Must have GBA games

[noobish hat]

Difficulty of the enemies is not the point of the Metroid series. If you want that, you should play Contra or something. Metroid is about exploration and atmosphere. Fusion is the only one that ****s that all to hell by holding your hand right the way through the game and spelling out the story and what's going on by constantly interrupting the game to spout expository bull**** and flat out tell you where to go. You don't feel like you're free to explore, and you don't feel like you're alone. Super Metroid managed both without saying one word outside of the brief intro screens.

I seriously recommend you to leave Metroid alone, and play Metal Slug, Gunstar Heroes, and Contra etc. You seem to have missed the point of Metroid entirely. It's not a run and gun game.

On the other hand, go play Zero Mission on Hard mode. It's not a cake walk.

[Golgo]

Thanks, I enjoy the games just mentioned but I don't need to be told by you what to go and play. I know perfectly well that Metroid is 'all about' the exploration and atmosphere. Sure, Fusion is more linear. But you can divert off the path and do things out of sequence if you choose, which - amusingly - annoys the hell out of the AI bossing you around. Anyway, as you'll see from my previous posts, I've been careful to qualify this as my preference alone, and state that I also love the SM approach too. As for what is the absolute bestest of all, I left that in the playground with the c64 and speccy.

[noobish hat]

The C64 was best.

[JSR]

Can I offer a more peaceful phrasing? If Fusion is your favorite of those games, that's fine. To claim that it's the best "Metroid game" however, is a statement I would object to, as aside from physics and visuals, it plays very little like a Metroid game. Would be like saying Resident Evil 5 is the best "Resident Evil game", when I - and many others - don't really consider it a proper Resident Evil game, due to how differently it plays compared to the previous games. I instead view it as a decent action game, set within the Resident Evil universe. And Fusion is a decent action game, set within the Metroid universe. Like how Final Fantasy XI is an MMO within the Final Fantasy universe.

[noobish hat]

Also? My dad could beat up your dad.


Edit: Brilliantly put, Alex.

[Golgo]

The C64 was best.

That I can agree with, as it happens

Think I agree with Alex too. Guess I always get a kick from the more action-inflected type (although I wouldn't say that disqualifies Fusion from being a 'proper' Metroid game). Argument to bookmark for future: why Revengeance is/is not a proper/the best MGS game.

[nakamura]

Zero Mission was good but hugely overrated. It was incredibly easy to finish on the standard mode and woefully short. The section people have spoilered at the end it worth taking a whole point off the game for, it was shocking design.

Fusion may have the AI that tells you the destination, but that is a small part of the game. Overall, it is damn good fun to play and very well made.

[Ouenben]

Super Metroid is one of the finest games ever made.

I still think Metroid Fusion is really good though despite it's linearity I really enjoyed it. One of the main things that made it so great though was the SA-X, probably the most terrifying sprite in existence! The tension whenever you bumped into that thing was crazy.

I really enjoyed Metroid Zero Mission too however I found it more forgettable as it was still not as good as Super Metroid (Nothing is) but not really all that different either. I hated the stealth section at the end but other than that it's a solid Metroidvania game, far more enjoyable than the original NES Metroid too.

I wish Nintendo would remake Metroid 2 in 2D (Not 2.5D, though I'd rather that than nothing) on the 3DS. <3

[noobish hat]

Metroid 2 is fantastic - I love the vast open caverns and huge map. I really wish they hadn't cancelled the colourised version.

[Synthesthesia]

Zero Mission was good but hugely overrated. It was incredibly easy to finish on the standard mode and woefully short. The section people have spoilered at the end it worth taking a whole point off the game for, it was shocking design.

Fusion may have the AI that tells you the destination, but that is a small part of the game. Overall, it is damn good fun to play and very well made.

Disagree, I absolutely loved it and do to this day. I love Fusion too...but Zero Mission is amazing to me. Sure, it's short, but it pretty much follows the first game which is what it set out to do (besides the bit at the end which I actually liked).

Zero is a lot easier to the point that there is almost no challenge at all. Fusion can be bastardly hard, but it is fantastic. The idea of setting it on a space centre dedicated to biological/ecosystem research means there's tons of different environments and bosses. It's the best 2D Metroid in my view, every bit as isolating, grim and atmospheric as Super Metroid, and much less linear than the naysayers give it credit for.

->Open Spoiler<-

(You can deviate off the beaten track and explore, with amusing consequences).

Zero is fun only to see what a NES game might look like with a GBA makeover.

->Open Spoiler<-

The bonus GBA 'stealth' level is ****.

/ sits back waiting perma-ban for saying Fusion is better than Super Metroid.

Ehhh I played both of them and honestly the difficulty was very similar IMO. Not really getting the hate in here for Zero Mission... It's at least as good as Fusion IMO if not better, since it isn't so linear.

I think much of the love for Super Metroid is nostalgia... I didn't play it when it came out, and tried to play it a few years ago after playing all the others, I still haven't completed it. I get like 3-4 hours in and get bored. I really do want to finish it since maybe it gets better but... I duno.

Golden Sun
Golden Sun The Lost Age

YES! Some of my favourate games ever. Infact, thinking about it, the GBA probably has more of my favourate games on it than any other console.

[nakamura]

I'm 15 hours into Golden Sun right now. Great combat and nice sound but the rest is such a bore.

[dataDave]

There's a lot of science to MV. It's probably my most played handheld game. The AI is a cheating bastard but I stuck to time trials after unlocking Jet Vermilion anyway.

Classic, better than the SNES game too imo.

[mattyr64]

My suggestions:

Metroid: Zero Mission (not played Fusion, but want too!), Astro Boy, Phalanx (ace horizontal shmup), Final Fantasy I & II and Alien Hominid and Sound Voyager (if you can get hold of them!) Also, Super Street Fighter II is a pretty good beat 'em up for a handheld, I've heard Alpha is really good as well.

[Nu-Eclipse]

My suggestions:

Also, Super Street Fighter II is a pretty good beat 'em up for a handheld, I've heard Alpha is really good as well.

Really can't go with Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival, I'm afraid.

The English-language versions have FAR too many bugs and glitches (Worst of the lot being that the game crashes when you get to Akuma in single player mode, effectively making single-player mode unplayable). On top of that, it's just too easy.




Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper is pretty good for a GBA port, though.

[mattyr64]

Never got to fight Akuma here, so if your pants like me, you might enjoy this game as much as I do!