Thursday 25 March, 2004

I must confess that I only got this game because everyone was raving so bad about it (in the press). I've never played much of the Metroid games and I never was very interested either. So, I decided to give it a shot, and I'm prepared for the worst. In particular, in most "shooter games" (which Metroid is not, though maybe a bit) I usually have trouble with shooting diagonally. I don't know why, but I've never been very good at it. (Contra, etc.)

Oh well, thus far, this game does seem interesting. I feel pretty comfortable with the jumping and running around and the shooting so far has been minimal. Given that I've never played this before and that I don't have the manual, I hope I'm not missing out on some basic moves. (or, I hope that they are introduced and taught later on). I hate it when you get to a point in a game where you are stuck (or can't pass it) only to later find out that you where supposed to do A+Up to fire the super missile. (like, hello? was I supposed to guess that?). Maybe I'm just lazy about learning controls...

FWIW, Metroid Fusion seems to be more about exploration/adventure, although there are some pretty intense combat sequences. The second-last boss fight, in particular, will have many players variously cussing their lungs out, trying to keep from throwing the GBA around, or just weeping like little schoolgirls. (heh) It's an immensely enjoyable game, though - at least, I liked it a lot, and I'm not normally into this kind of platform-shooter game.


IIRC there's a special button for shooting diagonally - left shoulder button, I think - which should be good news for you :D Fusion's command list is pretty short, so I doubt you'll run into command-bandwidth issues, and whenever you get a new weapon or power it tells you how to use it immediately.


There is one annoying point in the game where it gives you absolutely no clue how to proceed, though - that's the only real blemish on the "logic" side that I know of.

Cool! Thanks about the diagonal shooting. I just discovered that this morning..it was a real boon.

As far as the boss fights go, I will definitely have problems with them. I had trouble clearing the first one..unauspicious at best.