1. Exzodium

   10

   If you're a fan of the Metroid series as well as a game hobbyist, this is a fine addition to any collection. With the large map exploration and item hunting people have come to expect of the series, you will have many fun hours to come with this game.… Expand

   • Helpful? 4 of 4 users said Yes.
2. Tokyochuchu

   8

   Metroid Fusion is a great game but one with some serious faults. The good stuff first; Fusion has great, pinpoint controls with excellent button mapping. The graphics are fantastic as is the soundtrack. This game carries over the all the famous ambiance and atmosphere of the Metroid series. The path finding, power-up hunting gameplay is also as addictive as ever. But there are some maddening things about this game. The plot and story of the game are too over developed, for a start. The game constantly gives you objectives and tells you where to go. This is counter to the usual Metroid ethos of simple exploration. Worse still, the computer that gives you these objectives often nags Samus for not doing as she's told. One of the coolest things about Metrioid was that Samus seemed like the type of hero who wouldn't take crap from anyone. Apparently, that's not the case. Of course, the evils of needless plotting came to a head properly on the latter, truly awful Metroid: Other M. But there were definitely warning shots fired back here in Fusion. Another problem is the game's desire to be obtuse. Most Metroid games have you scratching your head from time to time, but Fusion takes this to ridiculous proportions sometimes. The whole underwater maze portion of the game, for example, has defeated many gamers through the stupid implementation of a morphball passage that isn't indicated in any way and is almost impossible to see. It needs to be mentioned that the game can be brutally difficult at times too. A chase sequence involving an evil version of Samus will have most gamers pulling their hair out as they replay it over and over (as will the Nightmare boss). But that said, it never feels impossible (I'm not the world's most talented gamer and I managed to clear it). Overall, Metroid Fusion is a good game, withheld from greatness by an annoying story, questionable level design and some frustrating difficulty spikes.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
3. mrnice

   7

   A good game that might seem like loads of fun but also frustrates with a high difficulty level. Since the save points are rooms that you find throughout the levels, there might be unnecessary travel between a load point and the bosses you will almost invariably fail to beat in first try. You might give up halfway through the five-hour playthrough, and that is a shame for the game. It offers some variety (timed sections and enemies to hide/flee from) but mostly follows the pattern: standard platforming action with some exploration and then hard boss fights every 20 minutes or so. The series might have pioneered game mechanics 20 years ago, but today most of it is seen before. The GBA cartridge places heavy restrictions technically, so of course you can forgive various shortcomings, but the game could have been more friendly to newbies.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
4. OuroborosChoked

   3

   I don't play Metroid games to be told what to do. If you like the exploration and independence of the other games, avoid Fusion. It is absolutely linear, plodding, and just plain wearying to play. Then there's the art. A lot has been said about how good the game looks, and I won't lie: it's pretty good. However, they try to throw so much on screen at times, it's hard to even tell what's foreground or background, what you need to be paying attention to and what you should ignore. It just ends up looking messy. Oh, and this is the game that introduced the Adam Malkovich albatross that culminated in the fiasco that is Other M.
   
   This isn't the worst game in the series, but it DEFINITELY doesn't deserve the 100/100s that you see over on the critic side or the 10/10s on the user side. If you want a "return to form" GBA Metroid, play Zero Mission. The Prime games are also good examples of how to do Metroid gameplay (Hint: it's about the exploration).… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 5 users said Yes.

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