Fellow blogger Peter Smith recently posted a list covering video game remakes: five that were great and five that weren't. As with any opinion, not everyone will agree and many of the titles on the “not great” list have caused strong negative reactions in the comments. Indeed, when I saw the proposed list before it went live I warned Mr. Smith that I would have some strong words about one particular game in a post of my own. To quote myself, “I vehemently protest your placing Zero Mission in a worst remakes list where it most definitely does not belong on any objective basis.” Here we go...
After reading Mr. Smith's assessment of Zero Mission, it seems to me that he assigns the nostalgia factor quite a bit of value over the revelations of more modern game design, at least in regards to the Metroid series. Now, I am the Queen of Metroid fans. Read my frikin' bio at the bottom of the comments section. It's my favorite series bar none and I find the original Metroid unplayable. I don't care what historical value it has, it is an old school pain fest for me. I tried playing it back in the day and didn't make it far. I've tried playing again more recently and faired no better. As such, I have a considerably different take on old school Metroid vs. new school Zero Mission.
It is true that the original Alien movie inspired Metroid. Alien was dark and foreboding, full of sci-fi industrial set pieces. Metroid did the best it could with the technology of the time to emulate this. Well, it certainly was foreboding. However, I really wouldn't call repetitive rooms and a flat black background spooky. As far as capturing the mood goes, Zero Mission does just fine. It adds detail to the world of Zebes without making it a remotely friendly place.
I gotta' be honest here; the goofy way Samus runs in the original is a mood killer by itself.
As for the supposed “comic book jibber-jabber” in Zero Mission...where? Other than a little plot text, the game is mute. It adds some nice background in the form of a late game cut scene that ties Zero Mission into the established history of the series but that's it. I recall no “bombardment of ancient wisdom” anywhere in the story. There's also an accusation of egregious hand-holding rampant in the game play. Compared to the original, this could be seen as true. Metroid offered nothing to the player in direction. You are turned loose on the planet without a map and no more directive than to kill the alien menace. The supposed hand holding in Zero Mission consists of a Super Metroid style map and a little cursor that indicates a target location, though no help on how to actually get there. I'm okay with this. Having goals gives the player an incentive to keep moving. You might find the hint system intrusive, but is it so bad that it eliminates exploration? If you want to see an obnoxious level of hand-holding in a Metroid game, play *Metroid Prime 3: Corruption or *Metroid Fusion. What I see in Zero Mission is easily ignored. As for the “openendedness” of the original; that's just a romantic way of saying it was really easy to get lost.
Speaking of romanticized views, many a Metroid fan waxes eloquent on how the series mood is all about isolation. I disagree. I see it as being all about independence. Samus needs no overseer, no matter how hostile and strange the world she finds herself on. She, and the player through her, is utterly self-sufficient and powerful because of this. This does not mean the world must be void of friendly life forms to maintain this reality. This is the way I feel when I play, as such, I've always found the negative reaction to the presence of ailed aliens and Chozo childhood flashbacks to be, well, silly.
When the player finally reaches the end of Metroid, a battle with a stationary target ensues and a timely escape must be accomplished: the end. Zero Mission goes a different route and gives us an unexpected treat by extending the game. I loved the stealth section. It added a well done change-up in the game play that brought in variety while being short enough to not overstay its welcome. Being chased by Space Pirates reflected the panic induced by the S-AX sequences found in Metroid Fusion (though perhaps not quite as intensely). Plus, there's the bonus of satisfaction to be had when you finally gain your full power, head back into the pirate ship, and reduce your foes to chunky salsa. Samus probably wasn't laughing maniacally while doing this but I was. The only beef I have with the stealth section is that it introduced the Samus spandex cat-suit, er, I mean Zero Suit; inspiration for hundreds of insulting pieces of fan art.
No surprise, I find Zero Mission to be an improvement over the original Metroid in every way. It's not simply a great recreation, making the game much more accessible to a larger audience, but it updates the game play and adds new twists to surprise even the veterans. Zero Mission isn't just an ace remake, it sets an example for how to take an aged game and breath new life into it while paying homage to the original material.
* Corruption and Fusion are awesome, but certain helper characters in these games need to just shut up and let Samus do her job.
For Love of the Game: Metroid II Remakes