Metroid

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer(s): Nintendo R&D1, Intelligent Systems

Platform(s): NES, GameBoy Advance, Wii/Wii U/3DS(Virtual Console)

Genre(s): Action-Adventure

D.O.R: NES - August 1987

GameBoy Advance - October 25, 2004

Wii - August 13, 2007

Wii U - July 11, 2013

Nintendo 3DS - March 1, 2012

Metroid is the first game in the highly successful Metroid series. The game takes place on a planet called Zebes, where a group of space pirates have made their base. The space pirates attacked a Galactic federation research vessel and stole samples of the Metroid creatures.

Metroids are dangerous, they can latch on to any life form and leech it of all of it's life energy. The space pirates plan to replicate the Metroids and use them as biological weapons against anyone that opposes them. The Galactic federation sends a lone bounty hunter, Samus in alone to destroy the Mother Brain that is in control of the defences. This feeling of being one person against a seemingly endless horde of aliens makes for a very tense, enjoyable experience.

The game is played in a large open ended world that has areas that are connected by different doors and elevators but some areas will only be accessible once you have gained a specific powerup. You will need to use all of Samus' acrobatic skill and her weapons to progress through.

You start off armed with only your arm cannon, but as you explore more, you will find tonnes of power-ups. The Maru Mari(Morph Ball in later games)for example, gives you the ability to roll through small tunnels and the missiles, which will open the red doors to you as well as being a powerful new weapon against enemies.

You have to collect many of these to make your way to new areas. The amount of backtracking and searching you have to do to find the unlocked routes, extends this games length the first time you play it through. This is one of the most satisfying things about Metroid.

By today's standards, the game can seem frustrating, with secret rooms hidden randomly and most rooms and passages looking the same.

The graphics and the sound are exactly what you expect from the time of release, but samus herself has decent animations and your arm cannon even changes colour depending on what you have ready to fire.

Metroid is a pretty challenging game and will require all of your platforming and shooting skills to get all the way through and defeat Ridley, Craid and Mother Brain. And the game never helps you through a second of it. But that is what made it an awesome game. Subsequent games built on all the core elements of Metroid and although it can be hard to go back to the original, the nostalgia value alone means its worth playing.

If you haven't ever played Metroid before but are a fan of either Samus or the series, I recommend getting hold of a copy to experience this amazing adventure for yourself.

Score = 8.5/10