Introducing VGChartz Theme weeks - Metroid Week!

by Stephen Kelley, posted on 30 August 2010 / 1,503 Views

To build some much needed hype and anticipation for upcoming games, the staff here at VGChartz has decided to run a series of “theme weeks” to show off bigger games as they come out.  We can't do one for EVERY game, but we'll try to hit the larger ones.  Expect a few game specific features, and increased news on that game during these weeks.  First things first, a pretty big game comes out this week – Metroid Other M! 

To kick of "Metroid Week" here on VGChartz, a handful of staff members put our heads together (Ouch!) to come up with our fondest memories or any other thoughts on the Metroid series or the new game.  This of course all leads up to the release of Metroid: Other M tomorrow.  Metroid: Other M seems to deal a lot with looking back at the past, so what better way to begin than to post our past experiences with the games. 

 

Stephen Kelley:

 

"I personally loved the first Metroid game from the very beginning.  When I was a kid I had a few chances to play it when I was younger via one of my cousins.  Being a fan of the game Kid Icarus, I was used to the general play style of the game, but little things like the power-up system really made it seem different.  Up until that time almost all videogames that I ever played held the old notion that any game was divided into levels like 1-1,1-2,1-3 etc, a few games like Ninja Turtles broke it up a bit, but there wasn’t really the open ended experience that I wanted.  Metroid changed that.

Once I got a bit older, I was able to play Metroid 2 for a little bit, but was unable to play it too often, it wasn’t until Super Metroid until I considered myself a fan.  Super Metroid took all of the fun things that I could remember from the original and gave the series so much more storytelling, epic boss fights, and all manner of awesome weapons.  Been a fan ever since, and I try to play each game I can!"

 

 

Joseph Jackmovich:

 

"Metroid.What started as a simple action-adventure game turned into a universe filled with memorable characters and a lore we love to keep coming back to. I will always hold Super Metroid to be the crown jewel of the franchise. Such an excellent atmosphere, tons of secrets to uncover, and incredible boss battles. Prime brought the franchise into a new genre, and did so with an incredible score, among other staples of the Metroid franchise. While I was less impressed with Prime 2, Prime 3 was again a step in the right direction. I've been ambivalent about Other M because of the developer, but I'm hoping it turns out to be another excellent addition in one of gaming's most respected franchises."

 

 

Alex St-Amour:

 

"I admit it, when it comes to the Metroid series I’m what some may call a ‘noob’, in fact the only time I had ever played as Samus in a game was in the original Super Smash Bros. for the N64, and even at that my time was spent trying to see her nude by zapping her and pausing the game at the precise moment (such an innocent time). It wasn’t until the Christmas of 2002 that I finally got to see what a Metroid game was all about with the Gamecube classic Metroid Prime, and from that day forward I was hooked. I tracked down a copy of the original NES game, played through the Game Boy and SNES instalments, completed the Prime trilogy and got my handheld fix with three great portable instalments and now I’m eagerly anticipating the release of Other M. The Metroid series has quickly become one of my favourite series in Nintendo’s catalogue and for that I am very thankful.

P.S. - Also I’d like to apologize to Samus for the whole seeing you naked thing…"

 

 

Peter Eykemans:

 

"I was thirteen years old when I had a shrink-wrapped copy of Super Metroid sitting in my lap on the way home from the electronics store that fateful release day back in '94. My brother and I had saved up enough allowance money to throw down for the new game and although it was a school night, we stayed up way past our bedtimes exploring Zebes.

I'd tinkered with the original Metroid on NES (though never owned it) and put hours upon hours into Metroid 2 on my classic Gameboy, but Super Metroid took everything that was cool with the series and up the ante...exponentially. I think we cleared the game the first time before the weekend even hit, sacrificing school assignment after school assignment that week to get closer to Mother Brain.

As I got older I played the Gameboy Advance versions on commuter trains, and finally made my way through the Prime series more recently. But for me, it still doesn't get better than the SNES classic. For full disclosure, just two years ago I snuck an entire playthrough of Super Metroid on my office computer's hidden emulator against all the rules. Yes, it's that good.

So maybe, just maybe Metroid: Other M can hold some of that magic that once again takes everything cool about the series and raise the bar."

 

Evan Elden Eller

 

"I have a weird relationship with the original Metroid. I remember playing it as a child and loving it. I explored every nook and cranny of the game and tried to beat it as fast as I could to see if she was really a girl or not. (We'd all heard the rumors at school.) And Samus Aran wasn't just a girl; she was a powerful woman who didn't waste any time taking orders, didn't waste any breath talking, and blew whole planets up. This was pretty revolutionary back then, a few years before gamers got their virtual gender-bending kicks out of Chun Li. I went back and played it about 15 years later, and I had no idea what I was doing without a map. I kept getting lost and frustrated, it took me a few days to beat it, and I started to hate the game.

I'd missed out on Metroid II and Super Metroid, and when a friend found out about that a year and a half ago, he immediately gifted me Super Metroid via the Wii's Virtual Console. I had reservations, and was assuming it would be just like the original but with better graphics, but it stole my heart right away. The whole game's world was just incredible. It had such a creepily immersive atmosphere I couldn't put the controller down. I had to wander down claustrophobic corridors, but instead of getting frustrated when I got lost, I got excited. It meant I had more exploring to do, and the music, the level design, and the plethora of hidden passages made the exploring fun. In fact I'd probably describe the whole franchise as "sci-fi/horror/exploring." I beat it in about 14 hours, and then I beat it again in about 8 hours a few days later. The game's ending was one of the greatest examples of interactive storytelling without dialogue I've ever had the joy to play through. It even made me remember what I liked about the original NES game in the first place. Some games have you mow through peons while you wait for an epic boss battle. Metroid throws you into a maze and makes you work for it, but it's a beautiful maze.

I played a little of Metroid Prime 1 and 3 and think the experience translated to the 3rd dimension very well, but after playing Super Metroid I'm looking forward to playing some more Metroid action with a D-Pad. And in case you don't know, Metroid Prime Pinball is where it's at."

 

So that’s what we think, how about you guys?  Are you a Metroid fan, or do you hate it?  Either way, lets share some of our opinions on the subject as we wait for Metroid: Other M to hit the stores.