Metroid Fusion

I love all of the Metroid Games, but Metroid Fusion is one that I have very, very fond memories of. This was the first Metroid game to be released for the Game Boy Advance and I would rank it as one of the best ten games on the system and one of the best games in the Metroid series in general.

You Are Not Samus!!!!!

I really do not want to spoil the story here as I freaking loved what they did. Basically, Samus is on her way to SR388, but she is attacked by this parasitic life form called Parasite X. The cure for this wouldn’t you know it turns out to be from a Metroid! Samus needed some of her suit removed to help recover, but Parasite has taken part of her suit and now looks just like her and can use all of her abilities, this imposter needs to be put in its place! I love the story and despite being a 2D game it is very atmospheric and tense.

Classic 2D Metroid Action

There is no denying that Metroid Fusion plays similar to Super Metroid for the SNES, but that is not a bad thing at all. Samus does have a few new cool abilities, but she also has some fun new ones as well. The game has you exploring every nook and cranny trying to save the day, find powerups and figure out where to go next. It is best described as classic Metroid action!

The controls work great. While the GBA has two less buttons than the SNES controller, I never once felt that the controls were hindered because of this. I actually really liked how to use your missiles you had to hold R and B instead of just selecting them and then shooting them with the B button.

I have played through Metroid Fusion multiple times and it never gets old. It is one of these games that I play through every couple of years. You could argue that there is no replay value here, but to be fair this is a game from 2002 and having extra content was not really a thought back then.

Hey Good Looking

This is a fantastic looking game. I always thought that Super Metroid on the SNES had great graphics, sound, and atmosphere, but this one here kicks it all up several notches. My only little criticism is that some of the enemy designs do look kind of weird and funky, but hey they are parasites so I guess it is ok? No matter if you are playing this on a Game Boy Advance (SP not the original with no backlight) or on a larger screen like a monitor or a TV, you will be amazed at how great this game looks for an early GBA title.

I really cannot say enough great things about Metroid Fusion for the Game Boy Advance. It is a truly incredible Metroid game and one of the best games for the handheld. It fits in perfectly well with the other 2D Metroid games and I would actually go as far as to say that this is a must-play game!

9/10

Pros:

• I love the story that it tells
• Amazing 2D graphics
• The game has a lot of atmosphere
• It plays incredibly well
• You will want to play through it again and again

Cons:

• Some of the enemy designs are a bit weird
• It does not look great on an original GBA

This is it, the true sequel to EGM's number one game of all time (see "100 Best Games Ever," issue 150), Super Metroid. Metroid Fusion's story picks up directly after the end of that Super Nintendo classic. The gameplay is just as compelling, and the developers have made many subtle improvements.

During a mission to planet SR388--the scene of Metroid II on Game Boy--our heroine is infected by a mysterious X parasite, which nearly kills her. She's saved, however, by a vaccine made from the DNA of metroids, the now-extinct, natural predator of said parasite. So when a space station researching the X sends out a distress signal, the newly immune Samus is sent to investigate.

Fusion may be based on an 8-year-old game, but it feels anything but stale. The control is smooth and varied--Samus has plenty of moves, including old favorites like dashing, ducking and rolling into a ball, plus new capabilities like grabbing ledges and climbing ladders. Her arsenal is impressive, with many different energy beams, missiles and bombs to choose from--once you find them in the game's maze-like levels, that is.

Much like the GBA Castlevanias, the world of Fusion is an interlocking labyrinth of rooms to explore (see sidebar). The game doesn't so much push you in the right direction as suggests the way to go. As you explore, Samus uncovers bits of the game's plot, adding a new dimension to the series.

You can also link your GBA cartridge to the GameCube Metroid Prime, although Nintendo hasn't divulged just what this connectivity adds, merely saying it's "awesome." We shall see.