I've finally started playing through Super Metroid for the first time, and holy shit is this game atmospheric. The only Metroid game I've played before that was Prime. Excellent game, but this one feels SO different. I always understood that feeling of desolation and isolation that people always talked about, but Super Metroid adds something else I never expected: dread. Pure dread. It's all grim and horrific and I feel like I'm in a horror movie.
It's really outstanding, but it got me thinking. This feels so similar to how I felt when playing the original Bioshock. It's insane! Even System Shock, which I've never played but I watched a playthrough for, feels similar. It's not just isolation. It's like sickening hopelessness. Seeing those corpses in the begining and the music remind me of all the shock gore scenes in Bioshock. It's quiet and not in your face. You almost want to look away, even though you know it's all just 16bit imagery. Crazy stuff.
I now completely get why people hated Other M so much. Nothing in that game feels like this. It's not just about Samus turning into a deflated balloon. It's about atmosphere and subtlty. I seriously can't wait to finish this and I can't wait to play Fusion on the VC! SA-X looks awesome!
Any of you notice any similarities between the Metroid series and Bioshock/System Shock?
