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The ''Metroid'' (s produced by Nintendo . One of the company's most successful franchises, the series spans through several Nintendo systems, starting with '' Metroid '' ( 1986 ) on the NES , and sequels on the 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 , which was pioneered by the first installment in the series. 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 '' 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 main villains of many of the Metroid games are the ''. The organization also includes a winged, '' Mantis ''-like species, the KiHunter s. 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-up s, 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 most of the Metroid games, 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 back story, much like previous entries in the series. This method was carried over, and even improved upon, in . It is safe to assume that this new style of story telling has become the defacto standard for the Metroid games, or at least the three-dimensional incarnations.
RELEASE HISTORY SERIES The original '' Metroid '' was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1986 , 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 order to surprise players when the truth was revealed) 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 Famicom) were implemented to let players take breaks and resume later. ''Metroid'' was among the first games with this feature. Subsequent ''Metroid'' games removed the password function, relying entirely on battery-backed or memory-card saves. It has remained one of the most popular games from the NES era. The first sequel, '''', 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 Metroid species. 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 Grayscale graphics and relatively linear gameplay. 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 ''. Despite much speculation, no ''Metroid'' game was developed for the Nintendo 64 , and some lost hope that the ''Metroid'' trilogy would be expanded. Nintendo however announced in 2000 that Retro Studios was developing a new ''Metroid'' game for Nintendo's next-generation console, the GameCube , and in 2001 that Nintendo itself was creating ''Metroid IV'' for the Game Boy Advance . Both games were released in 2002 , Retro Studios' effort titled '' Metroid Prime '' and ''Metroid IV'' renamed ''''' Metroid Fusion '''''. ''Fusion'' took place some years after ''Super Metroid'' ended, whereas ''Prime'' is an Interquel between the series' first two installments. Released nearly simultaneously, the games also feature Connectivity bonuses: players who beat ''Fusion'' can play through ''Prime'' with Samus wearing the new Fusion suit; beating ''Prime'' allows unlocking the original ''Metroid'' as a fully playable extra in ''Fusion''. Although ''-esque "run and gun" shooter. Nintendo countered this by referring to ''Metroid Prime'' exclusively as a " First-person Adventure ". When released, most journalists and fans found ''Prime'' to have preserved and developed the ''Metroid'' theme and gameplay, and it is among the most highly rated games of all time among game critics. Contrarily, ''Fusion'' is unpopular among some ''Metroid'' fans due to the unusually linear nature of the game, although others have praised it for its cinematic qualities. Following ''Prime'' and ''Fusion'', new ''Metroid'' titles have been produced with increased frequency. On Metroid''''' in North America. A second ''Metroid'' game for the Game Boy Advance, '''', was developed by Nintendo and released in 2004 . It is an Enhanced Remake and re-telling of the original NES ''Metroid'' story, featuring areas and gameplay elements from previous games as well as entirely new ones. The story, which sheds a little more light on the character background of Samus Aran, is much more detailed than in ''Metroid''. The GameCube title ' but in terms of different dimensions rather than magical worlds. '']]'' 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: # '' to stop the Space Pirates from exploiting the Metroid species for galactic domination. She confronts the cybernetic lifeform Mother Brain , as well as its guardians, Kraid and Ridley . # '', and her ship crash-lands back on the surface of Zebes. Stripped of her Power Suit and her ship destroyed, she is forced to infiltrate the Space Pirate Mother Ship in order to find a way off the planet. # '' to stop the Space Pirates from exploiting a powerful Radioactive substance known as Phazon . She discovers that the ancient people who raised her and bestowed her with the Power Suit, the Chozo , once settled on this planet, and their disappearance, as well as the Phazon , is somehow linked to a meteor that crashed into the planet's surface. #'' in the Tetra Galaxy to uncover the rumored "Ultimate Power." Six rival bounty hunters that also heard the message actively attempt to secure the power before anyone else, including Samus. However, all is not as it seems. # '', a world split into light and dark dimensions by a meteor similar to that on Tallon IV . Samus is pursued by a mysterious look-alike known as Dark Samus , a remnant from the first ''Prime'' game. # '' Metroid Prime 3 '': Although not officially announced as following ''Metroid Prime 2'', it can be assumed that the game is a direct sequel. . # '', the home planet of the Metroids, to exterminate the species entirely, but saves a single Metroid hatchling for research. # '' Super Metroid '': Samus receives a distress signal from the research lab where she took the Metroid hatchling. She returns just in time to see Ridley stealing the hatchling. She then follows Ridley to the rebuilt base on Zebes to stop the Space Pirates in their new plan to clone the Metroids and use them as a weapon. # '', the original Prey of the Metroid Species . Doctors surgically remove her Power Suit and infuse her body with Metroid DNA , allowing her not only to survive the parasite but to absorb its life energy and use it as her own. She is then sent to investigate a disturbance at the space research facility, Biologic Space Labs, where researchers attempted to contain the infected Power Suit. IMPORTANT PEOPLE '''' by NST 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 noted for its Music and has had several composers during the years:
FRANCHISE SPIN-OFFS '' comic books. A live-action movie version of ''Metroid'' is reportedly in development by Lion Rock Productions , based around Samus Aran , along with her early battles with the Metroids and the Mother Brain . It is scheduled to be released in theatres around 2006 . {Link without Title} 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. 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 ''. See also The ''Metroid'' Series Section Of The Speedrun Article for ''Metroid''-specific speedrunning terminology. Shinespark The Shinespark is an ability that debuted in '' 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 nomal 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. Trivia
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