The original Metroid for the NES was one of the first games I ever played, so it holds a special place in my heart. The game became one of the biggest franchises and a monumental game to video game history. Today Metroids Protagonist Samus Aran is one of video games most recognizable characters and plays guest appearances in many video games including Super Smash Brothers games.

Because of nostalgia reasons I doubt I could rate this game anything short of perfect, but I could understand someone younger than myself not appreciating the greatness of this game due to the superiority of modern day games. I think though the success of the series and the fact the game makes so many "Best games" lists is a solid testament to why it receives such a good score.

You touch down on the Planet Zebes. Playing the role of Space Bounty Hunter Samus Aran your mission is to infiltrate the alien planet and eradicate the presence of a notorious alien species; The Metroid. Intel confirms that the planet is being run by the Space Pirate known as Mother Brain. Mother Brain and her army of space pirates plan to harness the powers of the Metroid's for evil and are a threat to the entire galaxy so must be eliminated.

Being a NES game the controls are fairly simple. Left and Right on the Dpad will control Samus's direction while pushing Up will aim your hand laser up. Pushing down will activate your suits Morph Ball ability once you've unlocked it (it should be the first thing you find in the game). Lastly, the A button is used to jump and the B button is used to shoot your laser or deploy bombs and missiles once they've become available.

GRAPHICS: 10
The graphics for Metroid are top notch for a game on the NES. The Planet Zebes is vast and includes multiple zones with differing themes. I personally enjoy the fire part of the planet known as Norfair. The enemy's of the game are unique and have become icons in the gaming industry. The only critique I could possibly give, but I feel like I say this about all NES games, is that I feel like the sprites for the characters could potentially be made larger.

SOUND: 10
Yet again a perfect score. The music is not only unobtrusive but is quite catchy and good. Just remembering back on it as I type the review brings one of the main tunes back in my head. The sound of one of the last stages as you near the Metroid nest and Mother Brain has become a staple in Metroid games and develops an eerie and scary feeling. Even something as simple as the sound Samus makes as she runs was done right.

ADDICTIVENESS: 10
You will not want to quit playing until you have completed the entire game. The game has many secrets, some of which are very well hidden, adding re-playability as you try to complete the game with finding every item. The game also contains multiple endings for more incentive to beat it again.

STORY: 10
I love the original story of Metroid and feel it is unique and original, unlike many other games that just rehash the same Medieval theme etc.

SPOILER ALERT!!! (I figure most everyone already knows this by now so it's not a big enough spoiler to exclude it from the review)
The game was one of the first major video game franchises to feature a female as the protagonist, and was one of the games original biggest plot twists, being revealed only in the games hardest ending.

When my older brother first introduced me to the game I laughed at the new terms this game brought to me like Space Pirate and Space Bounty Hunters. I think this brings a charm to Metroid that makes it a classic game for the ages.

DEPTH: 10
The planet Zebes is fairly large and complex and will take many hours to navigate. The game play is just so fun that you will want to continue playing for hours dodging and zapping enemy's to their death. This game is perfectly designed for the real hardcore gamers to challenge themselves to speed runs, adding that competitive edge as you compete with your friends.

DIFFICULTY: 10
This game is really hard. It took me years of playing it before I could even get close to beating it. (although like I said, at the time I first played Metroid I was probably only 3-5 years old.) If you don't cheat or get any help some of the secrets are near impossible to find and I doubt anyone that ACTUALLY played this game without knowing where any of the secrets previously were would complete the game while finding all of the secrets. Completing this game while achieving the best possible ending takes the skill of a hardcore gamer and is not something you could learn overnight. Like most games that are difficult, I would recommend small doses of the game, once you feel you are getting frustrated because you keep losing you might consider doing something else for a while.

OVERALL: 10
A game of this caliber that played such a big role in the history of video games gets nothing short of a perfect score from me. I can understand if someone didn't feel the game deserved such a rating but I think it needs to be taken into perspective the time that the game was released. The graphics and sound may have become antiquated but the game play holds up to this day. Most of the games upgrades and power ups would continue on to future Metroid games. Even the location of secrets and how they are found is a theme this game created that would carry on to future games. Metroid epitomizes video games to me and is one of the first games off the tip of my tongue for best video games of all time. Any video game enthusiasts reading this now, if you have never given the original Metroid a try, you need to proceed directly to Metroid's game page and start playing now.

I play the remake of the game and it was really fun to play. I bet this game is really fun to play to. Great review on a great classic game.

Metroid is a pretty good classic of the NES. Its what started one of Myamoto's biggest faces of Nintendo, and the game is pretty cool as well. It was ahead of its time, really.

I love metroid its like my favorite kind of games to play. I've like played every Metroid game out there i can get my little stubby hands on. The review is great.

This game is so awesome.