear but it also adds a welcome and cool science fiction story. Another twist to the game is the SA-X. It seems that the X virus can copy anything it touches, and since it infected Samus with all her best abilities it decided to copy her. Through most of the game you have to run from this fake Samus as it kills you in only a few hits and this adds for some tense and frightening moments.

The music in the game is also noteworthy, all the tracks fit their intended purpose from the creepy to the heroic. You'll want to use headphones for this game.

In conclusion it might not be Super Metroid, but it's Metroid and it is nearly as good. No Metroid fan's life would be complete without picking this one up.

For those of you new to the Metroid series, I reccommend buying the equally fantastic Zero Mission first.

4.5 stars - A solid entry in the Metroid series

See you next mission. Those were the words that video gamers got when they had finally completed 1994's Super Metroid for the Super Nintendo gaming console. Gamers were continually wondering just when that next mission would be. For years and years they waited... It took eight long years for the so-called "next mission" to arrive, but in late 2002, two new Metroid games were released. Metroid Fusion for the Game Boy Advance, which would continue the side-scrolling action/exploration stylings of Super Metroid, and Metroid Prime for the Gamecube, which would bring the series into the twenty-first century, with a full 3D adventure. Read on for my review of Metroid Fusion for the Game Boy Advance.

-IF YOU LIKED SUPER METROID, YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE THIS GAME. Super Metroid was the game that was the perfect fusion of action and exploration, and that won many a gamer over almost instantly. Metroid Fusion is likely to do the game. The game plays just like its old Super Nintendo counterpart.
-ALL THE CLASSIC ABILITIES YOU KNOW AND LOVE ARE BACK. The Wave Beam, Varia Suit, Gravity Suit, Morphing Ball, Bombs, and Plasma Beam have all returned for your gaming pleasure.
-IT'S ONE OF THE FEW METROID GAMES THAT HEAVILY EMPHASIZES THE STORYLINE THROUGH AND THROUGH - AND IT HAS A GOOD STORYLINE! Samus had finished eradicating a species of parasites called the X, or so she thought. One infected her suit, nearly killing her. Fortunately, she was saved through the usage of a Metroid-based vaccine. The X multiplied in a research-based space station, and now Samus must stop them once and for all. It's one of the best storylines in the series, and it is continually explored through the course of the game.
-THE GAME IS COMPATIBLE WITH METROID PRIME. If you use a GCN/GBA link cable, you can unlock special features, provided you have beaten one of the games. Beat Fusion and do this, and you unlock the original NES Metroid in Metroid Prime. Beat Prime and do this, and you'll unlock a new costume for Samus in Prime. Cool stuff.
-TONS OF HIDDEN STUFF. Like the previous Metroid games, this one has a good deal of things hidden through the layout of the space station - you'll need to find them all if you want to get a hundred percent rating when you complete the game.

CONS:
-THE PLAY CONTROL FALLS BELOW THE USUAL SERIES STANDARDS. You must hold down the R button to fire your missiles, and use the L button to aim diagonally. If you've got big hands like me, using the Game Boy Advance's shoulder buttons can be nightmarish. Still, this probably won't bother you much once you get into the game.
-THE GAME IS JUST TOO SHORT AND EASY. I completed the game initially in under four hours - and I didn't even need a player guide or an FAQ/walkthrough. If you go into battles fully armed, you're not going to have a lot of trouble winning. A few fights will challenge you, but for the most part you probably won't have a lot of trouble. Another thing that makes the game too easy is its linear nature. The game is essentially "holding your hand" all the way through, with computer stations offering you advice on how to win.

OVERALL:
Overall, this is not a perfect game, and it's not as good as Super Metroid (it's doubtful the series will ever top THAT masterpiece.) But nonetheless, Fusion is a solid entry in an excellent series, and if you're a Game Boy Advance owner who likes games of this sort, you'll be doing yourself a real favor by purchasing it.

great game

i love metroids. the gc versoin blows bot this is great like the original

Fun Fun Fun

Hmmm i loved this game. I remeber when i got it at a shopco and the friend i was with murmered what a nerd i am. (huh huh huh funny) Anyways i played this game for about a week and i beat it which is teh same with most metroid games (exept metroid prime unless you like play it all the time but the gameboy is so much more mobile) Anywho, this game is awsome. Its kinda more colorful then the other games as by meaning its the most like cel shading (like zelda: wind waker) but its barley noticable. I thought the game had an amazing plot and really interesting bosses (yes -sigh- ridley AGAIN) it was definatley a cool idea but truthfully i kinda wondered if samus is stuck in that suit i thought she wasnt like i read it somewehre but theres lots of liars out there. Anywho, i would recremend this game to anyone even if you dont play the series the only thing thats kinda previous is the baby metroid DNA and the whole metroid sr388 planet thing but besides that nothing new here. Exept ridley i guess (curse you ridley!!!!) But buy this game (well you dotn have to....) but i advise it.

The BEST sequel since "Super Metroid"!

I first got this game on Christmas Eve 2002, expecting some good ol' classic Metroid gameplay with storyline/graphics that keep you hooked. I wasn't disappointed! This is by far the BEST Metroid sequel since "Super Metroid" (a.k.a. "Metroid III"), which hit the SNES in 1994. The storyline is far more compelling out of all the others (even the original!), and the graphics almost seem to go beyond any other GBA game! (with the exception of "Golden Sun" and "The Sword of Mana"!) Samus is also more powerful, faster, and intelligent than ever after becoming infected by an unknown virus that nearly takes her life but transforms her with a higher bodysuit upgrade! When the game begins, she seriously opens up a can of Whoopa$$ on her enemies!!! There are also more abilities, hidden areas, items, and big bad BOSSES than ever before, and the whole layout itself is both suspenseful and intense!

(WARNING: You'll sometimes have to run from Samus's old bodysuit which also becomes possessed by the virus and actually tries to hunt you down, until the final battle near the end!)

Some other old familiar characters return as well including Samus's old indestructable nemesis, Ridley, and the friendly creatures from Planet Zebes on the previous installment! You'll have to watch yourself at ever corner and keep moving fast until you reach the ultimate enemy of them all... THE 'OMEGA METROID'!!!! Or face certain destruction! OVERALL: I give it a 10/10! I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS GAME! ADD IT TO YOUR 'M' COLLECTION NOW! I also reccomend: "Super Metroid" & "Metroid: ZERO MISSION"! They are some of the best!