Metroid Fusion

As a special bonus to GameCube owners, Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion can each unlock special features in the other game via the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable. For example, by completing Metroid Fusion, you can unlock the original NES version of Metroid in Metroid Prime. By completing Metroid Prime, you can unlock Samus's fusion suit for use in Metroid Prime.

Product Description
In Metroid Fusion. you get to play the warrior woman Samus Aran as she battles an all-new threat! New action, new enemies, same classic gameplay that has defined Metroid games!

-IF YOU LIKED SUPER METROID, YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE THIS GAME. Super Metroid was the game that was the perfect fusion of action and exploration, and that won many a gamer over almost instantly. Metroid Fusion is likely to do the game. The game plays just like its old Super Nintendo counterpart.
-ALL THE CLASSIC ABILITIES YOU KNOW AND LOVE ARE BACK. The Wave Beam, Varia Suit, Gravity Suit, Morphing Ball, Bombs, and Plasma Beam have all returned for your gaming pleasure.
-IT'S ONE OF THE FEW METROID GAMES THAT HEAVILY EMPHASIZES THE STORYLINE THROUGH AND THROUGH - AND IT HAS A GOOD STORYLINE! Samus had finished eradicating a species of parasites called the X, or so she thought. One infected her suit, nearly killing her. Fortunately, she was saved through the usage of a Metroid-based vaccine. The X multiplied in a research-based space station, and now Samus must stop them once and for all. It's one of the best storylines in the series, and it is continually explored through the course of the game.
-THE GAME IS COMPATIBLE WITH METROID PRIME. If you use a GCN/GBA link cable, you can unlock special features, provided you have beaten one of the games. Beat Fusion and do this, and you unlock the original NES Metroid in Metroid Prime. Beat Prime and do this, and you'll unlock a new costume for Samus in Prime. Cool stuff.
-TONS OF HIDDEN STUFF. Like the previous Metroid games, this one has a good deal of things hidden through the layout of the space station - you'll need to find them all if you want to get a hundred percent rating when you complete the game.

CONS:
-THE PLAY CONTROL FALLS BELOW THE USUAL SERIES STANDARDS. You must hold down the R button to fire your missiles, and use the L button to aim diagonally. If you've got big hands like me, using the Game Boy Advance's shoulder buttons can be nightmarish. Still, this probably won't bother you much once you get into the game.
-THE GAME IS JUST TOO SHORT AND EASY. I completed the game initially in under four hours - and I didn't even need a player guide or an FAQ/walkthrough. If you go into battles fully armed, you're not going to have a lot of trouble winning. A few fights will challenge you, but for the most part you probably won't have a lot of trouble. Another thing that makes the game too easy is its linear nature. The game is essentially "holding your hand" all the way through, with computer stations offering you advice on how to win.

OVERALL:
Overall, this is not a perfect game, and it's not as good as Super Metroid (it's doubtful the series will ever top THAT masterpiece.) But nonetheless, Fusion is a solid entry in an excellent series, and if you're a Game Boy Advance owner who likes games of this sort, you'll be doing yourself a real favor by purchasing it.


Stellar, a true return to form for Samus Aran   May 11, 2003
Axel Law (Wichita, KS, USA)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

After an abnormally long wait and rumors that were flying about, Samus Aran finally returns, this time on the Gameboy Advanced in the game "Metroid Fusion." All the original creators of the series are back to bring you the next chapter of the Metroid saga.

And boy, did they succeed. What an involving game. The storyline is pretty good (Samus getting infected by the X-Parasite and must destroy it while dealing with the parasite's fusion to her) and the graphics are actually outstanding. It's not perfect, but they brought back the original style of "Super Metroid." They also improved the wall jump. The world map is a little more linear than Super Metroid, but so what? It's good nonetheless.

Looking at the reviews on Amazon, I cannot believe how much Prime is regarded over this. Fusion may not hold a candle to many of the classics, but considering today's video game market being dominated by ultra-cool graphics and cinema scenes, THIS GAME IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR. If anything, this proves that an old school game can survive in this day and age. Gamers tend to forget the reason why games are awesome in the first place: GAMEPLAY. This game has it.

If you have a Game Boy Advanced, I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU PICK THIS UP. This has classic written all over it and you should not be without this game, especially if you are a fan of the series. This is a worthy sequel to Super Metroid. So what are you waiting for?!


Egg is the best band ever, duh.   November 7, 2002
8 out of 17 found this review helpful

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much from this game. The screenshots I had seen previously didn't impress me, and I hadn't played a Metroid game since the original. Unfortunately, I stumbled into Sam Goody and spotted a playable version of the game and was instantly hooked. I played for at least 30 minutes straight and was only pulled away to attend a necessary band practice. The opening to the game was quite long, but the astounding graphics (for a handheld) kept me standing there. When I finally got to control Samus, it felt exactly like the nes game, maybe better. Every once in awhile I'd run into a navigation room where I was told the situation and what my objectives had changed to, very hip. I only got far enough to gain the ability to use missiles, but that's probably because I was drooling over the screen in awe. I'm defintely going to buy a game boy advance for this one game. If you refuse to believe my rantings and ravings over this game (I would!) find the nearest electronics store w/ a playable game boy advance try it out. You'll dig it.


A new cast of enemies, new plot, good Metroid fun   November 24, 2002
Geoffrey Johnson (Lake Villa, IL United States)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

For those who have not played a Metroid before, it's a side scrolling sci-fi adventure that takes you through an incredible world and the way you get through this world is with your gun that can be powered up by missiles, charges and bombs. For those who have played a Metroid game before, Samus (Metroid's heroine) has been infected by a parasite. A parasite that has now infected everything onboard a space lab! A lab is not exactly a world; in fact it is blatantly divided into eight levels. Samus is lucky though, because she is already infected, so every mutated monster that she reverts to its normal self (by shooting it), the parasite leaves the body, where Samus can catch the parasite for energy or a replenishment of missiles, but if she does not, the parasite can fly around to find another creature to mutate. Basically enemies can indeed come back to life. There are an entirely new cast of enemies, monsters and bosses, but the most interesting enemy is a clone of Samus that follows just a step behind! The game is very straight forward, there are many features for Gameboy Advance, such as save points are everywhere, there are places to fill up your energy all the way, and everything is easy to find because of navigation rooms that make a map and mark where you should go, so that way it keeps the game moving forward. Its great Metroid fun with an entirely new cast of enemies, a new mission, blatant levels of the game, but still with Metroid secrets.