Metroid Fusion

The story is as follows, you, Samus Aran, are sent to help scientists of the Biologic Space Labs study life on the planet SR388 after Samus removed the top of the food chain by exterminating all Metroids on that planet during Metroid II. This seems all dandy and peaceful until you discover a strange floating viral organism that infects Samus and her power suit. Samus' suit is cut away in attempts to save her life and she's given a vaccine of Metroid DNA, Metroids being the sole predator of the virus organism which is dubbed "X", so the vaccine kills the virus and as a side effect it allows samus to absorb the virus.

Samus is then sent back out to see to a problem at the Biologic Space Labs in her modified and weaker power suit only to find that all hell has broken loose. This is where the gameplay starts and the differences begin.

First of all you're on a space station instead of a planet (The different areas are built to look like different ecosystems on a planet anyway). The graphics are phenomenal and a big improvement over Super Metroid. The gameplay has remained largely the same but that's a good thing, you take a lot of damage which can be explained away since your power suit is crappier than your old one. Also on this mission you're given missions dictated to you by a computer named Adam. This takes away from the non-linear gameplay of previous metroid games and makes it a tad bit more linear but it also adds a welcome and cool science fiction story. Another twist to the game is the SA-X. It seems that the X virus can copy anything it touches, and since it infected Samus with all her best abilities it decided to copy her. Through most of the game you have to run from this fake Samus as it kills you in only a few hits and this adds for some tense and frightening moments.

The music in the game is also noteworthy, all the tracks fit their intended purpose from the creepy to the heroic. You'll want to use headphones for this game.

In conclusion it might not be Super Metroid, but it's Metroid and it is nearly as good. No Metroid fan's life would be complete without picking this one up.

For those of you new to the Metroid series, I reccommend buying the equally fantastic Zero Mission first.

-IF YOU LIKED SUPER METROID, YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE THIS GAME. Super Metroid was the game that was the perfect fusion of action and exploration, and that won many a gamer over almost instantly. Metroid Fusion is likely to do the game. The game plays just like its old Super Nintendo counterpart.
-ALL THE CLASSIC ABILITIES YOU KNOW AND LOVE ARE BACK. The Wave Beam, Varia Suit, Gravity Suit, Morphing Ball, Bombs, and Plasma Beam have all returned for your gaming pleasure.
-IT'S ONE OF THE FEW METROID GAMES THAT HEAVILY EMPHASIZES THE STORYLINE THROUGH AND THROUGH - AND IT HAS A GOOD STORYLINE! Samus had finished eradicating a species of parasites called the X, or so she thought. One infected her suit, nearly killing her. Fortunately, she was saved through the usage of a Metroid-based vaccine. The X multiplied in a research-based space station, and now Samus must stop them once and for all. It's one of the best storylines in the series, and it is continually explored through the course of the game.
-THE GAME IS COMPATIBLE WITH METROID PRIME. If you use a GCN/GBA link cable, you can unlock special features, provided you have beaten one of the games. Beat Fusion and do this, and you unlock the original NES Metroid in Metroid Prime. Beat Prime and do this, and you'll unlock a new costume for Samus in Prime. Cool stuff.
-TONS OF HIDDEN STUFF. Like the previous Metroid games, this one has a good deal of things hidden through the layout of the space station - you'll need to find them all if you want to get a hundred percent rating when you complete the game.

CONS:
-THE PLAY CONTROL FALLS BELOW THE USUAL SERIES STANDARDS. You must hold down the R button to fire your missiles, and use the L button to aim diagonally. If you've got big hands like me, using the Game Boy Advance's shoulder buttons can be nightmarish. Still, this probably won't bother you much once you get into the game.
-THE GAME IS JUST TOO SHORT AND EASY. I completed the game initially in under four hours - and I didn't even need a player guide or an FAQ/walkthrough. If you go into battles fully armed, you're not going to have a lot of trouble winning. A few fights will challenge you, but for the most part you probably won't have a lot of trouble. Another thing that makes the game too easy is its linear nature. The game is essentially "holding your hand" all the way through, with computer stations offering you advice on how to win.

OVERALL:
Overall, this is not a perfect game, and it's not as good as Super Metroid (it's doubtful the series will ever top THAT masterpiece.) But nonetheless, Fusion is a solid entry in an excellent series, and if you're a Game Boy Advance owner who likes games of this sort, you'll be doing yourself a real favor by purchasing it.