Talk:Metroid: Zero Mission/Evidence

The following is explicit evidence of Zero Mission's remake status. All evidence to the contrary is merely made up of insigificant inconsistencies in the map and other details.

Zero Mission box description
The main description from the back of the box of Metroid: Zero Mission:

"THE FULL STORY OF SAMUS ARAN'S FIRST MISSION FINALLY UNFOLDS... The first Metroid game just scratched the surface of the cataclysmic events on planet Zebes, and at long last the rest of the tale has come to light. Experience the first of Samus's legendary adventures through all-new cut-scenes and action sequences as the bounty hunter races through the deeps toward her showdown with the leader of the Space Pirates. But will the end of Mother Brain really mean the end of the story...?"


 * http://www.gameexpress.com/images/product/original/045496733445B.JPG

Metroid and Zero Mission manual comparison
Excerpts from the manuals of Zero Mission and Metroid:

M: In the year 2000 of history of the cosmos, representatives from the many different planets in the galaxy established a congress called the Galactic Federation, and an age of prosperity began.

ZM: In the year 2003 of the Cosmic Calendar, representatives from the many different planets in the galaxy established a congress called the Galactic Federation, and an age of prosperity began.

M: It is now year 20X5 of the history of the cosmos, and something terrible has happened.

ZM: In the year 20X5 of the Cosmic Calendar, a terrible incident occurred.

M: As a last resort, the Federation Police have decided on this strategy: to send a space hunter to penetrate the center of the fortress and destroy the Mother Brain. The space hunter chosen for this mission is Samus Aran. He is the greatest of all the space hunters and has completed numerous missions that everybody thought were absolutely impossible.

ZM: As a last resort, the Federation Police decided on a risky strategy: to send a lone space hunter to penetrate the pirate base and destroy the mechanical life-form that controlled the fortress and its defenses - the Mother Brain. The space hunter chosen for this mission was Samus Aran. Considered the greatest of all the bounty hunters, Samus had successfully completed numerous missions that others had thought impossible. Despite her accomplishments, much of Samus's true identity remained wrapped in mystery.

M: Samus has now succeeded in penatrazing Zebes. But time is running out. Will he be able to destroy the Metroid and save the galaxy?

ZM: Alone, Samus Aran successfully landed on the surface of Zebes, which was, in fact, the planet where Samus was raised as a child. Burying all memories of the planet, Samus agreed to carry out this mission and face the traps of the Mother Brain. But the question remained: could Samus Aran truly complete this task and return peace and order to the galaxy?


 * http://metroid.retrofaction.com/resources/m1manual.txt
 * http://metroid.retrofaction.com/resources/zmmanual.txt

Metroid Chronicles
Nintendo has created a Metroid Prime 2: Echoes bonus disc that is available from one of three sources: the Metroid Prime re-release bundle, by registering 5 GameCube games online, or as an option when you subscribe to Nintendo Power. The disc includes a playable demo of the game, as well as a "Metroid Chronicles" feature that arranges the games (those that had been released at the time, at least) in a historical timeline. The ordering is as follows:


 * Metroid
 * Metroid: Zero Mission
 * Metroid Prime
 * Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
 * Metroid II: the Return Of Samus
 * Super Metroid
 * Metroid Fusion

Additionally, there is a short text summary that accompanies each game:

Metroid:

Nintendo Entertainment System ( NES ) Release Date: 1989 "A research vessel dispatched by the galactic federation discovers and captures a strange life-form called a "Metroid" on the planet SR-388. However, on its way back to federation HQ, the research vessel is attacked by Space Pirates, who steal the Metroid. Once they discover the Metroid's ability to multiply through beta-ray exposure, the Space Pirates conspire to make use of the Metroids in their plot to take over the universe. To stop them, Samus lands on the planet Zebes and single-handedly destroys their underground base &mdash; and their leader Mother Brain &mdash; after a series of intense battles."

Zero Mission:

Game Boy Advance ( GBA ) Release Date: Febuary 2004 "In an expanded look at Samus' first mission to Zebes, the bounty hunter heads to Zebes to wipe out the Space Pirate threat. However, this story doesn't end after Samus destroys the Mother Brain &mdash; As she escapes the planet, her ship is shot down by Space Pirates and she crash lands on the surface of Zebes, near where the Space Pirate Mother Ship has landed. Having lost her power-suit in the crash, Samus must infiltrate the Space Pirate ship and fight her way off the planet."


 * http://faqs.neoseeker.com/Games/GC/metroid_prime_2_demo_samusx10.txt

Director roundtable interview
Various quotes from an official Nintendo Q&A session with Yoshio Sakamoto, the director of Metroid: Zero Mission.

"Sakamoto: So, to answer the question on why Zero Mission is based on the NES version of Metroid: our basic development concept was that we wanted to return to the roots of Metroid gameplay. I'm sure that you're aware that Metroid Fusion was a different style of game from all the Metroid titles up until then. We wanted to show people who had never played a Metroid game prior to Metroid Fusion, the roots of the Metroid franchise, that this is what Metroid is, this is the style of gameplay that Metroid sprang from...at the same time, retell the story of Samus' original mission."

"Q: In your mind, what has been the greatest challenge in the development of Zero Mission, and how was it overcome?"

"Sakamoto: Any time you do a remake there's always the possibility that it could be taken negatively as a mere port other than a truly remade game. One of our biggest challenge was to add enough elements to make the game feel like something that's new, while not straying far from the original Metroid, to lose the meaning of what we were trying to do. We spent a lot of time balancing those two elements in addition to actually working in elements that we hadn't seen before in a Metroid game, finding a way to implement them in Zero Mission...and then finding a way to balance this gameplay and make it into something people would enjoy."

"Q: Besides the extra adventure beyond Mother Brain, what would you say are the major differences between Zero Mission and the original NES game?"

"Sakamoto: We've added new enemies, new items, and new puzzles to the game. So if we were to say it was a completely new game we wouldn't be entirely off-base. Obviously we used the original Metroid as the base for Zero Mission, and the concept was to take that original gameplay and rework it into something that felt fresh and new, while still keeping elements from the original game that people would be familiar with."

"Q. What are you most pleased with in the game now that it's drawn to a close?"

"Sakamoto: We had a lot of challenges to face, but the biggest one for me was finding a way to implement this new style of gameplay at the end of the game. We spent a lot of time working on that, and I feel that it was something that turned out to be very good, and something new that feels like Metroid. So I'm glad we were able to get that into the game, in a form that we felt was complete and well done."

"Q. What challenges did you face in reworking or reinventing a new storyline for the character in Zero Mission?

"Sakamoto: I wouldn't necessarily call it a remaking of the backstory. We've taken this opportunity to explore the backstory a little bit more. With Metroid Zero Mission not using text-based messaging or language in the game, we've used more visual cinematics to express the story through her recollections or memory. Through that, we've created a story that is open to interpretation to the player, and as people play I think they'll interpret Samus' past based on what they take on those cinematics. So I think in a way it's expanding on the story at the same time retaining some of the mystery of it."


 * http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/488/488084p1.html

Nintendo's Letter
E-mail correspondence with customer service from Nintendo.com follows:


 * Nsider Member: Hello. We at NSider are having a debate on whether or not Metroid Zero Mission is a remake of Metroid 1 (located here [you must skim through the entire thread to see what we are talking of]), which has lasted for 632 posts, translating into 64 pages of sensless bickering. Also, another thread, which was locked, contained 188 posts, or 19 pages. Overall, this 73 page debate is getting quite old, if you ask us.


 * So, I will ask one final time before I resort to sending snail mail to the main division of Nintendo. I hope that whoever reads this resorts to asking someone who worked on the American localization of Zero Mission or even someone from the Japanese team that worked on it.


 * To my question: Is Metroid Zero Mission a remake of Metroid 1, or is it a brand new adventure? Please do not give me the sales pitch, as I have head it three times before. I am looking for a straight answer at whehter or not Zero Mission is indeed a remake or brand new game. There can be no inbetween, for this debate will continue if there is no straight answer. It is either "yes, it's a remake", or "no, it is not a remake". We debatees will not settle for anything less.


 * Thank you for your time, and I pray you will give us a straight answer.

Reply:


 * Hello and thank you for contacting Nintendo,


 * As we told you in our previous email, while there are a lot of similarities between Metroid 1 and Metroid: Zero Mission, and the world is the same one used in the original, there are quite a few new things added. So yes, it is like the first one, but I would also have to say no, as new enemies and other surprises have been added.


 * I can certainly understand your curiosity, but the best way to answer the questions you have is to either play the game, and make the comparison yourself, or go to www.nintendo.com and check out the information there.


 * I hope this is helpful.


 * Thanks for your email!


 * Nintendo of America Inc.
 * Sharon Matheny

Nintendo's Letter 2
This is a follow-up e-mail asking for more clarification than simply "is it a remake or not". Most of the text is from the Nintendo site, but Mr. Chandler adds an actual response at the bottom.

Note that this correspondence was started by Poiuyt Man, a Wikipedia editor, and it is not documented anywhere else. As such, it may be considered original research, which would make it invalid as a cited source within the article. However, it is about as verifiable as the above e-mail, as one would need to contact Sharon Matheny or Mike Chandler to check the veracity of the statements.


 * Attn: Sharon Matheny (if possible)


 * A previous e-mail from a NSider forum member asked, "Is Metroid Zero Mission a remake of Metroid 1, or is it a brand new adventure?", to which you responded, "yes, it is like the first one, but I would also have to say no, as new enemies and other surprises have been added."


 * Sorry to bug you again about it, but I'm asking for a little clarification. I've provided questions that are more specific.


 * Is the story depicted in Zero Mission, up until Samus destroys Mother Brain, the same story depicted in the original Metroid? More specifically, do these games occupy the same spot on the Metroid timeline? Or does Zero Mission have a different place on the timeline, prior to or after Metroid?


 * Thanks,
 * Jason McCay

Reply:


 * Hi,


 * The following is a description of Metroid: Zero Mission:


 * Metroid: Zero Mission begins right where the original Metroid game opened, as interstellar bounty hunter Samus Aran infiltrates Mother Brain's massive complex below the surface of planet Zebes. It becomes immediately obvious, however, that this adventure is very different from the first mission: dark corners teem with unfamiliar enemies, a maze of new paths lead into the unknown, and fresh puzzles lie unsolved. Samus herself is equipped with all-new techniques to face the dangers that lurk in the depths of Zebes, and she will need all the powers at her disposal if she hopes to survive. Metroids, Space Pirates, and Mother Brain herself await in the depths of the planet, but their evil designs are just a part of a deeper story that can only now be told...


 * She's battled baddies on nearly every Nintendo system, cleaned house in the Super Smash Bros. series and recently blasted off for heroic adventures on the GCN (Metroid Prime) and the GBA (Metroid Fusion). This February, Samus Aran will return to her roots and relive the story that started it all -- revealing for the first time full details of her meeting with the Metroids. The plotline will be familiar to longtime fans of the Metroid series, but the challenges are new, the power-ups are plentiful (taken from several games in the series) and the graphics and sound are supercharged. Plus, if you thought that the original Metroid had a surprise ending, wait until you get past the Mother Brain in Metroid: Zero Mission. A new twist provides a deeper adventure than ever before.


 * Sent to Zebes to investigate rumors of a deadly alien species, Samus meets her match in the form of the mysterious Metroids -- energy-sapping creatures that emerge from an oversized cerebrum beneath the planet's surface. Samus isn't the only traveler searching for the Metroids. A band of Space Pirates has touched down to extract the curious creatures and use them as weapons. Samus must thwart the pirates, but they are wily and will prove to be more trouble than Samus expects.


 * In the long-standing Metroid tradition, Zero Mission is a scavenger hunt for dozens of items -- missiles, energy tanks and tools -- that give you the ability to explore wider and deeper. Every time you uncover a device, you'll remember former dead ends that you can finally overcome. The endless chain of breakthroughs and discoveries causes the world to continue to grow and form.


 * The Metroids are only one of the many menacing species that lurk below the surface. The Zebesian underground overflows with creatures that aim to keep you from invading their turf. Metroid classics Kraid and Ridley hold fort in dark corners, towering over the comparatively small bounty hunter. The planet holds plenty of new threats, too, such as the lava-dwelling serpent that acts as the first line of defense in Kraid's lair and the armored larvae that lurk in the deepest sections of Norfair. The Space Pirates are no pushovers either, and you won't always have the Power Suit to protect you.


 * Essentially, it's a rewrite of the original story for the millions of fans who enjoyed the original game.


 * Nintendo of America Inc.
 * Mike Chandler