Publisher: Nintendo
Ages:
seven and up.
Family
Rating:
Parental
Advisory:
arcade violence
Those who love Nintendo's Metroid games won't want to miss Metroid: Zero Mission, the latest in the series. The title once again features the incomparable Samus Aran in an adventure that retains the look, feel and theme of prior Metroid titles. It's a compelling 2-D side-scrolling game that offers an entertaining experience.
Samus Aran, the lady with the amazing suit of armor, stars in a story that reveals how she first encountered the Metroids, those mysterious energy-sapping creatures. She is sent to the planet Zebes where she not only meets the Metroids, but has to deal with a band of Space Pirates that has touched down to extract the creatures and use them as weapons.
As players would expect, the games serves lots battle, obstacles and areas. In a long-standing Metroid tradition, Zero Mission offers a virtual scavenger hunt that has players searching for items: missiles, energy tanks, tools and more, which provide the ability to explore wider and deeper.
The discovery of a device often opens former dead-ends, which then opens new worlds, which keep the game interesting. There are devices from all of the Metroid games that include the Speed Booster and Morph Ball-an ability to roll into a ball and pass through tight spaces, and new power-ups such as the Power Grip, which helps Samus climb and gives her lots of mobility.
The graphics are fantastic and the game serves an eerie soundtrack that adds to the ambiance. While there's lots of fighting, it's bloodless. The game is great, but experienced players may wish that there were more to it. Gamers may replay the title at a more difficult setting (and probably will).
Metroid: Zero Mission has a significant Nintendo history, and fans of earlier versions won't be disappointed with this one. And those who have never discovered the joys of Metroid will be in for a fun discovery.
4/26/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
