RF Generation Message Board

Overview
The metroid series has always been based around a lone wolf exploring a hostile world, and Super Metroid for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is the pinacle of that ideal. After Samus defeated the Space Pirates in previous games and took a baby metroid for scientific study, the Space Pirates are back with Ridley to take that Metroid for their own purposes. Return to Zebes, homeworld of the Space Pirates, to recover the Metroid and kick some alien butt!

Platforms
SNES
Virtual Console (Wii and Wii U)

Checkpoints
Week 1: Obtain Grapple Beam
Week 2: Obtain Gravity Suit
Week 3: Obtain Space Jump
Week 4: Finish the game!

Particpants  (*first time players)
Boshamp - In Progress
Duke.Togo - Finished
EngineerMike - Finished
JerryGreenwood - Finished
*MetalFRO - Finished
monstrtomstr - In Progress
Raidou - In Progress
RetroRage - Finished
Russlyman
*singlebanana - Finished
*Slowman - In Progress
*techwizard - Finished
Wempster

I'm in. Of course.

Count me in!

I will be there! Greatly looking forward to it!

Bet your ass I'm playing this game.

I am most defnitely down for this.

I'm in.  I've owned this for a few years and never got around to exploring much outside the opening areas.  Need to get this off my stack of shame.

In honor of this playthrough I carved a Metroid pumpkin tonight.  5 days to go!

Edit: better pic with Direwolf sigil I did last night :)

[img width=700 height=933]http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w365/adsanislo/20141027_221036_zpsvhfduvbq.jpg[/img]

I'm in. Nice pumpkin

That pumpkin rocks!!!

love the pumpkin!

Every month I want to play and chat and something comes up and I get no time.... GRRRR I would like to be put down to play but Im not expecting much time

I'm in but it will be a delayed start.  I'm filming at a medieval faire this weekend.

it's a bit early but the first post has been updated including the week 1 checkpoint! everyone excited? i've been playing this to work out the checkpoints and i'm really happy i did, it's an amazing game. having only ever played the metroid prime trilogy, i love to see how much was present in this game that they carried over to the later entries in the series.

Personally for me, the true Metroid experience is a 2d platformer.  I don't doubt that the prime games are good, but I have zero interest in a Metroid FPS.

That aside, want inspiration?  Watch this crazy Super Metroid race from last years' AGDQ.  These are the 4 best players in the world, and I'm telling you it's worth watching the entire thing.  Obviously it contains spoilers so watch at your own discretion.  However, there are heavy and nearly impossible sequence breaks going on, and they happen so fast that you wont really remember what they did to get to where they are and you'll be left scratching your head when it's all done.  It's a very entertaining watch!

Spoiler (hover to show)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmfV8IhsHq0

I too started playing early to help techwizard flesh out the checkpoints and of course we have to stay ahead, since we record the podcast around the 2-3 week of the month. I have to say that I am really enjoying this game. I have a pretty significant history with Metroid (NES), which I will save for the podcast, but ironically, I had never played Super Metroid until now. I have to agree with Retro Rage, I understand the popularity of the FPS, but I've always believed that the Metroid series should have never moved away from 2D platforming.

It's a wonder why Nintendo decided not to make more than they did.  There's only what, four 2d Metroid games?  I would have loved to have as many Metroids as there are Castlevanias

Five. Er, maybe just four and a half, with Zero Mission. Other M is kinda mostly 2D.

as much as metroid feels good in 2D, the 3D games carried over a ton of elements from the 2D games and did it very well. don't bash them till you try them ;)

Other M gets a bad rap because the story is mostly shite, but it's not an awful game.  I'm willing to give it another shot some time.

I'll give the Primes a try eventually.  I'll just have to look at them as something else completely.

Has anyone else started?  I've already defeated a couple bosses, but it's hard to say where I am for the checkpoint.  I'm not taking the intended route, and I'm not even sure what the route is anymore.

Spoiler (hover to show)

I skipped Spore Spawn for the first time.  I'm no good at mach balling, it took me several tries to get passed the closing gate bridge to grab those super missiles so he could be skipped.  I still went back and killed him anyway so I could 100%

I couldn't quite quick kill Kraid.  If you time it right you can shoot 4 super missiles in his mouth before he rises completely from the ground.

I'd be laughed off of twitch.tv if I streamed my Super Metroid "speed runs".

if you're speed running then i wouldn't worry about checkpoints honestly ;) but the checkpoint should end

Spoiler (hover to show)

 a few rooms after crocomire

been playing ahead, i foresee a couple boss fights that could cause some rage quits...

Retro - for fun, try RBO or Low % Ice. RBO is an experience that is a must if you're played through before, as it actually makes more sense story-wise.

aint no way I could do RBO Shadow.  I can't perform the quick shine spark, can barely mach ball, my wall jumps are ok at best, my damage boosting is weak...  I know what I need!  The Super Advantage joystick!

I should try doing all that with my Capcom stick.

I finished the game this evening. My first time through and logged just over 8 hours and 81% completion. Missed one energy tank and one reserve. The rest was bombs and missiles I assume.

No problems with any bosses, but I did throw my controller a few times due to getting stuck in rooms with wall and space jump requirements.

i should mention for those that don't know, the manual says that the ending you get is related to how fast you beat the game, not your completion percent. the faster you beat it, the better your ending.

wall jump is terrible in this game, it's the one thing i really hate about it. everything else is great though, and i have no issue with space jump, unlimited jumping is fine by me.

just finished it too! me and rich are bad with following checkpoints this month ;) but it's hard to put this one down. maybe i'll actually have time to do system shock 2 as well.

clear time: 08:18
item percentage: 70%

I'll probably finish the game tomorrow, but I imagine I'll run through it 2 or 3 times.  My goal is to beat it in less than 2 hours

Btw nanners and techwizard,

Spoiler (hover to show)

do you guys have the same issue with Space Jump as me?  It seems like it only works when it wants to.

How to use Space Jump:

Spoiler (hover to show)

It took me a while to figure it out, but what you have to do is keep your finger from even remotely pressing the jump button in between jumps. Before pressing the jump button again, let your body drop just a little first. Changing directions can be very aggravating since it can take you out of that tight spin. Getting through tight spaces can be rough.

what rich said, also related to that:

Spoiler (hover to show)

the same theory works really well on wall jumps, you have to let yourself drop a little, then press the direction opposite the wall first then A, but really quick one after the other.

i'm really happy with the song used in brinstar depths:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBTlzbQYrAk

because it was remixed for Prime 2 Echoes, one of my favourites in that soundtrack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZX2N9_7NO8

I've played a 3D Metroid on the Wii and I was not a fan. I'm not a big fan of FPS so that's probably the reason I didn't like it, but it's not the same game.

Whenever a 2D game goes into the 3D world (like a Zelda or Castlevania), the entire dynamic changes. It might have the same characters and items and enemies, but the running around and jumping and combat are polar opposites. I'm not saying it's bad, but if you don't like 3D or FPS games, you probably won't like it.

If Nintendo still made 2D Metroid and Zelda games, I'd have a Wii.

@Tech, what problem did you have with the wall jump?

Anyone else get started on the game this weekend?

Oh, forgot to mention my progress. I'm half way through.

I've been having a debate with myself about which game is better, this or SotN. I'm not talking about whether it more fun to shoot aliens in another galaxy or slash monsters in Dracula's castle. I'm focusing the design of the key items, rooms, and puzzles.

I think Super Metroid wins. SotN is a little more narrow. It's weird to say that about such a huge world, but it's really just about obtaining the Leap Stone and the Bat form. The majority of the puzzles in SotN is about being able to reach a higher platform. The other key items are usually only needed once, like the Spike Breaker, Bat Sonar, and the Mist form. To me, that's not very clever. SM couldn't be more different in this regard.

The variety of room design in SM is brilliant.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Little things like areas where you have to; run before the floor crumbles beneath you, jump on floating platforms that sink into lava, push robots into spike pits, weave through passages as the ball, etc. I could go on and on about all the variety this game offers. Not to mention all the little tricks you can do.

Super Metroid is one of the most creative, well-designed games ever made. I forgot how smart it is. Glad I'm playing it again.

You start to love each game for what it provides once you learn to break the intended mechanics. Both are so intricately designed when you play them outside of their intended methods. If you're familiar with the game, try watching speedruns to see some of the mechanics in play and you'll grow to appreciate each game in a different way.

I agree, SM is very clever and well-designed. It seems that for the most part, all of the items are essential for moving through the game. I'd say that the

Spoiler (hover to show)

Screw Attack

, while useful of course, isn't exactly "essential" except for maybe one part of the game. There are things like I better about each game, but will say that as far as replayability and fun, I'd go with SotN. I'd like to expound upon this comparison, but for the sake of the playthrough, I'll wait until month's end.

I worked the night shift on the weekend. Just starting now, that its my weekend. 4 days off. should be able to reach the checkpoint.

@jerry greenwood, if it was Prime 3 Corruption, or Other M that you played, both of those are generally considered the worst in the series. try the original Metroid prime on gamecube, that one is really similar to super Metroid. Echoes is really good in the sense that it improves on a lot of systems that were a bit clunky in the first Prime, but overall I like the atmosphere and gameplay of Prime 1 better.

Same.

Agreed, but more so with SM. Aside from playing as Richter or using the Luck code, I'm not sure what mechanics you'd be breaking in SotN.

I played Prime 3 Corruption. I didn't know it was the black sheep. I'll give original Prime a go, thanks!

Sequence breaking in SOTN, for one. Here are a few well-known ones:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/196885-castlevania-symphony-of-the-night/52519205

ya out of the Primes, 3 isn't great. it's much more linear I found, 1 and 2 are a lot closer to a true Metroid game in 3D. start with 1 though, you'll notice a lot of connections to Super Metroid.

Finished!

I couldn't take the picture in time, but my clear time was 1:27.  

I'm still working on my 100% run....I'm up to 93%.  I have no clue where the last few items are and I refuse to use a walkthrough to find them

wow! congrats!

Ahh, yes. I knew about those. I thought you meant more like the secret moves you can pull off in SM.

Wow, very fast! I think 97% was the highest I've ever gotten. When I was trying to hunt everything down, all of the stuff I missed was in Maridia and in the depths of Norfair. The other areas are pretty easy. There's one Super Missile in Maridia that is a pain in the ass to get.

And.................. I hate you. ;)

so who else has started this yet? we have 4 who've played out of 9 so far, but the month is still young :)

Yeah there's an area in Maridia that I always having trouble hunting down, but I think I know where it is now :)

Spoiler (hover to show)

 There are a few hidden rooms you can only access by sinking into the quicksand.  I'm gonna run through the game again later this week to get a better 100% time.  I finished at 93% at just under 5:00, I know I can do better than that.

Played yesterday for almost an hour of game time, and achieved the first checkpoint.

Nice! How are you enjoying it so far Mike?

I dig the heck out of 2D Metroidvania. This is a shining example of one of the SNES' greatest exploration platformers. I loved this game back in '94, and was happy to reacquire it for my collection in 2014. It's always fun to play, and I don't mind coming back to it every few years.

You know, a big part of the reason I shied away from SM for so long is because I had always heard about how difficult it was. I have come to discover that this critique of the game is total bulls#%t! For the life of me, I can never understand why people go on and on about how difficult a game is when pretty much all of the tools are right there in front of them. Sure, you can explore a little more for additional missiles, bombs, and energy tanks, but to me, that's half the fun. Sure, I died a few times fighting some of the bosses/mini-bosses, but that's part of the game; I never felt that any of those fights were impossible, just that I needed to think about the fight a little and come in with a different strategy.   

I have been discussing the game with one of our newer members, MetalFRO, in PM (yes, he is playing this month too and I have pointed him to this thread) and he was touting how SM had a better "instant gratification" system as opposed to the NES original. I agree and think that SM is much more "linear??" (not the right word of course, but you get what I'm saying) than its predecessor. It's not hand-holding at all, it just lends itself more to pushing you in the right direction so that you never feel totally lost, like you sometimes do in the original. The maps are great and help you discover empty areas that may still need exploring and I like this new discoverable feature. These empty cells can often be the deciding factor as to where to go next and searching them usually turns up good results, whether it be access to a new area or supplemental items you may not have seen or been able to access earlier. The 5 usable menu items are also well-implemented into the game's structure and work in a very linear fashion to increase exploration.

Ran through it again.  I knew for sure I'd get a way better time than 1:27....well I got a better time...

[img width=700 height=933]http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w365/adsanislo/20141104_211023_zps3xrsiux1.jpg[/img]

:/

@Nanners the fact that the game doesn't hold your hand at all is probably why most people are turned off to the game.  We live in the ADD age of tutorials with long winded dialogue, so new and younger gamers are going to be more lost than theyve ever been.  The atmosphere of SM is inteded to be desolate.  No communication, no friends, no tips or clues.  It's up to your critical thinking and ingenuity to get you through the game, and unfortunately a lot of people don't have patience for that.  Oddly enough the bosses arent really difficult at all, even with moderate supplies.  The exploration is whats killer.

Having said that though, I was very frustrated with the lack of direction the first time I ran through this game 20 years ago.  You feel like a rat in a maze.  But there's nothing more satisfying than figuring out a puzzle on your own, only to get stuck a few minutes later with an even more confusing puzzle.  And I think thats what makes the game so great.  At the time there was nothing like it.

+1 - completely agree with the age of the ADD gamer bit. I was honestly never frustrated with any part of this game and basically just went to areas that appeared unexplored on the map and used my x-ray scope quite often. Sure, there were times where I was stumped for a few minutes, but it didn't take much longer to get back on track. I'm just a little disappointed in myself for buying into comments that this game is TOO difficult.

I was 10 when I played the game for the first time in 1994.  It was very difficult for my young brain.  Or maybe I'm just a big dummy heh

http://kotaku.com/the-kids-of-today-seem-to-be-struggling-with-super-metr-507848662

Thanks for the mention - I'm just getting started with this game, and have about 3 1/2 hours of playtime thus far.  My current save is in Maridia, and I've reached the big lizard/slug boss that spits out stuff at you.  I haven't beat  him yet, but I know now what I need to do, I think:

Spoiler (hover to show)

Shoot him in the eye to prompt him to open his mouth so I can pelt his mouth with missiles?

Earlier in the game, I found the charge cannon, but I must have died before continuing onto the next area, so I don't have that weapon at this point.  Should I restart so I can go back and get it, or will I be okay without it?  Or is there a possibility I'll be able to backtrack later to snag it at some point?  In any event, I'm having fun, and can FINALLY say I'm playing through this game.

Ah yes! I think from your description that you are at Kraid. He has quite the look makeover from the first game. You strategy sounds good. You should be able to backtrack easily later on and get the charge cannon, but I think you should acquire that sooner than later. On certain bosses, the charge cannon is one of the few items that inflicts damage when you run out of missiles/bombs.

Big lizard/slug boss.....Kraid?

Well, did you hear about how awesome it was? Since when is a gamer like you scared of a little difficulty?  :)

+1 for everything else you said.

It's a great atmosphere. That atmosphere relates to a music comment I had about this game. I've always heard people love the music in the game. For years, I thought it was awful.

"It's not music, it's just dark, ominous tones. The masterbating dog killer is on the loose again. He'll kill the owners but at least the dogs are happy." - extra credit to the first person to name that movie.

Anyway, while I prefer the music in the original Metroid (amazing), I finally understand what they were going for. They weren't trying to make good, catchy songs. They were aiming for that desolate, lonely, scary feel. Even the songs they did write feature a lot of organs and phantom effects so it adds to the entire theme.

I would never call this game difficult, but I do think there is a solid challenge in this game regarding combat. As a kid, I died against every boss in the game.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Phantoon in the Wrecked Ship probably killed me 15 times before I beat him.

Even in this playthrough, I'll run around and not be careful and next thing I know I have 20% of my health left.

I never had much trouble in figuring out what I had to do except for

Spoiler (hover to show)

super bombing the glass tube that passes through Miridia.

That literally took me weeks.

And I agree 100% about the satisfaction of solving a puzzle or defeating a difficult boss on your own. It's a challenge. Remember the GamePro ratings they had for games? They included "challenge" in their categories and if the game was hard, it got a 5/5 and it had that cartoon face screaming at you. Back in the day, challenge was a GOOD thing.


If you've saved in Maridia, then you've defeated Kraid a few hours ago. You can and should go back for the Charge Beam. Why not?

If it's the boss I'm thinking of, your theory is wrong.

Your spoilers echo my first playthrough as well. Isn't it hilarious how, based on generation, people tend to get stuck on the same gaming mechanics of people in their generation? Kids and people new to Super Metroid these days are expecting Samus to crawl and don't understand why they can't duck or crawl, while we complain about not having context for game mechanics and challenge.

I think that my experience with the first Metroid game was one of high frustration. Sure, I ended up beating the game as a kid, but it isn't a game that I would ever be excited about picking up again. I had always heard about how difficult Super Metroid was and even that it was more difficult than the original (which I know now is not true at all). I think that quite a bit of my frustration with the original as a kid really colored my expectations for SM, and that's a shame. Oh well, I'm really happy to have played this game now and unlike it's predecessor, it's a game I would willingly go back and play again.

Try Metroid II. The "difficulty" on that one is somewhat earned, and it's in the vein of the first one, but it has more emphasis on exploration.

@Shadow - Very true. I guess it'll always be like that. Kids that grew up with PS2 will be saying "What happened to the good ol' days when you actually had to FIND a save point? Now I can just scan my retina with my PS5 controller and I get a save point customized to my DNA . Kids today don't understand the difficulties we had."

I've heard good things about Metroid II. Unfortunately, I've only played it for a few minutes on the "green screen" Game Boy.

Metroid II is...odd, but it's one of my favorite Game Boy games. I hated it the first time I played through it, but after learning the mechanics and finally understanding the point of the game, it grew on me, much like the original Metroid did after I learned what I was supposed to do.

Just joined the site, missed out on Metroid, so I think I'll start myself out here. I'm in  8)

Awesome! We will add you to the list. Welcome to the site and nice Gimmick! avatar. :)

I assume so.


I echo this somewhat.  I haven't beat the first Metroid (not even CLOSE), but plan to play through it and beat it eventually.  The first game, despite some cool attributes, didn't "grab" me as a kid.  I was much more of a shmup, platformer, and action game kind of guy.  The more relaxed pace of that game was fine, but the sparse nature of it was not what I went into console gaming for.  If I wanted something slower paced, I pulled out King's Quest or Starflight on the family home PC :)

Defeated Kraid!  ;D

Congrats! That's one of the more aggravating fights IMO.

@MetalFRO You'll need the Charge Beam.  Go back and get that sucker.

@Jerry The music of Green Brinstar, Red (Lower) Brinstar and later on in Lower Norfair are three of my favorite pieces of video game music period.  The Red Brinstar theme is my morning wake up alarm I love it so much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj5DWB5a2n8


so good.

If you've saved in Maridia, then you've defeated Kraid a few hours ago. You can and should go back for the Charge Beam. Why not?

If it's the boss I'm thinking of, your theory is wrong.

I'm playing this for the first time without a guide, I got the freeze beam thing and power bomb and I did the wall jump thing and the last boss I beat was Kraid and I'm pretty sure I'm just going all over the place. But I'm having so much fun.

Going all over the place is pretty much what you do in this game. Remember that super missiles open green doors and power bombs open the orange ones. If you can remember where these once inaccessible places are, you can go back to them and hopefully progress in the game.

Yeah, I'm getting the concept of that. This game is ridiculously fun though. The only part I disliked was learning how to wall jump, it took me a while to get it right.

And even when you get it right.....it's still annoying

Welcome, glad you're enjoying one of the all-time greats.

You never HAVE to wall jump. It's more of a secret mechanic for speed runs. If you're wall jumping to reach a certain area, then you shouldn't be there yet and you might have skipped something. But don't let my words restrict you. Be free! Go go go! Run around, jump around, shoot everything, and have fun! :)

There's nothing better than wall jumping off a tiny narrow platform that leaves barely enough room to even stand on.  Once you get into a rhythm its the most fun thing to do.

Then there's mastering the bomb jump, which is useful at times you can't wall jump or shine spark.

And THEN learning the mach ball, which is next level speed run strategy stuff...

All of which is really not necessary for finishing the game, but adds much more depth and replay value once you beat the game.  It truly opens up the world and you'll spend the majority of time trying to figure out which areas you can access before you're intended to. 

I have mach balled before, but I've never really gotten serious with applying it. I have more trouble with bomb jumping.


I'd like to mention that of all the remakes and hacks of all the games I've ever played, Super Metroid has the best. I've tested a few and played through two of them. Some of them are completely different with different enemies, items, music, graphics, and/or physics, some of them are incredibly hard. The two I played were much more fun than some of the Zelda and Mario hacks I've seen.

Bomb jumping is simple once you realize the rhythm of it and listen for sound queues.

Performing the mach ball requires a very precise set of inputs, and usually you have very little running room to pull it off.  I've only managed to do it a handful of times.  I kinda feel like I'm getting the hang of it though...then it's gonna be a brand new game again

And yes I love the SM hacks.  There's a few really good ones that just came out, I'll try to find the names later

i managed bomb jumping on one area that seemed to require it to get an item. it helps that it's a required move in the Prime games so i already knew the basics of it.

I defeated that boss last night and am in Norfair now, and I honestly have no idea how to get back to where I can pick up that charge beam.  I have tried shooting and bombing floors, walls, ceilings, etc. in every room that seems like a dead end or anywhere obvious, but I can't find a way back to where I can get near the first area.

It shouldn't be difficult at all. You're missing something obvious.

Edit - Never mind. I think you might need something from Norfair to get you back to the Charge Beam

I'm thinking I need the "super bomb", because there's a spot where I bombed the floor, and it revealed a bomb-like icon, similar to the super missile blocks you can destroy.  There's also a really long hallway with these "face sucker" enemies that have these stones that you blow up with bombs, and they reveal these arrow icons, so I'm not sure what that's all about either.

The manual for this game makes all the difference:
http://metroid.retropixel.net/games/metroid3/manual/

[img width=700 height=511]http://metroid.retropixel.net/games/metroid3/manual/m3_12.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=500]http://metroid.retropixel.net/games/metroid3/manual/m3_14.jpg[/img]

you can go back to Brinstar to get the Charge Beam, but it's gonna take you a few more items to get back.  

Spoiler (hover to show)

 you need the Super Bombs, Grappling Hook, Ice Beam and Sprint Shoes.  Make your way back to Red Brinstar from Norfair.  Climb ALL the way to the top of the Red vertical hallway using the Ice Beam to freeze those floating snail/turtle enemies to get up there.  Go through the blue door to the right.  Make it through the venus flytrap hallway and go up the next vertical climb.  Once you reach the top there should be an orange door that leads to Crateria, the surface of Zebes.  Bomb that door and go up to the surface..  Head left through the door and you'll see a wall you can sprint through.  Your ship will be on the other side!  Stop by to get a refill on your life and items, and then save.  From there you can work your way back down to the Charge Beam.

Checkpoint?

Back from out of town. Going to start this up tonight. I like being a little behind though, it ends up working out since I catch up very quickly.

woops, forgot to put one up last night. first post is updated! every checkpoint is going to be item themed this month, because those are the easiest things to gauge progress on in this game from what i could tell.

Thanks Jamie!

I didn't make the checkpoint, but I'm trying to squeeze some in. I made it into Norfair, so I'm hopeful I can catch up.

Sweet! Glad you're joining us Duke.

Started this evening because I was in the middle of another game.  That game was called "Getting my Super Nintendo to work". 

Got about two hours in, have the Varia suit and Power Bombs but kinda forgot where the Grappling Hook is.

That stupid gravity suit took me forever to find when I was a kid.  Weeks went by before I found it.  

I always found it funny that with the Gravity Suit some lava doesn't hurt you anymore, yet it does elsewhere.Is it a different kind of lava?  Acid lava or something?

that confused me too, if it was supposed to be acid that was hurting you still then they should have made it clearer by changing the colour or something.

Or maybe there's a difference between lava and HOT lava ;)

Obtained checkpoint one, but not two...taking me a little while to figure some stuff out, but fun nonetheless.

checkpoint 2 could take longer to get to than #1, it's not so clear how to find it. if anyone needs some help try asking here and i'm sure someone could give some tips :) just remember that if you seem to be stuck, backtrack. there's almost always some room you've explored before that you might be able to do something new in with any new items you've acquired.

If all else fails, bomb every square in every room.  Twice.

X-ray scope?

Well, who needs sleep anyway? Such a great game.
[img width=256 height=224]http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/jackcrow2000/SuperMetroidJapanUSAEnJa-5_zps5f902c40.png[/img][img width=256 height=224]http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/jackcrow2000/SuperMetroidJapanUSAEnJa-6_zps0d43984d.png[/img]

wow Duke, nice! good clear time too

Beat it last night.

2:52 (my first time under 3 hours!) I'll take a picture later, the screen disappeared too fast.

I finished with a measly 50% 
8/14 Energy Tanks
2/4 Reserve Tanks
No Screw Attack
80 Missiles
20 Super Missiles
25 Super Bombs

Now I'll go back and find the other half of the items.

Also, to those who beat it....

Spoiler (hover to show)

Did you remember to save your friends?

Congrats Duke!

Did you save the animals?

Does that affect anything?

Not really....just their LIVES!

It affects donation amounts on charity marathons. ;)

I did save the creatures. They taught me all the valuable skills, so I owed it to them. Got out with about 17 seconds left.

i had no idea saving them was even a thing, i just watched a video of it and that's really cool. i was too stressed out just trying to escape

I think last year's AGDQ raised nearly $100,000 on that alone.  I cant wait to see what they raise at AGDQ 2015.

Instead of "saving" them, I go into the room and drop a power bomb to put them out of their misery. I mean really, how are they going to

Spoiler (hover to show)

escape the planet before it blows up anyway?

Inquiring minds want to know.

They hitch a ride on Samus' ship.

If you save the animals, there will be a spark leaving the planet during the scene when Samus' ship escapes.  It's very hard to notice and most people will miss it if they don't know what to look for.  You should definitely save the animals because

Spoiler (hover to show)

it is canon and they make a return in Metroid Fusion.  Not saving them will create a paradox and cause the Earth to implode.  True story

I know about the freeze beam, but I'm not sure where to find that.  If I could find it, the grappling hook, OR the Power Bombs, I could access different places, but right now I seem to be stuck.  I did find the speed boots, and that helped me unlock a new area, but I got stuck in that spot because once I ran past something, I didn't have enough room on the other side to run back :(

Possibly the most leet apron eva!

(http://i1.cpcache.com/product/432888806/apron.jpg?color=White&height=1000&width=1000&qv=90)

do you have the map for brinstar yet? that should help you find the boss for that area, which will lead shortly after to the grapple beam

If you're stuck and frustrated, PLEASE, PLEASE consult a map or guide for help. No one here is going to judge you for it and we want everyone to have a pleasurable experience with our games.

https://gamesdonequick.com/tracker/bid/1528

I ended up looking to see where I could find the Freeze Beam, and in my quest to uncover other stuff, I discovered the Spazer (awesome).  Now I need to figure out a way to get back to where I can get the Grapple Beam.  I have also encountered a large red boss that opens his mouth and roars at you, and slowly pushes you backward toward a spiked wall.

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My assumption is, you have to push him backward, because I got him far enough back to see an area of blocks over an empty space, so am I right in thinking I need to use missiles & super missiles to push him onto that space so he'll fall through?  My problem is, I still only have 5 super missiles, and I don't know if there are more in the game or not, but if I had 10, I could easily accomplish this.  With only 5, every subsequent missile strike has to be pretty on-point to push the boss back far enough to meet that goal.

In any event, I don't feel shame in having caved to look for help, but I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to do that.

You are correct in your assumption as to what you have to do for this boss. You can use regular missiles to accomplish this too, just make sure that you are hitting him in the right place at the right time. I am assuming that you have the Charge Beam. I think that this can be used in most boss fights when you are out of missiles.

you've got the strategy down for that boss, but like Rich said try other weapons too. charge beam in certain combinations will eventually do the same damage as a super missle, but at this point it should at least match the strength of a regular missle i think.

That's Crocomire!  The greatest Super Metroid boss!

If you have the Ice and Spazer, you can go back and get the Charge Beam. You can use this to push that boss back. A fully charged Spazer shot does more damage than a missile anyway (not that you can actually "damage" this boss). You must defeat this boss in order to get the Grapple Beam.


If he's so great, why doesn't he fix that flimsy bridge he hangs out next to?

Spore Spawn - the greatest Super Metroid boss that's not really a boss.

I dunno, I think Botwoon might have something to say about that.

Got the Gravity Suit today. Checkpoint achieved.

Excellent!

I am starting late this month guys, started around noon today and it is now 9 pm.  This game has it's hooks just as firmly into me as Symphony of the Night did.  Still have not consulted a guide and twice today I have spent an hour running around aimlessly.  I've spent a fair amount of time just getting used to wall-jumping and exploring places I maybe shouldn't using Morph Ball bombs.   I've just gotten the Spazer so that'll tell you approximately where I am.

How have I not gotten around to playing this until now...?  Fantastic game so far.

awesome to have you on board slowman! it really is an amazing game, i feel exactly the same about wondering where this game has been all my life.

Yeah, with your love of Castlevania: SotN, this is the perfect game for you.

I'd like to put an * beside anyone's name in the initial thread who is playing/just played this game for the first time. It would be something good to talk about on the podcast this month (which is being recorded this weekend).

I think this is one of the most fun games to run around aimlessly in. The controls and the way you move in this game is fantastic.

I'm sure Super Metroid was wondering where you and a few others were in 1994. I'm surprised so many people here haven't played this game. It was a huge blockbuster when it came out.

I honest think that the difficulty and time sync of the original was enough to scare anyone off when it came out. I can honestly say that I had no desire in repeating that experience.

I understand what you're saying, but I don't think it scared off too many people. It sold extremely well in the US. It got top reviews from every magazine at the time and it has consistently been thought of as a top 10 game of all-time by just about every magazine and critical website since it's release. In 2003, EGM called it the best game of all-time.

I dunno...I guess everyone's world is a little different. When this game came out, it was the only thing that mattered. Everyone I knew was playing this game. The rental store had like 3 copies of this game (which was nuts).

Random save file wipe FML :(

Fortunately I hadn't made any real progress and don't have much to make up, so I'm still in.

that sucks Raidou :( are your contacts clean? could have been a bad connection.

@Jerry, i was only 4 when this game came out and went from my grandparent's NES straight to N64...i had a super nintendo from around 10 and on, but only ever owned super mario world all the way up until i started collecting.

All save files, or just one? If it's all, your battery may be dying.

It's been interesting, playing this game by the checkpoints. Not sure how many times I have played, but this is a new one for sure. Achieved the checkpoint for week 3, this morning.

Congrats Mike! Hope you are enjoying it. First time playing this game right?

First time? No.

Not sure how many times I have played Super Metroid. I am guessing around 8 or 9? I have played enough times that certain Boss strategies are forever in my memory. I am no speed runner though. I still get stuck at times and spend awhile wandering before I remember the current goal. LoZ:LttP and Final Fantasy II were always my favorite SNES games as a kid...until Super Metroid, Shadowrun and Final Fantasy III all came along to give the other two a run for their money.

Did you ever get your round going again Raidu?

Has anyone else run through the game again to get a better clear time/item %?

ahhh son of a B&^% how did I miss this. Sorry I have been kinda MIA ha. I guess I can always have a quick late start. I have it on virtual console and SNES as well. Which to play hmmmm ha. I also have been meaning to find the old VHS tape I recorded back in the 90's of me doing a speed run ha. It would be interesting to see how fast I did it and what items I got. I know I def didn't do any sequence breaking back than

I'd love to watch that tape.  I used to record myself running Mega Man X on VHS, but I have no idea where the tapes are.

Welcome to the playthrough Russ. Glad to have you.

I spent a TON of time on this game over the weekend, and accomplished a lot!  I beat the boss I was struggling with earlier, got the Grapple Beam, the Gravity Suit, the Space Jump, the Plasma Beam, and the Screw Attack!  I beat Phantoon, Botwoon, the big flying boss that grabs hold of you, and am now in the final area trying to make my way to what I believe is the fight with Ridley (large Pterodactyl-like boss?).  Yes, I cheated and have consulted a Super Metroid guide, as well as some YouTube playthroughs, but most of those just revealed the specific secrets or entrances I missed - I covered a lot of ground going back and forth, trying to uncover every inch of the map previously, so a lot of the areas that the YT play-through uncovered, I had already seen.

I also spent over an hour in the area with the speed run and ramp jump up to the top-left of the map (can't remember which area), and then you had to use the Grapple Beam to swing from place to place all the way over to the top-right side of the room.  Until I became more proficient with the GB, it was a fool's errand.  HOLY COW, I dislike the Grapple Beam.  Cool idea, cool if you know how to use it right, but it sure takes some getting used to, and it's hard to master.  There was a spot where you grab on to a "grapple block" and can spin around to the top to get an item (Energy Tank, if memory serves), and it took forever before I could control the beam or my trajectory well enough to obtain that.  I dislike how the beam immediately "sucks you in" to the block you're connecting to.  I'm also not fond of the wall jump.  I'm used to wall jumping like in Batman on NES - simple, elegant, and effective.  SM's wall jump seems to be just a bit more complicated than it needs to be.  I do quite enjoy the Space Jump, though it takes a bit of getting used to before using it becomes second nature.  Still, I'm enjoying myself, and every time I uncover an upgrade, I'm like a little kid, pumping my fist and yelling "YESSSSSS!"  My wife probably thinks I'm going nuts :)

Ha! Ha! Fantastic that you are enjoying this game and glad you consulted a guide. Seems that it gave you just enough to get you going in the right direction.

Your frustrations with the grapple beam, wall jumping, and getting use to the space jump are all things we discussed last night in the podcast. And I actually laughed out loud when you were describing "the room" you were having difficulty with the grapple beam in:


This room is the big one in Maridia, and yes, we all mentioned how much we hated it. :)
 

I made a copy of my data kinda early so I can still give under 2:30 a shot. Also I'm slowly making progress with the items. I'm pretty sure I got everything in Norfair.

Keep in mind that you're not "supposed" to wall-jump. It's a trick that enables you to skip parts of the game and get certain items earlier than you are supposed to. It's supposed to be difficult to execute. I think the game would suffer greatly otherwise.

In games like Batman or Ninja Gaiden, it's a major part of the game mechanics. Those games would be severely flawed if wall jumping wasn't easy.

I disagree. How is it that you are NOT suppose to wall jump when there is a part of the game where some animals show you how to do it? And that area is only passable by using said wall jump. It's as much part of this game as any item or anything else in it.

As far as the difficulty, there certainly is quite a learning curve to mastering it. For first time players such as myself, it is very frustrating without any instruction and caused me a great deal of aggravation and time in a few rooms. It was an off-putting part of the game, but nothing that would make me not play it again, or say that it overly affected how much I enjoyed the game overall. As much as people gush over SM, it's not a perfect game, and I'd contend that a perfect game has never been made, but I'd put it in the Top 3 SNES games I've ever played.

The game is designed and intended for you to beat without wall jumping once. That room is a secret room, it's not a necessary part of the game. If you happen to find the room, the game rewards you with a new trick. You're not "supposed" to get the Spazer early or get Super Bombs before entering Norfair, etc, but you can if you're skilled and experienced enough.

That's my point. It's intentionally difficult because it's main purpose is to give experienced veteran players a new way to play. Nowhere in the game (besides the room) are you required/supposed to wall jump.

I have to agree with Jerry here.  Wall Jumping is an advanced technique used to sequence break, but isn't necessary to at the very least complete the game.

And I kinda like that they made that wall jumping room so difficult to get out of, because once you're good enough to make it to the top you've mastered it enough to get almost anywhere else in the game.  If they made some kind of cheap way to get out of that room (besides the space jump) I think most players would give up on the Wall Jump fairly quickly.

I'll throw my $.02 in here and disagree.  It took me a good 8-10 minutes to wall jump effectively enough to get to the top of that room.  Even so, I still had difficulty properly executing wall jumps in other areas of the game, even yesterday when I played for some 5 hours and attempted to use the technique numerous times.  There are spots where NOT having the wall jump makes the game quite difficult (unless I'm missing something about how to traverse certain locations), so if that's a secret area where you learn the wall jump, I'd shudder to think of what beating the game w/o it would entail.

Again, there are no areas in the game where you need to wall jump. There aren't any difficult areas that are made easier because of the wall jump, you're probably missing something on that one. I'm sure there have been plenty of people who have beaten the game without even knowing about it. It's never helped me beat the game.

All the wall jump does is allow you to take short cuts in the game and grab a few extra missiles here and there. It's an optional, secret trick.

Even though you can "beat the game" without using any wall jumps, it doesn't mean that they aren't useful in certain areas and that using it eliminates some backtracking. Sure, if you've got everything mapped out or know the game inside and out like a speed runner (which the two of you are) than perhaps you don't have to use it. However, for someone just playing the game for the first time, during backtracking it proves quite useful in places, especially before you obtain the space jump. I think you guys who play this game quite often are forgetting what it was like to encounter this frustration initially like some of the rest of us. It's pretty telling that the people who are having difficulty with it are the handful of us who are playing it for the first time. Essential to beat the game, maybe not, but very useful in getting around, YES.

Like I said, it's not a tool meant for someone playing their first time. If you find it, great! The game just got slightly easier for you because now you can wall jump. But overall, it's meaningless.

It's main purpose is to speed run and it's the furthest thing from necessary.

I'm not mocking anyone or acting like I'm cool because I've beaten the game before. As an experienced player, I'm explaining why the wall jump is purposely difficult to perform and that it is not meant to be used as a tool for a beginner to beat the game. If you want to use it as a tool, that's fine, but technically you'd be speed running.

http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Wall_Jump


Interesting background on it for Super Metroid:
http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Hell

For my usage of the Wall Jump, I used it in the original Metroid and Super Metroid. I struggled with it quite a bit until I learned how it worked properly in Metroid II (but at that point had the Spider Ball), but it's useful when you don't know where to go and you're exploring for the first time. Is it required? No, and you can complete the game without using it once.

The game gives you an intended route, and that intended route doesn't include the necessity of the wall jump, or the shine spark for that matter.  Backtracking is supposed to be difficult and the game is deliberately mapped out to drive you nuts.  Once you begin using those techniques and going in areas you're "not supposed to be in" yet (sequence breaking), then all bets are off and the world opens up and backtracking becomes no big deal anymore.  The point of the difficult learning curve of those maneuvers is it's not supposed to be easy to sequence break or backtrack, so the game loosely teaches you the fundamentals of the wall jump and the shine spark (both technically secret maneuvers) without actually teaching you anything.  The game isn't supposed to be easy the first time through, and I think that's what makes it so great.  The better you get, the more you want to make the game your bitch.

That's one thing I absolutely love about this game. There is so many extra techniques packed in that aren't required at all. Most games would have cut them, but this game shows as a big gift to fans. Simple enough the first time through, but amazing depth for those looking for it.

Yes. I'm not sure if the developers had speed runs in mind or they just wanted to make the game deeper, but those extra techniques like wall jumping, mach balling, etc. are so far ahead of it's time. They were innovators.


I'd also like to mention how awesome the title screen is. Even though it was only the third game in the series, I felt the Metroid creature was big icon in the world of Nintendo.
You turn on the power, you hear that "horror movie" music, you seen a few clips, you see "Metroid 3", then everything zooms out and you see a lab with dead scientists on the ground and the seemingly innocent Metroid in his glass case and then the classic Metroid theme echoes through your TV mixed with Metroid chirps.

20 years ago, that was mind blowing. It was creepy. It scared me.

Though I don't know for sure, I feel like the developers had to have speed runs in mind when creating this game. I don't see how there could be any other explanation in terms of all of the secret techniques and the various endings you get for finishing the game under certain times.

I agree, the intro screen is really great and that Metroid screech is pretty haunting. One thing we discussed on the podcast was whether we thought that SM could be considered a horror title. As you all probably know, or have guessed, this game, and the ones prior to it, were heavily influenced by the Alien franchise and there are several allusions to the first three movies in SM.

I finally finished it! I got a 70% item collection rate, which isn't bad for my first play through, and that I didn't consult any guides until around halfway through. I reached my ship with just 3 seconds to spare. Awesome feeling having finally played through Super Metroid. Great game overall, this was LONG overdue.

congrats metalfro! i feel the same now that i've beaten it, really happy to finally understand what the big deal is (and it is a big deal).

Congrats on finishing MetalFRO! I definitely share the same sentiments about this game as you guys. Very happy to have played it, great experience.

Sorry I have been so inactive, everyone. My new hours and position aren't the friendliest for game-playing. I last stopped a few days ago shortly after obtaining the space jump. Been taking WAY too much time going back for missiles and such after every new upgrade is obtained. Breezing through pretty easily, but because I am playing it like I do RPG's, it is taking me forever, and time isn't something I have in abundance anymore. Fantastic game though, and very happy to see so much conversation over it. Had I been paying attention to the thread as well as playing, I could have saved a little bit of time.

going back for missles and energy tanks can really help out on some bosses too, so no harm in that. that's one thing about this game, as much as many items aren't required, i feel like none of them are useless. there's nothing i picked up that i never used, everything has a purpose.

I know this pain well!  I don't have near the gaming time I'd like to have, though thankfully my wife has been a bit more understanding of late, since I told her, "I've spent so much money on my game collection over the years, but most of these games I've never played or hardly touched.  I need to start playing through them!"  As an IT guy, I often work long hours, have to give up some evenings, and often even weekends are interrupted by what we refer to as PICNIC issues.  That, and my other hobbies get in the way.  My game collection would be even larger and more extensive if I didn't also collect music CD's and vinyl albums, which of course, take up my time too. :)


Agreed.  I watched bits and pieces of a playthrough that showed me tons of missile pickups I missed.  I think I ended up with 145 missiles, and I guess you can obtain well over 200!  Pretty insane, but cool that they hid that many throughout the levels.  Some of the locations are really obscure, so once you have the X-Ray Beam, you can spend a lot of time looking over every inch of the game to find the few stray items you missed.

I gotta get back to mindlessly collecting missiles for the 100%. I decided to pop in Shadowrun for the first time and I'm seriously hooked.

4:13 completion
Items 69%

nice! that's a pretty good time.

Congrats Mike :) 

Nice work, congrats on finishing Mike!

Finished collecting in Brinstar (I think). Still need Crateria, Wrecked Ship, Maridia, and Touran (if there's anything down there).

Going back to collect everything is quicker and easier than I thought. With the Speed Boots, Plasma Beam, Gravity Boots, and Screw Attack, you can rip through any obstacle with no effort. Checking the maps is the only pain.

I'm going to jump on tonight and get some game play. I'll see if I can some how upload my vhs playthrough. Maybe do some quick highlights and upload it on YouTube. Ha.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

that would be cool Russ!

@Jerry this is one game i would probably enjoy going for completion on, the metroid prime games never felt tedious to find everything and this one seems to be the same for the most part.

I've been trying to get 100% since 1994, it'll get done this weekend.

Thinking I need the pro controller for the wiiu. I was playing a bit last night and it seemed awkward with the game pad. I'll prob just switch to the SNES tonight ha.


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oldschool all the way man

Once I bought SSB4 Wii U, I pretty much stopped this one altogether. Picked it back up tonight, been playing for about 3 hours trying to get , and am just about to the very end. I should be done in less than an hour's game time, but it is 3 am here, and I am not gonna finish it before the end of the month. Hell of a game though, almost too easy with me going back for every super missile, health boost, and item I could.

I am sorry to say that due to a busy schedule I was not able to complete the game this month. I wish I could have!  :-\

glad you managed to get back into it Boshamp!

no worries monstrtomstr, it happens to the best of us and i'm glad you gave the game a try anyway :) .

and thanks to everyone for joining this month, it was a really great game and great discussion, glad to have hosted this one!

Did not finish. :(

[img width=640 height=480]http://i1033.photobucket.com/albums/a420/JerryGreenwood/2014-11-26202552_zps9d5078a6.jpg[/img] (http://s1033.photobucket.com/user/JerryGreenwood/media/2014-11-26202552_zps9d5078a6.jpg.html)
Better late than never

EXCELLENT! Congrats sir.   :wasted:

For those who have never seen a speed run......This is AMAZING!  Thanks for sharing RetroRage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmfV8IhsHq0

That is amazing. They wall jump and mach ball effortlessly.