Metroid review by Tyson
Overall
Rent
I am going to give Metroid the Rent rating. The game can be fun but wandering around aimlessly just got old too quick for me.
Gameplay
Metroid is a game that stars our favorite intergalatic bounty hunter Samus Aran. Samus is on a mission to travel to
planet Zebes (aka Zebeth) and destroy the Metroid menace along with their leader Mother Brain. What makes
the gameplay so unique in Metroid is that its more of an open world style game rather then a much more linear
level game. I found this open world style is also a major blow for the game as well. You are given no direction on
where to go, there is also no map system in the game, and there is no type of hint system what so ever. So the game
basically boils down to you exploring every nook and cranny in order to finish the game. As a kid I loved
this setup but now I just cant really stand it.
What I feel that Metroid does right is its powerup system. Samus will find upgrades that will upgrade her suit or arm cannon
as you progress throughout the game. The game really does reward exploring with powerups and I really liked that.
I also have to give props for Nintendo to have a game with a female lead in it as well. I really wish more
NES games went down this route.
I had some fun with Metroid but having to aimlessly wander around just gets boring for me too fast
now days. This wandering around took away a lot of the enjoyment that I used to get out of the game.
Control
Metroid control setup is very well designed. The directional pad moves with the A and B buttons jump and shoot. you use the Select Button to activate your missles. Overall I had no problems here.
Graphics
I found the graphics to be average. The creature design was good and Samus animated well. I really loved her spin jump graphic. What really bothers me though is that several rooms will look the same and it can be hard to know where you have been. Also some rooms are just different colors which I felt they could of done something else to make the rooms look different. Also I didn't like how the game had a lot of slow down in it as well. It seemed that whenever a few enemies got on the screen that the framerate would just plummet.
Sound
I feel that Metroid performs well in this area. The background music is good and the jingle when you pick up an item sounds nice. The various sound effects like getting hit or shooting from your gun were nice as well. I didn't like the beeping it did when you got down to low life though.