Every Metroid Game, Reviewed

The Metroid series has just turned 30, which is bound to be a surprise for those who have had fond memories playing its debut entry during their childhood. Throughout the series' long history, we've gotten a multitude of games that have masterfully instilled in us a strong sense of intrigue as we navigated its lead character Samus Aran through murky planets in search of undiscovered secrets. GameSpot has, throughout its own history, reviewed nearly every single Metroid game and spin-off. To mark the Metroid series' 30th anniversary, we've compiled excerpts from our reviews of each game, their scores, as well as their release info. Join us as we take you on a trip down memory lane through this beloved series.

• Release date: August 6, 1986
• System: NES
• Full article: Metroid Review
• (Reviewed on August 27, 2007, for Wii Virtual Console)
• Critic - Frank Povo

"Unless you're already a devoted fan of the original Metroid, you probably shouldn't bother downloading it from the Wii's Virtual Console shop. There's certainly no good reason to subject yourself to such a disorganized and frustrating game when--for only a few dollars more--you can download the similar, yet superior-in-every-way Super Metroid instead."

Score: 5.5

• Release date: August 26, 1991
• System: Game Boy

Unfortunately, we do not have a review for Metroid II: Return of Samus. However, our sister site GameRankings has given it a 78.90%. For the uninitiated, this sequel documents Samus' adventures on SR388, a planet crawling with Metroids. Her mission is to eliminate the entire Metroid population before they can be obtained by Space Pirates and used to threaten the safety of the galaxy.

• Release date: April 18, 1994
• System: SNES
• Full article: Super Metroid Review
• (Reviewed on August 27, 2007, for Wii Virtual Console)
• Critic - Frank Povo

"Anyone who has played Super Metroid before already knows how great it is. If you haven't delved into the planet Zebes, but you enjoy action games or you've been itching to explore Samus' 2D roots after playing the Metroid Prime series, this is the place to start. Don't worry about the original NES version of Metroid that's also available in the Virtual Console shop. Super Metroid recounts its threadbare story in the opening screen and is better in literally every conceivable way."

Score: 8.5

• Release date: November 17, 2002
• System: Gameboy Advance
• Full article: Super Metroid Review
• (Reviewed on November 15, 2002)
• Critic - Greg Kasavin

"Part of the reason Metroid Fusion will seem so short is because you probably won't help but finish the game in just a few sittings. The game plays so well, looks so good, has such an involving story, and moves at such a fast pace that you'll always want to see what's around the next corner until you've soon seen it all...Metroid Fusion is another excellent installment in a series that's always been great. Metroid fans should absolutely get it, as should anyone willing to trade off some quantity for some serious quality in their gaming time."

Score: 8.6

• Release date: November 17, 2002
• System: GameCube
• Full article: Metroid Prime Review
• (Reviewed on November 15, 2002)
• Critic - Greg Kasavin

"Let's get right to the point: Metroid Prime is the best GameCube game to date. It's one of the best games on any platform this year, and, for good measure, it's also the best game yet in Nintendo's highly acclaimed Metroid series. Many were rightfully skeptical about whether an unknown Texas-based developer could take the classic open-ended, side-scrolling action adventure gameplay formula of the Metroid series and successfully translate it into 3D. And these are the people who will no doubt come away most impressed of all with Metroid Prime, which is in every respect a pure and true successor to the series of games that inspired it. At the same time, those who have never played a Metroid game before are likely to be just as taken with Metroid Prime. This first-person action adventure game is filled with so much detail, style, and originality that literally every gamer should play it."

Score: 9.7

• Release date: February 9, 2004
• System: Gameboy Advance
• Full article: Metroid: Zero Mission Review
• (Reviewed on February 5, 2004)
• Critic - Greg Kasavin

"The entire presentation and the gameplay itself are totally first-rate in Metroid: Zero Mission. You'll just wish that there were more meat to the game or that Nintendo would deliver games like this much more often. Metroid fans shouldn't be discouraged, though, because they'll relish every minute of Zero Mission, and with good reason."

Score: 8.5

• Release date: November 15, 2004
• System: GameCube
• Full article: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Review
• (Reviewed on November 11, 2004)
• Critic - Brad Shoemaker

"If you finished Metroid Prime and were left wanting more, Echoes gives it to you in spades. Anyone who was turned off by the slowly paced and meticulous exploration elements of the original game won't find anything new to win them over here--a run-and-gun shooter this ain't. The game is quite long and involved--you'll spend a bare minimum of 20 hours just getting to the end, and finding all the hidden items and scanning everything will take much longer (and will open up bonuses such as a harder difficulty mode and production-artwork galleries). As an adventure game with heavy action elements and an emphasis on complex puzzle-solving, Metroid Prime 2 is about as good as it gets, on the GameCube or on any platform."

Score: 9.1

• Release date: October 24, 2005
• System: Nintendo DS
• Full article: Metroid Prime Pinball Review
• (Reviewed on October 21, 2005)
• Critic - Greg Kasavin

"This is a fun, simple game that you can keep coming back to. It's a great way to kill a few minutes if you're playing games on the go, but the tables in Metroid Prime Pinball are also genuinely challenging enough that it's tempting to want to keep pushing your highest score even higher. That the game looks and sounds so much like Metroid Prime is just icing on the cake. So, can we get Metroid Prime Hunters already?"

Score: 8.2

• Release date: March 20, 2006
• System: Nintendo DS
• Full article: Metroid Prime: Hunters Review
• (Reviewed on March 23, 2006)
• Critic - Bob Colayco

"Metroid Prime: Hunters is an excellent multiplayer game and easy to recommend to anyone who enjoys FPS action. The single-player is also well worth a play through, despite its limitations, if only to take in the story and unlock all the hunters for multiplayer action."

Score: 8.6

• Release date: August 27, 2007
• System: Wii
• Full article: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Review
• (Reviewed on August 27, 2007)
• Critic - Kevin VanOrd

"If you're a Metroid fan, there's no need to convince you to play Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It's got exactly what you would expect from the last in an acclaimed trilogy of titles: great boss battles, involved environmental puzzles, and a smooth control scheme that cements exactly how FPS controls should work on the platform. It'll also keep you busy for a while, since you can earn tokens for completing various tasks and use them to purchase unlockable goodies like concept art and bumper stickers for Samus' ship. While the lack of multiplayer is disappointing, the single-player campaign won't leave you wanting. In the end, you may not be able to shake the feeling that you've done all this before, but it will still make you grateful for how great it is at its core."

Score: 8.5

• Release date: August 27, 2007
• System: Wii
• Full article: Metroid: Other M Review
• (Reviewed on August 27, 2010)
• Critic - Tom McShea

"Metroid: Other M is not your typical Metroid experience. The tenets of this venerable franchise are desolate feelings of loneliness coupled with an emphasis on exploring an alien world, but Samus Aran's latest adventure goes in a much different direction than most of its forebears. Intense, close-quarters combat is the backbone of this journey, and the linear level design ensures that you're continually pushing forward. This action-oriented approach removes many of the elements that are core to the franchise, but those holes have been filled with refined battle mechanics that make every fight a thrill. Combat is exhilarating, forcing you to move with precision if you want to stay alive against the swarming alien horde, and the gigantic bosses you square off against test your skills in unpredictable ways without ever feeling cheap. Drawn-out cutscenes do interrupt the breakneck pace of your adventure, and small graphical blemishes and control quirks keep this from reaching the dizzying highs its predecessors are known for. But Other M is still a great adventure that is sure to please longtime fans and bright-eyed newcomers alike."

Score: 8.5