One of the best portable games ever made and a serious high point in the Metroid series.
The Bad: Some consider it too short. Those people are just wouldn't know a good Metroid game if it slapped them in the face, huh?
Metroid Fusion is probably the most underappreciated Metroid game, though it is the possibly most well-made of the bunch. While Super Metroid was a fantastic game, it pales in comparison to this utter masterpiece. Metroid Fusion has it all: good looks, a great soundtrack and amazing sound effects, tight and perfect controls, and infinite replayability. This is the best game on the Game Boy Advance, hands down. And that is really saying something.
Released at the same time as Metroid Prime, Metroid Fusion seems to have the bad luck of being overshadowed by the innovative and fully 3D immersive experience that was MP. While MP is totally and completely amazing and mindblowing, Metroid Fusion is simply superior due to one thing: pure, unadulterated retro love and a kickin' storyline (that's two things, huh? Dang it!)
Here's a rundown of what makes Metroid Fusion so great. It's condensed pure Metroid bliss. Never once will you be lost, but it doesn't feel linear either. The powerups are all fantastic and perfected, and even though there's no x-ray visor or grapple beam, nothing feels missing. The pace just keeps going and the game doesn't give up.
The bosses are amazing. This game should win an award for creative boss battles alone. It would be hard to go into depth without ruining anything, so suffice it to say that these are some of the best boss battles to be in any game ever.
Some have complained about the length of Metroid Fusion. In truth, once you've played through the game a few times and know where everything is, it's easily possible to blaze through the game in under 2 hours. But that's once you're totally familiar with the game. Before that, exploring and gathering items will significantly lengthen the game. Fusion gets no less appealing with each subsequent replay - in fact, there's endless ways to challenge yourself by skipping powerups, etc., and there's loads of ending animations to see.
Frankly, no 2D game before has ever been this gripping. The storyline is as good as any sci-fi flick out there, and Samus really becomes more than just a mindless killing machine here. It's so intriguing to see into her psyche, see the way she works. No other Metroid game has done that before or since. This is one heck of a game.