Metroid: Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance)
Reviewed by: Rockman
BTRsReviewed on: 14-Feb-2004
- Summary
- Samus returns to tell you the tale of her first mission to planet Zebes, with all new plot twists, cinematic scenes, and moves to infiltrate the Space Pirates' base!
- Ratings
- Overall: A
- Gameplay: A
- Graphics: A
- Learning Curve: A-
- Replay Value: A+
- Sound: A
- Pros
- Remake of the classic Metroid title
- The classic NES Metroid is on the game pak
- Endings to the game are saved in the gallery, so you can view them as many times as you want
- It's portable, it's Metroid, what else could you want?
- Plenty of secret paths, weapons, and challenges! Excellent replay value!
- Cons
- Some bosses tend to be cheap on where to hit them, often you have to land an extremely precise hit to hit them.
- Some bosses can be too easy, others insanely difficult.
- A little too short, even with the added ending. This is made up for with replay value but still, it would have been nice if it were just a little longer.
- Links
- Metroid Database - Good for all your Metroid needs!
- Gamefaqs - For walkthroughs!
- Metroid Official Website
- Images
Description
"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
And what a mission it is.
OVERVIEW:
This isn't the same way you remember Samus' first mission from ages ago, back on the NES. While it's structured on many of the same maps from the timeless classic, so many new features have been added to make the game better. Wait, did I just say better, you ask? How could they make a classic like Metroid -better-? Well, read on.
GRAPHICS:
Simply awesome. The graphics are similar to Metroid Fusion's, but to me they flow more smoothly and there's more details. There are silhouettes of Samus when she jumps, and that always catches my eye because I think that is one of the coolest effects. Little bugs will crawl around on the rocks of Brinstar. Kraid, who was once rather tiny, has been remade into his extremely large form, and the fight with him is great. Not to mention the cinematic sequences to further the story are nothing short of amazing. The graphics are some of the best on GBA to date.
SOUND:
The sound is probably one of the best qualities of the game. Each track from Metroid has been remixed or redone slightly, but nothing to really take away from the classic themes. The "item collect" theme that served as Samus' victory theme from the Smash Bros. series is back, when Samus appears in Brinstar, that famous medley is also back. The classic opening of doors sound, the catchy Brinstar theme, all is here. Some of the best tracks (besides Brinstar) are the Chozo's theme, and the song of danger that plays when something...well, dangerous is happening. The sounds never get annoying, really. Not to mention the famous screeches of Ridley are now back, making you wince as if you were Samus yourself (and you are in the game, so it's fitting).
CONTROLS:
The controls are the same as they are in Metroid Fusion, so the transition is not entirely bad if you've played that game before. The only thing that bothers me about the controls is angling a charged shot (a little rough on the finger movement), or switching between super missiles and regular missiles quickly (it's quite a feat to do it effectively without hurting yourself). However, this doesn't have to be done often enough to be a complete annoyance.
GAMEPLAY:
It's classic Metroid, it's awesome. If you've ever played any game in the series and enjoyed it, you'll love Zero Mission. Bosses can be a little frustrating in terms of difficulty (either being too easy or too hard), and having to hit them can be a pain when you have to hit a direct spot. That, however, is hardly enough complaint to attract from all the wonderful features of this game. Samus has moves from her other adventures now, such as speed boosting and clinging to ledges. There's even something new after defeating Mother Brain that gave me a huge shock... This game is so awesome. Go buy it.
REPLAY:
There are eight different endings, determined by what difficulty setting your on, how fast you beat the game, and your percentage for collecting items. Your endings are stored in the gallery on the options screen, so it's definetly worth going back and getting all the endings. Not to mention when you beat the game, you unlock the original NES Metroid to play, and ontop of that, if you link up with Metroid Fusion, you can see all of that games endings in Zero Mission's gallery! A great game to pick up for someone who wants to get their money's worth.
OVERALL:
Overall, I give this game an A, due to all the amazing factors I listed above. Go take $30 out of your wallet and go buy this game. It's worth every cent. Fans of the classic will love it, and those new to the series will get to see Samus' roots. The replay value is amazing, so there's no worries there, and it's a remake of one of the greatest games of all time.
What are you waiting for? Go get it!
- Samus Aran
And what a mission it is.
OVERVIEW:
This isn't the same way you remember Samus' first mission from ages ago, back on the NES. While it's structured on many of the same maps from the timeless classic, so many new features have been added to make the game better. Wait, did I just say better, you ask? How could they make a classic like Metroid -better-? Well, read on.
GRAPHICS:
Simply awesome. The graphics are similar to Metroid Fusion's, but to me they flow more smoothly and there's more details. There are silhouettes of Samus when she jumps, and that always catches my eye because I think that is one of the coolest effects. Little bugs will crawl around on the rocks of Brinstar. Kraid, who was once rather tiny, has been remade into his extremely large form, and the fight with him is great. Not to mention the cinematic sequences to further the story are nothing short of amazing. The graphics are some of the best on GBA to date.
SOUND:
The sound is probably one of the best qualities of the game. Each track from Metroid has been remixed or redone slightly, but nothing to really take away from the classic themes. The "item collect" theme that served as Samus' victory theme from the Smash Bros. series is back, when Samus appears in Brinstar, that famous medley is also back. The classic opening of doors sound, the catchy Brinstar theme, all is here. Some of the best tracks (besides Brinstar) are the Chozo's theme, and the song of danger that plays when something...well, dangerous is happening. The sounds never get annoying, really. Not to mention the famous screeches of Ridley are now back, making you wince as if you were Samus yourself (and you are in the game, so it's fitting).
CONTROLS:
The controls are the same as they are in Metroid Fusion, so the transition is not entirely bad if you've played that game before. The only thing that bothers me about the controls is angling a charged shot (a little rough on the finger movement), or switching between super missiles and regular missiles quickly (it's quite a feat to do it effectively without hurting yourself). However, this doesn't have to be done often enough to be a complete annoyance.
GAMEPLAY:
It's classic Metroid, it's awesome. If you've ever played any game in the series and enjoyed it, you'll love Zero Mission. Bosses can be a little frustrating in terms of difficulty (either being too easy or too hard), and having to hit them can be a pain when you have to hit a direct spot. That, however, is hardly enough complaint to attract from all the wonderful features of this game. Samus has moves from her other adventures now, such as speed boosting and clinging to ledges. There's even something new after defeating Mother Brain that gave me a huge shock... This game is so awesome. Go buy it.
REPLAY:
There are eight different endings, determined by what difficulty setting your on, how fast you beat the game, and your percentage for collecting items. Your endings are stored in the gallery on the options screen, so it's definetly worth going back and getting all the endings. Not to mention when you beat the game, you unlock the original NES Metroid to play, and ontop of that, if you link up with Metroid Fusion, you can see all of that games endings in Zero Mission's gallery! A great game to pick up for someone who wants to get their money's worth.
OVERALL:
Overall, I give this game an A, due to all the amazing factors I listed above. Go take $30 out of your wallet and go buy this game. It's worth every cent. Fans of the classic will love it, and those new to the series will get to see Samus' roots. The replay value is amazing, so there's no worries there, and it's a remake of one of the greatest games of all time.
What are you waiting for? Go get it!