Metroid Fusion is a really, really good game. It is worthy of the name, "Metroid," and it is worthy of Nintendo. Who says Nintendo's glory days only existed in the late 1980s and the 1990s?
The game's story is actually pretty good. There's a new enemy in this game, and for once, it's not the Space Pirates. Rather, it's an organism known as Parasite X. Parasite X can kill its host, and then assume its host's appearance, intelligence, and abilities. (Gee, you think someone at Nintendo likes a certain John Carpenter film a bit much?) Rather than an alien world, MF takes place onboard a space station where the X have gone rampant. It turns out that the Metroids were creatures created by the Chozo to kill off the X. Since Samus wiped out the Metroids on SR388, the X, now having no natural predator, multiplied and even took control of the station. Once again, it's up to space warrior woman Samus to save the day. A number of twists and turns occur throughout the story. For instance, we learn that Samus once knew a Federation commander named Adam, who's dead now, but is slated to appear in the upcoming Metroid game for the Wii. Don't expect anything Oscar-worthy, but the story in MF will intrigue you.
The game itself is solid. Samus moves faster than she did in earlier 2D titles. Not only that, she can grab onto climb, climb up ledges (and cleverly go into morph ball mode if the passage is too narrow), and can also climb (and shoot off of) ladders. Also, the infinite jump is easier to do in MF. These are welcome changes to the play control. Many of Samus' abilities return, as well as some new ones. My only complaint is unlike in Super Metroid, there is no X-ray scope. There are a lot of secrets in MF, and the X-ray would've made things easier for me. Other than that, control and gameplay is great.
Be warned though, the enemies in this game are more dangerous than in previous titles. Some of the minor enemies and a few of the boss enemies can inflict a lot of damage on Samus, forcing you to play at your best. Try to find every energy tank you can; you will need them.
Now granted, MF isn't quite as atmospheric as other Metroid games. The GBA's sound quality is nowhere near that of the SNES, so the ambiance of Super Metroid is lacking. Also, the space station just isn't as interesting to explore as Zebes was either. MF has good level design, yes, but it's hard to top the SNES classic. Nonetheless, there is one creepy touch I appreciate; in the game, the X create a clone of Samus dubbed the SA-X. The SA-X has all of Samus' abilities from Super Metroid, and even looks like how she did in that game. Throughout most of MF, you lack the strength to take on the SA-X head on, yet it seeks you out. Whenever the SA-X appears, you must hide. When it's present, the music becomes much creepier, and you can hear the metallic "clank clank clank clank" of the SA-X. In one instance, you must run past it, even though it can kill you in a manner of seconds. (Yeah, it kind of sucks when someone uses the famous Screw Attack on you!) Towards the end, you do finally fight the SA-X, but it was a surreal battle; it was almost like you are fighting yourself. Samus Aran versus . . . Samus Aran. I thought that was a great touch, a genuine set of moments of real horror.
Continuity-wise, this is the "newest" game. Who knows what lays ahead for Samus? Well, if it's more quality games like this one, then the future is bright. I have yet to play any of the 3D Metroids, but it's good to know that Metroid is still in top form in the 2D action-adventure genre.
Final Score: 10 out of 10. A tiny bit less fun than Super Metroid, but still one of the best "Metroidvania" games out there. Also one of my top 5 favorite GBA games. Play it if you haven't!
