Feature: Our favourite Metroid games of all time

The oft-controversial new Metroid title Federation Force is nearly upon us amid a range of reactions overseas. While we wait for its Australian release, a group of Vooks writers reflected on their favourite Metroid games of all time, and what they expect from Federation Force.

Theo Kyriakidis

Metroid is my favourite game series of all time. My love affair with Samus started with the original Metroid game on the NES, so that makes it my favourite by default. Even before I had the console myself and a copy of the game to love and cherish, I played it for hours on end at a friend’s place. I was happy to just jump in from the start and run around exploring every nook and cranny until I died. Then I discovered the JUSTIN BAILEY code, and that the protagonist was female, and that just took the game to a whole new level.

Every iteration of the series from that point onward was ground-breaking for a long time. Metroid II: Return of Samus had me taking Samus with me everywhere I went. Super Metroid is still one of my favourite 2D action-adventure games of all time. Metroid Fusion continued the winning streak. Metroid Prime changed the game completely and still stands as one of the greatest games of all time. And on and on it went, until Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime Hunters had me questioning the direction of the series. What happened to Samus?

And now, somehow, we’re here. Metroid Prime: Federation Force. Samus is nowhere to be seen. I’ve played the demo. It felt very similar to Hunters but that doesn’t make it a Metroid game to me because Hunters wasn’t really a Metroid game either. Samus IS Metroid. Bring Samus back, Nintendo. Pretty please.

Here’s a few lines from a poem I wrote to Samus for a gaming zine a few years back:

To my beloved that I’m glad I discovered
The Hunter I’d hunt with, the One the Chozo entrusted.
Remember when I pushed your buttons, way back before Corruption?
I pressed and you did it, no discussion.
We met in the Eighties, our first stages
And played together in that dangerous maze for ages.
You were never afraid of Ridley or Kraid
It’s ridiculous, hey? Almost 30 years to date.

Metroid’s 30th birthday has now passed and while Samus is nowhere to be found, I’d like to wish her a very happy belated birthday!

Troy Wassenaar

I’ve had a funny history with Metroid. My first game in the series was Metroid Prime 3 on the Wii, having missed out on the previous two by skipping the GameCube. I enjoyed it, but didn’t quite follow what was happening in terms of story and glowy blue things. Since then, I really didn’t play Metroid.

And then, as part of a project I designed to play a new game from my backlog every week, I played a lot of Metroid. Almost all of them, apart from Metroid Prime 2 and Other M. And while I thoroughly enjoyed them all (yeah, even Metroid II had its moments), Metroid Prime really stood out to me. The fact they made it feel like a Metroid game, despite the FPS style, was fascinating. It still kept the verticality of the main series, it didn’t just flip it on its side and replace the platforming heights with labyrinthine tunnels. And the FPS perspective didn’t just add to the gameplay, it added to the atmosphere, making you feel much smaller in these alien worlds.

There are not many games out there that lure me right in with their gameplay- with the last game I finished in a single sitting being Portal 2. While I didn’t finish Metroid Prime in a single sitting, I did play for hours at a time. There were no “I’ll take a break here” moments, I had to peel myself away from the TV when playing. The momentum keeps going, the new items you collect start unlocking new areas from other areas you’ve already been. And the fact it felt so enthralling many, many years after it came out, is just a testament to how well thought out this game really was.

So while I understand the controversy for Federation Force, I’m looking forward to a new Prime adventure, spin-off or not. It might not be Samus, and it might not have the isolation, but hopefully it will still be fun.

Wayne Giovanazzi

My favourite game in the Metroid series is Metroid Fusion. It wasn’t a hard task to make that decision as it’s the only title in the franchise that I’ve actually played through. Sure, I’ve had a crack at the other 2D games and even played a fair chunk of Metroid Prime, which blew my socks off. Figuratively of course. Not literally. That would be silly.

I don’t know why I wanted Fusion as at the time I’d barely played more than a touch of the original Metroid. I wasn’t in a mad rush to have the game either. I was happy waiting to receive it as a Christmas gift. My mother went out and purchased it on December 11th, 2002 from a department store I refuse to mention by name, for the reasonable price of $56.84. Yes, I always keep the receipt.

Aaanyway, come xmas day I ripped the festive wrapping from the box and admired the screenshots on the back. I got my GameBoy Advance and quickly slipped in the cartridge. I slid the power switch to the on position and the ever welcoming GBA screen welcomed me to the start of a new adventure. It was time to play! The start screen flashed up and the title appeared in all its glory… “MEDABOTS”

Not Metroid

As you can imagine I wasn’t too happy. A couple of days later I took the game back and got the correct cartridge from the store and started my adventure for reals. I was impressed by the story and progression of the game. It followed the usual storyline of Samus losing her power-ups and having to regain them throughout the game, but it was fresh to me because I hadn’t experienced Metroid that much.

I don’t know what to think of Federation Force. I’m worried that playing on my own may detract from the experience, as I have no friends. I’m hoping it will be kinda like Borderlands on that front, where it’s better with friends, but still fun alone. As far as the stylisation goes, I’m not offended and I can’t help but think the Metroid branding is there to give the game a better chance of success. I hope it’s going to be a good regardless of any correlation to the Metroid franchise and I’m going into it with no expectations.

Chris Button

Prepare your pitchforks, folks, I have an admission to make. The only Metroid game I have ever played to completion is none other than Metroid: Other M. Yep, the one on the Wii that doesn’t have Prime in the title.

I do not consider myself to be a hardcore Metroid fan, but I have played a significant portion of most games in the series. I vividly recall my first experience with Metroid Prime at a friend’s place; I watched him struggle to defeat one of the ferocious-looking bosses. When the controller was handed to me, I bested the monster first try. I then spent the next few minutes in-game walking in and out of a nearby waterfall, amazed by the detail of the water cascading down Samus’ visor. The tightness of the controls, the detailed lore, and the greatest graphics of the generation were what made Prime one of the GameCube’s defining games. However, due to never owning a copy, I have not completed Prime or any of its sequels.

I am aware of the disdain directed towards Other M and I agree the presentation of the story portrayed Samus in a way that conflicted with the other games in the series. I also do know I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game. Many people did not like the controls and the style of combat – my experience was the complete opposite. I liked the fast-paced combat and the switches between 3rd-person and 1st-person felt fluid. This being said, I had no issues with the controls of Star Fox Zero either, so I may be an outlier.

I am apprehensive about Federation Force because everything I have read so far points to the game’s enjoyment stemming from having a full party of four players. This reason is why I never bothered to play The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes; I rarely have the capacity to round up a group of friends to play a multi-cartridge multiplayer game on the 3DS.
Should Nintendo persist with multiplayer variations of popular IPs?

This being said, I actively encourage Nintendo to continue to innovate with its first-party titles, even if we occasionally cop games that fall short of our expectations. If Nintendo didn’t take the risk of trusting another developer to completely overhaul one of its oldest franchises, we would not have Metroid Prime.

There have been plenty of Mario spin-offs which have not been anywhere near the quality of Galaxy, Sunshine, or 64, but the franchise is no worse off for it. Let’s embrace developers trying new things and remember to be courteous when voicing feedback to the people who work so hard on delivering these games to us.

So what about you, what’s you’re favourite Metroid game of all time?