Metroid Prime

This Metroid game will deliver all you would and should expect from the GBA or from any system, for that matter.

When we think of all the games that have made a positive impact in videogame history, some of the obvious ones come to mind. You have the Marios and the Sonics. Then there's the Zeldas and the Tomb Raiders. In this list of greats, you would be crazy not to include the toughest chic on the block (Laura who?), Samus Aran, and what I would call one of the greatest series to ever hit the video game scene… Metroid. You'll have to admit that discovering for the first time that Samus was a woman was not only a shocker, but also history in the making. Samus was, in fact, the first female main character ever to appear in any videogame. Okay, enough of the brief history lesson. Let's get into the game.

With Metroid games being few and far between, we have finally been treated to not only one, but two Metroid titles simultaneously released this past holiday season - Metroid Prime for the Nintendo GameCube and Metroid Fusion for the GameBoy Advance. There are quite a few games out there now available for the GBA, but most have been mediocre and incapable of showing off what the system can do. A lot of the games actually look like they were directly ported from the previous GameBoy system. Not to put the old GameBoy down, but the GBA is a 32-bit system and I'd expect the overall experience to be stepped up a notch with these new games. I was starting to get a bit worried with games being tossed out on the shelves. I began wondering if the GBA was worth the money I paid. Low and behold, my prayers were finally answered and my faith was restored in the system all because of this game. Let's face it, ALL Metroid games rock! Plus, knowing that the original team (Gunpei Yokoi, may he R.I.P.) that brought us the previous games worked on this one just increased my anticipation and expectations.

Although we're not entirely sure if Fusion left off exactly where the last game did (Super Metroid for the SNES), just like all of the Metroid games, the storyline is very intriguing from the very start and is sure to sink you in. In a nutshell, Samus becomes infected with a mysterious life form known as the X parasite. Parasite X affects her and her power suit in a very bad way, it almost kills her. But she is ironically saved by a vaccine created from Metroid cells. Although Samus pulls through, she is permanently changed due to the vaccine fusing her with Parasite X and now making her immune to the deadly virus. So it's now up to her to save the galaxy. Oh, did I mention that whatever Parasite X comes in contact with, it is able to create a clone of the previous host? Now, I don't want to give too much of the story away, but I think the storyline is just brilliant.

The game's graphics are probably best I've seen in 2D gaming for a long time. The movement of Samus is very fluid and she looks very detailed. The "special" effects of her weapons, like the power bombs, are excellent. All of the creatures look great and are very detailed considering the size of the GBA screen. The bosses are very creative and can look pretty intimidating. The gameplay, like I mentioned, is classic Metroid brilliance. You have a good balance of action, discovery and some puzzle elements. Because Samus has lost most of her latent abilities (which includes not only her weapons, but her ability to endure just harsh environments) due to the parasite infection, her only way of gaining these back is by taking them back from these same parasites. Unfortunately, these abilities are found in the parasites that have taken the form of the much larger creatures, the end bosses. Although these bosses can be pretty tough, once you get down their patterns, they're fairly easy to beat. This is the only aspect of the game that I found a little disappointing, however, the overall length of the game more than makes up for this. Who would've thought that this little cart can hold so much game?

The sound and music are actually really good. Sure it's all in MIDI, but the music definitely sets the tone of occurring events. What really makes me nervous is the music that plays when the SA-X makes its occasional appearance. The first time I heard this, I knew something bad was going to happen. After hearing it a couple more times, I knew if I wasn't prepared, I'd have to start my game over. The controls are very intuitive - very, very easy to get down. Samus' control response is perfect. I have no complaints at all with the controls. With very few buttons (at least compared to the console controllers), Samus is capable of executing a good number of things, from using her different power beams, shooting missiles and setting bombs, to her super jumps and screw attack. Yup, the screw attack is back!

I feel that Metroid Fusion has brought life back into the young GBA system, and I'm sure many of you out there feel the same way. It's games like this that make me appreciate picking up the system. I think that if more gaming developers go by this example, there'd be more quality games out there. It's bad enough we get this from the other consoles. Let's not taint the reputation of the GBA by putting out whatever publishers can release to make a buck. Metroid Fusion also has good replay value. Sure, you can go straight through the game and beat it without exploring too much, but then you wouldn't really be a gamer. Yeah, Fusion is a 2D game, so it's bound to be pretty linear. But as many of us gaming veterans know, you can always be sure to find those good ol' secrets we've all come to expect from the Metroid series. So, if you've already beat the game, it just might be worth another play to find all that good stuff.

From the time you pop in the game to the moment where you see the game credits, you won't be disappointed. This Metroid game will deliver all you would and should expect from the GBA or from any system, for that matter. Not only does this game surpass its predecessors, but I'm sure some would argue that it even surpasses Metroid Prime for the GameCube - obviously, not in the graphics department, but definitely in other areas. Easily THE Game of 2002 in my book.