Welcome to my seventh amiibo Review! I will routinely tell the lore behind the character and then I'll review its amiibo by 3 factors: its presentation, its usefulness and its accessibility as of now. This time, we're looking at Metroid. Oh wait, it's actually the intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran. My bad.
y can't metroid crawl?
A little bit of history...
Samus Aran (or just Samus) originally came from a 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game called Metroid. The game is a cross of the side-scrolling platforming genre that Super Mario Bros. codified, along with the exploration and puzzle-solving gameplay that The Legend of Zelda is known for. At the end of the game, it was revealed that Samus is in fact a woman inside her armored suit, something that caused quite a shock around the world who used to see male protagonists all the time. She became popular enough to warrant sequels, such as Metroid II: Return of Samus on Game Boy, and more interestingly, the classic Super Metroid that was released 1994 on Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and brought a lot of franchise conventions and staples. Just to mention a few things, the map was finally added and the locales are easier to distinguish where you actually are. It also inadvertantly emphasised sequence-breaking, in which there are many ways you could finish the game. And that also includes glitches that let you skip certain portions of the game if you're skilled enough to pull them off. All in all, the sense of discovery has never felt greater than in Super Metroid! In 2002, Metroid Prime is the very first 1st Person Shooter in the franchise and it made the transition from 2D to 3D with flying colors. It was so successful that it spawned sequels and spinoffs the following years.
Presentation
dat dignity
There's really not much to say about the presentation of Samus, though that doesn't mean she isn't among the best looking amiibo out there. At first glance, her pose is quite simplistic, walking upright like a typical android would, although she is still an human being wearing the iconic Varia Suit. All of that made her authoritative and gave her sense of determination. And that applies to every angle you look at.
The nearly entirely metallic paint job on her suit is fantastic, for an humanoid shaped amiibo. Unlike most of the amiibo, try putting her under any lighting and you'll see her shining with her armor that it makes Adam Malkovich so proud of her. It's a shame that it's not possible to see her face in the visor, but it doesn't matter as much, because there's always Zero Suit Samus amiibo coming up soon in North America. Aside from the silver micro-stands that hold her feet in place like the promotional artwork used, these can go pretty much unnoticed, especially when you're only looking in front of her.
Usefulness
Metroid in general may not have as much exposure as the more popular Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda franchises, but you can't deny that it is one of the most beloved Nintendo franchises out there. It's a bit surprising to see that there's quite a fair amount of games supporting her amiibo, therefore making your potential purchase even more rewarding. Assuming that you managed to claim her, you'll certainly get your money's worth.
List of compatible games that Read-Write this amiibo's memory:
- Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U : Use her as a CPU-controlled Smash Fighter and level up to 50.
List of compatible games that reads this amiibo:
- Mario Kart 8 : Unlock Samus Aran suit for Mii characters to wear.
- Hyrule Warriors & Hyrule Warriors Legend : Use him to unlock a weapon from level 3 or below, materials for crafting or even up to 50,000 rupees.
- Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + : Use her to unlock the aircraft F-YF-23A that is themed after the character.
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker : Use him to gain a 1-UP mushroom once per day.
- Mario Party 10 : You get an extra scratch ticket by scanning her amiibo and test your luck by attempting to earn a prize.
- Yoshi's Wooly World (Yarn Yoshi only): Scan her amiibo and receive a motif based on the character.
- One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X (Japan-only): Use her to unlock his outfit that give a special ability for Nico Robin.
- Girls Mode 3: Kirakira Code (Japan-only): Use her to get a chance of earning the Star.
- amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits : Use him to let you play a few "scenes" from NES and SNES titles.
- Super Mario Maker : Scan her amiibo and you'll turn into a 8-bit version of Samus if you grab a certain powerup.
Accessibility
Samus Aran was relatively easier to get in the first 2-3 months since the launch of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Afterwards, she became quite a rare amiibo to get ahold of for the MSRP of $12.99 USD in North America, but still easily found in Europe in case you live in there or attempt importing her. It doesn't help that she didn't seemed to have a lot of demands here than the more popular amiibo, such as Link. In that case, restock is either going to take a long while to come or might not even happen at all until another Metroid game comes in. Chances are, Metroid Galaxy Federation Force for Nintendo 3DS might motivate Nintendo to produce more of her amiibo, since the game would be likely supporting it. That, or the upcoming mainline Metroid game. Either way, Samus may have you go out of your way just to obtain her, but it's still pretty doable if you're really willing to import.
Final verdict
With an outstanding presentation, respectable cross-compatibility and usefulness, Samus comes highly recommended for both hardcore and casual audience. However, her availability might prove to be very challenging if you don't resort to the pricier route of importing. Or just wait for an eventual restock. No matter how you will get her, she's definitely worth the trouble.
Recommendation: GET IT!
y can't metroid crawl?
A little bit of history...
Samus Aran (or just Samus) originally came from a 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game called Metroid. The game is a cross of the side-scrolling platforming genre that Super Mario Bros. codified, along with the exploration and puzzle-solving gameplay that The Legend of Zelda is known for. At the end of the game, it was revealed that Samus is in fact a woman inside her armored suit, something that caused quite a shock around the world who used to see male protagonists all the time. She became popular enough to warrant sequels, such as Metroid II: Return of Samus on Game Boy, and more interestingly, the classic Super Metroid that was released 1994 on Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and brought a lot of franchise conventions and staples. Just to mention a few things, the map was finally added and the locales are easier to distinguish where you actually are. It also inadvertantly emphasised sequence-breaking, in which there are many ways you could finish the game. And that also includes glitches that let you skip certain portions of the game if you're skilled enough to pull them off. All in all, the sense of discovery has never felt greater than in Super Metroid! In 2002, Metroid Prime is the very first 1st Person Shooter in the franchise and it made the transition from 2D to 3D with flying colors. It was so successful that it spawned sequels and spinoffs the following years.
Presentation
dat dignity
There's really not much to say about the presentation of Samus, though that doesn't mean she isn't among the best looking amiibo out there. At first glance, her pose is quite simplistic, walking upright like a typical android would, although she is still an human being wearing the iconic Varia Suit. All of that made her authoritative and gave her sense of determination. And that applies to every angle you look at.
The nearly entirely metallic paint job on her suit is fantastic, for an humanoid shaped amiibo. Unlike most of the amiibo, try putting her under any lighting and you'll see her shining with her armor that it makes Adam Malkovich so proud of her. It's a shame that it's not possible to see her face in the visor, but it doesn't matter as much, because there's always Zero Suit Samus amiibo coming up soon in North America. Aside from the silver micro-stands that hold her feet in place like the promotional artwork used, these can go pretty much unnoticed, especially when you're only looking in front of her.
5/5
Usefulness
Metroid in general may not have as much exposure as the more popular Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda franchises, but you can't deny that it is one of the most beloved Nintendo franchises out there. It's a bit surprising to see that there's quite a fair amount of games supporting her amiibo, therefore making your potential purchase even more rewarding. Assuming that you managed to claim her, you'll certainly get your money's worth.
List of compatible games that Read-Write this amiibo's memory:
- Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U : Use her as a CPU-controlled Smash Fighter and level up to 50.
List of compatible games that reads this amiibo:
- Mario Kart 8 : Unlock Samus Aran suit for Mii characters to wear.
- Hyrule Warriors & Hyrule Warriors Legend : Use him to unlock a weapon from level 3 or below, materials for crafting or even up to 50,000 rupees.
- Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + : Use her to unlock the aircraft F-YF-23A that is themed after the character.
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker : Use him to gain a 1-UP mushroom once per day.
- Mario Party 10 : You get an extra scratch ticket by scanning her amiibo and test your luck by attempting to earn a prize.
- Yoshi's Wooly World (Yarn Yoshi only): Scan her amiibo and receive a motif based on the character.
- One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X (Japan-only): Use her to unlock his outfit that give a special ability for Nico Robin.
- Girls Mode 3: Kirakira Code (Japan-only): Use her to get a chance of earning the Star.
- amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits : Use him to let you play a few "scenes" from NES and SNES titles.
- Super Mario Maker : Scan her amiibo and you'll turn into a 8-bit version of Samus if you grab a certain powerup.
4/5
Accessibility
Samus Aran was relatively easier to get in the first 2-3 months since the launch of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Afterwards, she became quite a rare amiibo to get ahold of for the MSRP of $12.99 USD in North America, but still easily found in Europe in case you live in there or attempt importing her. It doesn't help that she didn't seemed to have a lot of demands here than the more popular amiibo, such as Link. In that case, restock is either going to take a long while to come or might not even happen at all until another Metroid game comes in. Chances are, Metroid Galaxy Federation Force for Nintendo 3DS might motivate Nintendo to produce more of her amiibo, since the game would be likely supporting it. That, or the upcoming mainline Metroid game. Either way, Samus may have you go out of your way just to obtain her, but it's still pretty doable if you're really willing to import.
2/5
Final verdict
With an outstanding presentation, respectable cross-compatibility and usefulness, Samus comes highly recommended for both hardcore and casual audience. However, her availability might prove to be very challenging if you don't resort to the pricier route of importing. Or just wait for an eventual restock. No matter how you will get her, she's definitely worth the trouble.
Recommendation: GET IT!
