Nintendoware Weekly: Metroid II: Return of Samus

The Metroid series is so littered with prequels and sequels that it's hard to tell where exactly Metroid II: Return of Samus sits in the story. It definitely takes place after the original Metroid, if that helps. The adventure sees the intergalactic bounty hunter head to the Metroid home world, SR388; her only mission to eradicate every last one of those energy-sapping creatures. The GameBoy classic is out today on the 3DS eShop.

Also up for grabs on both the eShop and DSiWare is the tower defense(ish) title Come On! Heroes, while WiiWare gets the fishing title Big Bass Arcade.

WiiWare

B ig Bass Arcade (Big John Games, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Arcade fishing action with multiple lures and settings.

3DS eShop

Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo, 1 player, $3.99): Samus journeys to SR388 to keep Metroids from falling into the hands of the Space Pirates. Also: Spider Ball!

DSiWare

Come On! Heroes (CIRCLE Entertainment, 1 player, $1.99/200 DSi Points): Defend the Heiress (whom you've kidnapped) from marauding heroes by utilizing various weapons and spells.
Battle of the Elements (EnjoyUp Games, 1-2 players, 4.99/500 DSi Points): Color-matching puzzle battles!

Reader Comments (31)

About damn time. Metroid II is great. You should totally get it!

I nearly went into a diabetic coma at the age of 8, trying to collect enough Kool-Aid points for Metroid II. It was worth it.

@RickGhastly Ha, that's how I got my copy of the game, too. :P Kool Aid points were awesome.

Is this the gameboy color version? If not.. Wtf

@spekkio
There was no GBC version.

@spekkio I believe you are thinking of Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening which had original Gameboy and Gameboy Color versions. Metroid II did not.

Now I will take a moment to laugh to myself about all the people who attempt to make a coherent timeline out of all the different Zelda games.

@BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam

I blame this mishap on IGN.
http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/159/159335p1.html

I had no idea they were doing of a review of an old game played on gameboy color.

How convoluted.

@spekkio
Actually, the game could be played in color via a Super Gameboy. Not forced random color pallet color, either, I mean actual color.

That being said, Nintendo needs to release the Super Gameboy as an SNES Virtual Console game on the Wii so you can play your 3DS Gameboy Virtual Console games on your TV in full color or with other goodies.

@spekkio This seems pretty clear to me.

"The game also looks extraordinarily beautiful when played on a Game Boy Color, despite the fact that it was made in black and white."

@TRONdll

I think you're kinda remembering the Super Gameboy wrong. Games weren't in "actual color" on the SGB, it just replaced each of the four greys of Gameboy games with different colors, which is still monochrome, sort of. If you created a palette where each of the colors varied too much, it would just look weird.

The Gameboy Color actually had a different palette for sprites and backgrounds, making 8 colors total, while the SGB was stuck with 4. So really the GBC had more "actual color" than the SGB did.

@TRONdll

I'm pretty sure all the Super Gameboy could detect all of the Nintendo-published Gameboy games that had been released up to that point, and each game had a specific one of the default color schemes automatically applied when it booted up. Metroid 2 was interesting because of the Gameboy games that didn't have built-in Super Gameboy enhancement, it was easily the best-looking in color, but the pre-assigned palette for it pretty much looked terrible with every other game. (It was probably put in there just for Metroid 2.)

@bm111 That's right. Full color and full screen on Super Gameboy required SNES mode. Space Invaders had the option.

Accordingly an emulator must run a Gameboy and SNES at once, to behave like real Super Gameboy units do.

I wish Nintendo would update their GB classics. They remade the first Metroid as Metroid Zero, why not this one?

@Hoops
They had planned on making a remake for GBA but it fell through, theres a fan remake according to wikipedia as "almost complete", now why they wouldn remake this game into 3d instead of excitebike I have no idea....

One of my favorite GB games. My finish time was 1'49"

As a Thanksgiving gift to myself I shall purchase Metroid II.

People give gifts on Thanksgiving, right?

@EndynOmni

Gifts, cards, and retailers now open Thanksgiving night.

WHAT RECESSION?

The only meteoid game I dont own and have not finished, now that is about to change...

"it's hard to tell where exactly Metroid II: Return of Samus sits in the story. It definitely takes place after the original Metroid, if that helps."

WUT? Hard? If it is before the original metroid, like stades, and It ends right before Super Metroid, The game ending is the introduction of super metroid.....

@Koming
I've honestly never understood why people care about the story in metroid games. They're about atmosphere and exploration. The story isn't focused on because it isn't really necessary. When they do put a bigger focus on the story (I'm looking at you, Other M) it ends up pretty meh.

This is the only metroid game I haven't played. Definitely picking it up.

@GiantGamer Is more defined, but the prime series fit I think between 1 and 2, so is then where it gets weird, because before, it was Metroid, Metroid 2, Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion....

Settling time!!!

Metroid/Zero Mission, Prime 1, Hunters, Prime 2, Prime 3, Metroid 2, Super Metroid, Other M, Fusion.

@religiousjedi Well, Prime 1/Pinball as Prime 1 was also remade into a Pinball game on the DS

I really wish they would still "Zero Mission" or fully remake Metroid II.

Best Metroid Game EVER !! if you not played it, DO IT NOW!

Not gonna knock this game, but I'm still waiting on Fusion and the rest of my gba games. Hurry up, please!

Samus is the only girl in the world who will get more sexy and intimate with you if you finish faster!

The timeline is actually extremely easy to follow. Metroid 2 comes after the first game, and Super Metroid comes after that. Then lastly, Metroid 4 (Fusion). I don't think I need to mention that Zero Mission is a remake of the original. And that's it. Very straightforward.

Oh yeah, there's this spinoff trilogy of shooters that, for some reason, squeezes itself between Metroid 1 and 2. As for Other M, I can't say for sure since I never played it (or even wanted to), but it looked like it's a prequel to the first game. Still pretty easy to follow along. Until you get to Metroid Prime Pinball; then it gets CRAZY!

@(Unverified)

Other M is wedged between Super and Fusion, and really has no bearing on the overarching plot except that it establishes who Adam Malkovich (introduced in Fusion) was, and how he died (since he was a preserved intelligence in a computer in Fusion)

Hell yeah. I may actually beat this game this time...

Nintendoware Weekly: Metroid II: Return of Samus

Reader Comments (31)

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:04PM SonicRift said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:12PM RickGhastly said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:35PM Roto13 said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:29PM spekkio said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:30PM BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:38PM baddates77 said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:39PM spekkio said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 2:35PM TRONdll said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 5:06PM Deozaan said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 5:06PM bm111 said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 11:35PM Buster Rod G said

Posted: Nov 25th 2011 5:17AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:38PM Hoops said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:47PM Midnitte said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:38PM evilbastard said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:43PM EndynOmni said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 1:46PM CaptainProtonX said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 2:30PM Vidaluko said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 3:28PM Koming said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 4:08PM CaramelZappa said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 3:33PM CaramelZappa said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 4:46PM Vidaluko said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 5:24PM religiousjedi said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 7:34PM LOMDR said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 5:18PM The Joy of Painting w Bob Ross said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 7:03PM Valis said

Posted: Nov 24th 2011 10:19PM Tab said

Posted: Nov 25th 2011 12:46AM Chulipin said

Posted: Nov 25th 2011 3:10AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 25th 2011 2:37PM Mr Khan said

Posted: Nov 25th 2011 2:36PM Mr Khan said

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