I think the more triumphant tone of Zero Mission stems from it being the 1st entry chronologically. It doesn't have any of the "kill or be killed" claustrophobic vibe of Metroid II, doesn't have the final Metroid's death scene of Super, doesn't have the Federation's betrayal and Samus nearly dying from Fusion. There wasn't any moral grayness to it. It was just you=hero, brain=villain, go kill. I like the path the series went down, but in order for those darker themes to really take hold and feel meaningful they need a contrast, which I think Zero Mission does very well.
A slight correction in Fusion there's a small translation mistake for the west to what it was in Japan. It was a small section of the GF that was bad, not the whole organization, if that makes sense. But everything you just said I agree with.
This game was my childhood, alongside Fusion. The only real complaint I ever had about it is how it's just so piss-easy, but that didn't stop me from playing it over and over again
To actually answer your question at the end of your video, it turns out that Metroid games rely to a very simple trick to calculate your completion rate: You have exactly 100 item to collect, so they give, very straightforwardly, 1% completion per item collected. You can check it out. This is why the total number of some items seems so random, they are there as fillers. The one time it's not exactly like this is for Samus Returns (as well as fusion), as the game is linear an the suit upgrades are inevitable, they only count the extensions in the completion rate. This is why you can have a rate of 0% in returns and Fusion if you collect none of the Energy, missiles/super missiles nor power bombs extensions.
Thanks for letting me know! I knew that Super Metroid did it, but this is the first I’m hearing of Zero Mission using the same method for calculating completion. Too bad that power bomb total will still haunt me forever…
This is 99% correct lol. In Fusion, the lowest possible completion percent you can get is 1%, because there's an unavoidable Missile Tank in Sector 3 PYR (right before you obtain the Super Missiles), which speedrunners nicknamed Bob. The only way to avoid Bob is to perform a frame-perfect Shinespark in the corridor above, which is not humanly-possible. EDIT: Oh, I forgot about OoB glitches that also allow you to bypass Bob, but without glitches, 0% run in Fusion is virtually impossible.
Prime 1 and Corruption use the same trick. Echoes sort of does that too, except for the fact that the 18 temple keys do not count, so they are in fact 118 objects in the game.
I'm playing through the Metroid series for the first time leading up to Dread and I'm enjoying your videos every time I finish a title. Love your work!
@TeaGryff I just cleared Zero Mission last night! Im onto Metroid 2 DX (full color), followed by Super Metroid & ending with Fusion just in time for Dread 🔥 glad someone else is running through the series too ✌🏽
Zero Mission and Fusion are probably my favorite 2D Metroids when it comes to trying to see how fast I can beat them. Just recently I beat ZM and shaved about 30 minutes off my best time (now it's 2hrs 16min). Great work on the video man. Keep up the good work!
I just completed zero mission for the first time and had a huge grin as the credits rolled. It is my first Metroid game and I am hooked. I am going chronologically so, Samus returns is next for me. I am hooked. Now the term metroidvania makes more sense. Nintendo made a masterpiece franchise
I got to play it for the first time on the Nintendo Switch since it's just so expensive to get the original. So getting it for free on the Switch was just a great deal!
Zero mission was my first game of the series, 2 years ago I got gba used and it came with a small bunch of games including Zero mission! I got into the series because of this game!
Personally, I liked Fusion more. I actually enjoyed the little dialogues. Sure, they are unskippable, but it does make things more intense, since the major plotline is about conspiracy, and you can't exactly have that without some words. And the X parasites were really freaking scary, in a good way. First of all, SA-X, and I'll leave it at that. Also, I loved how Serris was worked up to be a really badass boss, only for you to find its corpse when you get to the boss room (X parasite killed it and copied its ability). And then there's Nightmare.
I actually really like the Zero Mission 100% clean-up! ZM was my first Metroid game I got back in 2005 and child me found it frustrating and challenging. After the credits rolled and I got my item percentage I decided I wanted to get to 100%. I LOVED the challenges getting those last few items and I didn't mind backtracking since the areas are compact and Samus moves so quick.
It certainly has its appeal. I could’ve gone without it and would’ve preferred something more akin to Super Metroid’s 100% routing, but it’s all just that really: preference. Which is why I will never say that it makes Zero Mission a worse game when everything’s said and done. Nice to hear that others got a lot of fun out of the cleanup!
@@PGReviews_ It also help that I was a kid with a lot of time on my hands! Samus Returns was admittedly more annoying but at least it had fast travel. Only a month away until we find out what kind of post-game Dread has! Anyways, keep up the good work! Can't wait for the next vid 😊
Fantastic review! This was an excellent look back at this amazing game. It's really interesting to hear the thoughts of someone who is more experienced with Metroid than I am. I didn't even think about the completionist requirements when I played it. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on Samus Returns!
Fusion has a better atmosphere, story, and of course a more streamlined structure. Those who value those qualities highly will likely prefer that game over Zero Mission. It's just a difference of opinion at that point.
ZM is my favorite among the old 2d metroids. I'd put AM2R above it(the built-in options to remove the acid and to randomize the items may have influence my decision, I admit), and also Dread now.
I got this game the day it came out and had it beaten 4 hours later....or so i thought.....the surprise twist at the end was completely unexpected and i had one hell of a grin when i realized what nintendo did. Fully beat it an hour and a halfish later and was nothing but pleased by it!
Just beat Zero Mission last night (first time playing) & I kid you not I went through ALL the maps seeing what I missed to find the bombs. Finally I was like f*** it & went on to beat the game only to realize I find them at the end -______- wasted a good hour & a half. I played fusion before so I though super bombs was like 4th or 5th item you found 🤦🏽♂️ great play either way!!
Even though I still find some value in Metroid NES today, Zero Mission is the objectively superior experience to that game. I also find it to be the most replayable, next to Fusion.
If you wanna see a cool speed run of zero mission look up dragondarch gdq metroid zero mission. He runs it on hard, low % collects no more than 9%items its an insane run its awesome
Am2r. My initial response when it dropped was "Fans do what Nintendon't" . When Nintendo dropped their's the year later I liked it but am2r just feels like more of a metroid game to me than the official...
you should definitely give am2r a try its a fan remake of metroid 2 and it’s probably one of the best if not the best 2d metroid game iv ever played even though its a fan remake
I have! And I agree, but since that's the game I'm looking at in the next video I won't spoil everything I think about the game. Look out for it in a few weeks if you're interested to hear my thoughts!
Yeah, I've never 100%ed this myself either due to all the trial and error involved with it. Not to mention the massive amounts of backtracking. Like, I don't always mind backtracking, but Zero Mission does it to ridiculous levels. Depending on who you ask though, Mecha Ridley becoming harder upon collecting everything could also be considered a bonus. Especially if you like having a more challenging boss fight. Though I'm not sure if locking that behind 100% item collection was a good move.
This video was a 99% run. Amazing video. The only miss was saying that ZM has the best soundtrack in the series. The musical arrangements in ZM are a huge upgrade over Nestroid, but they don't touch SM or Prime.
Currently 3 minutes in and the fact you didn't mention the manga or the live action movie when talking about this game's origins is odd. They were making a live action movie in 2004 and had to cancel because there was not enough lore so they decided to create a backstory. Thus the manga was born and Metroid 1 was remade to fit into that new narrative
Thanks for reminding me about the cancelled movie. And I did mention the manga, though that was probably made evident as you watched more of the video. Yes, I like including aspects about a game’s history and origins, but in the end it’s supplementary to what I really want to focus on: sharing what I think about the game. So I’m bound to not mention some things, either because I forget or I deem those things to be trivial enough that they aren’t super important to include.
11:35 i disagree. Call it nostalgia, but I sincerely prefer the NES version of this soundtrack. I don't even like the remixes that came back from Super Metroid, but I do like both Wrecked Ship remixes, and Ridley's Hideout is not as ear grating as the original
Not a huge fan of Zero Mission. All the enemies move with very little energy, mainly just slugging along, waiting to get shot. Most enemies die at the edge of the screen if you just keep spamming the button to shoot. Once enemies are no longer a threat, the game just becomes a maze with no sense of threat to it. I just remember going through Ridley's Lair in one of my playthroughs and it suddenly hit me that I was feeling really lethargic. Haven't really been able to enjoy the game ever since, but if other people can, well, more power to you. I wish I could say I had a first chapter of the Metroid saga that I could fully enjoy.
the reasons why I personally dont love this game and find it decently overrated - Beams and general movement feel odd and "too fast", not exactly sure how to call it - too short - way too easy - annoying as crap 100% due to the extra-late PBs with PB doors earlier in the game and the extra time spent on just getting out of the last area back (at least in Dread there are barely any ROOMS that are locked off from PB blocks, just the tanks themselves and the way back is WAAAY shorter)
ngl, i skip the chozodia survival shit section every time i go back to this, im not big on the whole survival horror thing, and i feel the space pirates' detection is a bit unbalanced. still a fantastic game but ive done that ONCE and i never wanna do that part of the game again cause as i said, i dont really like survival horror
@@_V.Va_ has nothing to do with 'sucking' at the game. Has everything to do with now tedious and onerous they designed it. It becomes annoying and 'not fun'.
@@xenxander All right, fair. I just don't think that warrants really hating the game. It does enough right to let stuff like that slide. BUT I can definitely understand why it's annoying to have the need to 100% games but have its process be annoying.
Idk what anyone says but Zero Mission main title theme SLAPS
Always gotta drop some support for hidden gem channels like this.
Thanks for your support!
I think the more triumphant tone of Zero Mission stems from it being the 1st entry chronologically. It doesn't have any of the "kill or be killed" claustrophobic vibe of Metroid II, doesn't have the final Metroid's death scene of Super, doesn't have the Federation's betrayal and Samus nearly dying from Fusion. There wasn't any moral grayness to it. It was just you=hero, brain=villain, go kill. I like the path the series went down, but in order for those darker themes to really take hold and feel meaningful they need a contrast, which I think Zero Mission does very well.
A slight correction in Fusion there's a small translation mistake for the west to what it was in Japan. It was a small section of the GF that was bad, not the whole organization, if that makes sense. But everything you just said I agree with.
This game was my childhood, alongside Fusion. The only real complaint I ever had about it is how it's just so piss-easy, but that didn't stop me from playing it over and over again
To actually answer your question at the end of your video, it turns out that Metroid games rely to a very simple trick to calculate your completion rate: You have exactly 100 item to collect, so they give, very straightforwardly, 1% completion per item collected. You can check it out. This is why the total number of some items seems so random, they are there as fillers.
The one time it's not exactly like this is for Samus Returns (as well as fusion), as the game is linear an the suit upgrades are inevitable, they only count the extensions in the completion rate. This is why you can have a rate of 0% in returns and Fusion if you collect none of the Energy, missiles/super missiles nor power bombs extensions.
Thanks for letting me know! I knew that Super Metroid did it, but this is the first I’m hearing of Zero Mission using the same method for calculating completion. Too bad that power bomb total will still haunt me forever…
This is 99% correct lol. In Fusion, the lowest possible completion percent you can get is 1%, because there's an unavoidable Missile Tank in Sector 3 PYR (right before you obtain the Super Missiles), which speedrunners nicknamed Bob. The only way to avoid Bob is to perform a frame-perfect Shinespark in the corridor above, which is not humanly-possible.
EDIT: Oh, I forgot about OoB glitches that also allow you to bypass Bob, but without glitches, 0% run in Fusion is virtually impossible.
@@hfc2x glad I checked replies first cause I was ready to defend bobs honor.
Prime 1 and Corruption use the same trick. Echoes sort of does that too, except for the fact that the 18 temple keys do not count, so they are in fact 118 objects in the game.
I got this for 27 bucks at a local game shop. Had to dig out my GBA SP and buy a charger online but it was worth it.
I'm playing through the Metroid series for the first time leading up to Dread and I'm enjoying your videos every time I finish a title. Love your work!
Thanks, hope you're enjoying the games too!
@TeaGryff I just cleared Zero Mission last night! Im onto Metroid 2 DX (full color), followed by Super Metroid & ending with Fusion just in time for Dread 🔥 glad someone else is running through the series too ✌🏽
Zero Mission and Fusion are probably my favorite 2D Metroids when it comes to trying to see how fast I can beat them. Just recently I beat ZM and shaved about 30 minutes off my best time (now it's 2hrs 16min). Great work on the video man. Keep up the good work!
Nice time, no other feeling like getting a new personal best. Sub 2 hours will come soon!
@@PGReviews_ That's the goal
Doing 100? Or any%? Also real or in game timer?
@@zmandragon any%, using the in-game timer.
@@wolfpack_104 awesome, I achieved any % with 59 min once... otherwise i usually time around 1 hr 10 to 1hr 20
I just completed zero mission for the first time and had a huge grin as the credits rolled. It is my first Metroid game and I am hooked. I am going chronologically so, Samus returns is next for me. I am hooked. Now the term metroidvania makes more sense. Nintendo made a masterpiece franchise
Just beat super Metroid for the first time myself. It’s an absolute masterpiece
I got to play it for the first time on the Nintendo Switch since it's just so expensive to get the original. So getting it for free on the Switch was just a great deal!
Zero mission was my first game of the series, 2 years ago I got gba used and it came with a small bunch of games including Zero mission! I got into the series because of this game!
Personally, I liked Fusion more. I actually enjoyed the little dialogues. Sure, they are unskippable, but it does make things more intense, since the major plotline is about conspiracy, and you can't exactly have that without some words. And the X parasites were really freaking scary, in a good way. First of all, SA-X, and I'll leave it at that. Also, I loved how Serris was worked up to be a really badass boss, only for you to find its corpse when you get to the boss room (X parasite killed it and copied its ability). And then there's Nightmare.
I only recently discovered your channel but I wanted to say that your videos are very high quality and I subbed almost instantly
I appreciate the kind words, thank you. Hope I can continue to make videos you enjoy!
I agree, the best she controlled until dread! Dread is the best feeling metro game ever made, which I didn’t think was possible after Metroid prime.
Dread is an absolute blast!
I actually really like the Zero Mission 100% clean-up!
ZM was my first Metroid game I got back in 2005 and child me found it frustrating and challenging. After the credits rolled and I got my item percentage I decided I wanted to get to 100%.
I LOVED the challenges getting those last few items and I didn't mind backtracking since the areas are compact and Samus moves so quick.
It certainly has its appeal. I could’ve gone without it and would’ve preferred something more akin to Super Metroid’s 100% routing, but it’s all just that really: preference. Which is why I will never say that it makes Zero Mission a worse game when everything’s said and done. Nice to hear that others got a lot of fun out of the cleanup!
@@PGReviews_ It also help that I was a kid with a lot of time on my hands!
Samus Returns was admittedly more annoying but at least it had fast travel.
Only a month away until we find out what kind of post-game Dread has!
Anyways, keep up the good work! Can't wait for the next vid 😊
Another great review! Love how clean the editing is, keep it up!
This game was literally released 8 days before i was born
Fantastic review! This was an excellent look back at this amazing game. It's really interesting to hear the thoughts of someone who is more experienced with Metroid than I am. I didn't even think about the completionist requirements when I played it. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on Samus Returns!
Happy you enjoyed it!
Don't know if you're aware, but you can still get 100% in Fusion in the post game by loading your safe file again after beating the game.
Yes I'm aware, only recently found out about that though.
Comment and like for the algorithm. If you enjoyed this guy's video essay please make sure to subscribe!
I feel so old watching that...
Zero Mission is my second favorite Metroid game behind Super. I don't understand why it's so overlooked or why so many people prefer Fusion.
Fusion has a better atmosphere, story, and of course a more streamlined structure. Those who value those qualities highly will likely prefer that game over Zero Mission. It's just a difference of opinion at that point.
ZM is my favorite among the old 2d metroids. I'd put AM2R above it(the built-in options to remove the acid and to randomize the items may have influence my decision, I admit), and also Dread now.
I got this game the day it came out and had it beaten 4 hours later....or so i thought.....the surprise twist at the end was completely unexpected and i had one hell of a grin when i realized what nintendo did. Fully beat it an hour and a halfish later and was nothing but pleased by it!
I love this game so much fun
Like commented and subscribed 👍
Just beat Zero Mission last night (first time playing) & I kid you not I went through ALL the maps seeing what I missed to find the bombs. Finally I was like f*** it & went on to beat the game only to realize I find them at the end -______- wasted a good hour & a half. I played fusion before so I though super bombs was like 4th or 5th item you found 🤦🏽♂️ great play either way!!
Even though I still find some value in Metroid NES today, Zero Mission is the objectively superior experience to that game. I also find it to be the most replayable, next to Fusion.
I know this game is peak because it's the only game I've bothered to complete in over a year.
If you wanna see a cool speed run of zero mission look up dragondarch gdq metroid zero mission. He runs it on hard, low % collects no more than 9%items its an insane run its awesome
Am2r. My initial response when it dropped was "Fans do what Nintendon't" . When Nintendo dropped their's the year later I liked it but am2r just feels like more of a metroid game to me than the official...
04:55
you should definitely give am2r a try its a fan remake of metroid 2 and it’s probably one of the best if not the best 2d metroid game iv ever played even though its a fan remake
I have! And I agree, but since that's the game I'm looking at in the next video I won't spoil everything I think about the game. Look out for it in a few weeks if you're interested to hear my thoughts!
Yeah, I've never 100%ed this myself either due to all the trial and error involved with it. Not to mention the massive amounts of backtracking. Like, I don't always mind backtracking, but Zero Mission does it to ridiculous levels.
Depending on who you ask though, Mecha Ridley becoming harder upon collecting everything could also be considered a bonus. Especially if you like having a more challenging boss fight.
Though I'm not sure if locking that behind 100% item collection was a good move.
18:17 - Well... that's unfortunate. 😔
This video was a 99% run. Amazing video. The only miss was saying that ZM has the best soundtrack in the series. The musical arrangements in ZM are a huge upgrade over Nestroid, but they don't touch SM or Prime.
Currently 3 minutes in and the fact you didn't mention the manga or the live action movie when talking about this game's origins is odd.
They were making a live action movie in 2004 and had to cancel because there was not enough lore so they decided to create a backstory. Thus the manga was born and Metroid 1 was remade to fit into that new narrative
Thanks for reminding me about the cancelled movie. And I did mention the manga, though that was probably made evident as you watched more of the video. Yes, I like including aspects about a game’s history and origins, but in the end it’s supplementary to what I really want to focus on: sharing what I think about the game. So I’m bound to not mention some things, either because I forget or I deem those things to be trivial enough that they aren’t super important to include.
@@PGReviews_ yeah I caught that as the video went on. Its a great review/analysis regardless
Death bagels….🤣🤣🤣
Is zero Mission actually more open-ended than Super Metroid? I would beg to differ but I haven't played zero Mission all that much
11:35 i disagree. Call it nostalgia, but I sincerely prefer the NES version of this soundtrack. I don't even like the remixes that came back from Super Metroid, but I do like both Wrecked Ship remixes, and Ridley's Hideout is not as ear grating as the original
I loved ZERO mission....if it didn't have the stealth mode at the end and made that just another area to explore I'd even put it over Super Metroid!
6.31k subscribers, 9.1k views on the video, but somehow this video has 1.8M likes. Thats really weird to me.
It algorithm, plus at around this time was when Dread came out, so more ppl got interested in the series.
Not a huge fan of Zero Mission. All the enemies move with very little energy, mainly just slugging along, waiting to get shot. Most enemies die at the edge of the screen if you just keep spamming the button to shoot. Once enemies are no longer a threat, the game just becomes a maze with no sense of threat to it. I just remember going through Ridley's Lair in one of my playthroughs and it suddenly hit me that I was feeling really lethargic. Haven't really been able to enjoy the game ever since, but if other people can, well, more power to you. I wish I could say I had a first chapter of the Metroid saga that I could fully enjoy.
the reasons why I personally dont love this game and find it decently overrated
- Beams and general movement feel odd and "too fast", not exactly sure how to call it
- too short
- way too easy
- annoying as crap 100% due to the extra-late PBs with PB doors earlier in the game and the extra time spent on just getting out of the last area back
(at least in Dread there are barely any ROOMS that are locked off from PB blocks, just the tanks themselves and the way back is WAAAY shorter)
ngl, i skip the chozodia survival shit section every time i go back to this, im not big on the whole survival horror thing, and i feel the space pirates' detection is a bit unbalanced. still a fantastic game but ive done that ONCE and i never wanna do that part of the game again cause as i said, i dont really like survival horror
Imagine considering it horror. Lmao
It's not even horror lol, it's more like stealth then anything XD
The 100% shit is what drives me to hate this game.
Sucks to suck.
@@_V.Va_ has nothing to do with 'sucking' at the game. Has everything to do with now tedious and onerous they designed it. It becomes annoying and 'not fun'.
@@xenxander All right, fair. I just don't think that warrants really hating the game.
It does enough right to let stuff like that slide.
BUT I can definitely understand why it's annoying to have the need to 100% games but have its process be annoying.