{"id":62,"date":"2011-08-20T00:18:37","date_gmt":"2011-08-20T00:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=62"},"modified":"2011-08-20T00:23:51","modified_gmt":"2011-08-20T00:23:51","slug":"metroid-nes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=62","title":{"rendered":"Metroid (NES)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog entry doesn\u2019t exactly have a vivid memory to go with it, but the game in question does carry a fair amount of nostalgic value for me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

1987 - NES (Nintendo)<\/p><\/div>\n

Metroid<\/em> wasn\u2019t a game I played too often as a kid.\u00a0 Even as I grew up, the series wasn\u2019t exactly one of the most obvious things on my radar.\u00a0 Still, the original NES title did get a few hours of play in my household, even though I didn\u2019t know where I was supposed to go half the time, or what I was supposed to do.\u00a0 I just explored, enjoyed the amazing music and atmosphere, but never really made a serious attempt at completing the game.<\/p>\n

After the release of Metroid Prime<\/em> for the GameCube, I forced myself to go back and play through what is now considered by many to be a classic.\u00a0 I quickly realized this endeavor would be no walk in the park.\u00a0 Sure, I had guides to tell me which paths to take, what floors were fake and could be bombed to make shortcuts, and strategies for taking on enemies.\u00a0 Still, this game was just hard<\/em>, and unforgiving to the point of frustration.\u00a0 With a little bit of patience, I got better, and learned to appreciate the little things that made this game so popular.<\/p>\n

One of those things happens to be the environment Samus Aran is a part of.\u00a0 It\u2019s big, it\u2019s intimidating, and every area is overflowing with life. \u00a0The planet of Zebes feels lived in<\/em>; and by that, I mean that various rock formations and creatures make it feel like Samus is actually an anthropologist, and not a bounty hunter like the game\u2019s manual says.\u00a0 Strange insects creep and crawl along the floor and walls, while alien sculptures and hieroglyphs decorate it in other areas.\u00a0 Of all the things to grab my attention when I was little, they were the ones what freaked me out the most\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Freaky faces...<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Would YOU want to get on this elevator?<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2026while these just made me hungry for breakfast cereal\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

These look awfully wheat-ey...<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

...wheat-ey and delicious, that is.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2026and then these.\u00a0 I never made it this far into the game until later, but they reminded me of those candies my grandparents always had at Christmas time\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Careful - these rocks can be destroyed...<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

...while the worst these do is gum up your teeth.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

All in all, I actually think Metroid<\/em> has aged better than most games from the 8-bit area.\u00a0 Still difficult as hell, though.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n