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A fun game that has several unforgiveable flaws

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Metroid Zero Mission is the latest installment in the popular Metroid franchise. The game is actually a remake of the original game that started it all, Metroid. However, it is more of a remix or sorts than a true remake, as it adds to the storyline and gameplay in several ways, yet at the same time it loses many of the original game's best qualities.

The graphics in the game are very well done. The planet Zebes retains its mysterious, foreign landscape from the original Metroid and Super Metroid, and it looks better than ever. The graphics have a comic book style that is especially apparant in the game's cutscenes. The colors are all rich and vibrant, but perhaps a bit too bright to convey the sense that you are deep in the heart of an alien planet. Overall, the graphics are better than most GBA games, but they are not quite as crisp or detailed as Metroid Fusion, Zero Mission's GBA predecessor.

The sound is also wonderful. Most tracks are remixes of music from the original Metroid, and they sound better than ever. The Brinstar theme sounds even more heroic, Norfair has a very epic feel, and Ridley's Hideout sounds mysterious and nerve-racking. My only complaint is the incredible overuse of the Brinstar music, especially later in the game.

But, the heart of a Metroid game is the gameplay, and here is where Zero Mission stumbles. The game controls like a dream, and they are always responsive. However, the game has a very low difficulty, and this is my main issue with the game. The original Metroid was a great challenge even for veteran players, but Zero Mission is arguably the easiest Metroid game to date. The bosses all pose little threat, unlike the huge and epic boss battles of Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. The enemies themselves are also easily disposed of, a great contrast to the almost unfairly strong enemies from Metroid Fusion. The game has both a normal and easy mode available when you first play. I recommend ignoring easy and moving straight to normal. There is a hard mode you can unlock, and it is quite a bit more difficult, but even then you have seen just about everything the game has to offer and you won't be caught off-guard by anything. The game is also terribly short. A decent player could make it through the game in around four or five hours the first time. Another great aspect of the original Metroid was its nonlinearity. Zero Mission keeps some of this intact, but the inclusion of Chozo Statues that tell you exactly where to go next destroys most of the fun of exploration. There is a bit of sequence breaking (getting items earlier in the game than you are supposed to, a staple of the Metroid saga), but it is rather disappointing since the developers included it on purpose and most sequence breaks are rather easy to pull off.

One of the big draws of this game is supposed to be the inclusion of extra content after beating the final boss from the original Metroid. There is more to the game after defeating this boss, but it seems more like an afterthought, and the added storyline is nearly incoherent and contrived. The game tries to put emphasis on the storyline, but it ends up falling flat on its face in this respect.

In conclusion, Metroid Zero Mission is a good game that could have been so much more than it is. If the challenge wasn't pitiful and the added storyline and gameplay lackluster, this game would be one of the best on the GBA. The game is great in comparison to most GBA games, but as a Metroid game, it is merely average.

Sacrifices gameplay for story

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

METROID: ZERO MISSION is a remake of one of the most popular games on the NES, METROID. Before I go into the specifics of why ZM is just a good and not a great game, this is a concise overview of ZM. It has a lot of great level design, but is much too linear, especially given the fact that it's a remake of METROID, the very epitome of free-form exploration. The game holds your hand way too much, and your path in gaining items feels almost predetermined. The game basically tells you where to go next.

In many ways ZM feels like a greatest hits package of sorts as far as gameplay goes. ZM incorporates elements from all the Metroid games, especially the SNES title. The original had only a limited amount of items; here, the inventory is very much enlarged. ZM feels like they took all the fun items from the previous intallments and threw them into the remake. There are several mini-bosses (the original has none), all sorts of powerups, cut scenes, new content (especially after you beat Mother Brain), and radically changed level design reflecting the new items. The new section, as far as I'm concerned, is quite frustrating and can be quite annoying. In the end, you feel like you are playing the original METROID through the spectrum of SUPER METROID.

In the end, do I think ZM is a good game? Yes. But I don't think it's as good as the original because it's much too linear, especially for a series whose hallmark is exploration. The game itself, while entertaining, does not hold true to the original, which is quite shocking since it is supposed to be an updated version. Nintendo doesn't give modern gamers enough credit in puzzle solving. Both METROID and ZELDA threw you into the game without much guidance, and you had to do what you can to discover where to go next. And that's what made the games so popular. Now Nintendo would never release a title like Zelda or Metroid without chozo statues that tell you where to go next or little faeries like Navi or the Wind Waker equivalent. And that's the saddest part about ZM. They may call it a remake, but all they did was enlarge the story, put in elements from the other titles, and hold your hand the whole way through. That's not what the original METROID is about.

P.S. The best thing about ZM is after beating it you unlock the original game.

(The above is the actual review of the game. I include this section because it further illuminates the changes made, detailing why ZM is such a different game than its predecessor.).

METROID, quite simply, was one of the most popular NES titles, starting a franchisee still alive and kicking today. Nintendo decided to reinvent the first METROID in a new game called METROID: ZERO MISSION. Is it a successful remake? Depends on your point of view. My belief is they botched this opportunity to remake the original METROID, and I'll explain why.

METROID, a first generation NES title, kept the story simple, largely due to technological reasons. Back in the early days, videogames were largely focused on gameplay, not story. Mario had to rescue the Princess. Why? A big reptilian monster captured her. The same with Link and Zelda. Gannon kidnaps Zelda, hides eight pieces of the Triforce, and you have to find them. The story operates as the necessary impetus to send you on your quest. METROID is no different. Not much of a story. But one hell of a game.

The simplistic stories of SUPER MARIO BROTHERS and THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, two vastly important titles, did not really have any real effect on subsequent releases other than establishing archetypes. Especially with SUPER MARIO BROTHERS, the gameplay takes precedence over paper-thin plots. As for Zelda, any series continuity becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain with each new release. In the end, supposedly, each LEGEND OF ZELDA (save for the first two, which has the same principal characters) stars a different Link, a different Zelda, and a different Ganon. I personally detest the `multiple Link theory.' There are multiple Links is because it gives Nintendo's writing department (who don't have the best track record going for them) license to come up with any situation to star Link, Ganon, and Zelda without having to tie it into what went before.

METROID faces a different problem. Partly because there hasn't been nearly as many METROID games as the other two Nintendo franchises, METROID has a fairly stable storyline. Because the original is a first-gen NES game and has a very limited story, the events in the first METROID don't properly reflect why the writing department now wants to take the series. So what do we get? METROID: ZERO MISSION.

My belief is ZM simply exists to bring the story more inline with the series as it now stands. ZM ties the events of the first game (now rendered obsolete story-wise) succinctly to METROID PRIME. The best thing about METROID is that it doesn't hold your hand. It doesn't tell you where to go. Explore. That's the hallmark of a Metroid game. In ZM, they sacrifice the gameplay for the story. When I play through the original, I generally beat Ridley first. Now you can't. You have to beat Kraid, because Ridley has become more important than Kraid in subsequent releases. The backstory about Samus growing up on Zebes and being with the bird-race was included to bring the series together. I don't have a problem with tying up loose ins, but I do have a problem when you do it at the expense of what made the original so great to begin with. Much of the explorative challenge has been eliminated. And just about all of it is for the sake of the story as well as incorporating all the new items. That is what makes ZM a failure.

Same ol', same ol'.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 10
Date: November 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

But it is still fun. This game feels like simply the twin sister of Metroid Fusion. And both take inspiration from the SNES Super Metroid. Not the Game Cube Metroid. Sure, there may be similar aspects to the GC Metroid like the menu screens, but this is straight from the SNES version. The gameplay is tight. The graphics are 2D goodness. The sound is as good as you can get on the GBA, which is good.

This simply is a side scrolling 2D platformer with the goal of powering up with predefined powers that nobody should be surprised with by now. In the end you become an unstoppable alien killing machine. Which I always thought took the fun out of it but at the same time let you explore lots more of the worlds than if you didn't have those powers. One thing I did like was a little sequence where you have to run through an alien base sans your power suit. Which means you had to sneak around and not get caught which changed the whole gameplay dynamic altogether. I wish there was more of that though. I got pretty good at keeping those aliens off my [...]. But the main thing about this series is the exploration. Seeing if you can do certain moves and figure out certain ways to use those moves (consisting of a charged up battering ram rushing attack) to get to secret places.

Average game. Fun gameplay. Been there done that. I would have given it a half star more, though.

fun

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: December 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is not as difficult as some of the other games in the Metroid series. I think that anyone who liked any of the Metroid games would like this. I strongly reccomend that you start on the normal difficulty level. It has it's pros and cons but really it's a fun game. The camera angle won't get screwy because it's a sidescroll game. I think it can be a lot like the original one. It does have some issues with getting stuck for the rest of the game but otherwise it doesn't have bugs. as I said it takes skill but otherwise pretty easy. I suggest you start with this game if you are new to the series. Here is a rating on a scale of one to ten

Sound 2/10
The music is bad everywhere, but volume control exists for a reason.

Graphics 4/10
The graphics are mediocre, but graphics don't make a game.

Gameplay 8/10
The controls are easy to understand, and the damage ratio is well done.

Difficulty 4/10
This game is pretty easy except timing to avoid stuff.

Overall 5/10
Fun but not terribly hard. I beat it after 10 hours of gameplay.

Afterthoughts
This game is not the best in the series. but is the easiest in the series. So it's good for beginners with the Metroid series.

Easily beaten in a sitting, but what an amazing remake

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When I first sat down with this game, I was in total awe. With updated graphics, remixed music, better sounds, newer areas, and a map (yes, for the young kids, the original Metroid had no map!), it's a Classic Metroid fanboy's fantasy. You even play as suitless Samus in a stealth mission, armed only with an automatic-charging pistol (this part is definitely one of the toughest parts in the game, since the pistol only stuns and the Space Pirates take off 100 HP when they touch you or shoot you). The game even tells you where to go by using Chozo statues, making it much less frustration. However, this is also a problem. The game is easily beaten in 1-2 hours in one sitting due to the fact that you know where to go with the Chozo statues and the new weapons. When you get to Tourian, the Metroids are easily destroyed, as opposed to how you drop off the elevator in the original and next thing you know 2 or 3 Metroids are sucking you bone dry, and you watch as your health just goes from full to 0 in 10 seconds. Also the bosses are sissies (especially Ridley, who screeches like a little girl while you stand under him and bombard him with missiles. Yes this is a strategy on how to easily beat Ridley), but I can't say the same for Mother Brain (who is actually far tougher than in the original), who actually uses energy waves to damage you alot this time. But still, this is an excellent, fun to play remake of such a classic game. Once you finish this game, you'll understand how the Metroid series has been classified as one of the greatest video game series of all time.

Short & Sweet

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Not much I can add about Zero Mission that others haven't said...it's a great little Metroid game for your GBA/SP. If you already like Metroid games or 2D side-scrollers, it's a must-buy, and if you don't, well maybe it's not for you.

Gameplay is great, a linear format in that the game shows you where to go next, but you can explore around if you'd rather do that. In fact there are documented "sequence breaks" where you can alter the normal flow of the game and get items earlier than you should; refer to Gamefaqs.com for such info.

The graphics, music, and sound effects are all top-notch for the GBA and show off its multimedia capabilities (although I caught the Metroid developers reusing Link's Awakening's "Eagle's Tower" theme in Ridley's Lair!).

Infinitely replayable, lots of items to find (many hidden, par for the course for a Metroid game), just a great Metroid game. Unfortunately, it's way too easy (even on the Hard skill), and way too short too. I beat it in 4 hours on my first try (74% item collection) without a walkthrough, and aside from Kraid, didn't need to see how to beat a boss either. If you want a difficult Metroid game, find either Super Metroid (SNES) or Metroid II (GB '89), or beat this game once to unlock Metroid 1 NES, a true test of gaming skill!

Another excellent game in an excellent series

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 20
Date: February 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Metroid: Zero Mission (2004.) The sixth game in the Metroid series. This review is for the FINAL PRODUCT.

For nearly a decade and a half, Metroid games have been some of the finest action-adventure titles to grace any system. However, the first game in the series suffered from a number of flaws - virtually no storyline, horrible play control when compared to later entries in the series, passwords instead of a battery, and other things. At long last Nintendo has created a remake of the classic series debut. How does Metroid: Zero Mission measure up? Read on for my review.

PROS:
-IT'S MORE THAN JUST A REHASH OF THE ORIGINAL. Nintendo didn't just take the original game and make some minor improvements - this is a whole new game retelling an old story. Sure, some areas are repeated, but most of the game is brand new.
-THE MUSIC IS EXCELLENT. This game takes songs from the original game and remakes them. The new versions of these tunes are nothing short of excellent - I particularly like the redone Tourian music.
-BONUS MATERIAL. If you beat the game or link the game up to Metroid Fusion, the previous Game Boy Advance Metroid title, you will unlock some bonus material. I won't spoil any of it for you, though.
-THE GAME COVERS A WIDER STORY THAN THE ORIGINAL. Even after you complete the events that made up the original Metroid, this game just keeps on going - and some of the added storyline can get pretty interesting.

CONS:
-TOO MANY AREAS REPEATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GAME. Although a good deal of this game is new, a good deal of the map (particularly in Brinstar) was pretty much rehashed from the original game. If you've played the original game, you'll see what I mean as soon as you start playing.
-SOME AREAS HAVE BEEN NAMED AFTER BAD GUYS. Lower Brinstar and Lower Norfair have been renamed Kraid and Ridley, after the bosses that inhabit the areas. This doesn't sound like a very big deal, but it's sure to cause confusion for those new to the Metroid series.
-NO X-RAY SCOPE. The X-Ray scope is one of the reasons I loved Super Metroid so much, and I was hoping it would make a return here. Sadly though, it didn't.
-IN MANY WAYS, PLAY CONTROL IS WORSE THAN THE ORIGINAL GAME! Once again, Nintendo has made the critical error of forcing gamers to use the Game Boy Advance's shoulder buttons! You must use L to angle your shots and you must hold down R to fire missiles! Why couldn't they just have had the Select button switch on your missiles? To make things worse, you can't configure the play control.
-SPEED BOOST MOVES ARE TOO DIFFICULT TO PERFORM. Many bricks in the game can only be broken through the usage of techniques you will gain with the Speed Booster accessory. Anyone who has played Super Metroid knows that these moves are HARD to perform, and they're still hard to perform in this game.
-AS A METROID GAME, IT SUFFERS FROM METROID SYNDROME. Metroid Syndrome is the term I give to any game that forces you to save your progress in save points, and when you die, you restart from there, as you were (anything you did after saving but before you die is lost and must be done again.) I thought Nintendo would have had the sense to wipe this out of games long ago.
-MUCH EASIER THAN THE ORIGINAL. The original Metroid's challenge factor was one of the reasons it was so interesting a game, but this remake of the original is too much easier than the original. At many times, the game will tell you exactly where to go! Come on, I don't want to be walked through the game!
-NOT MUCH LONGER THAN FUSION. This game is a bit longer than the disappointingly-short Metroid Fusion, but sadly, not by much. That's the main problem with the vast majority of Metroid games - the lack of length.

OVERALL:
Despite a few problems, this is another excellent entry into the Metroid series, and it's an above average remake of the first entry into the series. If you own a Game Boy Advance, Metroid: Zero Mission is strongly recommended if you're a fan of action-adventure platformers. If Gumpei Yokoi (the creator of the Metroid series) could have lived to see the release of this game, I think he would have been impressed. Game Boy Advance owners - don't pass this one by!

I'll take 1!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 27
Date: December 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Whatever the reason, I can't beat the monster in the end of Fusion that ate my ship. I plan for this game to have monsters that your weapons DO affect. I'd love to be able to beat the game without any invinisble monsters.

pretty good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: March 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

this was a pretty good game from nintendo. i was impressed that nintendo remade the orginal. and it was a big success. so get this game if you like action.

pretty good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: March 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

this was a pretty good game from nintendo. i was impressed that nintendo remade the orginal. and it was a big success. so get this game if you like action.

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