World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Guide: Best Metroid Games Of All Time
Nintendo Life has republished its ranked list of every mainline and spin-off Metroid game, timed to mark the 40th anniversary of the original Famicom Disk System release. The rankings are drawn from user ratings on the site's database, meaning the order can shift over time as readers add their own scores, and the list spans official entries, remasters, remakes and spin-offs while excluding a few titles detailed in an accompanying FAQ.
The lower end of the list, counting down from the least-loved entries, features several divisive spin-offs and experiments: Metroid Prime: Federation Force lets players control Galactic Federation marines rather than Samus and is praised despite past backlash; Metroid: Other M mixes 2D and 3D styles with a contentious control scheme; Metroid Prime: Hunters brought 3D first-person Metroid to the DS with local multiplayer; and Metroid Prime Pinball adapted Samus's Morph Ball ability into a dual-screen pinball spin-off.
In short
- Nintendo Life republishes its Metroid rankings for the series' 40th anniversary.
- List is based on real-time user ratings, so order can change.
- Lowest-ranked entries include Federation Force, Other M and Prime Hunters.
Explained simply
Metroid is a science-fiction game series made by Nintendo. Most games follow Samus Aran, a space-faring bounty hunter who explores hostile planets, fights alien creatures and gains new equipment that opens up previously inaccessible areas.
The series includes side-scrolling adventures and first-person games, as well as remakes and spin-offs. Some spin-offs change the usual formula: Federation Force focuses on Galactic Federation marines, while Prime Pinball turns Samus’s Morph Ball ability into a pinball game.
Metroid has been running since 1986, and its games vary in style and reception. Player rankings offer one way to compare them, but they reflect the views of people who have rated games on a particular site.