The Best and Worst of a series is a concept that I'm interested in doing a bit more with. I already did a Best and Worst for both the Mario series and the Soulsborne series; in the future I'll probably do several more of these. Each of the other game series' I'd like to do is missing a game or two that I need to play before I can comprehensively finish their lists, though. Now that Metroid's got its latest game I can finish this list.
Doing something a little different here and having a post with zero further images in it. More of an article. Like a regular website, only without the 14 ads obscuring the actual content, or flat text that could have been written by an AI. I've played and finished every game in this series / on this list, some many times over. Narrowing down the best and worst thing about each one was a lot more difficult than one would expect. Let's go.
Metroid
Best: The newness of it and all of the unique permanent artifacts that hadn't been seen in video games previously. For instance, power-ups like the Morph Ball, the Ice Beam, and being female.
Worst: How rudimentary and lacking in QOL this game is. Starting with 30 HP on death is the game's worst aspect. Protip: At least once you get to the final area, it's much faster to fill up by farming Metroids rather than regular enemies.
Metroid 2
Best: The final zone, which brings back the original variants of Metroids along with the Queen. Just some great world-expansion and addition to the lore, while also being an extremely creepy zone. Just when you think the game is over and are hunting for, ostensibly, the last Omega Metroid...boom, there are a bunch more and they're the most aggressive yet. I like that the one time the game ever doesn't let you pause the game is when you likely unpreparedly fall into the Queen's chamber. Just tremendous design that puts legit fear in you.
Worst: The game can be confusing at times, with no map, no objectives, and no clue. Most of the time it intuitively steers you in the direction you need to go by having great world design, but sometimes it leaves you hanging. There's one spot early in the game where lava blocks your progress and the only way forward is to go climb on top of a wall turret and roll through the solid wall behind it. I was stuck for days on that part of the game as a kid. Who knew you could roll through solid walls sometimes? That's the game's worst example of "one obscure spot is the way forward" design, and it isn't the best.
Super Metroid
Best: It's Super Metroid.
Worst: The initial control scheme is actually pretty bad. Shot is X and jump is A, which is bizarre for a SNES game. It's nothing you can't fix immediately when starting a new game, but it's weird that it's like that to begin with.
Metroid 64
Best: Metroid Prime was probably a lot better than it would have been if there'd been another 3D game in-between. Chances are this would have been most similar to Other M in gameplay and might have set the 3D Metroids down an entirely different path. So it helped Metroid Prime by not existing.
Worst: It didn't exist
Metroid Fusion
Best: The incredibly eerie vibe that's pervasive throughout the entire game. From the SA-X stalking you, to the Nightmare boss, to the creepy Federation computer that gives you your marching orders. This is hands-down the scariest game in the series, despite the limitations of the system. It is super underrated.
Worst: The game is deeply linear, and goes out of its way to block you from sequence-breaking. Given that sequence-breaking is such a huge part of what makes this series interesting, it's kinda lame that this game shuts it down so intentionally.
Metroid Prime
Best: That first moment arriving on Tallon IV, looking around at the rain-drenched, three-dimensional environment. That one shot kinda made me glad this series skipped the N64. It was like they waited until the hardware caught up with their vision before they made a 3D Metroid.
Worst: Phazon Mines, a late game area, can be pretty tedious to go through. Especially the space pirates that are only vulnerable to one beam type at a time, forcing you to constantly change weapons on the fly to try and damage them. Making things worse, you have to go through the Phazon Mines twice (the first time through you can only make it about halfway and have to go elsewhere from there). Make sure to get the two artifacts during the second time through so you don't have to do a third run. Speaking of, some would say the artifact hunt at the end of the game is the worst aspect, but it doesn't take very long at all and gives you a reason to revisit all of the earlier areas while rocking endgame powerups (especially if one gets the incredible Phazon Suit first, which you get woefully little time with otherwise). This inevitably results in finding all kinds of other things you didn't on the first pass.
Metroid Prime 2
Best: The thick, oppressive darkness that pervades the game. Every trip to the Dark World is chilling and feels like you've gone into a version of reality that you weren't supposed to see. The feeling of being alone is intense.
Worst: There are only three main areas, and all of them go on for way, way too long. Considering most Metroid games have 5-8 main areas and spread the gameplay out more evenly, this is a bit of an issue. All three areas are quality, but even still you get tired of them (and their music) way before.you reach the end of any of them. Torvus Bog in particular goes on for way too long.
Metroid Zero Mission
Best: The game points you in the general direction of your next goal with a map marker. Some folks might dislike this because it takes away some of the exploratory aspects, but I think it helps make the game more enjoyable. It isn't like it leads you by the hand, it just gives you a goal to move in the direction of, so you're never going in completely the wrong direction. It's a very beginner-friendly Metroid game and everyone should play it at least once.
Worst: The game is too darn short. Probably the shortest game in the entire series, and is likely to barely clock in at 2 hours on a first run even for average players who aren't rushing.
Metroid Prime Pinball
Best: The attention to detail with things like the soundtrack and the boss models. Everything looks like 2D-ized versions of their Metroid Prime counterparts and it feels like a love letter to the first Prime. Also, it's pinball, and it's just plain fun to play.
Worst: No extra lives or continues. Once you run out of balls, it's game over, back to the beginning. The game only has five or six tables (levels) to go through to beat the game, but get used to doing the first few over and over...and over again en route to eventually getting a win over the game. The main roadblock for me was taking out Ridley. Being able to save between tables (i.e. emulate it) would probably make this game a lot more fun.
Metroid Prime Hunters
Best: For a spinoff that didn't need to exist, this game seems more like a tech demo than something worthy of Metroid Prime. Like Nintendo proving that the DS can handle such a thing. Oh, right, Best thing. Uhh... well, there isn't really anything particularly good about this game. OH, it introduces Sylux and he plays a significant role in both this game and Metroid Prime 4. So the best thing about this game is getting that introduction to Sylux before Prime 4. ...and that's it. ....and only because Prime 4 exists.
Worst: Controls. Stylus controls are never a good thing even at the best of times. In theory a shooter like this is one of the better genres for stylus controls, but I continuously found myself wishing for at least an OPTION of regular controls. And with no lock-on, this game demands more precise shooting than any other Prime game while also giving you the least amount of control. All of that said, Nintendo would do really well to put out a Hunters remaster that uses normal controls in line with Metroid Prime Remastered. This could actually be a pretty well-regarded game if it got that sort of treatment, instead of just a footnote.
Metroid Prime 3
Best: The emotions that run high during the fights between Samus and the other hunters. These are allies of Samus who you get to know, so when they inevitably succumb to the corruption and have to be slain, it can be moving. The most stand-out of these moments is of course the fight with Rundas, probably the best boss fight in the game.
Worst: The controls are an issue for a lot of folks, eschewing the simplicity of the first two Primes and adding in motion-aiming. You can still lock on, but you have to manually point the aiming within the target circle. It makes playing the game a bit of a pain in the ass, isn't necessary, and is probably the reason we haven't gotten Metroid Prime 3 Remastered. Just do what they did with Skyward Sword and normalize the controls. They probably haven't remastered MP2 because of the multiplayer, similarly. It's alright to just drop these features, give us the game dammit!
Metroid Other M
Best: The Queen Metroid finally making a return, especially in a 3D game. Considering how underused the evolved Metroid forms are in this series, seeing the biggest and baddest of them in full 3D glory is pretty much the one true standout moment this game has.
Worst: The characterization of Samus is horrendously bad. Many a video and article has been made on this subject. Suffice to say, she's an over-emotional follower who values being respected by Adam more than her own well-being. The part where she won't use the Varia without Adam's permission and starts burning up until he finally gives her the go ahead...might be the stupidest scene in video game history.
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Best: This is actually a pretty solid multiplayer game, with good gameplay in that mode. Takes some of the concepts of Metroid Prime Hunters and improves on them considerably. Would have been a decent game in a vacuum. Another candidate for a modern remastering that would gain a lot from it.
Worst: The fact that you don't play as Samus, and instead play as a bunch of blocky randos who aren't interesting or cool. What were they thinking? Another dishonorable mention: The time they chose to drop this game. It was one of the biggest droughts of Metroid that we've ever had, and everyone was waiting (and waiting) for a new normal Metroid game announcement. Instead we got the announcement of this oddball game. To say people were miffed would be an understatement, and it kneecapped the game before it even launched.
Samus Returns
Best: The surprise final boss fight with Ridley. While the Queen Metroid is a legendary final boss, the Ridley fight they added at the end here was a great surprise and a pretty amazing fight in and of itself. Served to bridge the gap between this game and Super Metroid, and ended the game with a bang.
Worst: The surprise boss fight with Ridley. What I mean is that, as great as the ending is, they messed up the quiet, understated original ending of the game. Metroid 2's ending is one of the better endings in video game history, giving you quiet contemplation time at the end of the journey. They missed the point of that when making this game, and the final area is full of enemies, obstacles, and the aforementioned boss. Completely different tone and vibe from the serene final area of the original Metroid 2 to the point that it hurts the game.
AM2R
Best: How loyal it is to the source material. This game is a spot-on recreation of Metroid 2 that clearly is made with a lot of love. It also "gets" things, like why the ending is the way it is, while fleshing out some of the story/lore that needed attention (like what happened to the previous SR388 mission). This is, to me, the definitive source-loyal Metroid 2 remake. Zero Mission 2 if you will.
Worst: The fact that Nintendo shut it down instead of co-opting it, to prevent it from competing with Samus Returns. While SR is much higher-budget than AM2R I definitely prefer AM2R and I think most longtime Metroid fans would say the same.
Metroid Dread
Best: Samus' new suit is not only sleek and sexy, it's aesthetically one of the best suits in the series. If they wanted to do a reboot of the series with Samus having a new look, this suit is actually worthy to replace the old iconic look.
Worst: The high difficulty. Late game bosses taking off two energy tanks worth of energy from one hit was pretty ridiculous, and they were clearly trying to capitalize on the "difficult game" craze of the modern era by making it like that. It made for a number of very unfun bosses, like the flying wasp thing and some of the Chozo warriors. Some folks might think this is a positive, but it stalled out the game's momentum for me.
Metroid Prime 4
Best: The visuals. Play this on Quality Mode; it's 60 FPS vs Performance Mode's 120 FPS, which is a negligible difference for most people, while having legitimate 4K and much better light effects in Quality Mode (mere 1080p for Performance, which brings you back to Wii U era visuals). Played on Quality, this game is hands-down the nicest-looking game ever published by Nintendo. No, that isn't hyperbole or a typo. I mean, it isn't Demon Souls PS5, but it's got unparalleled visual quality on the Nintendo side.
Worst: Myles Mackenzie. What else would it be? The Metroid series didn't need a Navi, even if it's only for part of the game. Why does Samus keep getting treated like it's her first day on the job in some of these games? The game desperately needed an option to turn off Myles' voice clips without turning off all of the sound effects. The scenes he's in aren't that big of a deal, he's just a mildly annoying "Quirk Chungus" trope character. But they had him patch in (frequently) while you're out and about? What were they thinking?
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