This text is property of Steve Estes

The story of Metroid begins the tale that spans through a trilogy of games for 3 different systems. You are Samus Aran, bounty hunter, under orders to destroy the Space Pirates who have captured a new, devastating life form: Metroids. The Galactic Federation has pinpointed the location of the pirate's headquarters, the remote planet Zebes.

However, a full assault by the Galactic Police has failed, and you are their last hope. These Metroids destroyed an entire civilization on their home planet, and now you must face them- alone. Sounds like The Rock, except you get a lot more cans of whoop ass than even Sean Connery. Your character, Samus, has a bit of a surprise identity- beat the game in under 3 hours to unveil it.

Equiment / Gameplay-

     You start the game with a pitiful, short-range laser and 30 life, out of a possible 99. Immediately to your left is the Morphing Ball, a versatile tool (though arguably the most random and strange powerup you'll ever get) that lets you morph into a ball, able to crawl through spaces and lay bombs that can take out parts of walls! Don't worry about your low life- throughout the game there are energy tanks that add an extra hundred energy units to your max, and several of these make you last a while, no matter who you're up against. As for your laser, early in the game you get a powerup that lets you shoot as far as you want, and not too long after, a beam upgrade that freezes enemies in their tracks, making them sitting ducks for your laser, missiles, screw attack, or just as stepping-stones. However your main tool for mass destruction are missiles, found in packs of 5 and scattered throughout the game. How many of these useful and limited packs of power you find may make or break your final run at the Mother Brain...
     Deserving special mention is the Screw Attack, which was popular enough to get put in the two sequels. Found deep in the fires of Norfair, when Samus spin jumps, a lightning-like charge leaps across her, and destroys any regular enemy in one hit. Also worthy of note is the Varia, which while not spectacular reduces the damage Samus takes by half.
     The game is a side-scrolling, sprawling maze of columns, pitfalls, rooms and hallways. Everywhere you turn one can find hidden passages (in norfair, there is no such thing as a dead end- roll into a ball and bomb everywhere, most of the time you'll find at least a missile). Around every corner is a trap, some obscene fall, a life-saving item or energy tank, or maybe, if you're unlucky, a boss. A player has to keep moving, may have to stop to refill, but is always in action, exploring, developing, and getting squished. Some people find the atmosphere a bit claustrophobic, always maneuvering in long hallways or deep vertical shafts, but for most those unexplored passages and difficult-to-maneuver areas give a sense of unlimited opportunity, and your skill and enjoyment of the game rise as you explore.

One of the great things about this game is that you don't need the reflexes of a hyperactive 8-year-old to succeed. But to the credit of the designers, not only do skills in the details of gameplay come in GREAT handy, you really develop them as you play. On the down side, and more generally, some of the response times in the game are pretty poor, especially switching to and from missiles and screw attacking (you can never get it to screw when you want to). Some areas, especially the deep secret ones, require unusual techniques with bombing and the ice beam to get through. But for the softcore gamers playing this game, there's more than enough slack to make it through.

Commentary-

     This game is one of the crowning achievements of early Nintendo, and is the cover child of its NES platform. Along with the classics like Mario and Zelda, this game just makes you want to play it again and again. At first, even surviving takes some doing, but even experts have some challenges. There is something for everyone in this game, and it's a great time all the way through. Replay value is amazing- finding those missiles so you can actually make it through Mother Brain, getting those obscure energy tanks so you can survive (there's one in the ceiling near where you start), all are addictive. The graphics aren't too intense, but the amazing originality of this game more than makes up for it. So much in here is creative, and all of it fun, that this is a classic that will still be around and popular when everyone's bored of the latest Street-Fighter-wannabe. The sequels are just as much fun, if you have a gameboy, SNES, or either emulator, but this original is the greatest testament to Nintendo. Play it, you'll like it.

Hints, Tips and Goodies-

     The first thing to say is that there are energy tanks you can get right after defeating each boss. In Kraid's room, shoot the wall on the right side; after the battle with the boss Ridley, pump those missiles into the pink door at the left and walk across an invisible bridge for a sweet, and much-needed treat.
     Missiles. Norfair. TONS of them. Go up, down, around, all over, fire through ceilings, bomb through floors, freeze guys and jump on them, anything, just get those missiles. There are about 13 or 14 packs lying around, and the more you have the less awful your chances are of defeating Mother Brain.
     Speaking of Norfair, don't leave it without three things- Get the High Jump boots by going through the floor in the east shaft; in the same room, bomb left and go on, and in the next shaft go up for the much-loved Screw Attack. Back down and further to the left (and through several floors) lies the elusive wave beam. Don't miss it, but switch back to the ice beam for the final boss. Passwords. There's only one of any note, and this gives away Samus's true identity. At the password screen, for the first line, enter JUSTIN BAILEY and for the second line, use all dashes, ----- -----. This will put you at the gates of Norfair, without your suit, but with the varia, boots, screw attack, wave beam, 205 missiles, 5 energy tanks, and the bosses beat. A cute encore once you've beaten it, but the real challenge lies in getting as buff as that password makes you. I'm lost. I can't get out of this place. I don't have the faintest clue where I am. I can't find any missiles, items, tanks, or even a bloody landmark. HELP! Enough already, take some valium, but more importantly, go here. Some thoughtful addicts who don't write nearly as boring stuff as I do have made maps and a walkthrough, so for you twinkies who can't explore your way out of a wet paper bag, the rescue squad is here.
     And the least interesting thing you'll read tonight- if you want to quit and get your password and everything without going through the trouble of dying (which is easy anyway, but just in case), pause the game and on controller 2 press UP and A, or something like that. It should stop the game and give you a password to start off on again.      GOOD HUNTING!

Game	Metroid
Genre	Action/RPG
Two Players	No
Graphics	8
Control/Response	7
Fun Factor	9
Replay value	9