Details
Title: Platform: Release Date: Genre: Pros: Cons:	AM2R: Return of Samus PC 6 August 2016 Action-adventure Improves everything over the original GB game Not an official Nintendo game.

Review

Given that it has been 7 years since Samus Aran appeared in her last Metroid game, and arguably 10 years since the last good Metroid game, it was rather odd that since it was the 30th anniversary of the franchise in August 2016, Nintendo chose to release a spinoff game based on the Prime series. Given that the original Metroid game receieved a remake in the form of Metroid: Zero Mission, it would have made sense to release a remake of a game that is over 25 years old now. In 2006, a man named Milton Guasti, aka DoctorM64, decided to give this Gameboy game a much needed update, and after 10 years, released Another Metroid 2 Remake - AM2R - to coincide with the franchise's 30th anniversary.

Right off the bat, the graphics are amazing. At first glance, you notice that it has taken inspiration from Metroid: Zero Mission. However, the further you progress, the more you realise that the majority of the enemy sprites and level designs are actually brand new. As the temples in the original GameBoy game all looked very similar, it is a joy to see that this game has made an effort to give each temple its own theme. No longer do they look similar to each other, and you can tell that they all have a certain theme in mind, whether it be a hydro station, a weapons facility, or an energy production facility.
The main bosses of the game, the Metroids and their evolutions, have been given brand new sprites. While the initial Alpha and Gamma Metroids are very similar to their original GameBoy counterparts with some small updates to their design, the Zeta and Omega Metroids have been given a complete overhaul. No longer are they around Samus' height and hover around the screen - instead they lose their ability to fly and tower over Samus, and take up a good portion of the screen, and on top of that, they look intimidating.
It is clear that a lot of time and care was put in to this game to make it look as authentic to a Metroid game as possible. To the casual observer, they could be forgiven for thinking that this is actually an official Metroid game released by Nintendo.

Despite AM2R being released for PC, the game offers the option of using the keyboard, or a controller. Although the game does recommend using a controller, I played this game on a keyboard, and generally had no problems. On top of that, the game gives you the option of mapping each button to allow to have the most comfortable playing experience. If you have played any of the other 2D Metroid games, controlling Samus in AM2R should feel like second nature to you. She controls very similarly to her Zero Mission incarnation. Even so, since Super Metroid, the controls have always been precise and responsive, and this game is no exception - she can run, jump, crouch, and fire in all 8 directions to name a few examples. Her jumps don't feel like she's floating, but at the same time it feels like your jumps are accurate and precise. Changing to your missles and power bombs is done in a similar fashion to Super Metroid, in where you cycle through the weapons, as opposed to Zero Mission and Fusion where you held down a button to keep missles or power bombs active. Using Samus' Speed Booster is more in line with Zero Mission and Fusion in that it will kick in automatically after running a certain distance. Also, wall-jumping is more in line with Super Metroid in that you can wall jump off the same wall repeatedly to make your way up. The game's controls are more of an amalgamation of past Metroid controls in that it takes the better aspects, and puts them all in to this game, so that it not only looks like a Metroid game, but it also feels like you are playing a Metroid game. The only one criticism I would have for the controls, would probably be the for the Spider Ball. However, these control gripes existed in the original GameBoy game, so I'm not sure if this is a case of DoctorM64 keeping it as a throwback to the Metroid II, or was unable to find a way to address this. In all honesty, given that the rest of the controls are spot on, this is a very minor gripe, and hardly detracts from the overall quality of the game.

Gameplay-wise, AM2R improves on just about everything on its original, while also introducing some new features. One of the most useful new features introduced is the map. In the original Metroid 2 game, there was no map system available, which made navigating certain areas of that game very difficult at times. AM2R implements a map system that was first introduced in Super Metroid back in 1994, and has become standard in all following Metroid games since.
Following off from the map, the Metroid counter was also updated. While the original only showed an overall counter of how many Metroids were left in the game, along with the not-so-known feature of how many were left in an area when you paused the game, AM2R, updates the counter in that you can see how many are left in an area by default, and is easily visible on the screen, making it easier to gauge your progress. However, the game also gives the option of switching to the original-style of how may are remaining in the game overall, which is easily accessible from the options menu.
Another interesting feature that this remake includes is a scan log, inspired from the Metroid Prime games. Unlike the Prime games, the scan runs automatically whenever you enter a new area, or encounter a new evolution of a Metroid for the first time. Because it is done automatically, you can choose to check the log right there and then to learn more about the in-game lore - or if you are not interested in that sort of thing, you can ignore it completely and continue on.
The AI of the Metroids have also been given an update. Where in the original Metroid II game, dispatching Metroids was a relatively easy task. In AM2R, that is no longer in the case. Initially, the Metroids' behavior and actions are like their Gameboy predecessors, but as you progress through the game, the Metroids will get smarter: They'll dodge your missles, they'll start ramming you, and with the Zeta and Omega Metroids, physical contact with them will knock you back and leave you stunned for a few seconds. In addition, their weakpoints are a lot smaller, and require some accurate shooting to hit them. It certainly is commendable of DoctorM64 to try and make things more interesting, given that there were nearly 40 Metroids in the original game, and dispatching them in the same manner eventually became tedious, rather than challenging.
In addition to updating Metroid AI, new non-Metroid bosses were introduced, to help with breaking up the monotony of fighting Metroids. The bosses are usually located in the temple areas, and tie in to the theme of the temple themselves. They offer a unique challenge that the Metroids do not, and I will admit that I have died a few times to some of these bosses, due to my own carelessness. However, I felt that they offered just the right amount of challenge, and never did feel frustrated at the game whenever I died.

This is a remake that has long been overdue, and while it was a shame that Nintendo chose to forgo giving Metroid II a Zero Mission-like update at the time of this game's release, we were eventually given an official remake in 2017. While many people may know of the existence of Metroid II, it is not likely that many have actually played the game, especially how the original GameBoy game was released in the early 90s. However, thanks to DoctorM64, AM2R is able to give Metroid fans the opportunity to play a Metroid II that has been brought up to current day gaming standards. If you are a Metroid fan that has not played Metroid II, a fan that is looking for a game that meets their Metroid fix, or someone who is curious how this game compares against the official 3DS remake, you owe it to yourself to play this game.

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