Metroid's Black Sheep isn't for everyone, but a great game nonetheless.
STORY: There really isn't much story provided in the intro of the game, or even through the scans in the game itself. The federation sends Samus Aran once again to do their dirty work. This time, they send her off-galaxy to the Tetra Galaxy (Which I assume is only several lighthours away from our Milkyway, due to her speed in getting to her destination) to investigate an odd telepathic message from a race called the Alimbics. It turns out that 6 other bounty hunters have also received the message, and all want to gain the Ultimate Power for their own personal purposes. So, Samus battles it out between the bounty hunters to gain this mysterious power. All in all, there really isn't much story centered around this game, and even Lore scans are a WHOLE lot more brief than from those in Metroid Prime, instead being split up into sections of articles. 6/10
GAMEPLAY: This game plays very well on the DS, and the aiming system works great (just slide your stylus to aim). To enter morph ball, just tap the lower icon on the bottom screen; to fire missiles or a Sub-Weapon (more on that later), just tap their icon and press the Left trigger to fire. You also use the D Pad to move Samus around, and Double tap the touch screen to jump. Enough about controls, let's get to actually playing the game.
You start the game with the Varia suit, Morph Ball, Missile Launcher w/ 5 missiles, Boost Ball, and Power Beam. Eventually, as you explore different regions of each planet, you'll find several (apparently Alimbic) weapons, ranging from a Super-Cooled, wall-bouncing beams to rapidly-firing Heavy Duty grenade launchers. Unfortunately, unlike in most (come to think of it, ALL) other Metroid Titles, you won't get any suit upgrades or missile combos in this title, which is a bit sad. But at least you get a variety of weapons (a total of 9 if you include power beam and missiles) throughout the adventure.
Some of the puzzles in the gain are fun to solve, while others will drive you up the wall in complete insanity. (like the morph ball puzzle on your second trip to Alinos, the fire planet) Another drawback of this game's gameplay is the fact that there are only 2 types of bosses, and that each type you have to fight 4 times, largely cutting any diversity or imagination of boss creatures. Also, you can only save at ONE place: your ship. And lastly, possibly the MOST annoying of all, is the fact that you have a set time limit to escape to your ship after defeating a boss, for no apparent reason whatsoever. (You will absolutely HATE the trip to your ship after defeating the second boss on the first level, Celestial Archives! I had to fight like 12 Guardians in 8 or so minutes, which is hard, also considering which direction you have to go!) 8/10
GRAPHICS: The graphics in this game are gorgeous, considering it IS a handheld system. It's graphics are even better than those seen on the N64! Unfortunately, a few areas in the game aren't well-thought-out, though some areas really seem to compliment the great graphics with a great scene and architecture. 10/10
MUSIC: Though the music isn't as great as those in Metroid Prime or Super Metroid, or how good it could've been, some tracks are still pretty cool. 9/10
REPLAYABILITY/LENGTH: Yes, I've added another section to my reviews! The single-player campaign isn't very long, and can be beaten within ten hours on your first run-through. While I'm pretty sure that by the time you complete the game (It's really not that hard; it just requires LOTS of patience), you won't feel like playing it again for awhile, you can battle against friends or strangers around the globe to a deathmatch. This is always fun, even if you got a big ass whuppin' by more seasoned players.
Anyway, I recommend this game (which I have rightfully titled as Metroid's Black Sheep) to only patient gamers who want a challenge, die-hard Metroid fans (of course), and whoever who wants it. Even through its flaws (and there's quite a few), it still manages to be a fun experience, and you'll appreciate it more after you've successfully completed the game with a good ending.