Metroid II: Return of Samus was the first Metroid game I ever played. I didn’t know much about the series, or what Metroids were, but I knew that I was in love with the way the game unfolded. It showed you hidden areas you could not reach, and had you progress deeper and deeper into planet SR-388. It also set up the story for Super Metroid, which just happens to be one of the most highly regarded games ever. No biggie. There are also a lot of little improvements (crouched shooting, shooting downwards, certain power-ups) that have existed since that time.
In retrospect, it’s probably my least favorite Metroid game, as it lacks the epic boss battles of the others, and has been far surpassed by other handheld adventures of Samus, such as Metroid Fusion and the Game Boy Advance remake of the original. Being the worst Metroid is kind of like being the least attractive contestant in a beauty pageant though, so I and many others still have fond memories of Samus’ first pocket title.
That’s why there are various fan remakes of Metroid II floating around the Internet. I noticed this on MTV’s Multiplayer blog first, but Another Metroid 2 Remake (AM2R) apparently released an updated trailer a few weeks ago. It looks pretty good, though I’m not sure how I feel about the look of the Alpha Metroid. Parts of the level design also look odd, though that may be due to the original game more than the remake. Like I said, it’s the weakest in the series.
Chances are good this project will get shut down before it is fully completed or released, though wouldn’t it be something if we could get some fanmakes on WiiWare eventually, with Nintendo overseeing the work?
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