Talking Point: Your 25 Years of Metroid Memories

My first Metroid was Fusion and I remember the epic starting sequence and finding a frozen Ridley.

Probably beating the first level in Prime, good times those were.

Now I'm off to beat the second

For me it's the first time I've reached Metroid Queen in Metroid II (it was my very first game in the series and I was very, very youg back then). The feeling of fighting it, the sense of respect it instigated when Aran died for the first time and the joy of finally defeating it - I will never forget that. And the ending sequence with Samus taking off her helmet (I sucked at this game back then, so no bikini for me) was simply one of the greatest moments in my entire gamer life. Say what you want about "Return of Samus", I still love that game.

I remember seeing Samus in a Nintendo mag in 2001 for the first time or something. After that it was Melee in 2002 and I thought that thing was a robot. Then there was this Event Match challence where you had to beat Nintendo ladies, Peach Zelda and Samus. "Samus is a robot, it´s not a woman" in which my cousin replied that she actually is.
...
Wow.
And in 2003 I completed my first Metroid game, Fusion which is still my favourite from the series. Spider boss and Nightmare were really hard for me back then but I cleared the game after trying hard enough. I liked the linear and action packed gameplay, maybe thatś why I haven´t enjoyed Super Metroid or the other us much. And maybe that´s why I also like Metroid Other M.

the 1st ones i played were on gamecube did they even do any on 64? the last one i played was other m and i really enjoyed it also played the 3d one which was excellent for ds will get chance to play originals sometime on 3ds looking forward to it

My first Metroid game (other than first hunt) was the original on VC.
That was fun but then I played Super Metroid that game was awesome!
I should pick up some of the other games in the series.

I have a fond memory of reaching the first boss in Metroid Prime. It was just so huge, and seeing a boss like that was incredible since Metroid bosses were all 2D. I felt like they really wanted you to feel the difference in what kind of Metroid game this was by giving you such an epic battle for your first boss.

I have played all Prime games as i have Trilogy and i have also played a bit of the original, super metroid and fusion i think.

My first was Super Metroid playing it one or two years ago. I well never forget my creepy feelings when playing it

My first was Zero Mission for the GameBoy.
All text was in Japanese, so I understood very little.

My first Metroid was Prime. My brother had a friend who brought it over, and I played it. I loved it, but I was around 6, so it scared the s*** out of me. A few years later, I rented it, and got much farther. Then I finally got Metroid Prime Trilogy. I need to get back to beating Echoes. And sometime in there, I got the NES Classics GBA port of the first. Man I sucked at that game

Anyways, happy b-day Samus! I can't wait to see what you bring to the table on 3DS and Wii U!

My first Metroid was Super Metroid. I had no idea what it was back then but I was pretty blown away. I never beat it (back then) but I got through most of it.
My second Metroid was Metroid II. I never finished that either, got frustrated not being able to kill some of those boss metroids, but it was great overall. The spider ball was tons of fun.
Then, I got Metroid Prime on the Gamecube at release. I was really excited about the game for a long time, but nothing could have prepared me for it. I've yet to play another game that's blown my mind the way that game did. I'm not sure if I ever will.

We rented the original Metroid when we first got our NES. Thing is, we were used to the mechanics of Super Mario and had no idea what we had to do in this "new" game to progress. It took us a while to even get through the first door!

Ahhh, the memories I have with Hunters and it's download play...good times, good times.

As a child, I didn't like Metroid games one bit. Super Metroid changed it for a while but I'd remember getting stuck somewhere and stopped playing it. Now a year ago I started playing Metroid again and first time finished a Metroid game, Metroid Fusion for GBA. After that I went and bought Metroid Prime Trilogy (few months ago) and Super Metroid for my Wii (a month ago, maybe). But I haven't went through either one yet as I've played so many other games too.

Now I played some Super Metroid, Metroid Prime is next in line now.

my 1st Metroid was Fusion, cant wait to play it again on my 3DS

Metroid 2 on Gameboy was actually the start of my love for the series. It was only magnified when I got my hands on Super Metroid. Been a fan ever since! I couldn't really play the first one worth a damn though.
I like this series for breaking away from the norm. It proved all videogame girls don't have to be helpless damsels waiting to be rescued.

Played some of the original, Super Metroid, and Metroid Prime. I couldn't get into the franchise

Well, I'm a new gamer. My very first Metroid game was Metroid Prime Trilogy. I remember hastily handing over the $70 to my parents to buy it on Amazon. I checked the mail myself every day for a week. Then it finally came. I was captured by the shiny gaze of the metallic case. I enjoyed the breath-taking artwork booklet. And after sampling each game, I knew I made the smartest purchase so far in my life.

My most memorable Metroid moment was when playing Super Metroid. Right after you unlock wall jump you have to climb a really really tall wall using your new skill.

[38 minutes of frustration later]
[Insert evey profane word in existence]
Smash! Smash! Smash! Crunch! Grind! Smash!

I destroyed the pieces of the pieces to the controller. I smashed a lot of controllers in my day but never to the degree of that moment. I still have a scar on my hand from punching the shrapnel. Stupid wall jump......

My first Metroid experience was a poor choice on my part. A year ago, I saw a Super Metroid Bossless Item run race/challenge thing on a forum which I frequented. Having no prior experience in the Metroid universe, I decided to be stupid and try it anyway. I got to Norfair before my rage caused me to delete the ROM and the emulator. After that traumatic incident, I decided that I hated Metroid. Fast-forward to last April: 3 and a half months ago. I had the opportunity to borrow Metroid Prime Trilogy, so I decided to give the series the benefit of the doubt. I fell in love with it nearly immediately.I beat the first two before I decided to try any 2D games again. The first 2D I tried was Fusion, and I loved it. I've now played every Metroid game except Prime Hunters (I'll buy it soon) and Other M (I'm borrowing it from a friend as soon as possible).In less than 4 months, Metroid has become my favorite video game series.

Ah, memories. ^^
I remember touching down on Tallon IV, Aether and Zebes for the first time. Even encountering tough bosses such as Ridley and others. Powerups were great fun too!
So many to think of! X3

Chapter One: A Startling Realization
The date was the early early 2000s. The game was Super Smash Bros. 64. It would forever change my life--but that's another story. Anyway, I knew Samus as the cool robot character, who obviously had to be male in my young, sexist mind (the fact that almost all video game heroes were men then didn't help). Then one day I started browsing the character profiles, and when I came upon Samus' I couldn't believe what I saw. There were numerous typos, all referring to the character as a "her." My brain simply could not compute at first. Then slowly, the shocking truth settled in. This powerful, high-tech warrior was a girl. And you know what? Ever since the day I told my Samus-loving friend that his hero was female during a match of Melee (he said since he was using a different color he was playing as the bounty hunter's twin brother), I never looked back.

JUSTIN BAILEY

My first was Super Metroid and it came in a huge limited edition box. I absolutely loved it - the atmosphere, the music, everything. And it had the best final boss battle and twist ever!

Think the next one must have been Prime, which I played solidly through to completion. And I remember playing Fusion on holiday in Spain on the balcony shifting the non-backlit original GBA around to get a decent view - took me hours and hours to finally kill the Spider Boss. I also loved Echoes and played it solidly through to completion.

Now living in Japan, I bought Corruption over 2 years ago and have given up several times in frustration. The voices are in English with Japanese text so it's easy enough to figure out where to go but the technical sci-fi language is pretty difficult to decipher and makes finding bosses weak spots a frustrating matter of trial and error. Have recently returned to it and am using Game FAQs to help me through. Just defeated Helios and got the hyper missiles. I can feel the energy coursing through me!

So I was doing the third Metroid Prime on hypermode difficulty and I was at the part on Bryo where you need to take out those cannons that fire at your ship. I was taking heavy damage from the space pirates and I was just about to die at 27 life when one of the space pirates threw one of those grenade thingies causing me to go into phazon overload (being invincible). I stabilized the hypermode then killed the four remaining space pirates. it was awesome.

@JayArr LOL.

Metroid on the NES, oh how you are able to bring up memories that few video games can match. Whenever I play it I still go back to when I was 7- 8 years old on summer vacation playing NES with my buddies. We would take turns playing and watching trying to figure out where the flip to go and what to do. The looks of the levels, the music, the challenge are all memories taht I will never forget.

Didn't like the original NES game. I found it too hard and too frustrating to enjoy for long.

Metroid Prime was a trip. That game. Blew. My. Mind. If Nintendo ever gets around to making a 3DS Metroid, it needs to be 3D graphics with 2D game play, a la New Super Mario Bros. Side-scrolling Metroid in 3D would look incredible.

Getting killed by common enemies in metroid 2 when i was 6, and getting zapped by pikachu in the 64 smash, to find out that the skeleton was a womans.

I've followed the Metroid series from day one. Wonderful, wonderful times. I can only hope that Return of Samus comes out soon for Virtual Console.

My favorite moment... hmmm... defeating the Mother Brain the first time. I kicked back in enjoyment of my success... only to see "Time Bomb Set. Get out fast!" I scrambled for my remote and made my way up a seemingly endless accent. With less than 300 clicks left, I finally reached the top and earned my reward... Samus HERself! Wow, my first video game crush, lol.

I'm going to buy my second metroid game today in celebration of Metroids' 25th anniversary the only metroid game I've played is the original,so which wii/vc game in the series would be best to get next?

Back in 1988 or so... (dont know the exact date anymore) the original NES Metroid was the first game I bought myself. (After SMB2 and Ice Climber which I got along Christmas with the whole Console). I bought it cause of the cool Cover (not the Pixelated one). This kind of game was totally new for us and me and my brother were not experienced enough to beat it.
I remeber that my father was quite good at it (he never got a hand for videogames, and Metroid was the only game he ever played). My Father, brother and I ended up sitting in front of the TV in the most intense moments! While my dad played my brother and I watched... and screamed for the most of the time.
I remember the ridicolous long passwords and the endless grind to fill up energy and rockets again after you died. Note at that time, there was no internet, no strategy guides (at least not for us) or cheat codes! Beat the game all by yourself or get lost!
When my dad finally reached motherbrain and kicked her nasty face in, we where so damn excited... I remember heading to the bathroom several times... and then "Self-destruct Sequence...". Although none of knew the words ( I was about seven years old, and my dad does not speak english) we knew that he had to get out of there... FAST!
My brother and I screamed the hell out of our lungs while my dad tried to remain calm and get out in time. But all of you who know the level, knows of its difficulty in climbing up... but he made it! The Prolouge showed up... Samus waved goodbye (with her helmet still on... took to much time) the Credits rolled... and my father never played any videogames again!

My first Metroid game, like many others, was Metroid Fusion. At the time, I thought "this is just some game...". Little did I know that it was one of the best games of one of Nintendo's best series. Anyway, it blew my freaking head off, it was so awesome. The gameplay and graphics set the bar really high for other video games I would play later in life. SA-X was the scariest thing in that game, knowing it could take me out with a glance. Running away from that thing got my heart pumping and filled my heart with fear. It. Was. Amazing.

Although, because Metroid Fusion was the first Metroid game I've ever played, it has kind of, subconciously, screwed with my mind. Now, take note, I was young, and did not care much for "storyline" or "dialogue" at the time, so that was a contributing factor to my confusion. Anyway, seeing that the main bad guy was the one in the orange suit (SA-X), and the good guy was in the blue/purple suit (Samus), that stuck in my mind. What I mean is, from that moment on, in my mind, the blue suit was good, and the orange suit was bad, which really confused me when I went into EB Games (now Gamestop) and saw other Metroid games with the orange guy on the front. I said to myself, "whoa, whoa, whoa...HE'S THE BAD GUY!!! What's HE doing on the cover?" The answer come many years later when I ventured into other Metroid games, but that is a different story.

Another thing about Metroid Fusion was, when I died, I saw the suit explode, and there was a person. Was it a girl in a bikini with long, blonde hair? Or, was it a guy with long blonde "rockstar" hair? With my mind locked on main characters in video games being male, I went the "It's-a-rockstar-warrior" idea. Boy, was I wrong. Much like the orange suit bad guy thing, my realization of a FEMALE protangonist made me drop my jaw in awe.

Now, there were many other things about Metroid Fusion which got me hooked to the series, like the "Evacuation-bomb-self-destruct" timer, which got my heart racing to unbelievable speeds, or the finding of power-ups, which made me feel like I was on top of the world. All of these things remind me of my ideal video game. From 2D sidescroller-platforming, to first-person-shooting, to 3D aerial views, the Metoird series has always provided a fast-paced thrill ride adventure. So the next time, I play a Metroid game, I know, I'll know to hurry up and collect, so I can see Samus in all of her bikini/zero-suit glory.

Happy Birthday Samus!

My favorite? Metroid Prime. The first FPS I ever played. The controls were a dream, and Tallon IV was breathtaking. I remeber walking back into Phendrena Drifts and seeing Meta Ridley fly overhead and I was like... "IS GOING DOWN!!!!"

My first Metroid game was the original. I originally couldn't get past Ridley. I finally beat the game after learning the Justin Bailley and NAR Password cheat. I really got into Metroid once it came to the GameCube. I was instantly hooked on playing Metroid Prime. The realism of having water droplets and fog on your helmet's mask were amazing. I have beat them all (including pinball) with the exception of Return of Samus and Super Metroid.

I never heard of Metroid until I played Super Smash Bros, waaay back when. My first Metroid game was Metroid Prime 3. My favorite is Metroid Other M

Chapter Two: Early Encounters
A long time ago was the day I got my Game Boy Advance SP. A long time ago at some point after that I got Metroid: Zero Mission. A long time ago at some point after that I sold almost all of my GBA games, including that. I remember liking it but the exploration was too hard for my small brain.

A long time ago at some point during all of that my uncle borrowed Metroid Fusion from a friend at work and let me play it. I remember nothing except for blue-suit Samus and action-packed gameplay.

Somewhere around all of those happenings I rented Metroid Prime for the GameCube. It was cool and scary and so much more, in the vocabulary of my much younger self. Then I returned it. And you know what? I never looked back. Until...
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER THREE

1989 with the first Metroid, granted it took me a few more years to beat it(being only 3 at the time) but I do remember being told to go left to turn into a ball!

my first was zero mission, and since then, i have achieved fanboy status... p.s. ridley's battle theme is still my favorite boss music even after all these years

my favorite metroid game, however, has to be metroid prime, that game had no flaws in my mind.

My first fondest memory was Metroid 3 (Super Metroid). That was the beginning of addiction to Samus.

That was the first time I found out Samus was female. I never beat the NES original, as that one was rather difficult when I was a kid.

I have beat every Metroid title, save for Metroid 2, however, I really hope it releases on the 3DS VC!

@Zenman I love Metroid Zero, definitely an awesome remake of the original. Thanks to that game, Zero Suit Samus appeared on Smash Bros Brawl!

as i write this on my 3ds i feel disappointed that nintendo forgot this amazing franchise... i remember the first time i beat super metroid in under an hour! 30 minutes here i come!

As a kid I played the original Metroid to NES, rememberd it hard as nails but the brinstar theme I remembered best.

So many memories in the 23 years I've been playing Metroid. Guess I'll start with my first one, from around early March, 1988.

Best I remember, I saw a feature about Metroid in the Official Nintendo Player's Guide, a huge black book with reviews on NES games out at the time (there was no Nintendo Power yet at the time). Here's a link to a picture of it...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3819724600_bb1988c5d9_z.jpg

The graphics and huge areas to explore (at the time unheard of) really caught my eye.

And then when I went to K-Mart to get a game, that silver box further caught my eye! There was no other game I considered getting. Back then, most every Nintendo first-party game was in a black box. All except silver boxed Metroid and Kid Icarus. And, of course, golden boxed The Legend of Zelda. I already had Zelda, and the gold box had been indicative of something special. So, I figured silver meant special too. And it turned out it was!

The car ride home only served to heighten the anticipation, reading the awe inspiring story and ogling the detailed drawings of the enemies (I pray the instruction manual doesn't go the way of the dinosaur, it adds so much to the experience)!

When I got home and turned it on, it lived up to all the hype (though it was a little frustrating at first... no gamefaqs.com or the like back then, and death came on swift wings, OFTEN)!

Metroid made a lasting impression that I'll never forget, that served as the foundation for what'll be a lifelong love for Samus Aran!

There have been so many good Metroid games, it is sincerely an awesome franchise!

I first found out about the Metroid franchise from the Smash Bros series.
That lead to me buying MP Trilogy, Fusion, Metroid, Super Metroid and Other M.
Now, Metroid is one of my favorite series of all time.

Playing the 8-bit Metroid and listening to music for hours upon end....yeah - the good old days. Apparently (and sadly), Nintendo can't seem to make a decent Metroid game these days....

I've never actually played a Metroid game. It seems like it is one of Nintendo's lesser known franchises which is kind of hard to believe since it has been around so long. Some of the earlier Metroid games sure look interesting though. I might have to give them a try.

Chapter Three: Primal Experiences
Nobody knows why this happened, but the fact remains that I purchased Metroid Prime Hunters used from what I think was GameStop in the not-so-distant-past. What was I thinking, everyone thought until I powered the game on for the first time. Then they realized the truth: this game was awesome.

From the game's opening cutscene the high-production sci-fi shenanigans hit you in the face and grab you by the shoulders and shove you into a far away, alien world, one of danger and discovery, with a new surprise waiting around every corner. This was as fully realized a video game world as I had experienced at the point in my Nintendo Life, and I was in love with it. Sadly, I was still too young to appreciate the adventure fully, and I ended up resorting to hacking to get past some of the game's tough bosses. Even with abilities such as moon-jump, infinite ammo, and a ridiculous amount of health, parts of the game proved so frustrating that I was grudgingly forced to trade it in years to later to another GameStop store. I would've kept it for the accessible and engaging multi-player had hackers not ruined the online experience (yeah I know; I'm a hypocrite, but at least I didn't hack online ) and my friends been more interested in the game. Oh well, I almost got into Metroid that time.

Since I had enjoyed Hunters for a while and my experience with Metroid Prime 1 (see Chapter Two: Early Encounters) as well as a GameStop demo of Corruption, I was eager to give the series another shot when Metroid Prime Trilogy was announced. I got it with my birthday money or something along with Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (which I am playing through right now, coincidentally) from Toys R Us on release and started playing Prime again and was absolutely blown away. Video games don't get this atmospheric and intense very often. It was still a hard game though, and while I was old enough to muscle through a bit, I sometimes (read: often) had to rely on IGN's walkthrough as a crutch, sapping a great deal of the joy of discovery from the game. I may have stopped it and picked it up again for a school science project (you better believe it), and IIRC I'm still stuck in the Phendrana Drifts. I hope to change that tonight.

Chapter Four: The Hottie and the Nottie
Wait, don't run away! The chapter title just refers to Super Metroid and Metroid: Other M, respectively, not a Paris Hilton movie? Still terrible? Sorry, it's the best I can come up. Bear with me, please.

Anyway, I discovered the miracle that was Super Metroid thanks to this little ol' site. I think some people were talking about it and then I impulse-downloaded it and made a "Super Metroid is awesome" thread, because, well, the game is quite simply one of the greatest of all time. The best Metroid? Probably. I love it even more because it served as the inspiration for a game I like even better, Cave Story, but again, that's another story. I never beat Super, though I tried hard so I would know how it ended before Other M came out (which I was ludicrously hyped for, btw). IIRC, I'm still stuck in Maridia. I hope to change that tonight.

And now onto the M:OM portion of our program...

Other M was like a dream game. The more I heard about it the more I loved what I was hearing. First of all, it was beautiful. The graphics and art direction seemed phenomenal. Second of all, you could switch between 2D and 3D on the fly. This made the game seem like, essentially, Super Metroid Prime (which would totally be the best thing ever). Third of all, there were awesome, fully-voiced cutscenes. OK, not so awesome. They were kinda cheesy. But still overall, cool stuff. Then the game came out, and I picked up my pre-ordered copy and exclusive art folio from what I will henceforth refer to as MetroidStop . Suffice it to say, the game did not quite live up to my great expectations. I still enjoyed the stylish, if a bit linear, gameplay, and almost found some pleasure in the F-grade acted, crazy psuedo-plot going on, and, IIRC I am... somewhere in the game. I hope to get farther tonight.

STAY TUNED FOR THE EXCITING CONCLUSION OF METROID: OTHER MEMORIES IN CHAPTER FIVE, LATER TONIGHT!!

My earliest memories of Metroid were of hatred, lol. That was because my first encounter with Samus was in Super Smash Bros. on the N64. I had a friend who would always beat the crap out of me with her. I got a little sick of that annoying orange robot thing.

A few years after that, Metroid Fusion piqued my interest on my newly-acquired Game Boy Advance. I still had residual bad feelings for the huge-shouldered, orange-armored version of the Lady, but this game she was in sexy blue attire. Not to mention I got to beat up the SA-X later on, which really helped absolve any bad feelings between us. Besides all that, though, I was able to fall in love with the type of gameplay the game provided. A large, lonely space station filled with secret passages to explore; a brooding, dark, tension-filled atmosphere to go along with it, and along with it all, a Nintendo character with some personality! I'm still kind of prejudiced against the silent version of Samus in like almost every other game, and it was all due to Fusion.

The final nail in the coffin of my eternal Metroid love was playing Metroid Prime on a friend's shiny new Gamecube. It was true love at Frigate Orpheon. No other game has busted through my innate dislike of the first-person perspective so casually like Prime did. And the feeling of being behind the visor, working my way through a world that slowly opened up to me... I don't think anything else will quite match it.

Those are the two most special experiences I've had with Metroid ... not just a memory, but a string of memories, all held in high regard. There were moments to come after, yes; things like the extended Zero Suit ending in Zero Mission, blasting Mother Brain with the Hyper Beam through tears and abject rage in Super Metroid, running away in fear of the Omega Metroids in II, but none were so potent as Fusion and Prime were. For those two games, I am a fan of Metroid and a fan of the galactic hero Samus Aran for all time.

Happy 25th Anniversary, Metroid~

Favorite moment: When the chozo ghosts first appeared in prime. (Freaked me out)

Great music though

Here's a chapter five tease:
Samus saves Anthony's life, the subject of Adam comes up. Cut to dramatic flashback when Samus was a whiny jerk (oh wait, she still is). Cheesy monologue ensues, with the epic explosions and CGI to back it up. I love this game.

I wonder where Metroid keeps all his missiles...LOL just kidding!

Happy 25th, Samus! I made an account on NL just to comment on this article. I´d meant to for a while, but never got around to it. This article was that final shove in the right direction.

My first Metroid game was Zero Mission. I got it used, so I ended up starting in the Space Pirate Mother Ship, as the previous owner had already beaten the game. I was a lot younger then, and I thought the Space Pirates were lobsters...

I also remember conversing with my neighbor about the Metroid series. He mentioned that there were many more Metroid games, three, to be exact. I assume he was speaking of the Prime Trilogy. For all of my six years of age, I was flabbergasted.

A VERY long time afterwards, I visited my cousin who had a GameCube and a pirated copy of Prime 2. Both of our efforts combined could not beat the Dark Alpha Splinter. I thought Metroid was stupid back then. Please, please, don´t kill me!

More recently, I bought a copy of Prime Trilogy at Kmart. That game was what really got me into Metroid. BEST. GAME. EVER. I have over three days of play time clocked on Prime Trilogy. That was when I got interested in collecting the rest of the Metroid games. Since then, I have obtained every single Metroid game (including Pinball and First Hunt), though not in its original form, e.g. Super Metroid via VC, NES Metroid via Zero Mission.
In my eyes, Metroid trumps all other video game series by over 9,000. Yes, even Zelda. Yeah, it´s fun and all, but Metroid just has better memories for me.

I would also like to express my extreme disappointment in NOA for not even giving Samus a simple ¨Happy Birthday¨. Epic Fail.

Funny thing is unless you got the Japanese version of Metroid in 1986, no one in the west had 25 years of memories. It came out in 1987 in the West

My first Metroid game was Metroid Prime (I only had 3 games on my NES and didn't have a SNES). I was impressed by the expansiveness of the game in terms of play area and interwoven story, it is still one of my all time favorite games. Upon completing Metroid Prime (and the purchase and linkup of Metroid Fusion - which lead me to Zero Mission) I was introduced to the original Metroid and thus Super Metroid. Because of Metroid Prime I now own every game in the series except for Metroid II (Hurry up 3DS VC)

My first experience with Metroid was when my brother's friend brought over Prime. I was instantly hooked, the start up screen was amazing, and I still consider the menu theme to be one of the best songs in a videogame to date. I started the game and was instantly immersed into the dark ambient universe, then I faced off against the Parasite Queen and died. My brother's friend took over from that point and continued playing, I had never experience anything like that before. I just kind of stayed still in awe.

When Christmas came I asked my sister for a copy of Metroid Fusion. When asked what my favorite game of all time is I always reply Fusion, that game — I love it to tears. Years passed and I had quickly started to gobble up everything Metroid that I could, it wasn't until 2009 that I got my hands on a copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy.

Now that I had experienced 2D Metroid at it's finest I finally made the plunge to 3D that many had made 7 years ago. I loved it. The game is brilliant. It took everything that made previous Metroid titles great, and expanded upon them making the universe even more immersive. The way that narrative unfolds is nothing short of genius. Instead of it being revealed through traditional cut scenes, you have to piece it together yourself from stolen reports, journals from the deceased, and database hacking. This is what propelled the game into being a highly psychological journey. No other game has managed to envelop me in the same way the original Metroid Prime has.

Metroid is my favorite video game series of all time, which is not something I say lightly. Out of the over 200 games I've played in my lifetime (yes I've counted) no other game series has captivated me the same way that Metroid has.

Well I do have one memory: watching my roommate play all the way through Super Metroid.

Best: The day that my Import version of Metroid: Zero Mission arrived in the mail!

Worst: Metroid: Other M, the whole game infuriates me. Change isn't always a good thing, even if I do respect the new approach, it simply didn't work for me.

@Feenie - /MASSIVE applause and cheers from the 'Zerker section o' the stadium here.....!!!

I'm going to start playing Metroid.
Which ones would you guys recommend for a beginner?

Bought Metroid prime used for 2.99 and never played it.

Thats about it :/

Haha @2*1.JayArr*

Me too, I was playing the wall jump part of Super Metroid with my brother watching. I got so pissed off, that I started swearing and fidgeting anxiously. Then I saw my brother's face and realized how scary I must've been.

Another is Mogenar of Corruption. I made a wrong strategy for the boss, trying to destroy all the balls at same time, it works, but is a hell to do. I didn't question what I thought was the way to beat the boss, so I tried, tried tried and tried. The boss is not so difficult, so it didn't kill me and I didn't kill it and it went on for a couple of hours!!
Then I threw the Wii remote to the wall.

@SunnySnivy: If you can get your hands on Metroid: Zero Mission, that would basically be perfect, at least in my opinion. As a modern remake of the first game, you get to experience Samus' origins in a way that's much more palatable than the original. I mean, I love the original, but it has some seriously old gameplay. Zero Mission is much easier to get engaged with. Also I think it has the most forgiving difficulty curve of any of the games I've played while also giving you the hard mode if you finish it and think "that's it?"

@SunnySnivy: I'd suggest downloading Super Metroid from the Wii Virtual Console as your first Metroid game. If you can find Zero Mission, go with that too. Definately at least TRY Metroid Other M. Contuary to the naysayers who moaned and complained about Samus' characterization (as opposed to NO characterization before), it's a pretty decent game in it's own right. And, who knows, maybe, as a newbie, you can appriciate Other M better?

OK, so I was way too ambitious with my Metroid celebration plans, especially since I ended up having to watch a two-hour movie. I'll give a couple spoilery Other M thoughts, head off to bed, and hopefully finish up my marathon/chapter five tomorrow.

METROID: OTHER M RIDLEY FIRST ENCOUNTER SPOILERS
That was actually pretty credible! It was creepy in the cutscene before Ridley showed up and it was sad yet poetic when Anthony sacrificed himself for Samus. The fact that the monster escaped after all that just made the whole scene more sad and bitter. It's also creepy that Samus lost contact with Adam (absence makes the heart grow more creeped out), and now I'm reluctant to follow the mysterious Deleter (what is up with that name? More like the Highly-Trained Impostor Assassin) back to Sector 1. I'm enjoying/terrified of the whole And Then There Were None-esque killing off of each of the Galactic Federation soldiers, one by one.

This series, more than pretty much any, knows how to deliver a good scary sci-fi story (yes Other M too ), with the gameplay to back it up. Happy b-day Samus, and I can't wait to dive back into your amazing adventures tomorrow.

-Oddy

Have only played Super Metroid, and that wasn't until last year. Awesome game.

For some reason I have never tried the rest.

My first time playing a Metroid game was Metroid 2 on the GB. My friend said he was going to run it over whenever his parents left their keys around because he hated it so much, so I rescued it. I remember getting a Nintendo trading card a few years before with a picture of Samus on it, and had always thought she looked cool enough to give her game a shot. Never stopped playing since then. I've bought every_single_one by this time, and still pissed that the 3DS hasn't had an announcement for one yet

Playing Metroid last year on VC, Trying to make it out during the self-destruct sequence and taking a big fall with not much time left, I had just barely made it (with approx. 038 left at the finish)
I did a whole bunch of poses and stuff because I did a whole lot better than I expected to.

This is stickied to the top, so I'll post these here. Japanese and North American NES Metroid commercials! Seemed fitting for the anniversary.
[youtube:xe29rfCoSJE]
[youtube:nZxrvxJrg4A]

Ah, I remember when Zebes was "Zebeth".
Strange translation error ... though there were a lot back then, this one sticks out the most when compared to it's more modern translation.

just playing the original game in 1986 in those multi game nes machines in wal mart. The first time I played it I was captivated by the sounds , the music, the look and the sense of open adventure. I begged my grandfather to buy the game for me. It took me weeks to beat it. I searched every nook and cranny of planet zebes.

My fondest memory of Metroid is renting the original for the NES when I was a little boy and saying wtf is this crap. Then returning it the next day.

I don't have so many memories of Metroid, I just remember that my brother LOVED Metroid Fusion. But then he sold it, so i really never played it, But I will finally play it when it comes to the 3DS

Is it lame to rank things? Maybe, but that's what's about to go down. Keep in mind that these are my favorites, so their not necessarily ranked in terms of which game is objectively better.
1. Metroid: Zero Mission
(PROPOSTEROUSLY under-rated game. Easily the best game in the series. It's like Super Metroid, but with better controls.)
2. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
3. Super Metroid
4. Metroid Prime
5. Metroid: Other M
6. Metroid (NES)
7. Metroid Fusion
8. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
9. Metroid Prime: Hunters
...never got to play Metroid 2. That thing better hit the 3DS VC!

@Kid thats interesting. You listed the only two I really haven't played much of as the your favorites. I guess I've got some work to do. If zero mission is really as sublime as you suggest I'll be in heaven. Super Metroid was always my favorite, though truthfully I've enjoyed every metroid game I've played.

spent almost an hour trying to get out of the trap when i bombed into the vertical chamber after the one that gives you the ice beam. I was 5 I think...the satisfaction of actually getting out and continuing to play was immense.

@Kid A - Almost agree with you about Zero Mission...my biggest problem is, barring a couple spots of creative sequence breaking (such as the early Norfair entrance break), it's really linear and guided compared to Super Metroid. They also nerfed the Speed Booster a bit...it was 98% amazing in my book though. Also can't say I'd put Prime 3 above Super given how boring it got at the halfway point. Massive, empty rooms all over the place. Almost didn't finish it. To each his own though

@MechaPhoenix @MasterGraveheart Thanks for the recommendations.

@66: I would start with Other M or Fusion as they are most simple games in the series.

@82: I don't know about Zero Mission being the best. Little too much handholding for my tastes. Glad to see someone giving props to MP3, as I think that's the most underrated in the series.

My Dad bought the original Metroid for me back in 87...I remember spending an entire Summer (just as I had done with Legend of Zelda the Summer before) playing the game and exploring every little nook and cranny. The ending of the game, where the bomb is about to go off and you are jumping to the different levels of the last area after killing Ridley, and the whole room is shaking and turning... that was so innovative and cool back in the day. (It still stands up quite well today.) Back then, we didn't have 'cheat guides', we had The Nintendo Fun Club News (precursor to Nintendo Power) and you could call a "Game Counselor" for a crazy expensive amount to ask how to get out of a situation in a game or find something in a NES game. I called several times for Metroid. It was so difficult in some areas, but it was so dang enjoyable. The original theme song still sends shivers of enjoyment up my spine. lol I am a huge Metroid fan (of the original and Super Metroid) can't wait for Metroid Fusion on my 3DS next month

Unfortunately, I haven't been very good at continuing Metroid games. I've started Metroid, Super Metroid, Metroid Prime, and Other M, but I haven't played very much of any of them.

let's see... my big brother first got Prime when I was six. He almost beat it but never really did. Later, I bought his gamecube from him so I could play this game, and... well, I almost-but-didn't beat it too. He also had gotten Metroid fusion.(my big bro knows his videogames.) I played through that but couldn't beat the spider boss. I have also beaten metroid zero mission, the original Metroid, and gotten stuck halfway in metroid prime 2. So far, my favorite is metroid prime. EDIT: I just beat Metroid Prime an hour ago. I had been stuck on the final boss for a while, and today I decided to try again.

Chapter five is now postponed indefinitely. It is coming, some day soon when I beat Other M (which I'm almost at the end and loving it), Super, and Metroid Prime. Anyway, go Metroid and wish me luck!

As Super Metroid was my first foray into the series, my preference is with the 2D games, but I do like the Prime series. One of my fondest memories is playing Super Metroid with a buddy when I was 12 and just finding all the secrets and power ups. My favorite was getting the speed booster in Norfair and running through a bunch of blocks and enemies, destroying everything in my path. Also perfecting the bomb jump was very cool.

i'll never forget the first time i saw tallon IV and phendrana drifts in metroid prime. that game really made me a metroid fan for life.

My first metroid game was the original metroid on the VC about a year ago. I was rubbed the wrong way when I got frustrated with the endlessly repeating maps and all the glitches. I decided I'd give the series another shot and bought Other M. That is my favorite metroid game so far and I do not understand all the hate. Right now, working through Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime Echoes. Loving every minute of it.

My first Metroid game was the NES one. My brother borrowed it from a friend and we tried navigating the world without getting lost... What an ordeal!

I haven't really touched Metroid again until the release of Super Metroid. It brought distant memories of the first game while creating strong new ones at the same time. I really got immersed in this world and I still keep replaying Super Metroid once in a while.

After another long hiatus in Metroid playing (save for Mother Brain beating in Super Metroid), I rediscovered the series years after the first two Primes got released, but before the third. I mostly played PC games in the ten years after Super Metroid (I never had a N64, nor a Gamecube, I played Nintendo games at my friends' houses). One dear friend of mine heard of my Super Metroid crave and offered me Metroid Prime for my birthday (or was it Christmas...). I really liked it but the change from 2D to 3D bothered me at first, as I was a SNES-era purist. I slowly got accustomed to it though and I think the change was brilliant.

I almost played all Metroid games to date, except for Return of Samus (3DS VC release for the win) and both DS games. I bought Trilogy even if I had the first two in Gamecube version and Other M just after release and I liked them all.

Metroid is by far my favorite game series. I really hope a new 2D game will release soon, in the same vein of Fusion but with more sequence breaking. This it what keeps me replaying Super Metroid. While I liked the story of Fusion or Other M, the linearity bothered me. I find that it removed a lot of replayability.

Unfortunately Metroid is one of the few Nintendo franchises have I not been able to get into. I really want to like it but then I have to backtrack through a major part of the game to find the one door I can use my new weapon for for the third or fourth time and I just lose interest. This isn't a problem unique to the Metroid series. I really dislike the Metroidvania Castlevanias partially because of this same reason. To be fair though, I didn't stop playing the last two Metroid games, Prime 3 and Other M because I lost interest but because I got hijacked by other games. I should probably pick them back up. Other M in particular seems like a Metroid game I'd actually finish.

I first played Metroid on one of those Nintendo Playchoice 10 arcade machines back in about 1988. It seemed like a cool game but I had no real idea what was going on, where to go or what to do. I got my NES in around 1991 but was never able to get hold of Metroid for it at the time. It wasn't until Super Metroid was released on the SNES a while later that I next took notice of the series, and decided to try it based on the rave reviews it was getting. To say I was blown away by it is an understatement and it kept me addicted from start to finish....just so many cool touches in that game like the huge screen-filling bosses and the different powerups and abilities you could use to get around like the grappling hook, wall jump and shinespark And tons of secret areas. Since then I've become a big Metroid fan, picked up copies of the original Metroid for NES and Metroid 2 for Game Boy, and always buy any new Metroid games at launch now.

I also think the Metroid soundtracks are amongst the best and most atmospheric in any game ever. The remix of the original NES title screen tune on Metroid: Zero Mission for the Gameboy Advance is probably one of my all time favourite game tunes

Late to the party as always, but here’s to one of most intelligently designed and atmospheric game series out there.

My introduction to the franchise was Super Metroid. In the first portion of the game _{before getting into the Space Ship} there’s so much creepy atmosphere and subtle storytelling it’s damn near perfect.
The first steps on Zebes are amazingly genius since from the very beginning on you get to look closely at your surroundings and immediately know that this is not your typical run’n’gun experience. The impressive enemies and huge boss designs really made this game special beyond words.
While playing the game I always thought of Samus as the gaming equivalent to Ellen Ripley. _{Who I think is one of the very best female movie characters in existence. A nice little birdy named Ridley did help that impression too.}
Another memory tied to Super Metroid has been the wall jump JayArr mentioned _{(in post # 21).} I never owned a SNES but in that late ninetees had to give that game a try. I had no manual and assumed everything would be explained in game. So I stood there, watching these animals go up‘n’up‘n’up again not knowing what to do. Some sessions of frustrating and pointless exploration later I had to give up on it.
After a few months I started from scratch and got stuck there again. After finding the controls online I couldn’t help but smile about the genius of letting these animals show you what to do there.

Once i got the GameCube i had to check out Metroid Prime one day. The part before the landing was nearly as impressive as in Super Metroid. The 3D gameplay isn’t at its best in the original Prime _imo so it made if feel slightly less amazing to me. But the 3D did help the planet and all its little inhabitants feel more alive. I got stuck about halfway and happily made my way through Zero Mission and Fusion _{(the first introduction to SA-X is creepily great indeed)} before I finally managed to beat that game. Prime Pinball was a great idea and didn’t feel like a greedy attempt to milk the franchise imo. Which is quite a lot more than some other spin-offs can claim.

Out of the 3D games Corruption is my favourite. It had a great diversity in gameplay with bringing back series classics as the Wall Jump and Screw Attack while introducing great motion controls, Space Ship use and the characteristically interesting Hyper Mode. It's an all around blockbusting experience. _{At least until its final chapter which i won't play before i've beaten Echoes.}

The enemies’ personalities, designs and their creepiness are some of the best I’ve ever seen in a game. My favourite bosses are:
1. Ridley _{always though of it as a female being}
2. Mother Brain
3. Metroid Queen

And whenever Metroid is mentioned I’m reminded about all its glorious audio. Subtle sound effects and atmospheric music fit really well within the overall atmosphere. The sound the Baby Metroid makes will forever be engrained in my memory. As will the title screen music of Metroid Prime and the iconic theme when you get a new item.

Other than superlink64 (38.) and MechaPhoenix (56.) the suit in Metroid Fusion first seemed very crappy to me. It somehow seemed toned down from the amazing Varia Suit I’ve come to adore. But once I could finally push that thought aside and just play the game it certainly was a nice little twist to the Metroid games I played before. And I still think it's at least on par with Super Metroid.

”saddest” moments

• lame Metroid nano-game in Wario Ware DIY
• Seeing the Trilogy for 2€ in a supermarket. But at least it was a very happy moment for my aunt who i got it for then. Had been lending her Zero Mission and Prime before and I was happily surprised she really liked those “complicated” games.

@SunnySnivy: Definitely what MechaPhoenix said. Personally I would try playing them in chronological order and replace the original Metroid with Zero Mission.
But playing Super Metroid before Other M is a must in my opinion since Other M spoils one of the best scenes in Super Metroid.

@Wolfenstein83: Checked out Zero Mission yet? _{As an updated version of the original Metroid.}

PS: I really enjoyed your posts here, Oddy. Very well done !

Metroid 1 was my first game ever. I suck at metroid but its the funnest game ive ever played.