Format: Advance
Genre: Action platformer
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Truly the epitome of platformers of the GBA. Metroid 4, also known as Metroid Fusion is the 4th installment in Nintendo's Metroid Series. This game canonically takes place some time after the events of Super Metroid on the Super Nintendo. For a quick recap of the Metroid storyline.. Our Fair Warrior, Samus Aran, Goes to the space pirate home planet, Fights an entity called Mother Brain, Blows up the planet, Hunts Metroids to extinction, Saves the last infant metroid, Fights Mother Brain again, Infant Metroid Dies, Samus saves a bunch of critters, blows up another planet, Gets infected by X-Parasites, Almost Dies, Cured by Baby Metroid DNA. Samus in this game, is now a human-metroid hybrid, with an adversity to cold like all metroids but also the ability to absorb the X to restore her health and weapons. Because of the threat to her life they lasered off parts of her suit that the X had claimed as her own. These suit parts eventually became a new life form entirely known as X-Cores. These big X take the form of the bosses in the game and hold Samus's powerups like Charge Beam, High Jump, or her Gravity Suit. One specific X-Core took a radically different path and become a full clone of Samus herself, known simply as the SA-X. The SA-X came from Samus's Ice Beam ability, which means that for the entirety of the game you don't get Ice Beam. Additionally throughout the game, any time you see the SA-X it has the ability to freeze and even kill you. Horror is the name of the game, and Fear is what this game excels at. From the very start you're thrown into a world where you're told that "something" is out there, and then told that this "something" hates you.. and eventually that this "something" is hunting you. Taking place on a desolated space station, your initial mission is to simply find out what's going on and why everyone on it is dead. Soon you discover that the X have broken free from their constraints thanks to the help of the SA-X and is running amok, eating and destroying everything. The brevity of this space station gets dark and heavy with menacing atmospheric tones and missions. Not once in this game will you ever feel like you're walking into a safe area. In previous metroid games, It was always hit or miss whether a room would be lethal but for the most part you never felt like it was intentionally trying to frighten you. This game changed that drastically. From evolving rooms, to ominous background shadows, to frantic red screen flashes, every single ounce of this game is meant to keep you off guard and uneasy. The story is additionally masterfully told to aide that goal of creating an extremely uneasy feeling for the player. Several times in the story the gamer is told "JUST RUN AWAY" when dealing with this mysterious 'SA-X'. Several times the player also has the chance to interact with this mysterious super enemy. Truly a niche in terms of design. The gameplay is atypical to other metroid titles and platformers, run and gun, climb and wall jump, as well classic powerups returning like charge beam, shinespark, missiles, and power bombs. What makes this game truly great are the level designs which are all unique, as well as the bosses and enemies. You'll never feel like you are going through the same room in this game. Powerups are hidden around as well, and secret passages also. Some areas require you to solve a little puzzle to get to a powerup, which is a nice change-up. Due to the way this game ends, many fans thought this was the final metroid game. In addition to that, this game also has a unique crossover with the Metroid Prime series. I don't know all the details but what I recall is that if you 100% this game you can transfer/connect to Metroid Prime to either get the Fusion outfit or play Metroid 1.. or something. The music is on point, the sound effects can be rattling at times, and everything about this game was simply perfect. I cannot fathom for the life of me why Super Metroid fans hate this game so much. Then again, they also hate Final Fantasy 7, maybe they just are jealous that gaming existed after the Super Nintendo? If you liked Metroid 2, you'll love Metroid Fusion.

All in All, Fusion should get a 20 but the scale only goes up to 10, so it gets a perfect 10 score. The only true downside to this game is that it doesn't have a randomizer or some extra replay value mode.

Format: Advance
Genre: Action platformer
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Digitized backgrounds and sprites were a real feature of games from the early naughts, especially on Nintendo's little ARM handheld, and they immediately give away Fusion's release era. Coming from Super Metroid, Fusion is of course much lower resolution, and the character is not as well animated-- but many special effects, like glowing light halos and a clean user interface give the game its own personality, and which show off the hardware too.

Everything on the Advance is done through software: there is quite literally no sound or graphics chips! And yet, most games on the platform use a DSP-esque music driver-- Fusion being a case-in-point. The compositions aren't as memorable as those from the first few games, but they are dramatic, make use of minor key in spots, and have excellent percussion samples. The games sound effects are typically iconic Metroid fare.

Fusion uses a similar control scheme to Super, except that all alternative weapon actions are done through firing missiles-- via a hold of the right trigger-- versus select button cycling. Added elements like ladders and ledge grabbing are reminiscent of the handheld "Splinter Cell" titles. The individual areas are as puzzle-like as the game's forebears, but could have been a bit larger, as they are parceled out piecemeal to the player in a totally linear fashion.

The original Metroid was totally free roaming, and it worked due to the small game world. Super Metroid was free roaming, but too big. This title errs to the complete opposite extreme, introducing each area with lengthy dialog sequences-- meaning the game almost plays like one long tutorial! That said, the game is fun in between its hand-holding, while the added horror elements are a nice change of pace from the other series entries: a solid action platformer.