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The History of Metroid

Posted by Zonk on from the she's-a-chick-sorry-to-ruin-it dept.

Just in time for the EU launch of Metroid Prime 3, Eurogamer has a retrospective on the Metroid series well worth checking out. "The first Metroid presciently set the tone for the future of the franchise by appearing first on a struggling format and only reaching foreign shores after lengthy delays. Metroid was initially released only for the Famicom Disc System in 1986. The FDS was one of Nintendo's first attempts to monkey around with new storage methods, but its success was limited and it never made it beyond Japan. One year later, Metroid finally appeared on the plain old NES in North America and then, another year later, we pox-ridden Europlebs were deemed worthy of having a copy to call our own. Hmm. Sounds familiar."

18 comments

  1. First post for Justin Bailey! by YourMissionForToday · · Score: -1

    Who was Justin Bailey anyway? Samus' denuding boyfriend?

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    1. Re:First post for Justin Bailey! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Bailey says its just a fluke.

  2. Stupid Europeans by moderatorrater · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    That ungrateful bastard, he's lucky he got it at all! If I were the one making the decision, they wouldn't have gotten the game until they'd showered, but their hair, and their women all shaved.

    1. Re:Stupid Europeans by pipatron · · Score: 1

      I'm never going to but my hair, you insensitive merkin-clod!

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  3. Another retrospective by PeelBoy · · Score: 4, Informative

    I haven't seen this one yet, but GameTrailers also did a cool 5 part retrospective on Metroid not too long ago.

    http://www.gametrailers.com/game/5261.html

  4. Metroid 3 Roxors My Boxors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously, what a fun game.

  5. Metroid - Oh How You've Fallen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    From a cult classic gaming series to a crappy looking Wii game with the idiotic Waggle bolted on.

    Hopefully some day we will get new versions of Metroid without the stupid controller gimmick.

    1. Re:Metroid - Oh How You've Fallen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      You're a fucking moron.

      Try playing the game.

    2. Re:Metroid - Oh How You've Fallen by Faylone · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well, this should make your day: http://ds.ign.com/articles/815/815899p1.html Metroid Dread, what seems to be Metroid 5, is nearing completion. Personally, I find the Prime games fun in their own way, but I'm still looking forward to a new 2D Metroid.

    3. Re:Metroid - Oh How You've Fallen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately, the Dread reference in Prime's been proven false. At least, the developers have said it wasn't intended as a reference to another project.

      They might just be covering though. Who knows.

  6. What about speed runs? by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The very concept I loved in Supermetroid was the possibility of making a speedrun. By using special techniques you could get to certain areas without the required items, allowing you to skip long walks (er.. runs). I could beat the game with 100% collected items under 2 hours, and I'm glad to find out that some people have been able to do it under one hour!

    Without speed runs, the time would go up to 6 hours. Speedruns give the game a wonderful replay value.

    1. Re:What about speed runs? by PeelBoy · · Score: 1

      But if you use tricks to slip items how do you beat it with 100%? ;)

    2. Re:What about speed runs? by PeelBoy · · Score: 1

      slip=skip

    3. Re:What about speed runs? by Chyeld · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You skip item requirements, not the items, meaning you can do things in a far more efficent fashion as opposed to having to backtrack.

    4. Re:What about speed runs? by PeelBoy · · Score: 1

      I was kidding, but he said "you could get to certain areas without the required items" and then "could beat the game with 100% collected items under 2 hours"

  7. Haloid style ending to Halo? by Alzheimers · · Score: 1

    I'll admit, it's coloured my expectations of enigmatic faceless space soldiers ever since, and I was hugely disappointed when I reached the end of Halo and Master Chief stubbornly refused to reveal that he was really a Mistress Chief all along. I mean, I had tissues ready and everything.

    I think the author's just pining for a Haloid type ending. Not that it wouldn't be cool or anything, but I don't think it'd be quite the same.

  8. music! by johnny_4_president · · Score: -1

    one aspect of the early metroid games the article didn't mention was how brilliant the music was, given the standards of the time. the tunes on the original nes version blow just about anything else produced on that console away, and the super-metroid ambient backgrounds were downright chilling.
    there's a band called the minibosses that did a cover of the 'kraid' level that's frickin' awesome.
    www.minibosses.com

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  9. One more 2d adventure... please? by thanatos_x · · Score: 1

    I seriously want them to restart the project that was going to bring a new 2d game to the DS. Not that I haven't enjoyed the prime series, but 2d has something to it. Hell, I wanted a 2d game on the GC/Wii, one that was monstrously large and had very good graphics...

    I'd also be happy with a port of super metroid to the DS. Best metroid game of all time, in my opinion.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid_(series)#Metroid_Dread

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