Metroid Mania

Alright, so I've been playing a lot of Metroid in the past month or so. Some would probably say too much, but it is of my humble opinion that you can never get enough Metroid. It started when I was bored in mid-July and was looking through my Virtual Console games, and I said to myself, "I love that Super Metroid. Let's play!"

And then I went on vacation the week of my birthday, where I played Metroid Fusion on the way there, and Metroid: Zero Mission on the way back. At this point I realized I was on a roll. Next came the Wii installment, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, which I actually discussed in my earliest Food Blog posts when I was first playing it. Great game.

And finally, while I was at it, I started up another Metroid Prime (1, GameCube) file. So that's what I've been doing. Shooting Space Pirates. Adoring Ridley. Exploring vast lands. Typical Metroid fare that never grows old. Being in a mindset like this, I've decided to compile a list ranking all the games in the series based on my informed opinion. From worst to best:

10) Metroid Prime: Hunters (DS) -- This game is terrible. It's the only Metroid game that I hate, which is probably because it's a First Person Shooter with Samus' face plastered on it. That's not Metroid.

9) Metroid Prime Pinball (DS) -- It's not a bad pinball game, in all honesty, and unlike Hunters, it doesn't pretend to be a rightful sequel to the main series.

8) Metroid (NES) -- The original, the pioneer, the innovator, all that jazz, but it hasn't aged well at all. Still fun, but future installments smash it.

7) Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA) -- It's a remake of the original designed in a very Super Metroid-like fashion, but it's kind of shallow. Plus, the fact that you can kill Ridley with ten missiles is a disrespect to the great dragon.

6) Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GCN) -- This game is awesome. It's basically Metroid Prime 1 with a higher difficulty and a very Link-to-the-Past-y "Dark World." Beam Ammo is a stupid concept, though, and the lack of Ridley lowers this installment a few notches.

5) Metroid II: Return of Samus (GB) -- Of the "original trilogy" of Metroid games, this is the one no one talks about. And that's a shame. You basically run around Planet SR388 killing tons of Metroids. And not just regular Metroids, evolved Metroids. Walking down a dark, quiet corridor, and then an Omega Metroid jumps up behind you, there's nothing more frightening.

4) Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) -- Two full-fledged Ridley battles. 'Nuff said.

3) Metroid Prime (GCN) -- This game is brilliant. The first 3D Metroid is still the best one.

2) Metroid Fusion (GBA) -- Before Retro Studios recycled the idea of a Samus clone in Echoes, there was Fusion and the SA-X. And instead of exploring planets, the entire game takes place in an outer space research facility. And instead of the meat of the story being exclusive to the instruction booklet, the entire game itself is chock-full of dialogue, conspiracy, and shocking twists. Fusion has the most unique premise in the franchise.

1) Super Metroid (SNES) -- Did anyone not see this coming? Super remains the most refined, customizable Metroid experience to date. This game made Speed Running a video game sport. But most importantly, Ridley is a complete BA.

See You Next Mission.

Oh yea, and food.

Lunch:
Mom made me a grilled ham and cheese before she went to give blood.

Then I picked up Fat Dan and we went adventuring across Levittown for the bulk of the day. We ended up at the library for a few hours, and then went over to Ian's house. There was an awesome Arnold movie on, so we watched that, then went to the diner.

Diner/Dinner:
I had a Monte Cristo, a sandwich with ham, turkey, and cheese. It wasn't until I was eating it when I realized that I was essentially having another grilled ham and cheese. Oh well.