I made it a goal to beat all four of the 2D "Metroid" games before "Metroid Dread," and I managed to do that with a lot of time to spare before that game's release. Naturally, the last game that I played prior to the release of "Dread" was "Metroid Fusion," the 2002 Game Boy Advance title that released on the same day as "Metroid Prime." This was one of the entries I knew the least about going into playing it, which can be a good thing because it allows me to experience the game without any preconceived notions or ideologies. Sadly, though, while many others have loved this game, I just couldn't get behind it in the same way.
"Metroid Fusion" does have some nice things going for it, and it did a solid job of translating the "Metroid" gameplay to a handheld. The new set of characters and plotlines are very dark, and the game's visual design accurately portrays a sense of dread. The power-ups remain excellent, the controls feel very smooth despite the handheld platform, and the music is wonderful, as you'd expect from "Metroid." Also, while this was something some weren't fond of, I personally didn't mind that the game was more linear. I think "Metroid," even though it's known for being open-ended, can do a really good job of handling linear gameplay, and it can make things a little less overwhelming for new players.
Sadly, this game had a lot of issues that stopped me from loving it as much as others did. While the storytelling is not bad, it does away with the "show, don't tell" approach of "Super Metroid," which disappointed me a bit. I also found the difficulty spike extremely frustrating, and the boss fights to be unfairly difficult at times (don't get me started on SA-X). Also, I found that the checkpoint placing made the trek back to bosses monotonous, and it was one of my least favorite things about the game.
I'm sorry, the "Metroid" fan in me wanted to love "Metroid Fusion," but this game was just held back by so many elements that made it less fun for me. I can see why other, more hardcore fans might enjoy this on a smaller scale, but for me, it was just kind of okay. If you're like me and want to play all the games in the leadup to "Dread," go for it, but in general, this feels like one of the least essential entries in the franchise.
Final rating: 6 out of 10 "Decent"