The Tragic Fate of Metroid II
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- Опубліковано 13 січ 2025
- With our next stop on the 2D Metroid train, we arrive at Metroid II Return of Samus. Despite being one of the most impressive and important games in thee franchise, it ends up suffering one of the most tragic fates in the entire franchise.
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Metroid 2 footage gotten from temujin9000 on UA-cam
Brinstar Overgrowth 8 Bit Remix - Loeder
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Metroid II hasn't aged amazingly, but it's still a great game and incredibly ambitious for an OG GB title. Great analysis Duo, loving this series so far!
Yeah, it's so funny because going into Metroid II, I was sure I wouldn't like it and would have very little to say. Yet, after really giving the game a shot, I was blown away by just how impressive it is. It sure has aged a bit, and yeah it has some rough edges, but I gotta say I still think this game is worth playing.
Thanks for continuing to watch the series. Your comment was actually the one I was most looking forward to. =D
@@DuoStuff That's very nice of you to say :) I can't wait for your video on Super Metroid (that game's a masterpiece imo, I've played it so many times). I hope you don't mind if I advertise you on Twitter, I don't have many followers but I wanted to help you in going full time where I could as an avid watcher. Hope everything works out! Have a great day!
Dude I love any sort of advertisement for my channel. Thank you so much, I appreciate it. =D
The game boy was more powerfull than the NES, the screen was a bottleneck and the NES could only do more when using added chips you know...
Did metroid original used added chips in the cartridge?
Oh, idk a remake of it could be nice.
Even if I never had the original game on the GameBoy, I still acknowledge Metroid 2's existence when I go back and think of my time when I played through Samus Returns on the 3DS.
If it were not for this game, then you would not have had that maternal connection between Samus and the Baby Metroid.
Metroid 2 Return of Samus was what started the entire emotional attachment around Samus and her connection with the Metroid baby and how its tragic death in Super Metroid was what lead to the Metroid DNA that saved Samus during the start of Metroid Fusion.
Also speaking of Metroid Fusion, the events of that game would not have started without the actions of Samus during Metroid 2.
Both of these Metroid videos were great! Well paced, insightful, well edited, thanks! I'm looking forward to the next one :)
Dude thank you so much! I actually really like your videos, like a ton, so it means a lot to hear this from you. You and the Geek Critique are two of the UA-camrs that made me want to make videos like this. =D
@@DuoStuff You're very welcome and thank you for the kind words :)
Pleasantly surprised by how good this kid is
Despite how relatively forgotten this game is, Metroid II is actually my favorite Metroid game in the series, along with the remake, Samus Returns.
What an interesting favorite to have. I don't often hear people say Metroid 2 is their favorite very often. Also, I'm glad to see you also love Samus Returns. It's one of my favorites, and ironically it's also super underrated.
@@DuoStuff I enjoy Metroid II for numerous reasons. As a kid, I preferred the Prime games (still love them), and I never truly appreciated Metroid II for what it was. Now that I'm an adult, I'm able to understand and appreciate it. I've been thoroughly enjoying it on my original Gameboy. The environmental story telling is really fascinating to me. It was the first game to have a lot of upgrades that have become series staples, as in the Plasma Beam, Spazer Beam, the Varia Suit, etc. The graphics, for a Gameboy game, are absolutely incredible. I find it to control rather nicely. And with Samus Returns, I enjoy it for being a remake of Metroid II, but that's a given. Samus Returns has amazing visuals for the 3DS. And having the 3D slider up makes it really stand out. The new additions in Samus Returns are really interesting. The new boss fights were fun in my opinion, especially that surprise of a final boss after the Queen Metroid (not spoiling it for anyone who sees this and hasn't played through it). And Samus Returns is an important title because it marks the return of Samus (no pun intended). It marks the return of a legend. They are both phenomenal games in my opinion. I truly hope Metroid thrives again in the very near future.
@@TexasHellcat1836 If you love Metroid II you should play AM2R the fanremake of Metroid II. It's a great game !
Metroid II was my first "real" videogame (I had a Turbo Grafx 16 beforehand, but it wasn't Nintendo so therefore it wasn't "real"), and I never had an NES or SNES, so I didn't get to play any other Metroid games until the early 2000's when I was in high school and learned about emulators. As such, Metroid II was the only Metroid I knew for the longest time, so it will always have a special place in my heart.
Metroid II was actually the game that got me interested in the Metroid series, but I only played it for a short time on a friend's GB since I never had one of my own. It wasn't until I tracked the game down in the early 2000s that I played it on my GBA and I did play through it a few times, especially whenever a new game in the series came out as I would replay all of the old ones.
I liked it, but there were quirks about it that I did not. However, for what it was, it was good, but I am glad we now have the remake.
Fun fact: the famicom disc system didn't catch on with Japanese Audiences. Metroid was a FDS game in Japan, but an NES game in the west. Because of the poor sales of the FDS the west never adopted the add on [which is the floppy disc equivilent to sega CD] and many of the FDS games were ported to cartidges. Metroid is one of those games.
Some [myself included] believe one of the main reasons Metroid didn't take off well in Japan was because it was on the FDS and that didn't take off well. Take for example when my brother, the kids in out neighborhood, and I saw commercials for Metroid II on T.V.. We instantly knew what it was because we'd all at least played Metroid on NES.
I imagine in Japan when they aired commercials for metroid 2 a lot of kids didn't know what the fuck it was because their parents didn't want to cough up extra money on that FDS and thus very few people played the FDS exclusive "Metroid".
I stumbled upon Metroid 2 in the 3DSs eShop a few years ago. I play through the entire thing every now and then, it's such a nice game.
However my first impression of it was kinda bad, as I encountered some random bug halfway through my first playthrough, where the Metroid counter wouldn't go down, despite having just killed one of these beasts xD Meant I was stuck in the area lol.
Ah man that sucks that you experienced it for the first time that way. Regardless I'm glad you got back and finished it later though. =D
I think I know the area you were in- that was actually a puzzle! You have to destroy the singular Metroid in the area, then *circle back* to the area it was in and fight a second Metroid in the same area the first one was in!
Man, that one clip where Samus lands on the drifting enemy and bounces off brings me _right back_ to my many hours with this game. The screen felt so tight, the atmosphere made enemies feel threatening, and the platforming was almost entirely leaps of faith. So when you take a hit and the game lets you keep moving forward it's a blessing you feel in your clenched buttocks.
During the portion of the video where you describe the lack of variety in the environment, you utilize clips with different tilesets and different layouts. This paints you as mistaken, even though there are other clips in this same video with less distinct tilesets and more similarity between layouts.
Thanks for the video!
Different tilesets and layouts that still are almost identical sadly, because of just the color palette
It really should have been on gameboy color...
This game is a great example of "Ahead of its time"
Must...play...more...METROID!!!
Yes you should man. The series is amazing. =D
Super Metroid and Metroid Other M are based on Metroid 2.
I think that the problem people doesn't talk about this game is that it was on a handheld system... It was seen back at the day and until now as a sub-videogame system. You can't find often tests or reviews about Game Boy or Game Gear games (and other Lynx etc...)
This was the first metroid I ever played and beat it as a wee lad
The first 3 Metroid games are all completely different and give you unique experiences.
Metroid is pure exploration. No maps other than the one you draw yourself, and the world is perfectly designed to be either easy to draw or just the right amount of challenge to learn, so it really feels like you're alone in this world more than any other game I know of.
Metroid 2 is pure atmosphere and theming. At the cost of game play somewhat? Sure, but I think it's a better game for that sacrifice, as wandering around a claustrophobic cave wondering if the genocide you are committing is perhaps wrong (and then the moment you stop it and spare the last metroid the game turns into a relaxing walk back to your ship) is one of the best experiences in the series.
And Super Metroid values smooth progression and polished gameplay over the exploration and theming (which are still there in spades, mind you).
Which is why I'm not fond of the remakes and how they supplant the original games, but instead of giving improved versions of the unique experiences, they're variations on the smooth progression experience of Super. No other game gives the pure exploration of Metroid (though I do think it does need a few improvements) and Metroid 2 is basically perfect as is. The remakes are great games in their own right, but it's really annoying to see such fantastic and singular experiences tossed aside.
That ending alone should be enough to place it in the highest echelons of video game history. And that credits music...damn, that credits music.
I would have played this game into the ground if I could ever have found a copy. Gameboy games disappeared from the stores before I could ever find a time where it wasn't sold out and eventually had to go and pay full price for a used one two decades later! Still loved it even with having to wait so long.
Yeah hunting down older stuff can get very frustrating. It's good that you eventually got ahold of it. =D
Thanks for covering this!
Finally, a good UA-cam recommendation
I can't believe I had the dedication to finish this game as a small child. ON A GAMEBOY. Man no way I would have done that now.
don't mind me just commenting to help your video in the algorithm :)
In early 92 my 11 year old self couldn't put this down until I beat it.
efaustus9 but did you beat it?
@@magemajora Yes, 28 years ago. Haven't played it since but may try out the remake.
You ever notice how disturbing the game over screens for metroid have been getting? 🤔
Well, the original may have been very niche, but both remakes managed to garner a lot of popularity
As an early 90's kid, I remember being rather impressed with NEStroid, and was excited to get my hands on Metroid II, and having finally gotten it, was blown away at the time. Of course, Super Metroid shattered all expectations soon after.
My favourite Metroid game actually.
That's really interesting. I like this game, more than I ever expected to honestly, but my favorite is Fusion personally.
@@DuoStuff
I'm a retro fanboy.
I didn’t know I could jump in the last bosses mouth as a ball. I just thought I would watch these reviews because I’m so close to the end. Ahh well it’s not like I searched for how to kill the boss.
Well I hope you still enjoyed the video, and I hope I didn't spoil the game for you. XD
DuoStuff I already knew about the baby as I learned about the timeline. A solid one by the way unlike Zelda supposedly. I’ll play all the games in that way once I get to the remakes. I’m focused on the 4 original 2D games now.
Very insightful, I'm loving these videos, dude. Keep up the good work, can't wait until the Super Metroid video! -particularly hoping my boy Ridley gets extra coverage in that vid-
Oh don't worry, I'm definitely having a section devoted to my boy Ridley. =D
Metroid II is the best game in the entire series. Better than super and prime.
love the hi res Metroid II logo!
Thank you I guess. XD
This was literally my first Metroid game, although I played it on my gameboy color and gameboy advanced. I never beat it but I loved exploring those winding caves and fighting the monsters that I had no idea of what was what. I later played fusion and fusion took the place of first completed Metroid game but 2 will always have a precious spot in my heart for introducing me to one of my favorite series of all time.
This game deserved a faithful remake. The official and unofficial remakes are so dramatically different they may as well have been new games.
hear hear :O , i want a sequel to m2 that feels like m2 not one that just follows the same story points
I hope everyone that loves Metroid watches this video.
Even if it's just a fan game, hope you talk about AM2R down the line. Really wanna see your take on how they improved the '40 monotonous boss fights'
It seems to be a request I'm starting to get, so I may actually give it a look. Still not 100% sure if it'll be in this specific marathon though.
@@DuoStuff maybe future fan game marathon talking about famous fan games of several series?
@@DuoStuff I also hope you play and talk about AM2R, as well as Samus Returns. Nearly everything you talked about in this video was addressed in some way by the remakes, and it's really interesting to see their differing takes on it.
You are really smart and know your stuff. Very impressive work.
Seriously impressed by how far you go to analyze aspects of games that other reviewers would gloss over. Can't wait for the next part of the series :D
Looking forward to your thoughts on it as well dude!
thanks for the video
You're welcome
So you're supposed to enter in the final boss body and plant bombs? Not only firing him missiles in da head? After 25 or something years I learned it...
KEK
That 8 bit version of the super metroid brinstar song is awesome!
dude how is this so entertaining fr
Thank you for the compliment. I spent a lot of time on this, so it means a lot to me.
@@DuoStuff it's all good. Btw r u making a review on super metroid? would love to see it. Also subbed to ur main channel for a long time now
Yes Super Metroid is next up on the Game Over Analysis train. I'm going through all the 2D Metroid games in order as well, so after Super Metroid is Metroid Fusion, then Metroid Zero Mission, then Metroid Samus Returns.
Also yeah I've noticed! I've seen a lot of your comments. =D
@@DuoStuff looking forward to it!
When I finally got around to playing through this game I also really enjoyed and and my first thought after beating it was how it needs a remake, got it a couple years after, lol
Great video, looking forward to the next^^
That's some fun timing. I am glad it got a remake though. Anyways, thanks for the compliment! Hopefully Super Metroid's video lives up to the standards this one set.
The GBC bootstrap ROM actually has a special color palette used only for Metroid II.
idk why i love this game so much
AM2R: *Exists*
AM2R: *CEASE AND DESISTS*
"What if Super Metroid had happened without Metroid II?"
Better question:
What if Metroid II had been made for the SNES?
It was the best Metroid game ever. I loved it. I got it 100%
Yea, man.
Had this joint for the game boy pocket back in the days
Donkey king games were technically game boy color games.
Great synopsis
Wait you can’t tell the areas from a screenshot, in my opinion all of the areas are rather distinct I could always figure out what area someone is in at a glance
See, I think the energy and missile refill stations were a detriment to Metroid 2. They made no sense from a story perspective, as SR388 was supposed to have been mostly unexplored. Given the corrections to the enemy behavior and Samus’ controls, it became a lot easier to learn to not take any damage in most areas. The grinding would have been justified here.
It was fully explored from the chozos though
@@Contendo1 At one point Chozo lived there. They left structures, statues, and machines behind when they left or died out.
perhaps but you can always just choose not to use them o: ....
Game Boy had two important games that maxed out the system: Link’s Awakening and Metroid II. With Metroid II, we don’t get the amazing beginning to Super Metroid. Also seems to be the basis for the more action oriented Metroid games(Fusion, Dread) and how the handheld ones should play vs the console games. Just a thought.
Metroid II is also one of if not the most important game in the lore of the series
Super Mario land was one of the first games I downloaded for my 3DS.
Super Mario Land is such a weird case where I always hear people complain about it, and yet I've always had a strange fondness for it.
DuoStuff for me it’s the music
I played through this game about a year ago, and I actually loved it for what it was. Way better than Metroid 1. Worst part was the low health noise though, made my ears blees.
I just bought it and I’m about to play it for the first time 😊
When I was 5 or 6 finished it with my family and was very confused and sad over the baby metroid. Because I also confused what the evolutions of the metroid were, I thought it was something else killing the metroids and they were actually good all along, and infested with a terrible parasite or something. Then, the game ends, after all of them die except the baby, leaving me and the baby alone. My mom had depression and borderline personality disorder and stuff but still enjoyed playing the game with us some iirc. I prolly learned a thing or two from her for my interpretation of the game.
The metroids were very scary with their high pitched noises and unrelenting aggression and looking almost demonic just before the end. And the emptiness of the map may have made me feel emptier. Those other animals were resources so when they weren't around it prolly increased the tension as well. Also I hate those things that drop out of the ceiling repeatedly until you kill them, I prolly had a hard time with those when I was a kid.
I like Metroid II
As long as you don't play it right after completing super or Fusion. The step down is gigantic
Level 3 Grombie?
I always loved it and played it when it came out and many times later.
Donkey Kong Land is hard af
nice vid.. i just played through this first time... used map this time, as i gave it ago a while back with out one and didnt get to far...over all i enjoyed it more than i would have thought..though i still struggled with it dispite having a map my first time through, might try it again and try for beter time soon. yeah game boy games are just often not talked about or remembered enough compared to console brethren or taken as serious.. i used the visual boy advanced emulator to play it and put in a 'gbc color pallate' it looked great actually once i did that as well.. i had played the gba titles prior to this one for the first time and thought they were great as well even though fusion sorta kicked my ass at first having not seriously played metroid games in a long time.
Oh yeah it still has some difficult moments, that's for sure
It's still surprising just how playable it is even after this many years though. Really enjoyed it even though it was my first time.
And bringing up Fusion: just played it for the next video and man it was brutal. Loved it though.
Loved this game.
im still wondering how you got that beam upgrade when you encounter that gamma stuck in the vines/sand
I still have this amazing 🎮 and I still play it on my Gameboy Advance SP.
first game in the series I ever played, and also one of the first games I ever completed
sure, Super gets all the hype, but sleeping on 2 is a grave mistake in my opinion, it did a lot of things very well that still resonate to this day
It's kinda unfair to blame Super for this game not standing out. They could have avoided that had they just switched level design and bosses a handful more times (all mentioned by yourself). It's nobody's fault the game team used a bad ass new system to capitalize on all of the pioneering done and to fix all the terrible music from II
Of course it's nobodys fault, he never said that
Also...it's the gameboy, they probably couldn't just "change level design and add more bosses", not to mention the time it was released in.
@@Mqstodon what terrible music? The only music in the game is the title screen, end credits, the main corridor theme, and the song at the end after you give up the genocide, all of which are really good. The other areas don't have music, but a really cool ambient soundtrack that sounds like you're in an alien world surrounded by creatures making various noises. Until you get to the point where those creatures are all dead, where it's creepily silent.
"Not like a Metroidvania"
I don't think a lot of games were Metroidvania before SNES.
I played a color hack of metroid 2 and had a great time. Its a really good game.
Honestly, my reason for disliking Metroid II is mainly the look of the game. I'm not saying the game looks bad, it's just that the different areas throughout the game are all very samey looking. Because of that, it's hard to tell if you've even entered a new area because it looks nearly identical. It also has a lot of things that bug me, like the fact you can use the spider-ball anywhere, meaning that any room with a high ceiling could potentially hold secrets.
I can understand that. I guess the visuals never really bothered me though, as I'm pretty adept at remember where I have and haven't been, even in games like this one.
>not having nostalgic memories of long nights spent as a kid spiderballing on every concievable surface looking for secrets
@@ZarHakkar topkek
what if you played it while really high though? lol.....
Yeah. Metroid 2 is good. But one thing. Original Metroid doesn't look goofy.
it inspired AM2R and that is amazing
Metroid II (or any remake of it) is the only 2D Metroid that I need to play until I’ve played through all the story. I’ve beaten Fusion and Super and I’ve played the original. I am going to play Zero Mission, but I have no idea if or when I’ll be able to get my grubby paws on this one, which sucks due to its importance to the series.
Well Samus Returns is on 3DS, and it's pretty good if you have that. If not I've heard AM2R was good, and it's basically free.
@@DuoStuff I don’t have a 3DS, so I’ll be sure to check out AM2R. Thanks.
Having no map absolutely destroys the game’s approachability, because it makes the game hard to make any real progress in when you’re constantly getting lost in samey environments.
Good job on this video, so many of these are juvenile and amateurish, yours is well done.
I I'm a big fan of the original and Super Metroid, and I just ordered a version of Metroid II on a Game Boy Advance cartridge, with the came in color. I also bought seven mods of Super Metroid on SNES carts, so I'm re-visiting the original and Super Metroid again before I really dive into these new games. I had Metroid II a long time ago, but I could never get into the tiny screen and lack of color. I'll be playing this fresh version on the GameCube with it's GameBoy adapter.
I loved this game, just hated that it had no color when I had it in the 80s.
Metroid 2 was my introduction to Metroid, found it at some flea market for a couple bucks, many hours spent beating that one. Seeked out the first one afterwards, didn't care for it as much, but I loved super.
Unfortunately Super is where my Metroid curse started, and I know this sounds weird, but it is true, every time I play a new metroid game, something bad happens, and I mean family member death levels of bad. Super and Prime both had a death happen within the first couple of days of playing it for the first time, Fusion was a divorce... so naturally, I stopped playing them at that point.
Don't start lying
@@torazuultasaki3177 Im not man, 100% truth. I can't play a Metroid game without bringing up those memories.
Got super Metroid, had to get a new TV to make it work so it was a pretty big thing to 4th grade me, first game I played on it. 2nd day, I was playing, just got home from school, not too far in near the bird looking thing that teaches you the run jump. I hear a gunshot outside. Go out to see that my jackass neighbor shot my dog and had to watch it bleed out in the driveway. He then mocked me for crying in the driveway on the bus the next day. I had just moved to that town a half of a year ago and didn't have many friends, that dog was about it.
Metroid Prime, got it for Christmas, came back home from my grandmother's, few days later I load it up and play through the beginning bit, just made it past the tutorial area and my mom goes running to her room in tears. My grandmother had passed that day form an aneurysm.
Metroid Fusion I got shortly after for my birthday to go with my new gameboy SP, started playing it, few days later, I find out my parents were getting a divorce. They had been arguing for a while so signs were there, but it was final then, Fusion was the game I played most of the time while they were arguing. That one didn't bother me as bad as the other two but still there.
I stopped after those, didn't care much for Prime anyway, so since they were going that direction anyway no big deal. I was slightly interested in zero mission, but yea... just kind of left that series.
@@sparemobius7430 I'm am so sorry to here that. 😢
I hope if an when a Metroid 5 happens that you and you're family are spared tragedy. < 3
I have this game!
Nasu!
I fixed space jump
metroidconstruction.com/resource.php?resource_id=373
this hack allows you to restart a space jump mid-air, shooting makes the timing even looser (since it's bound to the animation of jumping, not flipping)
Watched the video and I like the homage to one of my favorite games, but I felt a lot of your critique was simply off. No. The NES wasn’t “goofy,” and it was rather “atmospheric” And no, fighting the Metroid in Metroid II was not like “fighting the same battle 40 times.” The battles get more difficult with each Metroid mutation. What in the world are you talk about. And what are you talking about “Super Metroid killed Metroid II?” The whole reason I picked up a copy of Metroid II was precisely because I played Super Metroid and I wanted to play that part of the adventure. What’s more, the whole point of a sequel is to supersede it’s predecessor. I dunno about you, but I don’t really care for Super Mario 1. It all started with it yes, but now I would much rather play 3. Anyway dude, your “critique” is out of left field. You simply don’t know what you’re talking about.
Debatable, that's just an opinion
It's undeniable that meteoid is goofy at least to an extent for the clearly primitive sprites, and it's also undeniable that metroid 2 is more serious even just in looks
The metroid battles though? There you'rr objectively wrong
While the mutations are slightly different, fights of the same mutation are completely identical in every aspect. And, even then the mutations only add like, two attacks and a slightly faster speed and damage when getting to the omega, hardly that much different
Take a shot every time he calls the game "important". Make sure you have Medicare
i don't think m2 level design and music is unmemorable and i do think it's a great game o: .....
also lul you came up with a catch phrase for your vids XD ....
i loved metroid and metroid 2.
but you gotta get real. the difficulty level of metroid 2 was laughable.
if you think metroid 1 was too difficult you might wanna git gud. it had a nice level of difficulty, not too much.
and the atmosphere was quite better than metroid 2.
As much as i enjoy Metroid 2, the sound effect and constant grinding for energy /missiles makes me really dislike this game
metroid 2 was a terrible game on a terrible platform, imo.
it is inferior to the nes in every single aspect.
anywhere you slice it, doing the same thing for over 1 hour is not fun.
besides, it is impossible to figure where you are going.
at least in metroid 1 you had some visual cues, some colored ones at that.
however, i admire your dedication towards making videos about this series.
Metroid 2 era el juego más importante, y su remasterización para 3ds es en verdad una burla, carece de elementos canon, la música es un asco... se perdió la esencia. Me quedo con AM2R, que aunque no es oficial, es 100 veces mejor que metroid samus return.
Last
I sure hope not. XD
First?!
Yes you are. Nice to have you! Hope you enjoy the video!
I did! You’re awesome!
Thanks dude! =D
I personally think Metroid II looks more fun than both the original Metroid and Super Metroid. Super Metroid is my least favorite Metroid game that I've played.
.....uh...
what what WHAT?!
Fair
I love fusion and zero mission, and super was good but...it's overhyped as hell.
I feel like it doesn't control nearly as good as the gba games, and jt has a lot of very cryptic stuff that plagued metroid 1 and 2
I recently played super-metroid and I thought it was boring when compared to the NES version.
I wished I played this game but I was never into the gameboy.