Its amazing how differently people view the games, and metroid as a whole. I view ZM as the absolute pinnacle of what metroid is really all about. I'm def a 2D fan and have always felt like the Prime games were more like an off-shoot from the rest of the series. Having played each game in the series when they were brand new has given me a somewhat different take on the progression of it all, I suppose. The original metroid was absolutely mindblowing in its day. Zebes was considered to be huge, and the idea of trying to explore it all was kind of overwhelming. Even moving to the left was a mind-fuck, something that people don't think twice about today. The music, overwhelmingly large environment, the fact that samus was a female, everything - it all added up to something that was unique and ultimately made players rethink what gaming was about and what it could do. The Legend of Zelda was doing the same thing during that time, and between those two games I would have to say that gaming was forever changed.
If I were to introduce someone to metroid, I would definitely turn them on to ZM first. I might not even have them bother with the original metroid, since ZM basically does the same thing as that game (showing the player where it all began and what it's all about), only ZM does it much better than the original metroid.
I'm also surprised at the comparisons to the size and length between ZM and Fusion. I consider them to be just about the same, since for me there's really only about a 12 minute difference in total playtime when going for 100% (with Fusion being the longer one). Fusion has alot more items to pick up, but getting them all takes barely any more time than ZM. Actually, Super is definitely the shortest of the three, and I never hear anyone say that Super felt like it was too short.
If I were to introduce someone to metroid, I would definitely turn them on to ZM first. I might not even have them bother with the original metroid, since ZM basically does the same thing as that game (showing the player where it all began and what it's all about), only ZM does it much better than the original metroid.
I'm also surprised at the comparisons to the size and length between ZM and Fusion. I consider them to be just about the same, since for me there's really only about a 12 minute difference in total playtime when going for 100% (with Fusion being the longer one). Fusion has alot more items to pick up, but getting them all takes barely any more time than ZM. Actually, Super is definitely the shortest of the three, and I never hear anyone say that Super felt like it was too short.