Wed, 19 Aug 2009 by Marcel Van Duyn
Is Samus's second adventure a bit less confusing than her first?
When Metroid was first released, it was a very unique game; with a ton of exploring to do across a giant map and with loads of hidden items and path, those willing to spend the time to find everything were well rewarded. There's no denying the original game has aged fairly poorly now though - the game lacks many things we take for granted nowadays; here is no map, so your only options are to try and remember every path or try and draw a crude map yourself.
You'd expect the sequel to rectify these issues, but for some reason Metroid II seems to be the most overlooked entry in the series. Is that because it's a bad game, or just because not a lot of people know about it?
Taking place after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and before Super Metroid, Samus has been ordered to travel to SR388, the Metroids' home planet, to exterminate every remaining specimen once and for all and prevent the Space Pirates from using them again.
The game is much, much more linear than the first. SR388 is pretty much divided into different levels - progress into the planet's deeper regions is blocked by a huge vertical tunnel filled with lava, with exits to the sides leading off to relatively small separate areas housing Metroid nests. Killing certain amounts of Metroids will (somehow) cause the lava to lower, granting you access to deeper, harder sections of the planet.
As with most games in the series, the most famous "regular" Metroids don't actually appear until near the end of the game. Before that, you'll mostly be killing Metroids in different stages of their evolution - Alpha, Gamma, Zeta and Omega. Naturally, they become much stronger and faster in each stage of evolution, so when you encounter stronger types you better have some spare life ready! There's a total of 39 Metroids to kill to eliminate the species. The last one is actually the mother of the previous 38 and the game's final boss - the Metroid Queen.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Metroid game without the power-ups. Aside from the collectible Missile Expansions and Energy Tanks, you'll get pretty much every single thing which was also in the first game - Morph Ball Bombs, Ice and Wave Beams, the Varia Suit, High Jump Boots, the Screw Attack and more. This game also introduces many more power-ups which have since returned for other games - the Space Jump Boots, Spider Ball and Plasma Beam, to name a few. Not all equipment is necessary to beat the game, but it'll certainly make it a lot easier!
One of the biggest issues with the first Metroid game was the immense difficulty you'd face after dying; there was no easy way to restore life and missiles, meaning you'd have to keep killing enemies in the hopes of them dropping health and ammo for you. Metroid II seriously improves on this, although it's still not exactly perfect. Scattered around the various locales of SR388 are energy and missile-restoring "hot spots". Running into either of these icons will fully restore the thing they represent. They're still a far cry from Super Metroid's health-restoring save points, but anything is better than spending an hour regaining life and ammo! And before you ask, Metroid II also features save points - No 24-digit passwords here!
Graphically the game is fine; the background in almost every area is entirely black, but the platforms in the foreground and the enemies on and around them are all quite detailed, so you can easily identify what you're trying to kill. Perhaps the game's only bad point is the music. Some of the areas have some basic tunes, which, although not really good, are somewhat catchy, but most places seem to have what sounds like an attempt at ambient sounds - random bleeps and bloops which are possibly supposed to sound like environmental things. Sadly, this doesn't really work and they tend to just get annoying after hearing them again and again!
1. Corbie
19 Aug 2009, 15:42 BST
This represents the last of the "20 Game Boy Reviews in 20 Days" special. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Thanks to all the reviewers that pitched in. Good stuff!
2. Odnetnin
19 Aug 2009, 15:43 BST
Aww, the end came too soon! I loved learning about my favorite characters' portable roots, often for the first time!
EDIT: Wait a sec, did Corbie just do a not-so-stealth lastie? That's so awesome!
3. Cheezy
19 Aug 2009, 15:43 BST
...there was a special? O_o
4. Hyper Luigi
19 Aug 2009, 15:45 BST
Great review! I own Metroid II, and I think it is a MUCH better game than the original Metroid.
5. Turkey Brutus
19 Aug 2009, 15:47 BST
This game used to creep me the heck out as a kid. I wasn't a big fan of the original Metroid (one of the few games I preferred to watch other people play than to play myself) but this one I really liked. There was a definite sense of progress as the game unwrapped itself and (at the time at least) I thought the NES version lacked that feeling.
I really wish I could play this one again. I was too unskilled a gamer to make it very far, but I loved it.
6. TourianTourist
19 Aug 2009, 16:26 BST
I agree with the others. While I'm a Metroid fan, I'm not so much a fan of the original game. But Metroid II was quite enjoyable, because I didn't find it too hard, but still challenging. However, Super Metroid was the game, that first made an impact on me and Metroid II certainly can't hold up to that one.
Fair review and thanks for the cool GameBoy special. I loved it.
7. Egg miester
19 Aug 2009, 16:49 BST
this game is great i played it a lot when i was younger
8. ArtMcCarthyDotCom
19 Aug 2009, 17:14 BST
I never liked metroid games for some reason.
9. anthonyb
19 Aug 2009, 17:32 BST
Great review.
This is by far my favorite [classic] Metroid. I remember a thread a while back here on NL with the theme "Scariest game ever!" I mentioned this game, because it's indeed the creepiest game I've played. As a kid playing this on my Gameboy at night, I became completely immersed in the atmosphere and mission of the game. The feeling of isolation, the darkness of the caves and pathways, the newly hatched Metroids- Oh God, the Metroids. It's hard to describe really- how a Gameboy game like this could have sucked me in so much, and got my blood pumping every time I saw a Metroid hatchling. This is a nostalgic one for me. I had to put in my 2 cents. 
10. Bass X0
19 Aug 2009, 17:37 BST
I got lost and gave up. There's no map or any sign posts.
11. pie4prez
19 Aug 2009, 17:52 BST
Poor Bass X0...
12. Darknyht
19 Aug 2009, 18:30 BST
Another game I hope to grab one day on a DS VC.
13. Bass X0
19 Aug 2009, 18:56 BST
This was before the days of the internet.
14. Bring Back Pluto
19 Aug 2009, 20:38 BST
Bass XO ssshhhhh they need not know of those dark times!
15. vherub
19 Aug 2009, 21:18 BST
I could never get into the original metroid, it wasn't until it was released again as zero mission that I appreciated what it was trying to do.
16. Smoke39
19 Aug 2009, 21:19 BST
It always makes me sad to see people putting down the original Metroid. Not because I necessarily disagree with them, but because it was soooo close to being a really awesome game. Metroid had a degree of nonlinearity that none of the sequels have matched (including the remake); it's just that some elements of the games design made that hard to really appreciate. It would have really benefited from an automap and a higher energy drop rate from enemies.
Anyway, Metroid II. Not really wild about it. It's much easier to get into than the first game, but the lack of a map still hurts even with the greater linearity. And I thought the music was cool. :< It got very weird and eerie later in the game.
17. LEGEND MARIOID
19 Aug 2009, 21:20 BST
Cheers for the great reviews and hard work in doing them.
I never played this one. I played Metroid 1 NES, but not this one.
18. Gamer1030
19 Aug 2009, 23:54 BST
http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/gameboy/review/R134783.html
I prefer my review/score, but yours is okay. I just find Metroid 2 to be one of the best GB games, but you disagree. I enjoyed your review series regardless.
19. jbrodack
20 Aug 2009, 03:24 BST
what? I don't see what some people are saying. I liked the first better. The biggest problem with this one is it was easy to get lost and couldn't easily figure out where to go. The minimal backgrounds didn't help. Still a great game but I never beat it.
20. Corbie
20 Aug 2009, 04:02 BST
I'm one of those people that loves the original Metroid to this very day. While the GB version was better in some areas, you just can't beat the original in my opinion.
21. Qwikman
20 Aug 2009, 09:07 BST
I bought this used a few years ago, but I couldn't save because the battery was bad. Great game, though.
22. Homer Simpson
20 Aug 2009, 09:56 BST
What do you think of Metroid Fusion Marcel? I hear a lot of people complain about its linearity, but it really needed to be to deliver a more story driven experience, which it did exceptionally well. I definitely think it's one of the more underrated GBA games, and one of the strongest games in the Metroid series.
As for Metroid II, it's one of the few games in the series I've never played; I didn't really enjoy the original. I think I may look into ebaying the sequel though...
23. MakeMyBiscuit
20 Aug 2009, 17:17 BST
If they do release it on DS VS I hope they include the option to play it in color. Just a little splash of color makes a big difference for me. It's been a while, but I believe I played it in color on the Gameboy Advance SP or I think it was the Game Boy Player for my Gamecube.
24. MakeMyBiscuit
20 Aug 2009, 17:45 BST
I saw this guy play it on You Tube and he played the game with a "color patch". I don't know how he did that but the game looks great! I hope they include that in a re-release.
25. JRAPOCALYPSE
20 Aug 2009, 18:06 BST
Metroid 2 was great as i still have mine but in no way will a hand held game ever hold up to a console game lol.Decent review but really lacking what made the original metroid a challenge as to to what made the second game a cake walk.After all the remakes we have had which some have been great what about a resurrected metroid 2 on wiiware? any takers there as to who would buy it...just curious.
26. Ricardo91
21 Aug 2009, 06:00 BST
This game's definitely better and a little less confusing than the previous game, but it's still don't know where the heck I'm going half the time. Since most of the rooms look the same, I'm constantly finding myself going back to places I've already been looking for Metroids, and the lack of color makes the problem even worse. It's too bad the DX version got cancelled. I would've truly benefited from the addition of color.
27. Drake
22 Aug 2009, 00:31 BST
@ Homer Simpson: It's not bad by any means, but sorry, I think it's the worst game in the series after the original!
The Metroid series should always be about being alone in a giant hostile world - In my eyes both Fusion and Prime 3 were ruined by including other characters who constantly talk to you. I really hope Other M doesn't do it as well, but the trailer doesn't bode well!
28. deadly.by.design
23 Aug 2009, 05:16 BST
Great game. It was a little frustrating at times, but definitely worth playing.
29. Fuun Saiki
26 Aug 2009, 15:20 BST
I love this game. I like how it's different from other games in the series; it has its own particular atmosphere. It's a hell of a lot more playable than the original; I was dead impressed when I found that it had save points.
30. sjdswanlund
31 Aug 2009, 21:38 BST
You've been busy with so many reviews. However, I disagree with the score here. While a 7/10 is still a good score, I think the game deserves either an 8 or 9. For a handheld version it brought a lot to the table and the linearity wasn't much of a problem. I don't think you can compare this game to Super Metroid as that is a sequel on much more powerful console, where they were able to make it a lot bigger in every way.
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