Video Game Review: Metroid(NES on Wii)

This review may contain SPOILERS. Also several images for the video game reviews are from Gamespot.com so all credit for them goes to them!

This is a review of the Virtual Console version on the Nintendo Wii. There are no differences between this version and the original 1986 one.

Metroid is one of my favorite Nintendo franchises! The action, the dark and mysterious alien atmosphere, the massive amounts of upgrades hidden throughout the worlds. All the latest games in the franchise have helped evolve the series in new ways while maintaining the basic layout throughout each entry. But it's the original 1986 game that started it all! Even by today's standards Metroid holds up surprisingly well, but it has it's share of issues that hold it back from true greatness. Metroid follows the titular bounty hunter named Samus Aran as she investigates the planet Zebes to discover the plans of the space pirates and Mother Brain. While not the most original of concepts for a story, it works well enough for an NES(Nintendo Entertainment System) game. To battle her enemies she must collect an assortment of weapons and items to aid her in her mission. Energy tanks increase her overall health, while missile upgrades increase her missile count. Weapon upgrades include the morph ball bomb, the screw attack, long beam, the mighty wave beam and more. All play an important part in helping Samus in completing her mission, and finding all of them can be a fun challenge in it's own right. The game also comes with a few rewards for beating the game in a certain amount of time. Obtaining one of the five endings to Metroid allows you to see Samus without her power suit as well as play the game again with no suit! However, issues arise that may happen some of the fun. Being a game from 1986 the graphics are obviously very dated, but the real issue comes from an annoying flickering problem that occurs throughout the game. Samus and several of the enemies will often flicker on and off the screen. This can make jumping on to platforms difficult, and can make aiming and attacking enemies more problematic than it needs to be. Landing jumps over pits you won't be able to escape from is not easy when you can't see where Samus is going to land! :P Another issue comes from the game's title enemy, the Metroids. When arriving in the final area of the game all you fight is Metroids which have the nasty habit of latching onto Samus and draining her energy until she dies. Worst of all is that you need certain weapons to beat them and without them the game can become unbeatable. The worst issue of all is the overall layout of the maps. Despite the innovation of the open world it can be very difficult to traverse as there are is no map system at all to help. it can be very easy to get lost and often you may find yourself falling into pits that you can never escape from. It is best for players to use online video walkthroughs and online maps to beat the game. Sadly that is how I had to beat the game. And even with maps there is no guarantee the game will be a cake walk. This is old school level design at it's finest! :P Yet despite these problems Metroid is still an innovative classic. From the massive open world, to the rich atmosphere, to iconic villains like Ridley and Mother Brain, to the shocking reveal that Samus was a woman, there is much to love about this game. A gaming classic but only true die hard Nintendo and Metroid fans should tackle this game.

Metroid score: 7.5/10

-----FanBoy