New Games on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg en-us After the events on planet Zebes (alternately known as 'Zebeth'), the Galactic Federation decided that the Metroids must be eradicated to prevent anything similar from happening in the future. The danger was simply far too great. An extermination squad was sent to the Metroids' homeworld: SR388. Mysteriously, they were never heard from again...

Samus Aran was considered the only one capable of completing this mission, and so she was called on once again, to wipe out the entire Metroid species by herself. In spite of the disturbing disappearance of the special squad sent in before, Samus ventures into the depths of SR388 alone, collecting upgrades to her Power Suit and hunting down these dangerous, yet curiously fascinating, creatures.

However, the Metroids aren't simply the floating green parasitic jellyfish she encountered before... No, here in their home world, they grow beyond that and evolve into far more unnerving and powerful creatures, becoming increasingly tougher to kill. These creatures are defined by the stages of their evolution: Alpha, Gamma, Zeta, and Omega. Finally, the source of all Metroids, the Queen, lurks at the climax of the game.

Thoroughly scouring the murky depths of SR388, finding herself frequently lost in it's maze-like catacombs, and barely struggling her way out of some frightful close encounters with the Metroids, Samus clearly has her work cut out for her. However, with the help of conveniently hidden Missile and Energy Tank expansions, as well as the Varia Suit and arm cannon upgrades (the Ice Beam in particular was helpful - those savvy with the series will understand why!), she manages to battle through this challenge and arrive at the Queen Metroid... A massive, freakish monster that is so advanced in her mutated evolution she barely even resembles her own offspring...

The Queen, outraged at Samus for destroying her children, bursts through a wall and -eats- Samus! With some quick thinking, Samus curls into her Morph Ball and sets off as many bombs as she can inside the beast's stomach. After being consequently expelled out in result (and likely covered in some sort of mucus or slime), she's immediately attacked again! Narrowly scraping the surface of death, Samus leaps away from the lashing maw of the Queen, and frantically plugs her with every Missile she's got.

After suffering enough concussive blasts, the Queen is reduced into nothing but withering ash... Victorious, Samus makes her way through the giant tunnel the Queen had occupied during the battle, and heads for the planet's surface, where her ship waits for her. But wait.. what is this pulsing mass in the dark..? An.. egg..?

Samus witnesses the birth of the last Metroid as it breaks free of it's shell... The hatchling is immediately drawn to Samus - yet, it doesn't attack her. In an alert, confused analysis, Samus decides that since she was the first thing it saw after being born, it must see her as it's mother..! The little hatchling eats through obstacles in Samus' path as she treks for her ship to finally leave SR388, exhausted, her mission complete. Seeing this kind of behavior in the creature causes Samus to take the last survivor of the species back with her to the headquarters of the Federation...

This bizarre turn of events on SR388 results in the next compelling chapter in the franchise: Super Metroid. It's an underrated and misunderstood gem in the series, one that definitely deserves a chance, especially considering that it's the story that defines the rest that follow it.

Give it a play, you might be pleasantly surprised...

See you next mission!

]]> 08 Feb 2007 01:39:50 Link, after setting sail for new experiences and adventures, finds himself caught in a squall at sea. Helpless in spite of his valiant efforts to last through the storm, he is overwhelmed by vicious waves and lightning...

Some time later, a gentle girl named Marin discovers him washed up on Toronbo Shores.. the beach of Koholint Island. She finds a way to get him home and takes care of him until he finally awakens. Marin and her father, Tarin, explain to him where he is, and after he sets out to reclaim his sword, he encounters a mysterious owl... The owl cryptically warns Link about the perils this island faces should the Wind Fish be disturbed from his slumber, and thus Link decides he must do something to save them.

This owl guides him throughout the rest of his journey, slowly helping him uncover just what exactly is going on. Link learns that, unfortunately, in order to save the islanders he had grown to love, and to set himself free, he must also end a dream, a romance that he might not want to... To save all those people he had come to know and cherish from the Wind Fish's Nightmares, he would also have to end the illusion that caused them to exist in the first place.

It's a heart wrenching choice to confront, one that Link no doubt regrets with every deep ache of his very soul.. but the only alternative was to let the Nightmare take over and destroy everything.. This was the only fate he could offer them...

A tragic, touching tale that is told in the simplest way, Link's Awakening is a dream that I'll always hold dear to my heart...

]]> 08 Feb 2007 11:34:05