A classic
8bit game for the
NES which featured
Samus Aran. The word 'Metroid' is also the name of a the featured monster in the story.
Metroids are a
lifeforce draining type of
alien originally from
Planet SR388 which attached themselves, a bit like a
leech, over and around the head of their
victim. They resemble a tenticle-less
jellyfish with
incisor like teeth.
As of late-2002, the original Metroid game had four
sequals, one for the
Gameboy, "
Metroid II", one for the
SNES, "
Super Metroid", one for the
Gameboy Advance, "
Metroid Fusion", and one for the
Gamecube, "
Metroid Prime".
In summary, the plot involves Samus penetrating the defenses of the
planet Zebes to destroy
Mother Brain, the leader of the
Space Pirates, to prevent them from creating an
army of Metroids.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the game was the discovery that Samus is
female.
The story from the
manual reads:
The METROID Story
In the year 2000 of the history of the cosmos, representatives from the many different
planets in the galaxy established a congress called the Galactic Federation, and an age
of prosperity began. A successful exchange of cultures and civilization resulted, and
thousands of interstellar spaceships ferried back and forth between planets. But space
pirates also appeared to attack the spaceships.
The Federation Bureau created the Galactic Federation Police, but the pirates' attacks
were powerful and it was not easy to catch them in the vastness of space. The Federation
Bureau and the Federation Police called together warriors known for their great courage
and sent them to do battle with the pirates. These great warriors were called
"space hunters." They received large rewards when they captured pirates, and made
their living as space bounty hunters.
It is now year 20X5 of the history of the cosmos, and something terrible has happened.
Space pirates have attacked a deep-space research spaceship and seized a capsule
containing an unknown life-form that had just been discovered on Planet SR388. This
life-form is in a state of suspended animation, but can be reactivated and will
multiply when exposed to beta rays for 24 hours. It is suspected that the entire
civilization of Planet SR388 was destroyed by some unknown person or thing, and there
is a strong possibility that the life-form just discovered was the cause of the
planet's destruction. To carelessly let it multiply would be extremely dangerous.
The Federation researchers had named it "Metroid" and were bringing it back to Earth--
when it was stolen by the space pirates!
If Metroid is multiplied by the space pirates and then used as a weapon, the entire
galactic civilization will be destroyed. After a desperate search, the Federation
Police have at last found the pirates' headquarters, the fortress planet Zebes, and
launched a general attack. But the pirates' resistance is strong, and the Police
have been unable to take the planet. Meanwhile, in a room hidden deep within the
center of the fortress, the preparations for multiplying the Metroid are
progressing steadily.
As a last resort, the Federation Police have decided on this strategy: to send a
space hunter to penetrate the center of the fortress and destroy Mother Brain. The
space hunter chosen for this mission is Samus Aran. He is the greatest of all the
space hunters and has successfully completed numerous missions that everybody thought
were absolutely impossible. He is a cyborg: his entire body has been surgically
strengthened with robotics, giving him superpowers. Even the space pirates fear his
space suit, which can absorb any enemy's power. But his true form is shrouded
in mystery.
The planet Zebes is a natural fortress. Its sides are covered with a special kind of
stone, and its interior is a complicated maze. On top of that, the pirates have
planted devices and booby traps in the maze, and the pirates' eery followers
lie in wait around every corner. Samus has now succeeded in penetrating Zebes. But
time is running out. Will he be able to destroy the Metroid and save the galaxy?