A definite tribute to the glory that is "Metroid".
Super Metroid does what no other Metroid game does. It gives you a complete adventure. Now Metroid did that, but because of Nintendo's limitations, I just can't like it. Metroid Prime did it, but there were things that held it back like the seeking out the Artifacts. Super Metroid provides great details, awesome music, beautiful environment, and heart pounding battles. I still get a little jittery when fighting Ridley because of the sheer randomness in fighting him.
The replayability of the game is top notch and you aren't forced to dredge through hours of meaningless text (Fusion) and you aren't given a freaking rocket launcher to lower the population of bunnies in a petting zoo (Zero Mission). With over 70 items to seek out throughout the massive world of Zebes, you're given the ability to play the game countless times trying to find everything.
The physics of the game are like none other. It gives Super Metroid a special feel that no other game comes close to matching. Zero Mission tried to combine Fusion and Super Metroid physics, but failed, in my opinion. Mix that with fluidity of movements and sprite models that are the greatest in detail on any Super Nintendo game and you get a certain sense of awe every time you see Samus do the slightest of actions, like jump. And it all adds to a certain sense of intimacy with Samus that you can't feel in any other Metroid.
The environmental effects are glorious as well. The sound effects and music tie in so perfectly to the area and the feeling that the area is supposed to give you that most people can't help but feel afraid on their first time entering Tourian or the smoky and darkened areas of Crateria and Brinstar. When you return to the planets surface after a long trek through the tunnels mined out in the planet a triumphant music plays and the rain that originally poured down upon our heroin has stopped and you get a sense of impending victory. To be completely countermanded by entering Maridia. With its docile tones and sneaking sense of danger whispering throughout the music, you get a sense of drowning in all the water.
The gameplay of the game is top notch as well. It holds you in its grip as tightly as Ridley holds onto the Metroid canister at the very beginning of the game as he flies away from the Ceres Station taking it to Zebes for research. The sound and graphics tie in perfectly with the gameplay as every creep and step makes you wary in a way that no other SNES game does. You find yourself scouring the planet stepping lightly around enemies and blasting those you can't step around. And yet despite the feeling of power as you gain your first few power-ups, the bosses still manage to scare you half to death with their sheer size or speed or suddeness of their appearance.
As you first encounter Kraid, memories of the small lizard/armadillo creature from the original Metroid come tumbling down with the awe-inspiring size of the beast. Yet it still holds some nostalgia as his attacks are basically an enlarged version of the original. As you shoot his belly your attacks merely bounce off and you get a feel for how powerful this creature is, but just like any other game in which a creature of horrendus size threatens you, his mouth is the weakpoint. You pump your missile and super missile salvo into the reptile's gaping maw, and you quickly end the battle.
And even after you defeat him, your victory joy doesn't last long as the menacing sounds of Kraid's lair return and remind you that the threat still exists.
However, even in this great experience lies a flaw. Backtracking. Any player's worst enemy. The game is riddled with it. Especially in your first playthrough. If you don't know where to go, you may find yourself traversing the same path with the same enemies several times until you finally find your way. Many an adventurer has been turned to the Internet for help on where to go because they were simply sick of searching for hours on end finding nothing but the same dead-ends. It gets tedious and boring. But if you are willing to endure through the few moments of backtracking hell, you can feel the glory that is Super Metroid in its entirety.
Of course, that's all in my opinion.