Super Metroid
Super Metroid is another one of those incredible Super Nintendo games that I somehow missed out on when it originally came out. I was barely even aware it existed at all, the series was on my radar about as much as the Legend of Zelda; which as you may know, was very little. Recently though, I've been handed a few classic Nintendo titles for free via Club Nintendo and so I've had the opportunity to go through and play some of these games from the past. Some of which I'd played before, like F-Zero and Super Mario Land and others like Super Metroid which I now get to enjoy on my Wii-U gamepad for the first time.
Super Metroid was just such a solid no-nonsense side-scroller that it's almost impossible for it to become irrelevant amongst today's generation of games. Metroid feels like it set a lot of standards that game designers fall back on as a staple. It contains few gimmicks and doesn't rely heavily the actual visuals so much as what you do within them. Effectively the game could remain equally as good had it been swapped straight-out with completely different subject matter. Not that the heavily-Aliens-referenced source material didn't provide engrossing locales and moody level design, but Metroid could have been western and maybe we'd still all be happy.
But it really is about the simplicity of the overall puzzle. The idea that you've landed on this planet, wearing your fantastic suit and as you make your way through it you encounter and number of obstacles. Some are doorways, some are narrow passageways and each require that you find the proper suit upgrade that allows you to make your way forward. And unlike your typical side scroller, you aren't just moving forward from screen-left to screen-right. The map is a very important tool as you find yourself travelling back and forth and up and down the level as you return to that one door you couldn't open before or that one platform you couldn't quite reach.
All that said, the game still features some incredible creature design, awesome art and an amazing soundtrack. Opening up on the surface of the planet Zebes, you step out of your gunship as rain pours down on you. You fight monsters both small and so giant they won't fit on one screen, some featuring some real horrifying designs. And to wrap this all together the controls and perfectly responsive, a must for any time-defying action game. I'd have to agree with everything I've ever read offhand, or anyone who's said that this is one of those 'have to play' games of the past; get a copy and play it.
Also, if you've never heard of them, be sure to give Metroid Metal a go. Metroid's soundtrack perfectly lends itself to this heavy metal cover band.
Super Metroid is another one of those incredible Super Nintendo games that I somehow missed out on when it originally came out. I was barely even aware it existed at all, the series was on my radar about as much as the Legend of Zelda; which as you may know, was very little. Recently though, I've been handed a few classic Nintendo titles for free via Club Nintendo and so I've had the opportunity to go through and play some of these games from the past. Some of which I'd played before, like F-Zero and Super Mario Land and others like Super Metroid which I now get to enjoy on my Wii-U gamepad for the first time. Super Metroid was just such a solid no-nonsense side-scroller that it's almost impossible for it to become irrelevant amongst today's generation of games. Metroid feels like it set a lot of standards that game designers fall back on as a staple. It contains few gimmicks and doesn't rely heavily the actual visuals so much as what you do within them. Effectively the game could remain equally as good had it been swapped straight-out with completely different subject matter. Not that the heavily-Aliens-referenced source material didn't provide engrossing locales and moody level design, but Metroid could have been western and maybe we'd still all be happy. But it really is about the simplicity of the overall puzzle. The idea that you've landed on this planet, wearing your fantastic suit and as you make your way through it you encounter and number of obstacles. Some are doorways, some are narrow passageways and each require that you find the proper suit upgrade that allows you to make your way forward. And unlike your typical side scroller, you aren't just moving forward from screen-left to screen-right. The map is a very important tool as you find yourself travelling back and forth and up and down the level as you return to that one door you couldn't open before or that one platform you couldn't quite reach.All that said, the game still features some incredible creature design, awesome art and an amazing soundtrack. Opening up on the surface of the planet Zebes, you step out of your gunship as rain pours down on you. You fight monsters both small and so giant they won't fit on one screen, some featuring some real horrifying designs. And to wrap this all together the controls and perfectly responsive, a must for any time-defying action game. I'd have to agree with everything I've ever read offhand, or anyone who's said that this is one of those 'have to play' games of the past; get a copy and play it.
Also, if you've never heard of them, be sure to give Metroid Metal a go. Metroid's soundtrack perfectly lends itself to this heavy metal cover band.
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