

The original NES version of Metroid may be showing its age, but at least it's easy to access: Samus' first game can be found on the Nintendo Switch Online NES library, the Nintendo 3DS eShop, the Wii U eShop and the NES Classic mini console. If you don't have Nintendo's last-gen console, your only option is to track down an original GBA cartridge. Currently, Nintendo only sells Metroid: Zero Mission on the Wii U eShop's virtual console library. The only downside? You'll need older hardware to play it. The remake offers a more dynamic retelling of the first game's story, complete with quality-of-life updates like save points and mini-maps and other features standard in modern Metroid titles. Fortunately, Nintendo revisited the first Metroid game in 2004 with Metroid: Zero Mission for the Samus' original 1986 adventure might be a classic, but like most games from the NES era, it's a bit rough around the edges by modern standards.

When it comes to long-running video game franchises, starting at the beginning isn't always the best idea. The GBA remake of Metroid is one of the all-time best in the series.
