| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Game Boy | 8.20 |
| Overall | 8.20 |
|
Metroid 2 was the long lost Metroid game for me, it was the last Metroid game I had to complete. I finally got to play it and I was shocked to find an old Gameboy game that still fun to play. Metroid 2 is basically the link between the original Metroid and Super Metroid. The structure of Metroid 2 is different than any Metroid, in this game you need to hunt down 39 Metroids, not the usual kind, evolved versions of them. The world is structured differently, instead of a maze like open world with no real direction this game slowly opens up new sections as you eliminate Metroids. Each section is rather large, enough so to feel like you need to explore but not so huge that you feel completely lost. Once you kill all Metroids in an area, an earthquake occurs and the lava level decreases allowing you to advance to the next section of the game. This works great for a portable game as it allows you to better keep track of where you need to go. There is still no map so its way better to have this kind of progression based world than the open mess that was the original. Each new area has one or two power ups to keep the gameplay fresh. Of course these abilities allow you to reach other areas of the section. The best powerup is the spider ball which allows you to stick to any wall in ball form and allows you to climb up and up on these huge levels. As always there are energy tanks and missile upgrades, there aren't many so they all matter and make a difference. Missiles feel more important than ever as they are the only way to damage the Metroids and boy do they take a beating. In a genius move this game added health and missile recharges hidden throughout. This reduces the need to farm spawn tunnels for health and weapons which I hated in Metroid. The level design feels much more refined. I feel like the original was the same rooms over and over in different colors with some simple changes to the layout. In Metroid 2 there are rooms that are filled with sand that you must shoot through, a room that is all spikes where you need to space jump your way across. There was even one that had Mega Man like disappearing blocks that you had to jump on. One room was pitch black and held upgrades that you had to find using ball mode. Far better designed than the first game while keeping the same gameplay. Metroid 2 is still old school Metroid, but its the best of old school Metroid. Many of the additions introduced here are seen throughout the series which was surprising to me. I very much enjoyed my time with it. |
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Posted by Dvader Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:37:24
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phantom_leo (9m)
How can you go back to gameboy games? It's NES graphics only in black and white. You're half a step away from looking at a screen of 1s and zeros
Like the atari.