Super Metroid

Super Metroid

Although Metroid II: Return of Samus had been released in 1991, fans were already wanting a third installment of the Metroid series before the year was up. The reason? Nintendo's new 16-bit masterpiece, the SNES, had just been released in Japan, and already their regular hits were scheduled to get new games. The idea of Metroid in full blazing 16-bit color was exciting, and naturally Metroid fans wanted to see what Nintendo could pull off in putting their favorite game on there. After a long, 3-year wait, we finally found out.

The wait was more than worth it. Nintendo did not let us down. In this new Metroid chapter, we found Samus returning to Zebes almost right after her return from SR-388. Ridley had stolen the hatchling from the Ceres Space Coloney, and she was determined to get it back. Many old and all-too-unforgetable faces resurfaced as she tackled Mother Brain's forces once more, yet somehow it was a very diverse title. Best of all, she still had most of her old moves from the previous two games, in addition to a bundle of awesome new ones, such as the Grapling Beam and Speed Booster. Maps and the ability to aim were a great touch, and the game was finished off nicely with the mood-setting music we've come to expect in the Metroid titles.

The best Metroid game to date. (IMHO) But what lies ahead for us in the ongoing story of Samus Aran? Bitter, bitter dissapointment ensued as we never saw a Metroid for the ground-breaking Nintendo 64 system, but they just might make up for it -- after all, a new game for the Gamecube looks pretty promising...