These Metroidvania games are neither Metroid nor Vania
by JC Fletcher 
{ Aug 20th 2009 at 9:00PM } 
Shadow Complex has suddenly thrown the Metroidvania genre back into mainstream gamers' attention, thanks to its fancy graphics and being an Xbox 360 game. It isn't the first game that isn't a Metroid or Castlevania to apply this formula -- in fact, many developers stumbled upon the Metroidvania formula or a close variant even before Symphony of the Night.
Join us on a brisk tour of some notable free-roaming games. If you are overcome by Metroidvania fever, you can read more detailed writeups of many of the games in GameSpite's ToastyWiki.
Click here to start your adventure!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
WINterfang @ Aug 20th 2009 9:07PM
Where's Michael Jordan: Chaos in The Windy City?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/MjordanSNES_boxart.jpg
i.c. weiner @ Aug 21st 2009 12:21AM
excuse me levi, i believe you meant to say: You are such a gamer that has more games than friends!
i.c. weiner @ Aug 21st 2009 12:22AM
damn comment system...
WINterfang @ Aug 21st 2009 12:54AM
What? =/
i.c. weiner @ Aug 21st 2009 11:23AM
was meant as reply to the below comment thread.
CJLopez @ Aug 21st 2009 12:25PM
men, that game had me stiked to my snes control for the whole weekend i rented it.
It was a pretty good game
Mr Khan @ Aug 20th 2009 9:09PM
So... Being a 360 game makes it mainstream? What is this meant to imply?
But i had almost forgotten about Tomba! Now i remember playing it on my friend's PlayStation back in the day
tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 20th 2009 9:16PM
Well, the 360 is the cool console to have this gen, like the ps2 was last gen, so it's going to get a lot more attention.
WINterfang @ Aug 20th 2009 9:25PM
360 is the new Playstation.
No Kill Tayler @ Aug 20th 2009 9:35PM
And my sister's the next whore. Can we move on?
WINterfang @ Aug 20th 2009 9:37PM
Move on into your sister's pants?
David @ Aug 20th 2009 9:39PM
oh I'll move on....
MAKE a move on your sister!
hot-cha-cha-cha!
No Kill Tayler @ Aug 20th 2009 9:46PM
She doesn't wear pants.
Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second @ Aug 20th 2009 9:50PM
[Implied reproduction act with your female sibling]
Levi @ Aug 20th 2009 9:52PM
tmac, you always gotta say somethin gay. you are SO gay.
www.thinkb4youspeak.com
No Kill Tayler @ Aug 20th 2009 9:55PM
She wears skirts, seriously does any girl actually wear pants anymore? GEEZ.
Sly [Planeteer | Power of Teets & Crumpets] @ Aug 20th 2009 10:08PM
it seems like every girl in my spanish class NEEDS to wear jeans. most are cheerleaders too, so that says something.
Sly [Planeteer | Power of Teets & Crumpets] @ Aug 20th 2009 10:09PM
also, ESC, did you say that or was your comment edited?
Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second @ Aug 20th 2009 10:15PM
[Fornification positive]
I love censorship!
Sly [Planeteer | Power of Teets & Crumpets] @ Aug 20th 2009 10:45PM
ahh... i guess the moderation is getting ramped up after the recent siege by the spammers.
Sly [Planeteer | Power of Teets & Crumpets] @ Aug 20th 2009 10:46PM
wait, did you say fornication positive, or was that an edit too? because if it was, whoever edited it is really cheeky haha.
Mr Khan @ Aug 20th 2009 11:14PM
No, ESC is doing that deliberately. Mr. Gilbert's style of editing follows as thus;
Edit: No need for that kind of language.
Or something of that type. He only uses square brackets for bans.
samfish (uses the Joystiq Comment-Kill filter!) @ Aug 21st 2009 12:29AM
"So... Being a 360 game makes it mainstream? What is this meant to imply?"
Well let's face it — there's no shortage of gamers (and I used the word loosely) that won't touch anything unless the Microsoft/360 says it's cool to like it.
So...yeah.
Sometimes I like to imagine an alternate universe where Super Mario Galaxy 2 or even something like Killzone 2 are on the 360 and how awesome they're praised as being instead of derided for insignificant reasons.
Everybody also gets around via flying unicorns, because there are no cars and attractive woman (7.5 & up on the Babeometer) are legally obligated to walk around naked in this alternate universe. People also eat Reeses for breakfast!
The Dark Wayne @ Aug 21st 2009 2:05AM
all this nonsense aside, Tomba was awesome! especially the second one, there was something really enjoyable about cooking fish with lava
BPMOmega [GT,Steam] @ Aug 21st 2009 3:12AM
"People also eat Reeses for breakfast!"
Shut the hell up. That's just stupid. I can't believe you'd think such a thing would happen.
t_m @ Aug 21st 2009 11:14PM
360 is the new PS2?
I thought the Wii was the new PS2? Which would make the 360 the new... er Xbox. Which makes the PS3 the new gamecube.
Or something like that...
But, if Shadow Complex is a metroid-vania game... does that mean 360 players are actually closet nintendo fans?
So confused...
Ignatius @ Aug 20th 2009 9:09PM
There were Zelda sidescrollers, but two of them belong in the deepest pits of hell.
The Adventures of Cesaria Across the 8th Dimension! @ Aug 20th 2009 9:14PM
I hope you're not speaking of The Adventures of Link, because that game is awesome. Fuck the naysayers.
Ignatius @ Aug 20th 2009 9:18PM
I'm glad you don't know what I'm talking about, one more pure soul.
Radical Dylan @ Aug 20th 2009 9:20PM
Zelda 2?
hahahaha!!
Ignatius @ Aug 20th 2009 9:21PM
Dare I mention it...? CD-i.
The Adventures of Cesaria Across the 8th Dimension! @ Aug 20th 2009 9:27PM
Zelda 2? It's called the Adventure of LInk. I hope you're laughing in happiness of fond memories of that game, because it's awesome. It was a pretty innovative game for the NES and still holds up today.
WREturns[FBI Sweatshop Investigation Task Force] @ Aug 20th 2009 9:34PM
You guys are really making me want to go replay Zelda 2. Stop it. I have to beat 'Splosion Man and Shadow Complex first.
Ignatius @ Aug 20th 2009 9:35PM
Seriously, come on now.
You people don't remember the CD-i and the Unholy Triforce?
Zelda: Wand of Gamelon and Link: The Faces of Evil.
Akuma FTW @ Aug 20th 2009 9:40PM
stop Ignatius. everytime you mention "these whom should not be played", a baby dies from over-shaking
Ignatius @ Aug 20th 2009 9:42PM
I guess the real question is, was that collective ignorance or purposeful repression?
Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second @ Aug 20th 2009 9:52PM
He is speaking about Zelda 2,I thought it was good but each its own.
I have to go now because Is sure is boring around here.
And Ignatius Zelda 2 is what all true warrior strives for!
Ignatius @ Aug 20th 2009 9:56PM
If I was speaking about LoZ 2, I would have said "sidescroller," because there is either some unspoken vow not to mention that horrific console or people are seriously in the dark.
I said TWO sidescrollers, think, damnit, THINK.
Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second @ Aug 20th 2009 10:02PM
No dude Zelda 2 was good,just accept it.
Now that those horrible CD games,wow those sucked I wonder why no one has mentioned those yet.
Ignatius also I think you should check this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm
Cephas @ Aug 20th 2009 10:03PM
I thought we had agreed to never speak of those again. They were abominations. Nintendo had nothing to do with them, they were Zelda in name only.
Levi @ Aug 20th 2009 10:07PM
I gotcha, Ignatius.
AVGN CD-I Video Part 2
http://screwattack.com/AVGN/2008/CDiPart2
AVGN CD-I Video Part 3
http://screwattack.com/AVGN/2008/CDiPart3
ArchiGamer 2.0 [Planeteer I Power of Irony and Sex] @ Aug 20th 2009 10:57PM
Am I the only own who knows what Ignatius is talking about?
ArchiGamer 2.0 [Planeteer I Power of Irony and Sex] @ Aug 20th 2009 11:00PM
*one
umm....hello??? @ Aug 20th 2009 11:29PM
@ignatius-
hell yeah! Philips CD-i crap.....although I remember at the time being really bummed that I'd never be able to play that game...it sure looked pretty.
samfish (uses the Joystiq Comment-Kill filter!) @ Aug 21st 2009 12:12AM
Damnit Ignatius! Look what you've done! You removed the holy seals.
Now those abominations are free in people's memories again! The horror...
...just keep quiet about the third abomination and we might be able to put them back in their little box yet!
XBL: xGeneral DEATHx PSN: Deeth82 @ Aug 21st 2009 7:57AM
*Goes to Wikipedia to unleash 3rd Abomination*
Slim @ Aug 21st 2009 8:41AM
I remember going to Circuit City when i was 9 and briefly playing one of these on whatever random CD-i kiosk they had set up and thinking it was some kind of horrendous tech demo or something. I do remember being enthralled by the bright colors and side-scrolling aspect of it though (considering the previous iteration of a Zelda side scroller was quite.... bland). Do you remember the control set-up for the CDi? It was mix between a universal controller and a wiimote. complete disaster.
Alton Brown [Planeteer | Power of Dueling Banjos] @ Aug 20th 2009 9:10PM
I love Blaster Master.
House @ Aug 20th 2009 9:11PM
Iji is pretty sweet too.
Russ W. @ Aug 20th 2009 9:19PM
Cave Story is my favorite game of all time, and I'm dying to play Nicalis' update.