The most compelling, and complete action 2D action-platformer you'll ever find.
The game starts out telling you about the endings of both Metroid 1 and 2. Samus takes the baby Metroid to the Ceres Space Colony so scientists can study it. She leaves and after just a short while, they send out a distress signal. You know what that means. I won't spoil anything more but she will end up on Zebes again. The story after the beginning of the game is pretty much non-existent as you will never get any radio signals, no stranded scientists or anything. With no one around there is also no real sense of direction as no one is telling you where to go. This is one of Super Metroid's flaws. However nowadays we have the Internet with all it's custom guides to aid us in our adventures. But with no one to aid you the sense of really being alone in this giant world is always there. Overall, while the story really isn't the game's strong point, its still intriguing.
The characters are Samus and well, thats really it. The only other characters don't say anything and aren't even human. Theres not much to say here.
Graphics wise, the game was probably one of the best looking games of its generation. Now, it still looks smooth. Graphics themselves are pretty impressive, objects animate correctly, the textures are great for 2D. The Overall graphics quality is outstanding. But the environment is where it really shines. The colours are usually dark and moody. In places like Norfair ( lava themed ) the background is heat-blurring and really conveys the sense that your in a hot place. Everything that is themed after something feels right. The frame-rate is usually smooth and bugs are nearly non-existent. The graphics are great, moody, and convey a sense of outstanding atmosphere while running consistently.
The sound is nearly as good. The sound effects sound right and are fun to listen to. I really don't think I have ever found a sound that feels out of place. They sound boomy and the enemies all make sounds that feel right for them. But the music is where the game really shines. The tunes aren't so much catchy as moody. They really help the environment in the atmospheric sense. Norfair sounds boomy and moody while making the environment feel hot. Other tunes like Red Soil Brinstar and Lower Norfair are just flat-out amazing. The music again, never feels out of place. ( the devs really knew what they were doing huh? ) The music is so good that it has appeared in other Metroid games as remixes. Overall, the sound quality here is high and the music is even higher.
The game is focused around open world exploring and collecting. Like I said before, theres no real sense of direction so your left to explore the world until you find a place you can go. The levels are Crateria, Brinstar, Norfair, The Wrecked Ship, Maridia, Lower Nofair, and Tourian. Scattered through-out these levels are missile expansions, Super Missiles, Power Bombs, energy tanks and reserve tanks all for you to collect. Problem is that they are VERY well hidden, often in breakable walls that look like all the other you saw before it. Its really confusing. If you can find them all in under 3 hours without any guides then your the man. Anyways, you will go into an area, kill enemies, collect new items, find secrets, and defeat bosses. Speaking of which, bosses are a regular occurrence, since you encounter over 10. They seem daunting at first but once you figure out their strategies they're easy as pie. Well almost. The only unfair boss is Phantoon who is quite possibly the hardest boss in the game. Your inventory will grow into an arsenal of high tech weapons, Link would be jealous.
The gameplay is perfect. Its a mix of Mario's jumping, Link's item drive ability enhancing and some sci-fi gun-play thrown in for good measure. It all works out the way it should. Shooting is fluid, jumping is precise and finding items is exciting. Bosses are a challenge but usually aren't too hard. ( Not counting Phantoon ) The hit-detection is spot on so the shooting never feels like a chore. There are also a ton of other moves for the dedicated like wall-jumping and shinesparking.Overall, the gameplay is fun and well put together.
The controls are also spot on. They are some of the best controls in a 2D action-platformer. They're tight and actually make good use of the L and R buttons. Aiming is really easy, you can aim in 8 directions.
Super Metroid is by far the best Action-Platformer ever and one of the best games of all time. If you have a Wii and spare cash, buy this off the Virtual Console, after all , you can't go wrong with 8 buck and a Metroid title.
Story: 9
Graphics:10
Sound:10
Design:9.8
Gameplay: 10
Control: 10