Great, great Metroid goodness.
User Rating: 9.4 | Metroid Fusion GBA
Well, I have to say. I bought a GBA SP and this game, at a time when I was painting my room. I had to move everything out, so I had no TV or computer or anything to distract me. I had a blast playing it too! I have overindulged in Metroid games for years now. I think I rented or borrowed the 1st one and beat it several times. Super Metroid, I beat twice, on two different friends' Super Nintendos. Now, I have bought Metroid Fusion and beat it twice. Let me say, it is just heaping helpings of Metroid goodness. In fact, the only flaws I can assess to this game, are its short length, and the fact that it may be too similar to earlier Metroid games. It gets a low “value” score because, if you are not a completionist, you can beat this game in under 10 hours. You may get stuck on one or two of the boss fights to make it longer, but in general the game goes by fairly fast. There is some replay value, if you want to try to get all the hidden items. Some of them seem to prove quite difficult, however, and I was not able to get all of them. The only caveat I have to the fast-paced nature of this game is that it is very similar to earlier Metroid games, or other 2D action/platformers like Castlevania. If you have had your fill of this type of game, you may find this one slow, because of its similarity to games you have already played. In general, it’s really a hoot, though! You know how it is. Samus has lost her powers for some contrived reason, and you fight your way through multiple levels with various enemies, gaining access to new areas as Samus’ powers get restored. There are numerous, but typical, powers to unlock, a few puzzles to solve, and mostly, lots of action. The boss fights are that old-school find-the-pattern kind of affair, which I enjoy so much. None of them are overly difficult, and a few provide a nice challenge. Fans of newer platform games may find the AI lacking, as it is fairly non-reactive and follows set patterns. I still like this method of level-design, however, as it makes for both twitchy moments of gameplay, as well as, unique, timed, button-press, kind of elements. Overall, I’d say this is a must-have if you are a fan of old-school Metroid games. If you want to know what the goodness of an old, 2D action/platformer is, this would be a great one to pick up also. 
