This is a list of version differences of games of the Metroid series, including regional, cultural, and revision differences.

Metroid

FDS to NES

The original Metroid was first released on the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and on the NES a year later. Localization and hardware limitations meant that the NES and Famicom Disk versions have several differences. The most notable difference between the two versions is the inclusion of game file saving in the Famicom Disk version, which came on a floppy disk that could be easily written to. At the time, saving to a game cartridge was effectively impossible without the inclusion of an internal battery, a high-cost solution Nintendo opted not to use for Metroid in order to produce more copies of the battery-backed The Legend of Zelda, which Nintendo viewed as the stronger game with higher sales potential. Thus, the NES version of Metroid uses a password system. Future Metroid games would include saving in all versions.

• On the Title Screen, there is a space between the copyright symbol and year 1986.
• Also on the Title Screen, the color of Zebes's surface is changed to a deeper green color than it is on the FDS version of the Title Screen.
• The letter O in the NES version includes a dot in the center, and the number 0 appears to be slashed. This is likely to distinguish between the two characters better.
• Music and sound in the FDS version are much richer than in the NES version, since the former utilizes the system's wavetable sound channel.
  • Title (Metroid), Samus Aran's Appearance Fanfare, Item Acquisition Fanfare, and Ending (Metroid) are the specific tracks that were simplified for the NES release.
• During a Game Over, the words "Game Over" are centered and white in the FDS version, but higher in frame in the NES version, with reduced spacing as well. The color scheme changes depending on the area (for example, if Samus dies in Brinstar, it will be blue).
• The Samus Data Screen in the FDS version includes counters measuring the number of times a file has been played and the amount of hours, or "days", played.
• The NES version includes a "New Game +" feature, in which Samus retains all of her power-ups, but not Energy Tanks or Missile Tanks. If the better endings are scored, she will also be wearing her Justin Bailey suit. In the FDS version, when restarting, the game simply restarts with no power-ups and armorless Samus is not playable.
• In the FDS version, the Missile Counter digits have a blue drop shadow, which also appears on the timer during the countdown at the end of the game. This does not appear in the NES version.
• When fighting Mother Brain in the FDS version, the entire lower half of the Control Capsule will disappear when struck with a Missile; in the NES version, only a small hole will appear in it, through which Samus can attack Mother Brain.
• The ending text is yellow in the NES version, and blue in the FDS version. The line "In the space" from the FDS version is changed to "In space" in the NES version, but the text remains overall poorly translated.
• The credits in the FDS version are blue, and cyan in the NES version, which also changes "Main Programmed By" to "Main Programmers" and "Chief Directed By" to "Chief Director". The credit "Tohryu Mako Benkei" is removed and replaced with "Converted by T . Narihiro". When the credits end, the words "The End" appear. In the FDS version, "Push Start Button" appears underneath, which does not appear in the NES version.
• The directional patterns of attacks from Squeepts, Sidehoppers, Dessgeegas, Polyps, Dragons, Kraid's spinning horns, and Ridley's Plasma Breath vary between versions. They have set patterns in the NES version, but varying patterns in the FDS version, which results in a more challenging game. For example, Polyp projectiles are fired erratically and randomly to both the left and right at different trajectories in the FDS version, but only one of the two directions and a single trajectory in the NES version. This is because the FDS version uses the random number generator in the FDS BIOS, while the NES cartridge version uses a poorly programmed replacement.
• The FDS version has short loading times when moving between the areas of Zebes to load the different tilesets for the graphics. When starting or saving the game and right before the ending, the disk must be flipped.
• The FDS version has much less slowdown than the NES version, most notably during boss battles, in Tourian, and when using the Screw Attack. This is because of the frequent bank-switching necessary in the NES version to access all of the game data, which requires a lot of CPU cycles.
• The Escape theme in the NES version includes an uplifting verse, which the FDS version does not include.
• Samus can rapidly fire in the NES version by holding down the B button, which is not possible in the FDS version.
• The time requirement for the best ending is two hours in the FDS version, and one hour in the NES version.

Nintendo GameCube

Metroid is available on the Nintendo GameCube as a feature in Metroid Prime, unlocked by using a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable to link with a copy of Metroid Fusion containing a completed save file, which is identified with a Metroid to the right of the area in which the file was last saved.

• The color of Zebes's surface is changed from green to orange. This carries over to the Game Boy Advance rereleases of Metroid.
• Several sound effects, such as firing a Missile or using the Screw Attack, are fainter, likely to prevent speakers from overloading.
• It is now possible to save passwords generated when Samus dies. This carries over to the Game Boy Advance rereleases of Metroid.

Game Boy Advance

Metroid is available on the Game Boy Advance as part of the Classic NES Series/Famicom Mini series of rereleases, and as an unlockable feature in Metroid: Zero Mission.

• The logo and text have also been compressed, and in Zero Mission, the year is changed from 1986 to 1986-2004, the year Zero Mission was released. Furthermore, "Push Start Button" has been repaired to simply "Press Start".
• All instances of "pass word" are changed to "password".
• The sound produced when pausing the game plays rather shrilly compared to in previous versions.

Gallery

Metroid II: Return of Samus

Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

• Like all other 3DS Virtual Console games, players may tap the touch screen to access the Virtual Console menu, which allows them to resume the game, create a restore point, load a restore point, or reset the game.
• Like all other Game Boy games on the 3DS Virtual Console, pressing the Y button while holding the L and R shoulder buttons will swap the game's color palette from black and white to grey and green, emulating the appearance of the original Game Boy.
• The periodic rapid blinking on the Title Screen is reduced from four frames in the original Game Boy release to three frames in the Virtual Console version.

Metroid Fusion

• The European version changes "Press Start" on the Title Screen to "Start Game" and adds a Language option. The Screw Attack logo in the Japanese version has a duller color scheme than that of North America and Europe, and replaces the ™ with an ®. The word FUSION is also noticeably larger in the Japanese version.^[1]
• The North American and European versions do not have a customizable difficulty mode, with the game locked to Normal Mode. The Japanese version includes an Easy Mode and Hard Mode.
• The Japanese and Chinese versions include an Adult Mode and Child Mode, which changes the text to kanji or hiragana. This also affects which endings are displayed. Child Mode's endings depict events from Samus's past, and Adult Mode's endings depict Samus in increasingly revealing outfits. The Child Mode endings are inaccessible in Western versions of the game, but can be unlocked by connecting the game to Zero Mission.
• The Japanese version, in addition to the five extra endings obtained through Child Mode, has three additional endings received for completing the game in under two hours with 100% on Hard Mode, achieving 1% completion on Normal Mode, and achieving 1% on Hard Mode. These endings also can be unlocked in the Fusion Gallery by linking the game to Zero Mission.
• The Japanese version will save the sound settings on the Samus Data Screen.
• A Gallery of unlocked ending images becomes available in the Japanese version after completing the game, and can be accessed on the Title Screen, replacing the "Language" option. Obtaining all 13 ending images adds stars on either side of this option.
• In subsequent playthroughs of the Japanese version, the introduction cutscene can be skipped.
• In the Japanese version, the central Morph Ball tunnel in the room outside the Sector 4 (AQA) Data Room is removed, and the other two Powamps are moved farther away.^[2]
• The Japanese version fixes some glitches, notably an out-of-bounds glitch^[3] that allows to skip the Missile Tank in Sector 3 (PYR) more easily.

Gallery

Metroid Prime

Changes are carried over to later versions unless stated otherwise.

0-01 US Player's Choice

• Particle effects in the Thardus battle are modified.
• An invisible wall is placed over the runic gate at the top of the Arboretum.
• If the camera gets stuck when performing a double Bomb Jump on a ledge in the underwater version of Biohazard Containment, it will reset when Samus touches the bottom of the room.
• A trigger is added in Ore Processing, alerting the Wave Trooper on the upper floor if Samus enters the area from the Main Quarry.
• Metroid Quarantine B has minor collision adjustments on the wall to the right of the Quarantine Access B door.
• A softlock in Research Core Access was removed, where if Samus enters from Research Core and stands next to the door, destroys the Sentry Drones, and then walks forward, the doors will lock, trapping her in the room.
• A bug regarding the introduction cutscene for Metroid Prime is fixed, where skipping the cutscene during a white flash causes the screen to stay white.
• "Kerry Anne Odem" is changed to "Kerry Ann Odem" in the ending credits.

Japan

• Saving is quicker, and files take up three blocks instead of one.
• Exclusive to the Japanese version, the Nintendo logo is blue instead of red.
• The Title Screen has a new animation. "Copyright 2002-2003" is also displayed.
• The game demos are different in the Japanese version, likely because they had to include the Japanese text. Although they take place in the same areas, the gameplay is noticeably different.
• The Samus Data Screen can be exited by pressing the B button.
• The font is larger and the dots on top of lower case i's are visible.
  • The English text in the introduction and ending is blue, and Japanese subtitles are also included. This is repeated in the New Play Control! version.
• The introduction^[4] and ending^[5] cutscenes both feature an English-speaking male narrator with English subtitles.
  • When loading a save file, the narrator will announce the name of the current area: Frigate Orpheon, Tallon Overworld, Chozo Ruins, Lava Caves, Ice Valley, Phazon Mines, or Impact Crater.
• Samus's suit has vocalized dialogue for different scenarios, replacing the sounds that play when a Logbook entry is added or a hint is received. The suit also warns Samus of her malfunctioned power-ups on the Frigate Orpheon, if she steps into a superheated room without the Varia Suit, and when she is near Phazon or meta-viprium gas, among other hazards.
• Several more cutscenes can be skipped:
  • Frigate: Parasites
  • Frigate: Meta Ridley
  • Frigate: Escaped/Pursuing Meta Ridley
  • Incinerator Drone Intro
  • Sheegoth Intro
  • Research Entrance
  • Space Pirate Labs: Metroid
  • First Elite Pirate Intro
  • Impact Crater (entering the Artifact Temple)
• Doors open quicker, with occasional crashes in the Chozo Ruins.
• The position of "Next" and "Back" in the Options menu are switched.
  • The Inventory screen displays Samus's current item and scan percentages.
• The warning noise produced by the Threat Assessment when in close proximity to hazardous substances is pitched down.
  • The Threat Assessment gauge will now increase as Samus approaches Phazon rather than only when in contact.
• The "ENERGY" text on the Heads-Up Display no longer has brackets.
• The Missile Counter shows the amount of Missiles that Samus is capable of carrying and the amount she is carrying, instead of just the latter.
• There are three types of Missile Ammo that restore three, five, and ten Missiles instead of just one type that restores five. The old five-Missile pickup is used for the three-Missile pickup.
• Some enemies can drop more pickups when defeated:
  • Scarabs can drop Missile Ammo.
  • Puffers in the Triclops Pit can drop Ultra Energy.
• Samus automatically equips a new Beam when one is obtained.
• New particle effects are added to the Ice Beam's shots.
• The map displays a compass point.
• The sounds produced when the Hint system opens the map are changed.
  • Fewer hints are provided, such as the location of the initial Save Station in the Chozo Ruins, the Energy Tank in Furnace, and the Morph Ball Bombs.
• The sound effect that plays when using a Map Station is changed.
• Damage incurred from touching Phazon is reduced by 13% with the Varia Suit and 20% with the Gravity Suit and Phazon Suit, but damage incurred from touching toxic water in the Chozo Ruins is more than doubled.
• The Scan Dashing glitch is no longer possible.
• A rocket blast effect is added when Samus jumps off of her Gunship upon docking at the Orpheon. A projection shadow is also added under her when she lands.
• When shooting the switches on the Exterior Docking Hangar with lock-on, the lock-on effect will end and the Targeting Reticule will no longer be displayed afterwards.
• Samus will be teleported forward after scanning the first Interface Module on the Orpheon if she is far away.
• The Frigate: Parasites cutscene now displays nine Parasites entering the Map Station instead of two.
• The Parasite Queen displays its death animation before the cutscene plays.
• The Space Pirate in front of the ventilation shaft in Biotech Research Area 1 during the frigate escape sequence is removed.
• The circular stone blocks leading up to the central platform in Hive Totem are adjusted, featuring more steps.
  • The location of Hive Mecha's Scan Point is moved up.
• The root in the Ruined Shrine used for Sequence Breaking is removed. This makes it harder to get into the room above without the Boost Ball.
• The Flaaghra battle theme loops correctly.
• The Twin Fires room has two horizontal flame jets instead of two vertical ones and one horizontal one.
• The Ice Shriekbats do not disappear in Ice Ruins West after the Thermal Visor is acquired.
• Baby Sheegoths have twice as much health.
• If Samus stands near the wall where the Sheegoth appears, it will no longer try to attack her with a close-range breath attack when she is teleported away after the cutscene.
  • The Sheegoth's breath now freezes Samus.
• Sentry Drones have thrice as much health.
• Several rooms in Glacier One are darker, reducing visibility.
  • The two Metroid: Alpha Types are now identified as regular Tallon Metroids.
  • The duplicate Strain 776-V scan in Research Lab Hydra is removed.
• The Power Conduit in the Ruined Courtyard no longer exists until Samus acquires the Thermal Visor.
• The battle with Thardus is altered, requiring the Thermal Visor.
• The rotating shafts in Research Access now send electricity through the center of the room.
• The door to Storage Depot B, where the Grapple Beam is located, is blocked by Bendezium, requiring a Power Bomb to get by.
• The Grapple Beam acquisition cutscene now shows Samus using it, rather than showing the cutscene that plays after collecting a Chozo Artifact, where Samus merely stands still.
• The stalagmite in the Geothermal Core used to obtain the Plasma Beam early is removed, and the metal ring running around the outside of the room was rendered unmountable. Also, Bendezium debris was added in front of the door to Plasma Processing.
• All Trooper Pirates are vulnerable to Power Bombs.
• Elite Pirates have a new sound effect when blocking Samus's Beam fire.
• After the battle with the Cloaked Drone in the Central Dynamo, the door behind the rubble locks until Samus obtains the Power Bomb upgrade.
• Power Bombs can be used to destroy the Omega Pirate's Phazon Armor.
• If Samus defeats the Phazon Elite in Elite Research and leaves the room, the Artifact of Warrior does not disappear.
• The Omega Pirate can no longer be caught off guard by boosting into the room towards the right of its tank and immediately skipping its cutscene.
• The Phazon Suit acquisition cutscene is different.
• After defeating the Omega Pirate, Fission Metroids will begin to appear in the Phazon Mines, including Elite Quarters and Phazon Processing Center, as opposed to just in the Impact Crater.
• The door to the Phazon Processing Center after the Omega Pirate takes longer to open to avoid crashing issues.
• The second part of the Meta Ridley boss fight has several changes:
  • He can perform a ground-stomping attack.
  • He can be successfully stunned using a lock-on as he leans back to charge.
  • The Wavebuster's effectiveness is reduced.
  • He will drop Ultra Energy pickups when:
    • His attacks destroy a pillar entirely. The pillars take three hits to be destroyed from his non-physical attacks. This also applies during the first part of the fight.
    • He is stunned the split second before he charges.
• The area name is not displayed when moving to and from the Tallon Overworld and Impact Crater. This is repeated in the New Play Control! version.
• Lumigeks move in a slightly different pattern.
• The fight with Metroid Prime has several changes:
  • Subchamber Three contains two grooves instead of three, while Subchamber Four only contains one groove instead of three.
    • When Metroid Prime charges across the room, Samus does not bounce out of the grooves.
  • Metroid Prime produces a special noise when it reflects Samus's fire.
    • Samus's reflected Beam shots no longer harm her.
  • When Metroid Prime uses its Snare Beam on Samus, it will close its face, preventing damage to it.
  • Metroid Prime's core essence form has twice as much health and moves twice as fast.
  • When skipping the cutscene that triggers the fight with its core essence form, the boss theme will still play.
• Samus's Gunship looks more detailed as it goes to warp in the final cinematic, and the engine flare is improved.
• The Japanese staff are listed first in the credits. Holding down the analog stick to speed up the credits no longer works.
• A full image of Samus with or without her helmet depending on the ending will appear on the Mission Final screen.

PAL

• Optimized to run on PAL TVs and GameCubes, this version uses the new "slower" loader that prevents crashing. 50Hz and 60Hz refresh rates are available; the game asks when booted if it should switch to 60Hz mode from 50Hz mode, which it will do automatically after several seconds if nothing is selected.
  • At 50Hz, the third Spinner in the Geothermal Core raises much more slowly when done without using the Boost Ball.
• The Samus Data Screen in this version offers a language selection of English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian.
• Logbook entries are rearranged.
• Four Pirate Data Logbook entries found in Elite Control (Metroid Prime, Prime Breach, Prime Mutations, and Chozo Artifacts) are replaced (Impact Crater, Gate System, Artifact, and The Key) in an attempt to fix a plot hole with the Space Pirates interacting with Metroid Prime, which is encountered in the Impact Crater behind an impenetrable containment field. Despite this, Metroid Prime still utilizes Space Pirate technology.
• All 16 Chozo Lore Logbook entries are updated.
• Exclusive to the PAL demo version: the male narrator will voice the introductory "Unidentified space vessel" text as it appears on the screen.
• The Hunter Metroid in Frost Cave is missing.
• In the Main Quarry, the door at the top of the room to Waste Disposal is locked until Samus obtains the Power Bomb.
• The Plasma Artillery Cannon on an Elite Pirate's back is destroyed by attacking the Elite Pirate itself instead of the cannon.
• Exclusive to this version, the narrator announces each area name when moving to and from the Tallon Overworld and Impact Crater.
• European staff credits are only present in the PAL version.

0-02 US Player's Choice

Functionally the same as the original North American version, with many glitches and exploits still fixed.

• The glowing spidervine used to obtain the Space Jump Boots early in the Tallon Overworld cannot be locked onto.
• The Missile Launcher cannot be acquired early unless Samus comes from behind, because the Hive Mecha battle trigger area is much larger.
• Doors load much slower, fixing the GameCube console's crashes in the Chozo Ruins.^[6]
• A lock is placed on the door to Plasma Processing, which deactivates when the Grapple Beam is collected.
• Collecting a Power Bomb Expansion will also unlock the door in the Main Quarry.
• After defeating the Phazon Elite in Elite Research, the doors will remain locked until the Artifact of Warrior is collected.
• Like the PAL version, the Hunter Metroid in Frost Cave is removed.

New Play Control! Metroid Prime

• The game supports 16:9 widescreen.
• The Title Screen has a new animation again, and "Copyright 2002-2009" is displayed.
• New clips are present in the attract mode.
• The Samus Data Screen is redesigned so that its user interface resembles that of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It is now possible to copy files from one slot to another.
• There are three difficulty levels, Normal Mode, Veteran Mode, and Hard Mode. The Normal Mode difficulty is a new, easier difficulty, while Veteran Mode reproduces the Normal Mode difficulty in the original GameCube release. Hard Mode still requires completing the game to unlock.
• When starting from a previous save, Logbook entries will be retained.
• Bonus material is unlocked by collecting and spending Bonus Credits throughout the game.
  • The Screen-Shot Tool from Corruption can be unlocked and used.
  • The Fusion Suit is now unlocked with the Bonus Credit system after finishing the game, and costs one Orange Credit and two Silver Credits to unlock.
• Metroid is no longer unlockable as a bonus, due to its availability on Virtual Console.
• The game has a control scheme similar to Corruption. The Spring Ball is also included and can be used by flicking the Wii Remote up, but only once the Morph Ball Bombs have been regained.
  • Due to the availability of the Spring Ball, some Morph Ball platforming passages become easier (or even safer) to navigate than in the GameCube version. For example, Transport Tunnel A in the Magmoor Caverns contains some blocks in the lava in front of a ledge that would give way and cause Samus to fall (and scorch herself) after they are hit with two Morph Ball Bombs, which punishes those who do not properly use the Morph Ball Bombs to jump in the GameCube version. This can be easily bypassed with the Spring Ball in the Wii version.
  • When the Wii Remote aims at the edge of the screen, the HUD withdraws and shows a white circuitry pattern like the one in Corruption.
  • Unlike in Corruption, if Samus aims at the center of the screen and keeps the Wii Remote still, she will put her hand on the Arm Cannon.
• The Sight Window is circular instead of rectangular and features a reticule.
• Bloom lighting is added throughout the game, most noticeably during the Thardus battle.
• Doors open much faster, with no likelihood of crashing.
• The spinning GameCube in the Options menu is changed to a Wii.
  • The Visor, Display, Sound, and Controller options are reordered.
• The names of Beams will not show up on the map screen legend until the Beam is acquired.
• Samus no longer automatically equips a new Beam when one is obtained.
• The Charge Meter that fills up as the Charge Beam is being charged has been removed.
• Particle effects on the Charge Beam, such as frost forming on the Ice Beam, and water ripple effects are removed.
• A glitch involving the Power Beam's shots displaying the Charge Beam effect is fixed.
• The narrator in the introduction and finale cutscenes lacks subtitles.
• Samus's suit uses all of its quotes.
• The Blue Doors in Exterior Docking Hangar and Reactor Core Entrance cannot be opened with a Missile.
• During the Orpheon's self-destruct sequence, the tutorial prompt for the Grapple Beam that should show up in Biotech Research Area 2 is missing, due to an apparent bug.
• The elevator animations used when loading a new area are shown at an incorrect aspect ratio, regardless of widescreen setting.
• During the boss fight against Hive Mecha, the doors will lock, even as the toxic water rises, to fully prevent players from trying to escape the Hive Totem until the battle is finished.
• Baby Sheegoths have reduced health.
• The Ice Shriekbats in Ice Ruins West will disappear again after finding the Thermal Visor.
• The missing Hunter Metroid in the Frost Cave is readded.
• The Wavebuster no longer paralyzes enemies.
• Ice Troopers can no longer be shattered with a Missile after being frozen with the Ice Beam.
• Space Pirates struck by a Power Bomb will be paralyzed and thrown back, similarly to the effect of a Missile or Super Missile.
• Samus can no longer jump when standing on a Stone Toad.
• A graphical glitch is introduced involving the Arm Cannon when using the X-Ray Visor: Samus's hand is no longer affected by recoil.
• The Boost Ball will no longer heavily damage Meta Ridley.
• The Infinite Speed glitch is fixed.

Metroid Prime Trilogy

• The Title Screen is replaced.
• Hard Mode is renamed Hypermode.
• "NEXT" is changed to "SELECT" in the Options menu.
• Eight Chozo Lore entries are slightly altered again. Notably, the Chozo describe the Phazon corrupting the planet at a much quicker rate, which is more consistent with the rapid effects seen in Corruption. The 12 Chozo Artifacts are also mentioned more prominently.
• The narrator is absent in the North American version, and appears in the introduction and finale in the PAL version.
• Samus's suit only says "Recorded to Logbook" and "Data received" in the North American version.
• Additional credits are displayed before the original credits.

Metroid Prime Remastered

Gameplay

• The logo that appears in the Title Screen has a animation that appears for all versions. This logo animation was not used in the original American GameCube version, as it was just a simple fade-in effect.
• Different clips are present in the attract mode. The first three are from the European versions and the final four are from the American/Korean versions.
• The main menu has been redesigned with a modernized appearance.
  • The Samus Data Screen is also redesigned and it now shows the number of Energy Tanks collected so far.
• New concept artwork and model galleries, as well as a Soundtrack Gallery, are included, the majority of their contents being unlocked by completing requirements throughout the game.
  • These requirements include: collecting each of the primary power-ups (excluding Energy Tanks and expansions), completing 25% of the Logbook and item collection ratios each time, defeating Meta Ridley and Metroid Prime, and completing the game on Normal Mode and Hard Mode.
• The Options menu replaces the Wii with a Nintendo Switch, with its Joy-Cons attached.
  • The "Bonus Credit Messages" option is replaced with an "Extras Alerts" option.
  • A Color Assist option is added for color-blind players.
  • The male narrator at the beginning of the game and additional Suit Voice clips are readded, with options to enable or disable them.
  • The Screen-Shot Tool and Fusion Suit are not present, the former's functionality being replaced with the Switch's built-in camera feature.
• Difficulty modes (Normal Mode, Veteran Mode, and Hypermode) are renamed Casual Mode, Normal Mode, and Hard Mode.
• A loading screen that depicts Samus's current location is added, with a loading symbol resembling the Chozo Artifacts.
• Doors now open much faster due to increased loading speed.
• The Targeting Reticle is now blue instead of green, and always appear even when using the Classic control scheme.
• The "ENERGY" text in the HUD is replaced with a series of dots denoting capacity for Energy Tanks.
  • The "Energy Low" text is changed from orange to red and it now appears on the top of the HUD on the Energy Tank capacity. The "Energy Low" text also adds a red shadow effect behind it.
  • During boss fights, the boss energy bar and energy text now have a shadow to make them more readable in the difficult to read parts, like when the fog is active in Thardus's fight.
• The arrows indicating the rising or lowering of Threat Assessment meter and Missile Counter are removed.
  • When firing Missiles, the consuming part of Missile Counter is now colored yellow instead of dark electric blue.
• The Missile Counter in the HUD now highly resembles that in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. The Missile Counter (next to the Missile icon) represents a fraction, whereas the numerator represents how many Missiles that Samus is now carrying, and the denominator represents the maximum Missiles that she can carry, much like in Echoes, though they show three digits instead like in New Play Control! Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime Trilogy version of it. However, the Missile meter and the Missile icon still remain and function the same as the original version.
  • The "Missiles Low" and "Depleted" texts now appear on top of the Missile Counter.
• The Scan Visor is mapped to the right directional button instead of the left one, swapping places with the X-Ray Visor, though the Classic control scheme will revert this change.
• Much like in New Play Control! Metroid Prime, the Morph Ball has the Spring Ball included as long as Morph Ball Bombs are also reclaimed.
• The Grapple Beam tutorial on the Orpheon is restored.
• The malfunction text when Samus loses her power-ups is red instead of blue.
• Tower Chamber is renamed Meditation Chamber.
• The title of the Missile Door Lock Logbook entry is changed to Blast Shield.
• The Tallon Metroid's scan refers to it specifically as a "Tallon Metroid" instead of simply "Metroid", retroactively adopting the name introduced in Echoes.
• The Charge Beam fires three shots for the Power Beam prior to charging, or two shots for the Wave Beam and Plasma Beam, instead of one. This makes consecutive charged shots with the latter two Beams slightly slower.
  • Releasing the fire button near the beginning of the charging animation will release the shot rather than cancel it entirely.^[7]
• When standing in Phazon puddles, the onscreen text now says "Hypermode" instead of "Hyper-mode".
• The visor selection and Beam selection sections can switch places in the Options menu. The visor selection and Beam selection is on the left side and on the right side of the HUD by default, respectively, like in the original Metroid Prime.
• The credits are updated to feature the remaster's development team, and not the original team. This led to criticism from Zoid Kirsch and Jack Mathews.

Graphics

• The force field of hatches has been redesigned and is now akin to that of the doors from Aether. The alteration to its transparency, however, caused criticism from Zoid Kirsch once again.
• The HUD is slightly redesigned.
  • The "ENERGY" text in the HUD is removed, and is replaced with an energy counter along with the capacity for Energy Tanks (see above).
    • The line between the energy counter and Energy Meter with Energy Tank capacity is removed, and is replaced with a thin square surrounding the energy counter and a thin rectangle surrounding the energy meter and the Energy Tank capacity.
    • The two corners on top of Energy Meter are now replaced with thick brackets which surrounds the Energy Meter.
  • The radar and the map in two corners of the HUD now have their surrounding brackets extended, and the brackets are seperated into two sections: surrounding the radar (or map) and next to the Energy Meter (like in the original version).
    • The cut section of the map now blurs.
  • The arrows connected with danger icon and Missile icon now resembles arrowheads (or greater/smaller signs - > or <).
  • The arrows indicating the rising or lowering of Threat Assessment meter and Missile Counter are removed.
    • When firing Missiles, the consuming part of Missile Counter is now colored yellow instead of dark electric blue.
  • The Missile Counter in the HUD now highly resembles that in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, though they show three digits like in New Play Control! Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime Trilogy version of it (see above).
  • The visor selection and Beam selection sections have widened and no longer have four corners on the right side of the HUD surrounding the currently used visor (or currently used Beam, depending on which selection section is on the right). However, switching visors can cause four corners to appear and disappear within less than a second, on the right side of the HUD.
  • When using Morph Ball, the Energy Meter and Morph Ball Bomb counter are moved to the center and combined, like in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, albeit located in the top-center of the HUD. The Power Bomb counter is moved to the opposite position of the Bomb counter, and the line between these counters are removed.
  • The brackets surrounding the danger icon (the exclamation mark) and the Missile icon in the HUD are now much thinner.
    • The exclamation mark (!) of the Threat Assessment meter is now smaller than that in the original version and surrounded by two another brackets, which are slightly similar, to round brackets, though they are rougher.
  • The Scan Point is heavily redesigned.
    • It has its symbol changed from the Chozo Artifact-like symbol to a plus sign (+) extended to the edges of it, with the same color as its outline.
    • Its symbol also has a rounded square, which is similar to it, but the rounded square is darker and smaller, and behind the plus sign.
    • The Scan Point and the rounded square are also connected with four lines to their corners, which resemble the 2-D cubical graph, albeit slightly round.

• Visual effects on the Arm Cannon when charging and water ripple effects are reintroduced.
  • Samus will briefly let go of the Arm Cannon when she fires a charged shot.^[8] Note that this does not occur when using the default dual-stick control scheme.
  • The Plasma Beam has visible magma on the Arm Cannon (resembling its appearance in the prototype build of the original game) and the Beam's charged shots now appear as a swirling beam of energy, similar to the Wave Beam's shots from Metroid: Other M.
• The Arm Cannon's bobbing when moving is reduced, and the HUD now tilts slightly when something explodes near Samus.^[8]
• A new animation is used when the Arm Cannon is pointed at a wall, tilting it to the left. If Classic controls are enabled, Samus will take her hand off the Arm Cannon.^[8]
• Light sources from Beam shots and the Morph Ball no longer illuminate surrounding environments.^[8]
  • The lights that are emitted from the Morph Ball (yellow with the Power Suit, blue with the Varia Suit, green with the Spider Ball, purple with the Gravity Suit, and red with the Phazon Suit) are more saturated.
• Samus's face model is altered, more closely resembling its recent appearances in Other M and Dread. The visor is now less transparent.
  • It is now possible to see Samus's face reflected in the visor when firing Missiles close to a wall.^[8]
• Enemies now cast more detailed shadows instead of simple round shadows.^[7]
• The Gunship's thrusters now emit smoke.^[7]
• When Samus loses her power-ups on the Orpheon, the energy currents that surround her suit are different.
• Falling rain on Samus's Arm Cannon now splashes and flows dynamically, adapting to the grooves in the Arm Cannon when being aimed.^[7]
  • Raindrops can be seen on the green window of the Artifact Temple, and the mosaic-like pattern on the window has been turned into imperfections in the glass.^[8]
• The Chozo Ruins skybox is no longer static and it now shows moving clouds.^[7]
• The wind in desert areas of the Chozo Ruins is reduced, while the volume of falling sand in some rooms has increased.^[8]
• The lens flare effect in the Main Plaza is significantly reduced.^[7]
• The light sources in Crossway Access West are shorter and their glare when the visor is in their line of sight has been removed.^[7]
• Wall hangings in the Chozo Ruins no longer display Samus's reflection.
• Butterflies now more closely resemble mosquitoes, and are quieter.^[8]
• Lava now more closely resembles a flowing substance, with rippling and splashes on its surface, and a new heat distortion effect has been added in superheated environments.^[8]
• Flame jets are shorter, and they now illuminate the surrounding environment.^[7]
• Red magma crystals are no longer transparent.^[8]
• Puddle Spores now produce ripples and a larger splash in lava when they are upturned.^[7]
• Falling snow in outdoor areas of the Phendrana Drifts, particularly Phendrana Shorelines and Phendrana Canyon, is reduced and more subtle.^[8]
• Blue Phazon is now painted colorful liquidy blue, with surfaces containing Phazon appearing bright and moss-like, which shares the color trait with lava, albeit azure blue instead of red-orange. Phazon particles are now redesigned to match with the Phazon particles in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
  • It now emits glowing electric blue particles instead of black particles with glowing dark blue outlines, and no longer forms static electricity. The particles that Phazon emits are now smaller.
  • This also applies to Red Phazon, albeit emitting glowing orange particles.
• The light effect on exploding projectiles dropped by Pulse Bombus is removed, and they no longer reflect Samus's face in her visor. The projectiles have gained a lens flare effect.^[8]
• A motion blur effect has been added to the Thermal Visor. In superheated areas, the blur and lower contrast make seeing with the Thermal Visor more difficult.^[7]
  • The heat signature of each Beam configuration is more accurately detected by the Thermal Visor. The Ice Beam naturally emits no heat signature, and turns even darker in the Thermal Visor when it is charged. The Plasma Beam emits the most heat, with its signature completely engulfing the Arm Cannon when it is charging. When the Power Beam is rapidly fired, it warms up, and cools down when the shooting ceases. The interior portions of the Arm Cannon heat up more when the Wave Beam is charged compared to the exterior.^[7]
• Certain cutscenes, such as Samus landing in the Quarantine Cave, or running from Thardus's destruction, have been remade with increased focus or zoom and new animations.^[7]
  • During the ending scene where Samus watches the Artifact Temple, she no longer removes her helmet with her left hand, instead dissolving it in a similar fashion to how she removes her helmet in Corruption.

Gallery

Metroid: Zero Mission

• The Japanese version, like Fusion, includes Adult Mode and Child Mode, which change the text to kanji or hiragana.
  • Adult Mode is the only language option to feature a name of a location in both English and Japanese. All other language options feature one name in the language chosen.
• In the European version of the game, two Missile Blocks in the Space Pirate Mother Ship are changed. Instead of coming back after being destroyed and leaving the room they were in, they remain destroyed.^[9]

Gallery

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Changes are carried over to later versions unless stated otherwise.

PAL

• The font in the Samus Data Screen is bolded and the "time elapsed" display is changed.
• It is no longer possible to perform a Slope Jump from the half-pipe in Meeting Grounds onto the top of the War Wasp Hive, as the dimensions of the structure were altered.
• The Ingsphere Cache in Venomous Pond near the Save Station used to obtain the third Dark Temple Key of Dark Torvus Bog without the Grapple Beam is removed.

Japan

• The game's title in Japan is Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes.
• Exclusive to the Japanese version, the Nintendo logo is blue instead of red.
• "Press Start" and "Copyright 2004-2005" are added to the title screen.
• Similar to Prime, although the demo movies run in the same order with the same settings and enemies, the actual contents are different.
• In the Samus Data Screen, the font is not bolded and the button icons on the bottom of the screen are mirrored from left to right.
• The introduction text has Japanese subtitles.
• The music played when acquiring the Energy Transfer Module or a Dark Temple Key is different.
• It is no longer possible to boost through the bottom-right corner of the second and third Luminoth Webbings, which resulted in the webs disappearing and the sacs suspended in midair.
• It is no longer possible to bypass having to drop the first and second solar lenses in the Portal Terminal, where only the third solar lens is required to trigger the cutscene that energizes the Portal generation system.
• The Jump Guardian's invisible preloaded form can no longer be damaged before the fight with it begins, as it only loads after the cutscene.
• It is no longer possible to stand on top of the laser that leads to the Grapple Guardian's room.
• The glitch where Samus receives a massive increase in jumping height by standing in Dark Water before shooting off the last part that keeps the Chykka Larva attached to the wall is fixed.
• The sonic locks in Main Research will no longer disappear if Samus moves more than two rooms away without unlocking all of them.

New Play Control! Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes

• The game supports 16:9 widescreen.
• The multiplayer mode runs at 60 FPS in three or four players instead of 30 FPS, and Charge Beams graphical effects are retained in two players.
• New clips are present in the attract mode.
• The Samus Data Screen is redesigned so that its user interface resembles that of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It is now possible to copy files from one slot to another.
• There are three difficulty modes, Normal Mode, Veteran Mode, and Hard Mode. The Normal Mode difficulty is a new, easier difficulty mode, while Veteran Mode reproduces the Normal Mode difficulty in the original GameCube release. Hard Mode still requires completing the game to unlock.
• When starting from a previous save, Logbook entries will be retained.
• Bonus material is unlocked by collecting and spending Bonus Credits throughout the game.
  • The Screen-Shot Tool from Corruption can be unlocked and used.
• The game has a control scheme similar to that of Corruption. The Spring Ball is also included and can be used by flicking the Wii Remote up, but only once the Morph Ball Bomb ability is regained.
  • When the Wii Remote aims at the edge of the screen, the HUD withdraws and shows a white circuitry pattern like the one in Corruption.
  • Unlike Corruption, if Samus aims at the center of the screen and keeps the Wii Remote still, she will put her hand on the Arm Cannon.
• The Sight Window is circular instead of rectangular.
• Doors open much faster, with no likelihood of crashing.
• The names of the Beams will not show up on the map screen legend until the Beam is acquired.
• The Light Beam and Dark Beam's positions on the HUD have been swapped (the Dark Beam now appears on the lefthand side of the rightmost Missile bar, and the Light Beam appears on the right; these positions are also reflected when changing Beams).
• The Charge Meter that fills up as the Charge Beam is being charged is removed.
• The four lights on top of Samus's HUD indicate an estimation of the Wii Remote's battery life.
• Some Luminoth Lore locations have been changed.
• Logbook entries for Light Portals and Dark Portals can be scanned from any active Portal, not just Portals generated by fixed machines.
• Locked doors will resemble white hatches, rather than appearing de-energized.
• Damage incurred from touching the Boost Guardian in its amorphous form is reduced.
• The Spider Guardian's hitbox is smaller, granting Samus more protection through walls.
  • The "Zoom" text is removed from the HUD, though zooming is still possible.
• When the Ingsmashers in the Hall of Combat Mastery awaken, the doors will lock until they are defeated.
• A message no longer appears when collecting Samus's first Power Bomb Ammo.
• Worker Splinters will still appear in the GFMC Compound upon revisits, scavenging the Galactic Federation Trooper corpses. Additionally, the bodies of defeated Dark Troopers in this room no longer remain.
• When entering a Phazon-rich area inhabited by Dark Tallon Metroids, the Impact Crater theme from Metroid Prime will play.
• The theme played during an Energy Controller restoration cutscene is extended instead of simply looping.
• The theme for the Dark Troopers is altered, and now plays every time they show up.
• The Ing Battle theme plays in Training Chamber when the Blogglings become Dark Bloggs.
• Main Gyro Chamber will play the Elevator Theme until both gyroscopic rings are deactivated.
• The Emperor Ing's final form no longer has a small spot vulnerable to the Screw Attack. Furthermore, its Logbook entry has been updated, fully replacing its Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc entry.

Metroid Prime Trilogy

• The Title Screen is replaced.
• Hard Mode is renamed Hypermode.
• Additional credits are displayed before the original credits.

Metroid Prime Hunters

• In the Japanese version, there are additional credits, which are noted on that article.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Changes are carried over to later versions unless stated otherwise.

PAL

• During the Ready Room cutscene, Fleet Admiral Castor Dane says "No!" when he realizes that the Space Pirates are targeting the planetary-defense system on Norion, as opposed to "Damn!" The subtitles remove the word completely.
• Munitions Storage is renamed Data Storage A, and Data Storage is renamed Data Storage B.
• During the Norion countdown, if the game is played in any language other than English, "Meteor impact in # minutes" will flash onscreen in red text on every minute. This is because the voice warning, like the rest of the dubbing, is only in English.
• Leviathan Seeds can be seen exploding when Samus leaves them.
• On the first visit to Botanica on Eastern SkyTown, Elysia, the room is full of Sky Puffers. "Dragoon" Battle Drones appear on further visits.
• In the Turbine Chamber, the Spinners cannot be used until the Berserker Lord is defeated.
• The rotary hatch in the Piston Hall room on Eastern SkyTown is removed; Sky Puffers now inhabit the area.
• The Spring Ball and Seeker Missiles are more reliable.
• Bosses have their own subcategory in the Creatures section of the Logbook.
• The green-colored turrets on the Pirate Homeworld are assigned the name Despair-Class Turret and have their own Logbook entry.
• Anti-Phazon Units now have large versions.
• The Leviathan Infant has more health.

Japan

• Exclusive to the Japanese version, the difficulty selection is removed in favor of a Galactic Federation survey that occurs before major gameplay. Depending on the choices, the game sets its difficulty mode.
• Some of the NCL credits are rearranged compared to the English version. Japanese developers have their names written in Japanese first, with the romanizations in parentheses. Additionally, Tomoko Ichikawa (Japanese text art), Yuji Ichijo (localization support), Tomoaki Kuroume, Shigeo Kimura and Super Mario Club (all special thanks) are credited in the Japanese version exclusively.^[10]

Metroid Prime Trilogy

• The title screen is replaced.
• The Bryyo Cliffside theme is extended.
• The Boss Reptilian theme is modified to include the clacking and clanking beat heard in the Boss Reptilian2 theme.
• The first few seconds of the Space Pirate battle theme played when fighting them at the Temple of Bryyo are louder.
• The Metroid Battle Theme and Bryyo Thorn Jungle themes have been removed from the Soundtrack Gallery, and replaced with the Berserker Lord and Aurora Unit 313 themes.
• The "Armored Pirate" in Concourse no longer has a separate Logbook entry or grants an extraneous Red Credit.
• Three of the Galactic Federation Data locations are changed.
• The inactive terminal in Data Storage B on Norion can now be scanned, providing the codes to hear the secret messages on the Transmission Console in Samus's Gunship.
• The Piston Hall no longer contains Sky Puffers or a rotary hatch, and now contains an alternating Force Field blocking the northern side of the room.
• The final scene in the SkyTown migration cutscene is changed to a lower, wider shot of the facility moving towards the Leviathan Seed (it is originally a top-down, distant view).
• The glowing effect of the Hazard Shield (which indicates that Samus is being shielded from a hazardous substance) is removed while standing in pools of concentrated Phazon.
• In Mine Lift, activating one Spinner and moving more than two rooms away will not deactivate the other Spinner.
• When Dark Samus is defeated, the sound heard when receiving her Gold Credit is now the same as when other bosses are killed; before, it was the same sound when receiving a Friend Voucher.
• Additional credits are displayed before the original credits.

Other

• Some Spanish versions of the game feature a Logbook entry for the Anti-Air Cannon "Tiamat".

Gallery

Metroid: Other M

• The English version of Other M allows the player to select French or Spanish subtitles, but the Japanese voice dub is not accessible. The voices and subtitles can be changed between English and Japanese in the Japanese version. It is likely that Japanese voices cannot be selected in the American version because of licensing issues with the voice actors. In the European version, French, Spanish, German, and Italian subtitles can be selected.

References