Video Games : Metroid Fusion

The story seens to come straight from a sci-fi movie (in fact, there are striking similarities between the earlier Metroid games and the Alien series.) - Samus is infected by a parasitic life-form known as the X. Near-death, and after having to undrgo surgical removal of pieces of her Power Suit because they were so integrated with her body, scientists try a radical procedure - a vaccine made from the last known Metroid, the natural predators of the X on their homeworld of SR388. It works, but she is now part-human, part-Metroid.

When an explosion rocks the Biologic Space Labs station orbiting SR388, Samus is sent there. She soon discovers her mission - race against time to stop the X from destroying the B.S.L. station, infecting all the lifeforms aboard, and threataning the entire known universe. Samus is also threatened by a creature called the SA-X - an exact copy of her formed from the pieces of the suit sent to the B.S.L. station.

You are guided by a computer called Adam, and Samus occasionally compares it to an old CO she once served under. The computer directs you and gives you advice, but lets you also follow your own course to the objective.

The game controls are simple and intuitive. You'll find controlling the main character, female intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran, is easy and rather enjoyable.

Graphics are top-notch, especially on the dark GBA screen. The colors are bright and vivid, and the game, althogh a 2-D side scroller, has a real sense of depth to it.

The gameplay never gets repetitive, or as soon as it does, Samus gains a new ability. The main way to restore abilities is by a data download or by absorbing the X parasites. It's exciting to try and find the next boss and get a new ability. It's also frightening to hear the sound of the SA-X as it patrols the hallways, waiting to destroy your weakened form. And with 5 different endings - based on game time and item collection - the game has high replay value.

Parents, if your child has good gameplay skills, this game is a great game. There is some violence, but no blood is ever spilled. There are no other humans on the station, so no human violence is ever depicted. The game builds memory and logic skills as you try to find hidden items, and it also encourages problem solving when trying to beat enemies. Text is displayed slowly, and you have a lot of time to read it. The words are not difficult, and the game directs you to locations instead of endless wandering. The game also encourages children to always strive for their goals and not to give up, thanks to later events in the game. There is no sex or vulgar language. In fact, you have a chance to save some cute little creatures along the way, which gives one a sense of responsibility for others. Plus, the lead character is a female, which helps give girls a role model and teaches boys respect for the opposite sex.

This game is fantastic. You will not be sorry if you purchase this game. Whatever genre you like, this game will thrill you and take you on a journey to the edge of space... and beyond. Buy Metroid Fusion. For any gamer, recommended 10 and up. It's incredible.

The storyline of this Metroid is that Samus went to planet SR-388 where she encountered a new lifeform only known as the X-Parasite. She get's infected with the X-Virus (her power suit actually) and the only thing that can save her is a Metroid Vaccine gotten from a Metroid. Thus this makes Samus half Metroid and half human (hence its called Metroid "Fusion"). The catch? A space station where her power suit parts are stored comes under attack by the X as they've multiplied themselves and not only that but with the X being able to mimic it's prey that means that Samus has a clone that YOU have to stop! This is THE best damn storyline in Metroid history! Filled with tons of plot twist and the new story scenes better enhance the storyline (something that actually could've been used in Super Metroid.)

There are a few things that this game misses as far as Metroid goes. Well...one thing really. I didn't mind that you had to hold a button down to fire missles and use power bombs (I rather liked that aspect as in Super Metroid I constantly used a power bomb without meaning to because I forgot to cancel the damn thing). This is easy to get used to. The one thing this Metroid misses is that element of exploration. True you do get to explore but only in the areas that the game has you go to first as often times closed doors will block you from going back. This is different from Metroid but it DOES work for this game as most games nowadays have gone down this linear path, but at least it makes the game focus on storyline.

The only other gripe I had with this game was that compared to Metroid (the first one) this is a very easy game. It's about as easy as Super Metroid was to me and that means that it wasn't very hard and I didn't die much at all. There are a few hard parts in the game which actually make it slightly harder than Super Metroid but still, the game is simple.

Now I know everyone is complaining that this game is too short but it really isn't THAT short. Sure you can blast through this game in 3 hours if you go as fast as possible, but I can blast through Super Metroid in TWO hours and people consider that game long? OK granted, the game is short but it has replay! Different endings of the game enhance its replay value and just the fact that the game is just a gem. So I didn't mind how long it was as you could go through any PS2 action/adventure in the same amount of time.

You'll notice several elements from Super Metroid here. But Samus has new abilities now. She can now hang off ledges and climb ladders. There are also bars along the ceiling in most areas so as you might have guessed that the grapple hook is now gone. Oh well.

Overall this is the second best Metroid game of all time. First would be Super Metroid. It's much better than Metroid Prime is and has one of the greatest storylines of all time. This game is just what the GBA needs right now!

The story is as follows, you, Samus Aran, are sent to help scientists of the Biologic Space Labs study life on the planet SR388 after Samus removed the top of the food chain by exterminating all Metroids on that planet during Metroid II. This seems all dandy and peaceful until you discover a strange floating viral organism that infects Samus and her power suit. Samus' suit is cut away in attempts to save her life and she's given a vaccine of Metroid DNA, Metroids being the sole predator of the virus organism which is dubbed "X", so the vaccine kills the virus and as a side effect it allows samus to absorb the virus.

Samus is then sent back out to see to a problem at the Biologic Space Labs in her modified and weaker power suit only to find that all hell has broken loose. This is where the gameplay starts and the differences begin.

First of all you're on a space station instead of a planet (The different areas are built to look like different ecosystems on a planet anyway). The graphics are phenomenal and a big improvement over Super Metroid. The gameplay has remained largely the same but that's a good thing, you take a lot of damage which can be explained away since your power suit is crappier than your old one. Also on this mission you're given missions dictated to you by a computer named Adam. This takes away from the non-linear gameplay of previous metroid games and makes it a tad bit more linear but it also adds a welcome and cool science fiction story. Another twist to the game is the SA-X. It seems that the X virus can copy anything it touches, and since it infected Samus with all her best abilities it decided to copy her. Through most of the game you have to run from this fake Samus as it kills you in only a few hits and this adds for some tense and frightening moments.

The music in the game is also noteworthy, all the tracks fit their intended purpose from the creepy to the heroic. You'll want to use headphones for this game.

In conclusion it might not be Super Metroid, but it's Metroid and it is nearly as good. No Metroid fan's life would be complete without picking this one up.

For those of you new to the Metroid series, I reccommend buying the equally fantastic Zero Mission first.