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System: GBA Developer: Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1 Save: Battery Genre: Adventure

Taking place sometime after Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion is the fourth 2-D game in the franchise. In this game Samus is attacked by a mysterious X-parasite that affects her central nervous system. To keep her alive, Samus undergoes an incredible amount of surgery and is subsequently bound to her new 'Fusion Suit.' Instead of being examined by an intense medical research team, which would be a far more logical course of action, Samus is sent to investigate an abandoned space station where many unusual things have occurred.

This game was developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was released nearly 8 years after Super Metroid.

North America: 11/17/2002
Japan: 11/22/2002
Europe: 02/14/2003

Screeshots: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5

Metroid Fusion has big boots to fill. Begin the sequel to Super Metroid, one of the most revered Nintendo games ever released and will be examined deeply by Nintendo fans and critics alike.

Metroid Fusion is very similar to Super Metroid in many respects, it has intense action, numerous weapon upgrades and great boss fights but there is one major difference between the two. Metroid Fusion is a very linear, directed mission based game whereas Super Metroid is very non-linear and exploratory. However, that's not to say that Metroid Fusion has zero exploration, there are actually several secret missile and energy tank upgrades to be found.

One's enjoyment of this game inherently rests upon their willingness to accept or reject linear directed objectives in a Metroid game. Purists might argue that directed mission kill the sense of mystery that is typically found in a Metroid game. Others would argue that objectives make the game less confusing to the causal gamer. It all really boils down to personal preference.

Rest assured this is a well designed game. It contains some of the best sprite animations ever seen in 2-D gaming. It has excellent atmospheric music and the introductory story presentation is impressive.

Perhaps this game should not be compared to Super Metroid at all. Super Metroid was a groundbreaking 2-D adventure game at its time. One can't expect Metroid Fusion to be the same. Like it or not, there will never be any truly revolutionary 2-D adventure games on the GBA like Super Metroid. This game should be looked at simply as a great Game Boy Advance game.

Score - 9.0

It's a classic!

Page by Player Guy Forever

11/01/2004