Metroid: Zero Mission

There is one great (but often times overused) ability that the Gameboy Advance has, and that is the opportunity to introduce many of today's gamers to some of the classics of yesteryear. From classic Zelda and Mario titles to upcoming cult classics like River City Ransom, the library of the GBA has a sizable selection of remade older titles that some of the gamers of this generation may have otherwise never had the chance to appreciate. Arguably one of the greatest of these is the upcoming Metroid: Zero Mission, which takes Samus Aran, star of the recent hits Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion, to her origins in the first Metroid title which made its debut on the NES. In addition to re-releasing the original Metroid, Zero Mission is also going to add cutscenes (which weren't available on the NES) and story elements to alter (and hopefully improve upon) the story of the original Metroid.

For gamers too young to have actually experienced Samus' first adventure, Metroid begins with Samus' pursuing of some space pirates who've acquired the newly discovered and dangerous life forms called metroids. Samus must infiltrate the space pirates' base and defuse the threat of the metroids. Zero Mission hopes to flush out the Metroid mythos, adding to the storyline of the premiere adventure/exploration game, while simultaneously linking the first Metroid more thoroughly to its later iterations.

Metroid: Zero Mission takes gamers to Samus' first adventure, with new "embellishments" to the story. For starters, there are the aforementioned additions to the storyline. There are also new abilities to look forward to in gameplay, many of which actually first appeared in a later Metroid incarnation. For example, the power grip, the ability to grab onto ledges that appeared in Metroid Fusion, will be both available and useable. Some abilities from Super Metroid make an anachronistic appearance as well, including the dash, power-bombs, and the much needed auto-map. There will also be a number of new abilities, especially to the original Metroid, although there will be some surprises for players who've experienced the entire Metroid saga.

Obviously, Metroid: Zero Mission is shaping up to be far more than just a remake. With the addition of new abilities, there will be new areas to utilize these abilities. Although most of the game will be familiar to classic gamers, there have been a lot of changes made to the maps and stages to maximize gameplay. Some bosses have changed in appearance and size as well, and there are some completely new bosses to boot.

In addition to all the new gameplay elements, players can also expect an aesthetic overhaul. While it may have been sufficient to bring Zero Mission to the graphical level of the recent and acclaimed Metroid Fusion, the developers have taken it beyond even that level, so gamers are in for a game that is as pretty as it is fun. There have been various audio enhancements, too, such as updates and remixes of the original music, as well as completely original music to accompany gameplay.