LTTP: Metroid Fusion. It was pretty awesome.

Fusion's stubborn need for handholding - including locking gates when it deems necessary - and shoving exposition down your throat was terribly off-putting. SA-X was great and a decent chunk of the bosses were more interesting to deal with than those in the other 2D Metroids, but they didn't compensate for what was lost the process. Controls while improved felt better in Zero Mission, with the latter also not feeling inclined to gimp Samus' wall jump among other minor movement-related annoyances.

It's my least favorite Metroid out of the bunch, though by no means a bad game.
 
It's a fun game, but I really don't like the linearity. For that reason it's one of the weakest in the series for me, only better than Prime Hunters, Metroid II, and Other M.
 
Crab Milk Mickey said:
Fusion's stubborn need for handholding - including locking gates when it deems necessary - and shoving exposition down your throat was terribly off-putting. SA-X was great and a decent chunk of the bosses were more interesting to deal with than those in the other 2D Metroids, but they didn't compensate for what was lost the process. Controls while improved felt better in Zero Mission, with the latter also not feeling inclined to gimp Samus' wall jump among other minor movement-related annoyances.
Click to expand...

Pretty much how I feel. It was fine the first time through but it's not something I would want to play again. And that kinda says it all for a Metroid game.
 
Fusion was my first Metroid. I liked the aspect of linearity, especially as a kid. Fusion was a really tightly designed experience and I think the linearity allowed Nintendo to explore just how densely they could pack it with excitement. So I kind of got to view it without the baggage of expectations that cling on from other Metroid titles.

The way ADAM would instruct and you would report back gave a really 'gamey' sense of progression. It was very well suited to the handheld platform, and each minor mission played out as a mini-episode. The game contained story elements, but it was very aware of its format, and I think that combination ended up elevating the emotional experience to a higher level than it may otherwise have been.

Fusion was so pick-up-n-play, and within that parameter simple depictions of high-stakes situations became even more terrifying because they're so easy to buy into. The game demands very little of you - 'go here, dispatch air vents, come back'. The instructions are simple and the journey is equally so (in theory) (though that's not to say the game doesn't get difficult). There's very little barrier for the player to get in and involved with the gaming environment. That's why when you get these curve-balls of SA-X just... walking around quietly, and absolutely laying waste to the environment you exist in - it's just shocking. Because within the boundaries of expectation, this guy is just so extremely over-powered. It's shocking. It's a simple depiction when the SA-X blows up a wall for the first time. Cheesy sound effects, the lot. But you're invested as a player in the limitations of your character. It's insane. ADAM even tells you 'yo, this motherfucker can wreck you. Don not approach' - it's genuinely scary!

Presentationally - I love the restrictions of the old GBAs and the earlier systems. It's such a cohesive look within such restrictive hardware. Good stuff!
 
I'm with you there. I only knew of Metroid through Smash beforehand and had no expectations of what the game was. Fusion was a delightful level of pickup and play that I just adored. SA-X was terrifying. The story, sparse at it was, was just the right level of interesting to keep me enthralled - honestly, I kinda find Metroid 1 and Super Metroid a bit too abstract to really keep me there, though thankfully they have the exploration aspect down so much better.
 
What's interesting though is that people who played Metroid Fusion first probably don't jive with earlier games in the series for the exact same reason that veterans don't like Fusion.

Fusion is constantly rewarding you, and this is evident, for example, in the constant returning to ADAM. That pick-up-and-play system that provides little doses of accomplishment throughout the game is completely at odds with the self-sufficient goal setting of the earlier titles. So the appeal of Fusion, where you receive a goal, act it out, and report back is actually at odds with what made the initial games appealing in the first place.

In Super Metroid and the like, the fulfillment of your curiosity is assumed to be reward enough for progression. It works, as well - I love Super Metroid! It creates an environment that is exciting to slowly uncover on your own. So as a player you rely totally on yourself to make decisions.

What's interesting is that in a way, Metroid Fusion isn't a Metroidvania at all! I can see why veterans felt ADAM almost insulting, because the play environment they came from fostered a completely different relationship with the player. Super Metroid sets the player up to feel satisfied with themselves and their own ability to solve problems, whereas Fusion has the player actively seeking gratification from an outside source (ie, ADAM).

When you look at this dichotomy, it's actually pretty evident why the Metroid franchise is a less viable enterprise for Nintendo to invest in. We live in a time where people get addicted to Candy Crush - and that's because it's constantly telling you you've done a great job. What people tend to enjoy about Metroid is that sense that you are alone, which does require you to think on your toes. This necessitates an active engagement from the player. I think to more and more people (and perhaps this is a subconscious shift) that seems like work. Look at the thread I created recently about backlogs! People's attitudes to their purchases are often begrudging, like their backlogs are looming tasks that need to be worked through.

It's interesting - I think that actual act of purchasing a game is enough of a gratifying rush for some people. Playing the game is... I don't want to say it's an afterthought, but - it's just fascinating; this system that's playing out in society at the moment. We had a thread in the OT recently about how pornography and video games are creating a masculinity crisis in young males - but I don't think it's the things in themselves but rather the parts of them that reward viewers/players constantly, ie "HEADSHOT" or "Mm yeah, your dick is so big"

Haha. Strange world, huh?
 
I would love to read a further analysis of Fusion and Super being opposite ends of a similar spectrum.

That said, i'm not sure I'm 100% on board with your thesis - after all, it seems like a lot of rogue-like/non-instant grat games have become more popular over the last few years - Dark Souls, Minecraft, survival games et al - many games that challenge that narrative of instant-grat for low-enterprise. Though perhaps it's that those are counter-popular (that is, they're reactions against the prevailing culture) where the prevailing culture is mobile Candy Crush-esque games, and I just see it as a large number of games because my perception of the audience is more limited.

Food for thought, hopefully.
 
I dunno if this is accurate, but one thing I always thought about Fusion is

SA-X's boss battle resembles the monster that the X virus that infects Samus resembles in the intro

Am I the only one who thinks this
 
Anyone here ever do speed runs for fusion? I remember I got my time to around 1:15. Actually been thinking of dusting off the old gba cart and giving it another go.
 
Jintor said:
I would love to read a further analysis of Fusion and Super being opposite ends of a similar spectrum.

That said, i'm not sure I'm 100% on board with your thesis - after all, it seems like a lot of rogue-like/non-instant grat games have become more popular over the last few years - Dark Souls, Minecraft, survival games et al - many games that challenge that narrative of instant-grat for low-enterprise. Though perhaps it's that those are counter-popular (that is, they're reactions against the prevailing culture) where the prevailing culture is mobile Candy Crush-esque games, and I just see it as a large number of games because my perception of the audience is more limited.

Food for thought, hopefully.
Click to expand...

Yep, totally. I think both cultures exist, and that Dark Souls-core is not necessarily counter-culture - but again it is in some ways and it is for some people. Counter-culture implies that there's a context in which the culture exists. Some will identify with that, others won't. I'm just commenting on certain phenomena and trends I'm noticing. I can't say all of society is one particular way, but there is certainly some insurgence of this kind of attitude pervading a percentage of our society. I think I might make a thread about the different aspects of Metroid game philosophy and expand on these ideas. Might be interesting :)
 
This was my first Metroid and I loved it. I'm still waiting for a sequel to this game I'm tired of prequels. You hear that Nintendo no more prequels and make it 2d.
 
Game was good but too linear so I didn't bother to 100 percent it. Other M better be the last Metroid on a ship... because metroid games not on a planet feel hollow.
 
MrBadger said:
If you're talking about
SA-X, just get into a good rhythm of jumping over it while charging your beam, shooting it when you land and jumping over it again. The AI is easily exploitable.
Click to expand...

This. Once you get the rhythm down you can do the whole boss fight without taking any damage. I used to have a save file at that point that I would load up just to do that. :P

If you mean
Omega Metroid, just keep running backwards and forwards while spamming diagonal ice beams.
I think every boss in this game after
Nightmare
is either fairly easy or has pretty exploitable AI once you know what you're doing.
Click to expand...

Not even just after that point. Honestly pretty much every boss can be cheesed pretty easily. For example,
there's a tile underwater in Sirrus's boss room where you can alternate between crouching and morph ball and never take any damage.
 
It's my most-played game. Surely finished it over 10 times. It helps that you can beat it within 2 hours after your first playthrough.
 
Easily my favorite game in the franchise. X is the best enemy the series has ever had. The first time it almost catches made more freaked then any RE game.
 
ugly said:
Yep, totally. I think both cultures exist, and that Dark Souls-core is not necessarily counter-culture - but again it is in some ways and it is for some people. Counter-culture implies that there's a context in which the culture exists. Some will identify with that, others won't. I'm just commenting on certain phenomena and trends I'm noticing. I can't say all of society is one particular way, but there is certainly some insurgence of this kind of attitude pervading a percentage of our society. I think I might make a thread about the different aspects of Metroid game philosophy and expand on these ideas. Might be interesting :)
Click to expand...

you have my ice beam
 
My least favourite 2d metroid. The computer is just irritating: don't tell me where to go, I can figure it out myself! Some of the bosses were frustrating rather than interestingly difficult. I did not like the character design: Samus looks weird, the suit looks like Samus is constantly shrugging. Aside from the linearity, my complaints are pretty frivolous.

Still a great game though. I loved playing it, but Super, Zero, Metroid 2 and even the original are better games. Being a bad Metroid game is pretty high praise for Fusion.
 
Fusion is probably on my list of top 10 favorite games. I've probably completed that game the most out of everything else I've even beaten. Gameplay is perfection, bosses and atmosphere are just so well done. After you need to restore Central Core power, that's when the more non-linear structure of the game starts to kick in.

Bosses are a good challenge, I remember as a kid the Spider (Yakuza was the name, right?) killed me time and time again, so I tried for a solid month until I beaten it. So rewarding. Nightmare was one of most creative bosses I've seen in a Metroid title. Distorting gravity so much that light bends and missiles just sink to the ground was such a cool moment, and still is to this day fighting that boss. What's funny is that for me now, the Security Robot (in Sector 6, 2nd encounter) is the hardest boss for me when as a kid I breezed through that fight.

I'm really glad I got the game on 3DS for the Ambassador Program, I would breeze through that game on a flight and finish it before we land.
 
Greddleok said:
My least favourite 2d metroid. The computer is just irritating: don't tell me where to go, I can figure it out myself! Some of the bosses were frustrating rather than interestingly difficult. I did not like the character design: Samus looks weird, the suit looks like Samus is constantly shrugging. Aside from the linearity, my complaints are pretty frivolous.

Still a great game though. I loved playing it, but Super, Zero, Metroid 2 and even the original are better games. Being a bad Metroid game is pretty high praise for Fusion.
Click to expand...

I can see that. Though it all ties into that Samus is now in a weakened state, from her body movement to the way she's holding her arm cannon. She normally places her hand on top to steady her aim but in Fusion her hand is underneath, holding it up because the cannon is so heavy to her now.
 
Nanashrew said:
She normally places her hand on top to steady her aim but in Fusion her hand is underneath, holding it up because the cannon is so heavy to her now.
Click to expand...

If you want to read into posture like that, you can. But I personally disagree, I think it's just a stylistic choice for the character. You can think of it as a rebirth of sorts since she nearly died from her encounter from the X, but it's not really a sign of weakness. She doesn't show a sign of physical weakness to anything in Fusion unless you encountered the Frozen X specimens. But that's only because she doesn't have Varia capabilities to extreme temperatures. You know how flippin' powerful she becomes at the end of the game? Definitely not slowed down because the "arm cannon is too heavy for her".
 
I've played through it a few times and some bosses are just pure bullshit (spider thing) plus some parts can be confusing (outsides the tubes in the underwater section IIRC). It can also be a bit punishing with save rooms to bosses (still thinking of the spider).

So while I thought it was great first time through the more I play it the less I like it.
 
Kindekuma said:
If you want to read into posture like that, you can. But I personally disagree, I think it's just a stylistic choice for the character. You can think of it as a rebirth of sorts since she nearly died from her encounter from the X, but it's not really a sign of weakness. She doesn't show a sign of physical weakness to anything in Fusion unless you encountered the Frozen X specimens. But that's only because she doesn't have Varia capabilities to extreme temperatures. You know how flippin' powerful she becomes at the end of the game? Definitely not slowed down because the "arm cannon is too heavy for her".
Click to expand...

She is weak to ice because she's now part Metroid and ice will freeze her solid. The theme of the game is survival and that you are in a weakened state even if it doesn't feel like it gameplay wise. There is a moment early on in the game where the navi computer tells you there's electrical interference that has knocked out power to the elevators so you're forced to go through a dark area and fall into a large pit with your only way out is to climb a ladder. There are lots of little details early on to show that Samus has been disempowered. Then there's the constant threat of SA-X to remind you throughout the game that you are prey and all you can do is hide.

She is reborn, I do agree with that. Samus even believes so in the intro but it doesn't mean she wasn't weakened after that experience, because she clearly was. I actually like how they went about a weakened Samus with more subtle design choices through character posture, level design and the inclusion of the hunter being the hunted theme. It didn't take away from Samus, instead it only added more to her character.
 
One of my first videogames and a personal favourite of mine. I think I've memorized every pixel. I did play Super Metroid after this, and Super's mysterious and alien atmosphere and ambitious scope did kind of retrospectively make Fusion seem like small potatoes...but I had a lot of great memories playing through Fusion, so I think it's still great. My favourite segment of Fusion is when the mission really starts going to shit and the game starts taking a more hands off approach towards the player. (Basically the later half of the game, starting with the power outage and fighting Yakuza.)

As for Adam, I thought it was kind of neat that he started out dutiful and focused but as soon as the SA-X shows up, he says shadier things and gets more and more untrustworthy. Looking back on it, his redemption at the end was a total cop-out. I don't think the player should forget all the awful things he said and did just because he was Samus' friend all along. Playing it as a kid, it was a huge relief, but now that I'm older, it's kind of a let down. Having Samus interact with that kind of two-faced character created its own kind of tension that culminated into a very intense verbal face-off that gets underwhelmingly diffused in the last minute.
 
I played Fusion before any other Metroid game. I think that it's probably the best. The controls are tight and the areas are interesting. It has a great sense of adventure and accessing new areas and dealing with changed/damaged areas you've previously been to is great.

The last boss
Metroid
was ridiculously easy for me. I think I glitched it or something, because IIRC I killed it in less than 30 seconds. Nightmare is the hardest boss to me, followed by the SA-X.

The SA-X is a great villain leading to some genuine tense and scary moments. It's probably the best GBA game I ever played.
 
This game is seriously underrated. Most of the time I only see the plot or the linearity being talked when it has a supreme map design, perfect controls and slick visuals. A lot of thought went to the stylization of the controls in order to be played in a portable machine without sacrificing anything of value. Just running around the station feels good, shooting things down with beams or super missiles (pgggghhhh indeed) feels good, everything is tightly packed unless planet-based Metroid where the map is all over the place. Grabbing and climbing are one of the best additions to the series as it contributes to awesome situations like the guardian robot battle and ledge jumping sections, and gets rid of the awful grapple beam. Good boss battles, shinespark shenanigans, expansion markers, and the icing on the cake is science fiction thriller plot that manages to incorporate a lot of elements of previous Metroid and give closure to the classic branch the series in a nostalgic finale for the fans.

Everything flows so naturally and it's a joy to play, a burst of non stop stylish bidimensional action. Super Metroid may have the upper hand in novelty, atmosphere and soundtrack, but the GBA Metroids feel much tighter in the gameplay side.
 
Was really eager to play it for the first time back in 2011 and it was so good. Replayed it on Wii-U VC about a year ago since the cart I bought died and it's still just as good, has a few frustrating moments but I want another experience like it for 3DS. Nintendo would be stupid not to do it again and 2D please I beg of you. Although Prometheus came out back in 2012 so it might go even further back than the first game since Fusion was clearly an Alien: Resurrection deal.
 
I started playing this a few days ago. I have only played an hour of Metroid Prime 1 before which I didn't like.

Is Metroid Fusion one of the better games in the series?
 
Just have a go, buddy! Most people posting in a LTTP thread are gonna favour that game :) If you think you might like the tone so far then give it a little more. I was really sucked in by the quality of the presentation and the swiftness of control when I played as a kid. I mean, I just thought the game was cool, but thinking back now that I have an adult brain - I think those were the selling factors. It's definitely well polished and like people have said, it is very pick-up-and-play, initially. Run with it, and if you don't like it, eat a sandwich. For fun I mean - that's not like an Adventure Time-tier insult.

As an aside, I love that smaller threads like this are slow enough that you can reply to people without quoting. It's so cushty.
 
It's not the best game in terms of core Metroid fundamentals, but it's definitely one of the more memorable games in the series, and on the GBA. The design of the game may be linear, but I think they vindicated the decision. Like you said, the implementation of SA-X is nothing short of brilliant. You have a great contrast at play with the oppressive strength of the fully decked out SA-X, but it also serves as a lovely series parallel with Samus hunting Metroids. Now that you're infused with Metroid DNA, you are the one being hunted, and it fits in nicely with Samus' arc of learning to respect the Metroid threat. It's amazing how well they pulled the atmosphere and tension off in a colourful 2D sidescrolling handheld game with a tiny screen. When you heard those footsteps, you knew it was time to scram and hide. Guiding you through areas where you could see SA-X roam was also incredibly effective.
 
Metroid Fusion was like the Prisoner of Azkaban of the Metroid titles. It's strange to spy on yourself. But it's more terrifying in Metroid Fusion!
 
Madridista said:
I started playing this a few days ago. I have only played an hour of Metroid Prime 1 before which I didn't like.

Is Metroid Fusion one of the better games in the series?
Click to expand...
Absolutely. For what it's worth I'm not fond of Metroid Prime either. (But that's mostly because it makes me feel nauseous, so I'm not the best judge.)
 
Maragidyne said:
It's rather one of the weaker-to-middle games in the series, but despite that it's a really awesome game overall.

There are obviously significantly worse games. The original metroid game is great, but is dated, Metroid 2 is quite rough and Other M is an abomination.
Click to expand...

I've been wanting to play Metroid II. I really enjoy seeing what was achieved with the original Gameboy. The first-party Nintendo titles are really grand considering the limitations they're working with on that system. It's so novel giving these titles the time and discovering often that they are of remarkable depth and scope. The Gameboy was, I believe, released some time into the NES' life span - or I have assumed so because you can see how the more modern philosophies of game design from the late NES, early SNES period had been attempted at to have had been transposed onto the system - and a great deal of developers really met the challenge. I've heard that Metroid II isn't one of the greatest titles in its series, but I get the feeling it might have a charm to it.

Edit:
NES Retail availability: 1983-2003 (On 25th September 2003 NES distribution was discontinued in Japan? What the-!?)
Gameboy Retail availability: JP April 21, 1989, NA July 31, 1989 according to Wikipedia.


Spinosaurus said:
Absolutely. For what it's worth I'm not fond of Metroid Prime either. (But that's mostly because it makes me feel nauseous, so I'm not the best judge.)
Click to expand...

image.php
 
Madridista said:
I started playing this a few days ago. I have only played an hour of Metroid Prime 1 before which I didn't like.

Is Metroid Fusion one of the better games in the series?
Click to expand...

depends on your view of the series as a whole. It's a really great game and I think it's one of the best, but there are people who dislike it because it's objective-focused rather than just dumping you in a world and leaving you to figure things out for yourself. Personally I think this is a good thing, and it definitely makes the game more accessible to people looking to get into the series.
 
Thanks. I must track that one down online. Playing on the actual hardware is so... immersive! Dat raw processing power..!
 
Fusion was actually my first Metroid, having not had a SNES.

I loved it to pieces, and it stayed my favourite Metroid for a long time, until I went back and played Super Metroid to completion for the first time last year.

Fusion is still right up there for me, but the world design of Super is just so good.
 
I love Fusion, but it's probably the least replayable (good) Metroid game. Them constant textboxes are a struggle.
 
This post is seriously underrated.

GenG3000 said:
This game is seriously underrated. Most of the time I only see the plot or the linearity being talked when it has a supreme map design, perfect controls and slick visuals. A lot of thought went to the stylization of the controls in order to be played in a portable machine without sacrificing anything of value. Just running around the station feels good, shooting things down with beams or super missiles (pgggghhhh indeed) feels good, everything is tightly packed unless planet-based Metroid where the map is all over the place. Grabbing and climbing are one of the best additions to the series as it contributes to awesome situations like the guardian robot battle and ledge jumping sections, and gets rid of the awful grapple beam. Good boss battles, shinespark shenanigans, expansion markers, and the icing on the cake is science fiction thriller plot that manages to incorporate a lot of elements of previous Metroid and give closure to the classic branch the series in a nostalgic finale for the fans.

Everything flows so naturally and it's a joy to play, a burst of non stop stylish bidimensional action. Super Metroid may have the upper hand in novelty, atmosphere and soundtrack, but the GBA Metroids feel much tighter in the gameplay side.
Click to expand...

Spot on, sir.
 
Also, I may be hated for saying this but I think the single-wall jump was overpowered, didn't make sense, and getting rid of it gave the level designers a bit more freedom.

I must say though, zero mission's addition of morph ball shinespark was a bit OTT and didn't really add anything new to Samus' moveset. Also, Zero Mission was too fast to control and some of the optional expansions were RIDICULOUS to obtain.

Fusion for me just seems to have everything right.
 
v1perz53 said:
Though some of the hidden Missle/Powerbomb/Energy Tanks are absolutely devilish. Only things that made me sad were removing some of the tricks that let you sequence break in Super Metroid, like infinite bomb jumping if you had infinite skill, or making the wall jump shittier so you couldn't use it to climb a single wall. But I guess more linear game with story necessitated that you couldn't be allowed to do things too out of order.
Click to expand...

Yup, although there is some sequence breaking in this game. The computer even comments on your shine-sparking/sequence breaking skills at one point.

Not that I can do it but I watched it in a tool assisted run years ago.
 
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