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Super Metroid

Started by Double, November 16, 2008, 01:19:44 AM

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Double

I was intending to do this review quite a while ago, but things got in the way and then I totally forgot about it until now.

Intro: Super Metroid is the third game in the series, and as the title implies it's on  the Super Nintendo.

Gameplay: Super Metroid follows its original predecessors model, that is Metroid, not Metroid II. This is a good thing, as you no longer need to go hunt down a bunch of Metroids  and are no longer impeded by the asshole acid (while there is acid, it doesn't stay there until you defeat a certain amount of enemies like in Metroid II). Like the past two, the game can be beaten fairly quickly if you know what you're doing, and also expects you to be able to do in under three hours. Unlike the past games though the replay value here is much higher which will be further addressed.

The games basic flow structure is as follows:
-Get item.
-Go somewhere you couldn't go before with that item.
-Get another item.
-Repeat occasionally throwing in bosses.
This seems pretty primitive, but I'll let it slide for two reasons. First, it works fairly effectively and rarely does backtracking take that long. Second, if you know what you are doing you can basically say "Fuck you game order! I'm doing it my way.". One such example I can give you is getting into Kraids lair requires making a jump that you seemingly can't make at the start of the game. You can then go get the Hi-Jump Boots to make that jump... or if you know how and have a little patience you can use a wall jump trick to get up there and skip the Hi-Jump Boots. While one could argue this is sequence breaking and is thus should not be taking into consideration, I would suggest you watch the games demo where you can see the player do a rather complex bomb jumping trick. The designers of this game clearly intended for it to have multiple ways of going through it, albeit some of them are very, difficult such as the reverse boss order challenge which requires going through Norfair without the Varia Suit.

Samus has improved quite a bit from Metroid II, she can now shoot diagonally, I know that doesn't sound like much, but trust me it is. Samus can also now run, a fact lost by many who play the game and get stuck in a room in Brinstar. Samus has most of her power ups from the previous game, only getting rid of rather tedious to use Spider Ball from Metroid II (Prime fans, don't lash out here, the Spider Ball in Metroid II was tedious as hell compared to the one you see in the Prime games).Newer power ups include things like the Speed Booster, which upgrades her running power, newer kinds of ammunition (which are both used as offensive weapons and to open doors) and a grapple beam which lets you swing off certain types of blocks*. Other power ups include various beam upgrades, which stack, i.e. getting Wide and Ice Beams lets you shoot wide ice beams (what a novel concept!). It should also be noted that at any time Samus can unequip any item she has equipped... why you'd want to do that for anything besides the beams I don't know.

The game also has a lot of secrets in it, such as the Crystal Flash which lets you fully heal Samus under certain conditions. Also for example there are beam shields, which practically no one knows about. Of course this doesn't even include all the various expansions packed throughout the game, fortunately the game does give you an X-Ray visor to see secrets which can make this search a bit easier.
20 out of 20

*Also you can use your grapple beam to electrocute a boss while he's grabbing you, if that's not hardcore I don't know what is.

Music:

If I could give out 16's I would for this game.
15 out of 15

Length: As mentioned before, you can beat this game in under 3 hours if you know what you are doing. Emphasis on the phrase if you know what you are doing, if you don't then you'll find yourself taking considerably longer to complete the game. However unlike the original Metroid, the games apparent encouragement of playing in different ways gives the game a much higher replay value than its predecessor.
15 out of 15

Translation: There is very little text in the game, but it's all handled well. It should be noted the first line of the introduction is actually narrated something that I don't recall happening in Nintendo games much afterwards.
10 out of 10

Rehash Factor: In addition to enemies from the first game, including the now apparently immortal Ridley, the game actually reuses some areas from the first game. Specifically the final areas of Tourain and the first of Brinstar. Ironically, there is an energy tank in the exact same spot in the Brinstar section as it was in the original. The game also tends to reuse enemy types throughout it, and simply swap their sprites and health values. Despite that, the rest of the content is new enough to save the game.
14 out of 15

Plot: THE LAST METROID IS CAPTIVITY THE GALAXY IS AT PEACE... THE METROID HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY SPACE PIRATES ARE YOU A BAD ENOUGH OF A BOUNTY HUNTER TO SAVE IT? Ok while I could just be an ass and write the plot off here, the game does get some credit for a couple of reasons. First it directly follows the events of the last game, this may seem strange to you but with all the prequel bullshit that's been going on sense this game, this game gets respect for that fact alone. Also there is a section towards the end of the game where the aforementioned Metroid comes to its sense and nobly sacrifices itself to save you, which while not that epic of a plot twist, it still is one.
5 out of 10

Difficulty: The games pretty easy in comparison to the previous game... but I'll give the game credit for how much of an ass they made Ridley. Still the game has a map now, and while the enemies may be more challenging you also have upgraded your own arsenal causing there to be no increase in enemy difficulty for the most part**.
13 out of 15

**Exception, the kung-fu space pirates towards the end of Ridley's lair.

Total: 92/100 = 92 %

No, that's not the highest review the first MegaMan X still holds that title.

Positive: The game was even thought out well enough to give you the opportunity to save the few NPCs in the game that didn't totally suck.

Negative: I'd say the last decent Metroid game, but the first Prime at least tried...