Samus and Innovation fuse in the best overall story-line in the Metroid series!
GAMEPLAY ~
This game is played exactly like Metroid:ZM. except this time to acquire new abilities you need to defeat the boss of the area. There is 6 + areas to explore and conquer. It's all the same actions as all the other Metroid titles. You run, shoot, jump and roll into a ball! Again L & R triggers used as before to angle aim and switch between missiles and blaster.
What is with the computer and all that dialogue!?!?! This severely dragged down my playing experience. Instead of me free-roaming everything like in ZM, I listen to a computer tell me what objectives I must accomplish. This was really lame... but still doesn’t hurt gameplay at all, just slows it down.
There really isn’t anything new in the weapons category or in any category, but that didn't really drag it down much! This time, instead of the "power pellet" healing system you must now collect ummm... I believe they are amebas. Also you aren't running as "speedy" as you were in ZM, maybe it's because this time around Samus isn't at full strength... I’ll explain some of that in the section...
STORY ~
Samus gets infected with the X parasite and whilst Bounty Hunting on another planet and to be saved she needed to be injected with the Metroid vaccine. The X take the form of the host they occupy, and guess what! They took the form of Samus! Now Samus must clear the floating research station of all the X's and attempt to defeat herself during this process!
GRAPHICS ~
They look great! I like the look of this game more than the last because it looks darker. Like playing Metroid meets the Alien movies. It's a desolate infected station you progress through. The enemies are new and frequent! If you don't collect those amebas once defeated they create the same monster you just eliminated! There are more bosses and each one is... well... in my opinion, generic... they are basic monsters and that is all you can ask for.
I think my biggest problem was the suit. For some reason Samus amour looks like someone blew a huge blue snot on it! It doesn’t look cool and for some reason the mix of blue and yellow on the suit makes it look green. Besides the generic monsters and bad amour coloring it looks good for the GBA.
SOUND ~
Not as impressive as the music in M:ZM, but it's not suppose to be. It sets it's own dark mood for this new dark world you gotta transverse. It's all industrial ambience. It's cool for the game, but this wouldn't work for other Metroid titles. It's good, lets keep it at that!
REPLAYABILITY ~
Again there is a plethora of hidden items and upgrades at your disposal. You just gotta find them! It isn't too difficult but there is always those secrets that makes you regret picking up this title. If you can't take the heat, get off of the plat-former! I know! sometimes I get so frustrated I turn it off and play some SMB2! Ahhh... classics rock!
OVERALL ~
A good inclusion into the Metroid series.
+ The biggest ups is the parasitic Samus suit which turns the table on Samus and now she is no longer the hunter, but is it's prey!
- The biggest downfall is the suit design for Samus and the vast amount of dialogue which the computer spouts at you through out the entire game.
With all that said, I enjoyed this title, and if you really enjoyed the Metroid series up to this point, get this title! Worth devoting all the time in your world!