Metroid: Zero Mission [GBA]

You have to give Nintendo credit -- not only has it created some of the greatest platform games ever, but it's also doing a brilliant job of prolonging those franchises. Take Metroid: Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance... based loosely on the original 1986 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game, the developers have changed it up and thrown in some bonuses in hopes of making it more compelling. Old-school Metroid fans will find the gameplay to be comfortable and familiar, though the maps are different.

The story returns our protagonist, Samus Aran, to Planet Zebes in an effort to thwart the Space Pirates' attempts to get their hands on Metroids -- alien organisms about which little is known, beyond their capability for sucking the life out of whatever being they encounter. Samus picks up the trail to thwart the bandits from getting such a dangerous weapon, but there are many obstacles, including the Space Pirates' guardian, Mother Brain.

In typical Nintendo fashion, Zero Mission initially sticks Samus into the fray with all but the bare essentials -- an armor suit and a basic blaster weapon. In the course of her travels, she'll gradually become more powerful through offensive enhancements and special capabilities. Of course, these will be necessary to counter the increasing skills of her adversaries.

There are always carrots dangling in front of you as you guide Samus through escalating danger, but not long after hitting a wall in your trek -- in some cases, literally -- you can expect to acquire another power-up that will enable your blaster to cut through, a more powerful weapon to open a new section or give Samus a new ability so she can access a previously unreachable area.

Where the original Metroid left your path through the labyrinth of horizontal and vertical corridors somewhat undefined, this new iteration makes things much easier with an automapping feature (also implemented in 2002's Metroid Fusion), hints that indicate where you should head next, and an occasional map room that spells out the whole section you're currently navigating.

There's still ample challenge in figuring out how to get from point A to point B, as well as discovering all the little nooks and crannies hidden throughout Zebes. The puzzles and timing jumps keep your fingers busily moving over the buttons, but they never seem too difficult that you'll be frustrated and want to shelve the game.

For all its challenge, Zero Mission appears to be a short adventure. Nintendo has provided some replayability by opening up a harder version once the initial game is completed, but most will feel content making the single complete pass. The original Metroid is also an unlockable bonus, which provides a great demonstration of how far video games have come in just under two decades.

While Nintendo may not have taken the opportunity to write a brand new chapter to Samus' story, what it has created is very entertaining. Just as there are countless TV shows demonstrating that houses, cars, and people can be "made over" with a fresh look, Metroid: Zero Mission shows that a classic game can be reworked with great results, too.