To all who grew up playing the NES Metroid is one game that still rings fresh in the mind. It brought to life an alien planet with all sorts of creatures and monsters controlled by a massive brain bent on revenge and power.
It was 1986 and Japan had just released this instant classic to the masses. For those who don't know or remember the game tells us the story of Samus Aran, a bounty hunter who searches the galaxies for Space Pirates that are bent on taking the power of the Metroids and using them for evil. After learning that Mother Brain, an intelligent creature that has gained power of over the pirates, is on the planet Zebes, Samus heads out to kick ass!
Looking back at the gameplay in Metroid reminds me of Super Mario and Zelda meshed together and then thrown on a desolate planet. It was definitely one of the darker games of the NES. It offered so much more to the standard side-scrolling platformers of the time because it was non-linear, you were able to gain powers and weapons, and explored vast rooms and chasms on a planet fortress in search of bosses to take down. No other game could offer you that.
Of course the most remembered moment of the game that set it apart from all others at the time is when you've reached the end and Samus removes her helmet and reveals to the player that all along the protagonist was a female. This was the moment that Nintendo used to shock every gamer in the world. It was unheard of at the time and it introduced the first lady of video games to the world. Metroid most certainly helped Ms. Pac-Man open the door to female characters in video games.It was also pretty cool that the game had five different endings depending on how fast or slow you played the game. In addition, you were able to go back and kick ass using all the powers you had just obtained from your first playthrough.
Mother Brain even gained her own following. She later went to star as an evil character on Captain N: The Game Master. They even created episodes that revolved around Metroid and Zebes.
Metroid also had a pretty good soundtrack for its day. I still remember the iconic music and some of the more eerie songs. Playing in the dark at 7-8 yrs old was freaky. The title song itself gave you the chills alone. If you care to hear the original theme song check it here.
Now after 25 years Metroid has released a total of 12 games on all Nintendo consoles except for N64 and Virtual Boy. Clearly making itself as one of the most successful games for Nintendo and it deserves more accolades than it has come to receive. I really wish Nintendo would do something grand for the Metroid series. All the new installments that were released under the Prime moniker have been great games but the publicity for these releases have been really slim. Most have never played or even heard of them. I'm hoping that after reading this some of you decide to check out more of the Metroid games you never played. I guarantee nothing but fun
For all those reminiscent of the original that started it all! Enjoy!
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