For the marathon coming up we have only four games on tap. The first of them just so happens to be one of the best games ever released. If you have had any contact with games in the last twenty years other than Wii Sports and one of fifteen or so incarnations of Madden, you have heard of Super Metroid and know it to be good. So, so good.
This video just about sums it up. It’s a story told so many times, over and over. After saving the universe from the super evil Metroids (and before that some really nasty Space Pirates), our heroin Samus Aran delivers the last remaining Metroid to the Galactic Federation because that’s what she does. (Let’s not think about how in future Metroid titles the GF totally uses that Metroid for nefarious means.) Just as we thought everything was all fine and dandy, Ridley, the really bad flying raptor guy and boss of the Space Pirates, comes and steals the Metroid. Samus, because she’s awesome, chases the Space Pirates to planet Zebes to rock some face.
Released in 1994 on the Super Nintendo, Super Metroid defined the side-scrolling, space exploration genre for a generation. Many games throughout the years have tried to imitate its amazingness, but few have come close. Oddly enough, the games that have followed the closest in its footsteps involve slaying vampires.
When we go live on Dec. 3rd, look forward to seeingSuper Metroid up first. Seriously, look forward to it. Like, right now.