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The games are a series of video games produced by Nintendo. One of the company's most successful franchises, the series spans through several Nintendo systems, starting with Metroid (1986) on the FDS, and various ports, sequels, and remakes on the NES, Game Boy, Super NES, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo DS and Wii. The Metroid games chronicle the missions of bounty hunter Samus Aran in a science fiction setting which has been compared to that of the Alien movies. Central plot elements are the terrifying Metroid organisms, and the Space Pirates which try to exploit the Metroids' powers. The gameplay combines adventure based on exploration and item-gathering with platformer and shooter dynamics. The Metroid games are particularly associated with nonlinear gameplay. As of June 2006, 10 games in the Metroid series have been released. Including 4 main games, (Metroid I-IV), a Classic NES Series version of the first title, an enhanced remake and expansion to the first title (Metroid: Zero Mission), two spin-offs (Metroid Prime: Pinball and Metroid Prime: Hunters), and a nearly complete trilogy (better known as the Metroid Prime series) with the third game in the trilogy underway for the Wii. Themes The Metroid games are set in the same fictional universe. They share most main characters and fundamental gameplay elements, with a few notable exceptions. Setting and characters The heroine, Samus Aran, is a bounty hunter. She wears an extremely powerful and adaptable armor suit made by the ancient Chozo race. The eponymous in-game Metroids are large, jellyfish-like creatures with quadripartite nuclei. They are capable of siphoning an undetectable life energy from any living organism; generally causing the death of the victim in the process. Metroid II established a five-stage life cycle in which those Metroids native to SR388 go through two stages of ecdysis followed by two stages of mutation, thus maturing through four previously unknown forms: Alpha, Gamma, Zeta, and Omega. Metroid Prime introduced two new, Phazon-mutated forms: Hunter Metroids, which sport tentacles enabling long-range energy siphoning; and fission Metroids, which divide into two new Fission Metroids (with different elemental weaknesses) after absorbing a discrete amount of energy. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes has a Phazon-mutated subspecies of Metroid, the Tallon Metroid. Instead of siphoning all of their power from victims, they can feed directly off Phazon. They are born as Infant Metroids from cocoons and mature into adulthood when exposed to Phazon. The game also introduces Dark Tallon Metroids; Tallon Metroids corrupted by the Ing. The main villains of many of the Metroid games are the Space Pirates. Mother Brain is the biomechanical defense of Zebes. Kraid appears as an important boss in Metroid, , and Super Metroid. Ridley, leader of the Space Pirates, appears in Metroid, Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Metroid Prime, and in (along with a mechanical version of himself as the final boss). He is also confirmed to be in Metroid Prime 3. The organization also includes a winged, mantis-like species, the KiHunters. The Space Pirates are very interested in Metroid research, especially in using Metroids for energy generation or as soldiers. Their Phazon experiments produced all the Metroid variants seen in the Prime games. Gameplay The gameplay of all Metroid games revolves around Samus collecting items, or power-ups, that give her the ability to overcome obstacles. Many of the items recur throughout the series, with some modifications, such as the Morph Ball, which allows her to curl into a small ball to access tight spaces and drop bombs. The main enemies of the games in the Metroid series are divided into two groups: bosses and final bosses. Each game contains multiple bosses that are often encountered by entering a large sealed room and engaging in combat with a large creature. When successful, the room opens and allows further progress, usually resulting in the acquisition of an item. Final bosses are at the end of each Metroid game, and usually consist of a fight similar to a normal boss, and then a timed dash back to Samus' gunship to complete the game. In Metroid and Super Metroid, Kraid and Ridley make appearances as bosses, and Mother Brain sometimes appears as a final boss. In some of the games, a Metroid in some form can take the role of a boss, and sometimes even a final boss. The combat model for bosses and final bosses is usually standardized, though there are a few exceptions throughout the series. Evolution of Story Telling While the majority of Nintendo franchises have remained relatively the same, barring their natural evolution, in the style and method of story telling, the Metroid series has changed substantially with its move to three-dimensions. The first three titles featured little narration, with not much more than an opening title sequence, as well as the documentation that accompanied the software. With the release of Metroid Prime, the series took on a much more detailed plot, with a unique delivery system. The use of the Scan Visor allowed Samus to uncover information about the plot, nature, and ecological role of her enemies, the history of her environment, and many other features that truly fleshed out the story. This style also maintained the option for the player to immerse themselves in this information, or to opt out and play the game with little backstory, much like previous entries in the series. This method was carried over, and even improved upon, in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. It is safe to assume that this new style of story telling has become the de facto standard for the Metroid games, or at least the three-dimensional incarnations. Release history History of video game consoles (third generation)|8-bit/History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|16-bit Generations The original Metroid was released for the Famicom Disk System (FDS) in 1986 and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1987, introducing Samus Aran (who at the time was unusual in being a female video game character; in fact, the advertisements and instruction manual described Samus as male. In the Japanese version of the manual, Samus was referred to in a genus-neutral way of speech as to not spoil the surprise for the players completing the game and thus seeing Samus as a woman. If the 'he' in the American/European version of the manual is intended to save that "surprise" or if it's just a translation mistake remains something of a mystery. No grounds have proven if it was a mistranslation or not.) and other characters that appear in subsequent Metroid games. Featuring a labyrinthine world in which the player chooses which direction to explore, it was notable for providing one of the first highly nonlinear game experiences on a home console. Because of the time required to play through it, a password save system (on the NES) and a saved-game slot system (on the FDS) were implemented to let players take breaks and resume later. Metroid was among the first games with these features. Subsequent Metroid games removed the password function, relying entirely on battery-backed or memory-card saves. Metroid has remained one of the most popular games from the NES era. It is important to note that the NES port of Metroid features lower quality music and sound effects than the original FDS version. The first sequel, Metroid II: Return of Samus, was released in 1991 for Nintendo's portable console, the Game Boy. Unlike Metroid, the goal is not primarily to collect items but to locate and kill Metroids. Metroid II contributed to the series' development by providing a set of new weapons and items, and also revealed some details about the Chozo and Metroids. Although it initially received positive reviews, its legacy has not been as enduring as that of either its predecessor or its successor in the series; possibly due to its greyscale graphics and relatively linear gameplay. Retro players should note that when the game is played on a Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance system one of the built-in colour palettes can be used. The third game in the series, titled Super Metroid, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1994. It returned to a gameplay style closer to that of the first game, however expanding the arsenal of power-ups available to Samus. Super Metroid is set on the same planet as the original game, but with help from the capabilities of the SNES (and an unusually large cartridge at 24 megabit) features larger and more diverse environments, as well as a more detailed in-game plot than was found in the first two games. Super Metroid was one of the most popular games for the SNES when it debuted, receiving praise for its graphics, sound, and size. It has remained popular, frequently occupying top positions in "greatest game of all time" lists, including a first spot awarded by Electronic Gaming Monthly. History of video game consoles (fifth generation)|CD/History of video game consoles (sixth generation)|DVD Generations
History of video game consoles (seventh generation)|New Generation Metroid Prime Pinball, a pinball video game for the Nintendo DS, deviates significantly from previous game installments. Although it is not part of the official Metroid timeline, the game borrows many story and graphical elements from the Prime series. Chronology The chronology of the Metroid fictional universe does not match the release order of the games. According to the official timeline released by Nintendo, the games currently released are ordered as follows: Important people Metroid, Metroid II: Return of Samus, Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion and were all developed by Nintendo's internal R&D1 section. The games which have been developed by separate teams are Metroid Prime 1–3 by Retro Studios, Metroid Prime: Hunters developed by Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, and Metroid Prime Pinball by Fuse Games. The central figures in the creation and development of the Metroid series are Yoshio Sakamoto who has directed or supervised the development of all the games (excluding Metroid II), Gunpei Yokoi who headed R&D1 and produced the three first games before his death in 1997, Makoto Kanoh who directed and designed scenarios for the first three games, and Hiroji Kiyotake who designed the characters for the original game. Shigeru Miyamoto, who created the Mario and Legend of Zelda series, has not been involved with the creation of Metroid, but he did act as producer for both Metroid Prime and its sequel. The Metroid series has been especially noted for its music (though some fans have complained that the music for Metroid Fusion is somewhat worse than the others) and has had several composers during the years: Franchise spin-offs Comic books have been released based on Metroid, Super Metroid and Metroid Prime. Samus Aran and other Metroid characters also feature in the Captain N: The Game Master comic books. A live-action movie version of Metroid was reportedly in development by Lion Rock Productions, based around Samus Aran, along with her early battles with the Metroids and the Mother Brain. It was scheduled to be released in theaters around 2006, but either has been cancelled or remains in development hell. Speedrunning The Metroid games have been a popular target for speedrunning, the art of completing a game in the fastest time possible. In addition to the nonlinear level design that allows alternate routes to be taken through the games, the Metroid games encourage speedrunning by displaying item collection and completion time statistics at the end of the game. Speedrunning is also encouraged by the fact that completion time is one of the primary factors determining what ending the player sees, and completing the game in a short time allows the player to see Samus without her suit on. To finish a game as quickly as possible, speedrunners exploit glitches and secrets that provide shortcuts. There are many of these in all games, both unintentional glitches and features added deliberately by the developers. For an example of the latter, the key to speedrunning in Super Metroid is the wall jump move, which is not described in the instruction manual but revealed in a secret room in the game. Wall jumping, as well as the shinespark move, also appears in Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, and . See also the ''Metroid'' series section of the speedrun article for Metroid-specific speedrunning terminology. Shinespark The Shinespark is an ability that debuted in Super Metroid, where it was known as the Super Jump. It has more recently been used in two other Metroid games as well, Metroid Fusion and . The name "Shinespark" was officially given to the technique in Metroid Fusion during a "secret" conversation that, to witness, requires the player to perform a complicated series of Shinesparks, or exploit a glitch in the European and US versions. The technique requires the Speed Booster upgrade and allows Samus to break through Speed Booster Blocks as well as some blocks that can be destroyed with Bombs and the Power Beam. Metroid: Zero Mission takes the move one step further by allowing the player to do the move while in Morphball form as well. In Super Metroid, using the Shinespark inflicts damage on Samus. The Shinespark is performed by running over a distance until Samus glows, crouching and then jumping. The run must be uninterrupted, and the charge lasts only for a few seconds. After crouching, Samus can stand up and move around as normal while the charge lasts, with the exception of normal jumping, which activates the shinespark. Spin jumps do not activate the Shinespark. The Shinespark can be performed vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. In addition, if a horizontal Shinespark is performed into a slope, Samus will begin running along the slope at full speed. This technique debuted in Metroid Fusion, and is key in performing multiple Shinesparks in a row. See also | |||||||||
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