Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Metroid Fusion for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.

I replayed all the modern 2Ds to catch up for Dread, so this one was the last on the list. Talk about this game was basically nothing but how terrifying of a world it made. The SA-X is horror on the GBA. Maybe it's just me getting lucky but I basically never ran into the SA-X unless it was scripted, so it didn't really feel that threatening. Except that one part it power bombs the floor so you gotta hide.

No, what really stood out, especially after Super, was just how rigid the story track was. I understand it's kinda the point, making us as restricted as Samus, but I barely felt like exploring anything in fear of getting stopped by some impassable door so I basically ignored everything optional. Except for the Diffusion missiles, somehow ran into those early. Does that make it a bad game? Dunno, guess that's what the discussion's for.

Side note, hate how easy it is to miss the weak point on the final boss before you get power, die, and have to go back to before killing the SA-X. Which is what I did.

Other side note, Nightmare's actually the gross scary nasty thing of this game. Ugh.

Before tackling Metroid Dread I figured it would be a good idea to go back and play the original 2D Metroids (barring OG Metroid since Zero Mission apparently improved on it in every way). Super Metroid was incredibly difficult for me, but I really liked the way that it told the game's story through very subtle cut scenes free of dialogue. Fusion was next, and I was immediately taken aback by the number of scripted scenes that went on and on, and the extreme linearity of the gameplay. Much less emphasis was put on exploration, and I ended the game with a paltry 43% of items found. I played it on a 4k 55inch TV using my MiSTer, which is a neat way to play GBA games with an LCD filter to break up the chunky pixels, and the game looked terrific. But I feel like playing it this way may have removed its context as a handheld game. The developers may have thought a more linear game is more suitable for handheld. Zero Mission was next on my list, and I feel like they righted every wrong from Fusion, and created a true standout in the series.

Fusion was the first Metroid game I ever played, distinctly remember picking it up for £10 in GAME back as a kid as it was the only game in-store I could afford! Took months to complete it, the Ridley boss fight especially giving me some trouble (and nearly deafening me), but it set off an appreciation for the Metroid series and Metroidvania games moving forward.

While not quite my favourite in the series, with the rigid story progression with little room for sequence breaking being my main complaint, I regularly go back and play Fusion due to its tight controls, gorgeous pixel art, brilliant boss fights and that horror-like atmosphere of the SA-X seemingly stalking your every move.

Sadly no longer have the original cartridge, and seeing the prices it goes for now I’ll stick to playing on my Ambassador 3DS!

Metroid Fusion was my first ever foray into the series. This was after having dabbled with the GBA Metroid -inspired Castlevanias, which Fusion in my view blew completely out of the water. Having no preconcieved notions regarding the franchise I had no problems with the supposedly increased storytelling or linearity, neither of which I found that intrusive. In fact, I welcomed it - one of my favorite things about the game was how it sold a sense of place for the various sections of the space-station, with each area feeling and playing differently, apart from just being literally segregated on the map. This was in contrast to the at this point repetitive-feeling corridors of it's more medieval-inspired contemporary, where a dungeon didn't feel that different from a library. The storytelling - both overt and environmental - regarding the X parasite drew me in, and I felt the game truly sold that fabled "opressive Metroid Atmosphere" I'd heard so much about.

My main problem with the game is as ever the combat, particularly the bosses. My last playthrough ended with me getting stuck on a big plant thing where I found it near impossible to dogde taking damage, which ate through my health faster than I could shoot the boss. Still, the feeling of taking out the X parasite cores with a well-timed missile shot while on your last legs is pretty satisfying.

All in all, as someone raised on linear level-based platformers, Metroid Fusion was an excellent introduction to the poster child franchise of their more exploration-oriented cousins.

I hate Metroid Fusion.

I've never played it but I spent 2500 stars (earned over 10 years of buying Gamecube/Wii games) to buy it via the Nintendo Stars Catalogue and it never arrived (and I never got my stars back).

I finally played Metroid Fusion about a year ago by way of the Wii U Virtual Console, and … I was impressed. I was already aware of the mixed feelings this game has generated among Metroid fans. So I knew going in that it was going to be a bit more of a guided experience than other Metroids. And I have to say, the linearity didn’t bother me in the slightest, largely because it all made sense in the context of the story.

Speaking of which, let me also say, ‘Wow!’ The story is actually pretty good. Similar to Super Metroid before it, the in-game title screen for Metroid Fusion refers to itself as Metroid 4, and the game really does take some major steps in advancing the saga of the Metroids. The X parasite was a clever concept from a sci-if perspective, and the developers did a superb job of steadily raising the stakes, first by describing the potential threat of the strange invisible organism, and then—eventually—by showing the devastating effects of it.

All in all, this was a fun and tense adventure with some beautiful pixel art environments. I haven’t had so much fun traipsing back and forth through a space station being overtaken by a mysterious Galaxy-threatening entity since System Shock!

It is said that the first title you play in a series often ends up your favorite and it was certainly true for Metroid Fusion with me. Growing up with handheld consoles for the majority of childhood this was my first exposure to the Metroid franchise outside of Samus' appearance in Super Smash Brothers. I had no preconceived notions about what a Metroid game "should" be and as a result I feel I was able to experience Fusion without any preconceptions adding or detracting to my enjoyment of it.

I often heard it lambasted in online forums for the linearity of it's level design compared with the likes of Super Metroid. Curiously, I now see it being praised without this criticism more often nowadays. My take was always that it led to a more consistent, tighter experience for most players. With all the beautiful pixel art, cool power ups, and varied bosses the fact that I wasn't wandering around as lost as I might have been in the game's predecessors never even crossed my mind. SA-X was also genuinely terrifying to my young self and very effective at conveying how desperate Samus' situation truly was.

Like Metroid titles often are, this one is a stone-cold classic and will likely remain my favorite of the series in perpetuity.

3 Word Review: The Best Metroid

Metroid Fusion is probably my favourite in the series, though it may be tied with Prime. That was a fantastic day for Metroid, really.

Metroid Fusion just has this energy to it that is quite unique in the series. People love the brooding quiet of Super Metroid, and I totally get that. But Fusion is louder, sleeker, and quite colourful. It has these great action moments that ratchet up the adrenaline and keep the pulse pounding. The music is often very energetic to match. This one also has my favourite boss fights in the series.

I also appreciate its brevity. I see this one criticized for being linear quite often, and while that's not quite true, it certainly is less arcane in its navigation. But for me, this is a benefit - it keeps a fairly high tension throughout, the game says it's piece, and it concludes before the energy settles or the formula gets stale. It still has the navigation puzzles, it still has the exploration, but there's definitely less pixel hunting and more alien blasting.

Love this one, and I'm excited for the eventual episode on Samus Returns.