Metroid Musing: Does Zero Mission Completely Replace NEStroid For You?
By the time Metroid for the NES neared its 18th birthday, a lot had changed in the Metroid series. By then, Metroid had introduced new items and powerups that became series staples, had refined its gameplay to include maps and markers, and generally moved away from the notion that getting *completely* lost was a great idea.
Enter Metroid: Zero Mission, an enhanced remake of Samus’s maiden adventure, complete with new bosses, areas, moves; basically, an entirely new game built from the ground up that uses NEStroid as a basic inspiration rather than it trying to be as faithful an adaptation as it could be.
For a long time, I held the opinion that Zero Mission had made NEStroid completely obsolete and frankly not really worth playing, but I have to admit, after podcasting about it, writing a guide for it, and playing ROM Hacks based on it, my appreciation for NEStroid has grown in the last couple years.
I wouldn’t argue it’s a better game than Zero Mission, but I would say that it’s a very different game that offers something unique, and to that end, I’ve changed my mind about Zero Mission completely replacing NEStroid.
What about you? Do you still find value in playing the original title, even with Zero Mission around? Or is the remake all you need? Let us know in the comments below!
Andy Spiteri is the Webmaster of Omega Metroid and Host of the Omega Metroid Podcast, The Zelda Cast, and Virtual Theater. Probably drinking a Tim Horton’s Double Double as you read this.
