Oh glorious day! A new Metroid is available! Well, for most of us. The release of a Metroid title is always a wonderful occasion. Since the first time gamers got their hands on the mysterious bounty hunter, every outing in this series has been amazing and pushed gaming to new places.

From early reports beaming in from across the galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption continues this tradition. In fact, the reviews have been glowingly positive, going so far to call this the best iteration in the Prime series. Now that is impressive.

Gathered below you will find a ton of awesome Metroid related links to refresh and remind you just how awesome the series is. Also, some of the 4cr staff has shared their love and memories of Metroid gaming. Make sure to chime in and tell us just how much you love Metroid.

Metroid Dread Still Alive?

The Art of Prime
Andrew Jones - Prime Concept Artist
Metroid Fan Art Thread at GAF
Another Metroid Fan Art Thread at GAF

Metroid Nintendo Power Comic
Metroid Manga

Metroid Japan/US Commercial Comparison
Metroid 2 Japan/US Commercial Comparison
Super Metroid Japan/US Commercial Comparison

Prime 1 US Commercial
Prime 2 Commercial 01
Prime 2 Commercial 02
Prime 2 Commercial 03
Metroid Fusion Commercial

GameTrailers Awesome Metroid Retrospective
IGN’s Metroid Retrospective
The Metroid Database
Metroid Wikipedia Entry

Metroid/Halo Fan Video
Super Metroid Speed Runs
Metroid Metal
Metroid Statues

Rumas

Metroid. I call myself a fan, I buy the games, but I harbor a terrible secret: I’ve never actually beat a Metroid game. I know, I suck.

I was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to video game skills. Though I spent half of my early childhood gaming, I just wasn’t very good. As such, I absolutely sucked at Metroid. The maps were too big for my little brain to handle, and the challenges were just too difficult. I still managed to love the game and its atmosphere, though.

With Metroid II for Game Boy, I fared a bit better. It was one of my first purchases for the handheld, and just as with the NES original, the atmosphere and feel had me hooked. Fortunately, though, the more straightforward nature enabled me to get farther and actually feel like I was accomplishing something. I remember getting to a certain point, however, and not being able to proceed any further. Can’t remember what it was, but something stumped me, and I moved on to a different game.

Then came Super Metroid, with which I had a similar experience — loved it, played the heck out of it, got stumped, put it on the back burner, and ultimately moved on. This is the one I still regret most.

When Metroid Prime came out, I was determined to right the wrongs that I’d done. I bought the game, dove into it head first, immersed myself in it for countless hours, progressed really far, and then — you guessed it — got really busy and put it on the back burner. A few months later, I came back only to find that I had forgotten virtually everything, prompting me to start over again.

Since then, I’ve repeated the exact same process at least three different times. Terrible. Determined to finish Prime 1 before diving into its sequel, I’ve still barely touched Echoes.

Which brings us to Corruption. In July, I started my current and final try at Prime 1, and I’m proud to say that I’m well on my way to finishing it before long. Though I’m dead set on completing it before tackling Corruption, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold out. (Sadly, I’ve all but given up on Echoes for the time being…)

So I see the next year as a pretty Metroid-centric time for myself as a gamer. Gotta finish Prime 1 first, then it’s on to Corruption, after which I need to beat the classics once and for all via VC. If I still have any energy left, I’ll spend it on Echoes. That’s a lotta Metroid

Drew

I always envied my friends who had tons and tons of video games. I don’t know how they did it, but somehow they got their parents to buy them all the new games…games that would be laying around their rooms, taunting me. I, on the other hand, had hardly any games. My parents bought me a Nintendo and later a Game Boy and a few games for each and that was it. After that, it was like pulling teeth for me to convince them to by me another game, especially one at full price.

And then there was Metroid II: The Ruturn of Samus. I wanted that game soooo badly. I begged for it, pleaded for it, left notes on steering wheels, and drawings on dresser tops . Fortunately for me, at the same time the moons of Jupiter were aligned. My wish came true–my parents bought me the game the day it came out. (A monolith stands at Toys’R'Us where the transaction was made.) And man did I love that game.

In retrospect, many say it was the worst of the Metroid series, but for me it’s the only one I really loved. Certainly, it’s the only title that I actually played all the way through to the end and beat. To complete the quest, I mapped out all the tunnels and paths on a huge piece of paper, meticulously tracking where there was likely to be a hidden path. For me, it was so much more fun than the NES game…though in B&W, the graphics seemed better, you could shoot straight up, and there were tons of cool weapons and tricks Samus could do.

The Metroids in the game were awesome, too. Each one becoming increasingly humongous and heinous. By the last boss, I couldn’t help but think of Lt. Ripley battling the mother alien in Aliens. My grade schooler mind made all sorts of strange comparisons between the two series. I imagined that Samus and Ripley might actually be friends, gulping down a few bears at some intergalactic pub, telling alien stories and comparing battle scars. Anyway, it felt so good to beat that last boss though sad to see the giant fall. And who didn’t lovable young Metroid escorting you back to your ship….which ends up being directly above the final boss. I loved the music at the end of the game as the credits rolled. My memory is a little foggy, but I think I cried when I beat that game. >Sniffle<

Today, I guess my parents attitude towards video games has rubbed off on me. No that I'm a adult (ha!), still don't buy many games for my Wii or DS. I carefully scrutinize all my gaming purchases, spending money only on what I'm sure will be a quality product I'll love. Will MP3 be another such game? Probably not for me. I'm not a FPS fan. They are fun for a little while, but eventually lose my interest. Bottom line: Metroid for me is all about the side scrollin' monochromatic action of Metroid 2:The Return of Samus. I don't think that will ever change.

Greg

I have to admit, even though I’ve played most of the Metroid games, I’ve only finished a couple. I started off with Super Metroid, but it was only years later that I actually played through the entire adventure. The original I skipped until a few years back, and it hasn’t aged well at all. At least the Zero Mission remake fares far better.

As much as I love Super Metroid, I have to say that my favorite is Prime. I was blown away from the moment that I stepped off of Samus’ ship onto a beautiful alien world. The art direction was top-notch, every section of the world was beautiful in its own way. Even though you were generally alone, the worlds felt alive. Prime made me love console first-person shooters. The controls were perfect, not nearly as “loose” as other dual-analog control schemes. It was Metroid Prime that truly made me fall in love with the series. Although Prime 2 didn’t quite stir up the same feelings, I’m drooling over what I’ve seen of Corruption.

Hokku

Metroid as a series isn’t something that should just be recognized as Nintendo’s only sci-fi property nor for the fact that overall it is the darkest of any of their properties. The way I see it, it stands out as a classic and expansive series which could be best described as the gaming world’s equivalent of Ender’s Saga. The worlds of Metroid are filled with back story that runs in over half a dozen games and that when it comes to science fiction gaming, this series was there first and continually sets the bar that all newcomers can only hope to achieve.

The original Metroid is a game, and perhaps I’m not alone in this, that I don’t actually remember playing for the first time. It’s one of those NES game that at the time of my first recallable encounter with it I can remember already being familiar with the creepy sounds and claustrophobic world. Heck, even the Justin Bailey code seemed to have been prerecorded into my memory. However, just because I cannot exactly remember when I first controlled Samus doesn’t mean these games haven’t made a large impression on me. As games go, no other can quite as urgently and completely suck me in to its world like those in the Metroid series.

Super Metroid, as classic as it is, I will have to pass over briefly. The game is still perhaps the epitome of quality for 2D games, but, and I’m probably in the minority in this fact, there is one game in the series(thus far) that I feel tops it in submerging me into an epic experience.

Metroid Prime lived up to its name in a way that I don’t think any of us would have ever imagined. While my hopes were certainly held high, I never would’ve expected that all of the promise this game seemed to offer would’ve been met. I am happy to say, however, that the experience of traversing an alien world surrounded by hostiles, in complete solitude no less, has never felt so real. I’m still amazed at how a game managed to capture such ambiance like this one did.

I could write almost endlessly about the joy of playing Metroid Prime, but I am currently distracted. The Metroid Prime 3 reviews are beginning to roll in this very moment and I can only say that the original Prime’s reign as my favorite in this fantastic series may only last for a few more excruciating hours(on my part).

Now everyone run out and get Prime 3 tomorrow! And if you have any other cool Metroid related links, share them in the comments.