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SUPER METROID Company: Nintendo Released: April 1994 Genre: Side-Scroller Graphics: 9.0 Control: 9.5 Sound/Music: 9.5 Storyline: 9.5 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 SUPER-NES.COM

In 1986, Nintendo released upon the video gaming public, a game that would take the world by storm. I can remember this game being sold out everywhere. You couldn't get your hands on a copy of this game if your life depended on it. Which is why I find it so funny that Nintendo waited three long years before finally releasing a sequel on the Super NES. I can't think of a single video game, other than maybe Super Mario Bros. 3, that was as anticipated as this one was. Luckily, in those three long years of waiting, Nintendo managed to craft what is one of the finest video games ever to grace a television screen. Although there are certainly Super Nintendo games that look better than Super Metroid, it sure is exciting to finally see the world of Metroid finally brought to the 16-bit Super NES system. The high-tech world really comes alive with all of the detail that's possible with the Super Nintendo's powerful 16-bit graphics processor. Each section of the planet has a distinctive look to it, and all of the enemies, both old and new, look fantastic. The bosses are where the game truly shines, visually, as most of these alien baddies are just enormous. Graphical effects that just weren't possible on the 8-bit NES system come alive on the SNES and it's at these moments that you realize that this game was just dying to be made for the Super Nintendo and is a testament to how far the graphics quality has come since the original NES version of Metroid was released. As I said earlier, you might find some games on the SNES that look better than this one, but you won't find one with as much personality and atmosphere as Super Metroid has on the Super NES. This is the way Metroid was meant to look all along. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what it is, but there's just something about the Metroid music that perfectly catpures the eerie feeling of the game. It has that "alone and scared in outer space" feeling to it. The kind of music that you'd probably hear if you were trapped on the spaceship in the movie Alien. There's also a soothing effect to it at the same time. As I said, it's hard to explain, as the music in Super Metroid doesn't sound like any video game music you've ever heard before. For fans of the original Metroid game, imagine the soundtrack in that game and multiply it times 10. You'll hear some familiar tunes throughout this sequel, but it just seems to have that higher-quality 16-bit sound to it. It's really outstanding and couldn't fit the mood of this game any better. Anyone that's played a Metroid game will be right at home behind the controls of Super Metroid. Although you do have a few more abilities this time around, the core gameplay of this game is still in it's run, jump, and shoot stylings. Although I listed Super Metroid as a side-scroller, at its' heart, this game is a true platformer in every sense of the word. You will have to make your way throughout Planet Zebes, and in order to do so you have to acquire new items along the way that will give you special abilities, such as the morph ball that will allow you to roll into a tiny ball and access tight areas not normally accessible, or the high-jump boots that allow you to jump to higher levels previously unreachable. You'll also acquire different laser beams that not only give you more firepower, but also allow you to freeze enemies and use them as platforms. New to Super Metroid is also the ability to do the super-jump and the ability to use the grappling beam, both of which will allow you to cross previous uncrossable areas. At the core of each area you will find an enormous boss that you must defeat, some of which will truly test your skills as a gamer. This is generally where you'll find the best and most powerful items so at least you're well-rewarded for all your efforts. I could go on and on describing the gameplay in Super Metroid as the game is just overflowing with it. Just one of the best gameplay packages you'll ever find in a video game, not to mention one of the most fun. Super Metroid is the type of game that reminds you why you love video games in the first place. Nintendo manages to take an already outstanding game series, and just take it to an entirely new level in almost every category imaginable. Although I tend to lean towards rpgs when it comes to picking the best of the Super NES system, I can say this without any hesitation whatsoever...Super Metroid is the best game ever made for the Super Nintendo system. In fact it's one of the best video games ever made for any system. If you own a Super NES system you must own this game. And if you don't own a SNES, this game is more than enough reason to get off your butt and go buy one.