History YMMV / MetroidFusion

** A story perspective, destroying all but one Metroid is this. Samus had been given a mission to exterminate all Metroids because of how dangerous they were (and an extended version, undergoing mutations due to Phazon). Doing so allowed all the X-Parasites to resurge after going into hiding. Now that all the Metroids are gone, they are able to multiply and conquer every living thing on [=SR388=] ([[spoiler:as seen in the Stinger in ''[[VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns Samus Returns]]]]''). [[spoiler: ''Dread'' would ironically reveal that most of the Chozo planned on destroying them anyway to prevent one of their tribes from using them as a weapon for conquest.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:

* MemeticMutation:
** EMERGENCY IN [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/frankerz FrankerZ]][[labelnote:Explanation]]If someone streams the game on Twitch, expect to see this spammed in the chat, due to the popular dog emote rhyming with "Sector 3".[[/labelnote]]
** Any mention of Ridley in the context of his appearance in this game is generally followed by hyperbolic terror of the ear-damaging power of his [[HellIsThatNoise screeching,]] which is loud even by the standards of later games.
** Fusion is Metroid 4[[labelnote:Explanation]]Following the reveal of ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', fans of the series responded to many variations of "They skipped ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Metroid 4]]''?" with helpful/snarky/frustrated explanations that the ''Prime'' games are a sub-series while ''Fusion'' is the actual ''Metroid 4''. Half the time only to discover the person making that statement was [[PoesLaw a fellow fan making a joke]].[[/labelnote]]

* FranchiseOriginalSin: After eight years in rest since ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', the franchise exited hibernation with two well-received games in 2002, one of them being ''Metroid Fusion''. Despite the positive reception, a point of criticism from fans was its stronger focus on a story, more linear level design and game progression, and it was even the first time Samus interacted with another character in-game. Since the [[ContestedSequel somewhat divided]] reception of ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption Prime 3]]'' and especially the generally poor reception of ''Other M'', (particularly that game's choices in characterizing Samus Aran and making the game very linear), many have tried to lay the blame for that direction at the feet of ''Fusion''.

** A story perspective, destroying all but one Metroid is this. Samus had been given a mission to exterminate all Metroids because of how dangerous they were (and an extended version, undergoing mutations due to Phazon). Doing so allowed all the X-Parasites to resurge after going into hiding. Now that all the Metroids are gone, they are able to multiply and conquer every living thing on [=SR388=] ([[spoiler:as seen in the Stinger in ''[[VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns Samus Returns]]]]'').

** The biggest divider in the fanbase is the more linear gameplay structure. Fans of ''Fusion'' appreciate that the ''Metroid'' team took a risk by making the "anti-''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''", feeling that such an approach allowed for a stronger narrative than prior games, more segmented level design tailored for handheld play, and taking more advantage of Samus's abilities. Critics dislike it precisely ''because'' of its linearity, as the more guided and restricted nature of the game goes against the freedom offered by ''Super''. This group also criticizes the greater focus on narrative, as prior entries relied more on environmental storytelling outside of the opening narration, as opposed to ''Fusion'''s constant use of monologues and conversations between Samus and ADAM. The fact that later titles like ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' similarly attempted linear, story-focused directions with mixed-at-best results also adds to the discourse, with ''Fusion'' either being seen as [[VindicatedByHistory a great game with an intriguing story]] that was able to pull this approach off successfully where those games struggled, or disappointing game with a bland story that only served to become [[FranchiseOriginalSin origin of every problem that would come to manifest with the series]].

** The well-named ''Nightmare'' is a GravityMaster where you must understand its three phases. During phase 2, missiles drop like rocks, so you must rely on a charge beam. Its final phase has it fly erratically around the arena inflicting tons of CollisionDamage along the way. There is a way to manipulate Nightmare into stopping early so you can shoot its face some more, but it's very hard to pick up on.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: ADAM. Some fans like this game's portrayal of him for his history with Samus and [[spoiler:[[HeelFaceTurn character arc]] from being a secret rogue Federation stooge to firmly on Samus's side]]. Others dislike him for interfering with the ''Metroid'' franchise's signature isolation and being a vehicle for the game's more linear nature. His widely hated portrayal in ''[[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM Other M]]'' wouldn't help his case.

** The biggest divider in the fanbase is the more linear gameplay structure. Fans of ''Fusion'' appreciate that the ''Metroid'' team took a risk by making the "anti-''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''", feeling that such an approach allowed for a stronger narrative than prior games and the more segmented level design successfully tailoring itself for handheld play while also taking ample advantage of Samus's abilities. Critics dislike it precisely ''because'' of its linearity, as the more guided and restricted nature of the game goes against the freedom offered by ''Super'', where some of the best players are able to beat it in [[SelfImposedChallenge Reverse Boss Order]] if they so wished; in contrast, ''Fusion'' {{nerf}}s abilities previously used for SequenceBreaking and while there is one allowed instance for temporarily skipping an item, the EasterEgg you get for doing so still has ADAM halt your progression until you go back to get it. This group also criticizes the greater focus on narrative, as prior entries relied more on environmental storytelling outside of the opening narration, as opposed to ''Fusion'''s constant use of monologues and conversations between Samus and ADAM. The fact that later titles like ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' similarly attempted linear, story-focused directions with mixed-at-best results also adds to the discourse, with ''Fusion'' either being seen as [[VindicatedByHistory a great game with an intriguing story]] that was able to pull this approach off successfully where those games struggled, or disappointing game with a bland story that only served to become [[FranchiseOriginalSin origin of every problem that would come to manifest with the series]].

* SignatureScene:
** The first time the SA-X is seen, punctuated by a closeup to its face with its [[EmptyEyes completely blank eyes]].
** The creepy buildup to Nightmare that's outright NightmareFuel, and the boss fight with Nightmare itself that certainly lived up to the buildup and then some; besides the fight itself being an appropriate NightmareFuel climax after all the buildup, Nightmare is not only [[ThatOneBoss arguably the hardest boss in the game, but possibly the hardest boss in the Metroid series]].

* AccidentalAesop: Don't kill off an entire species of animal, as doing so will disrupt the ecosystem and may cause something worse to appear.

* DubPersonalityChange: Applied to an entire government entity rather than a character in this case. The Galactic Federation in the original Japanese is presented as a complex network of independent branches, while it's addressed as a singular entity in the English localization. [[spoiler:This has the side effect of making the entire governing body appear villainous in the English release, as the hidden project to clone and weaponize Metroids and X are attributed to the entire Federation rather than a single potentially rogue branch like it was in the original Japanese.]] This discrepancy would unfortunately carry over into ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' with even more contentious results.

* DubPersonalityChange: Applied to an entire government entity rather than a character in this case. The Galactic Federation in the original Japanese is presented as a complex network of independent branches, while it's addressed as a singular entity in the English localization. [[spoiler:This has the side effect of making the entire governing body appear villainous in the English release, as the hidden project to clone and weaponize Metroids and X are attributed to the entire Federation rather than a single potentially rogue branch like it was in the original Japanese.]] This discrepancy would unfortunately carry over into ''[[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM]]'' with even more contentious results.

** Either this or HilariousInHindsight, but the computer's theoretical questions "Did this Adam care for you? Would he sit in a safe Command Room and order you to die?" after his controversial behaviour in ''Other M''. Not to mention that this is also the part where [[spoiler:the computer ends up remembering that it's actually Adam's BrainUploading]], so depending on how quickly he realized this, he may have deliberately insulted himself for said behaviour.

* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: [[http://www.metroid2002.com/fusion/other_the_tro_trap.php The TRO Trap,]] which is a very tricky {{Sequence Break|ing}} that requires you to Shinespark in the Reactor Core to access the path that takes you to Sector 2. This lets you fight Nettori (the root boss) before defeating Yakuza (the suplexing spider), but if you defeat Nettori, absorbing its Core-X will give you an error message saying Level 1 hatches are unlocked instead of the Plasma Beam, and Yakuza will be gone if you try to go and fight it afterwards. The unintentional part arises because unlike other ''Metroid'' games, which either encourage sequence breaking or are capable of handling unintended sequence breaks, ''Fusion'' is programmed specifically to follow the story's events in order, and as such skipping an entire boss throws progression out of whack in a way the game can't recover from without reloading your save.

** The biggest divider in the fanbase is the more linear gameplay structure. Fans of ''Fusion'' appreciate that the ''Metroid'' team took a risk by making the "anti-''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''", feeling that such an approach allowed for a stronger narrative than prior games and the more segmented level design successfully tailors itself for handheld play while also taking ample advantage of Samus's abilities. Critics dislike it precisely ''because'' of its linearity, as the more guided and restricted nature of the game goes against the freedom offered by ''Super'', where some of the best players are able to beat it in [[SelfImposedChallenge Reverse Boss Order]] if they so wished; in contrast, ''Fusion'' {{nerf}}s abilities previously used for SequenceBreaking and while there is one allowed instance for temporarily skipping an item, the EasterEgg you get for doing so still has ADAM halt your progression until you go back to get it. This group also criticizes the greater focus on narrative, as prior entries relied more on environmental storytelling outside of the opening narration, as opposed to ''Fusion'''s constant use of monologues and conversations between Samus and ADAM. The fact that later titles like ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' similarly attempted linear, story-focused directions with mixed-at-best results also adds to the discourse, with ''Fusion'' either being seen as [[VindicatedByHistory a great game with an intriguing story]] that was able to pull this approach off successfully where those games struggled, or disappointing game with a bland story that only served to become [[FranchiseOriginalSin origin of every problem that would come to manifest with the series]].

** The biggest divider in the fanbase is the more linear structure. Fans of the linear direction appreciate it for allowing a more explicit and coherent story to be told (that also subtly lampshades its deliberate gameplay design as being the anti-''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''), and the more segmented level design that both plays well with the title's nature as a portable game and takes greater advantage of Samus's abilities. Critics of this direction dislike it precisely ''[[TheyChangedItSoItSucks because]]'' of its linearity, as one of the main gameplay pillars of the franchise in every entry prior was open exploration. This group also criticizes the greater focus on narrative, as prior entries relied more on environmental and silent storytelling outside of the opening narration, as opposed to ''Fusion'''s constant use of monologues and conversations between Samus and ADAM. The fact that later titles like ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' similarly attempted linear directions with mixed-at-best results also adds to the discourse, with ''Fusion'' either being seen as [[VindicatedByHistory a better game]] for being able to pull it off successfully where those others struggled, or the [[FranchiseOriginalSin origin of every problem that would come to manifest with the series]].

** The biggest divider in the fanbase is the more linear structure. Fans of the linear direction appreciate it for allowing a more explicit and coherent story to be told (that also subtly lampshades its deliberate gameplay design as being the anti-''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''), and the more segmented level design that both plays well with the title's nature as a portable game and takes greater advantage of Samus's abilities. Critics of this direction dislike it precisely ''[[TheyChangedItSoItSucks because]]'' of its linearity, as one of the main gameplay pillars of the franchise in every entry prior was open exploration. This group also criticizes the greater focus on narrative, as prior entries relied more on environmental and silent storytelling outside of the opening narration, as opposed to ''Fusion'''s constant use of monologues and conversations between Samus and ADAM. The fact that later titles like ''Prime 3'' and ''Other M'' similarly attempted linear directions with mixed-at-best results also adds to the discourse, with ''Fusion'' either being seen as [[VindicatedByHistory a better game]] for being able to pull it off successfully where those others struggled, or the [[FranchiseOriginalSin origin of every problem that would come to manifest with the series]].

** The biggest divider in the fanbase is the more linear structure. Fans of the linear direction appreciate it for allowing a more controlled sense of atmosphere, more explicit and coherent storytelling, and more focused level design that takes greater advantage of Samus's abilities (while also making the game easier to leave and return to, suiting its nature as a portable game). Critics of this direction dislike it for focusing away from exploration, one of the main pillars of the franchise, and for putting the story more front-and-center whereas other ''Metroid'' games rely largely on environmental storytelling. While ''Fusion''[='=]s linearity was later VindicatedByHistory among some initial detractors, there still exists a group of fans who dislike its linear direction, especially after [[FranchiseOriginalSin later titles]] like ''Prime 3'' and ''Other M'' similarly attempted linear directions with mixed-at-best results.
** Samus's radically altered [[OrganicTechnology suit]] really divided fans. To this day, people still argue over whether the Fusion Suit looks so alien it becomes cool, or is just a really terrible design.

* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: [[http://www.metroid2002.com/fusion/other_the_tro_trap.php The TRO Trap,]] which is a very tricky {{Sequence Break|ing}} that lets Samus fight Nettori (the root boss) before defeating Yakuza (the suplexing spider). It's unwinnable because the game breaks when bosses are defeated out of the scripted order, as Nettori will give you an error message saying Level 1 hatches are unlocked instead of the Plasma Beam, and Yakuza will be gone if you try to go and fight it afterwards. The unintentional part arises because executing it requires you to deliberately go out of your way to execute a tricky Shinespark to a path you shouldn't even know exists at that point to skip Yakuza, then navigate through several areas without the [[NotQuiteFlight Space Jump]] that the boss gives.

* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: [[http://www.metroid2002.com/fusion/other_the_tro_trap.php The TRO Trap,]] which is a very tricky {{Sequence Break|ing}} that lets Samus fight Nettori (the root boss) before defeating Yakuza (the suplexing spider). It's unwinnable because the game breaks when bosses are defeated out of the scripted order, as Nettori will give you an error message saying Level 1 hatches are unlocked instead of the Plasma Beam, and Yakuza will be gone if you try to go and fight it afterwards; it's insane because executing it requires you to do a very tricky Shinespark to a path you shouldn't even know exists at that point in order to skip Yakuza, then navigate through several areas without the [[NotQuiteFlight Space Jump]] that the boss gives.

* UnwinnableByInsanity: [[http://www.metroid2002.com/fusion/other_the_tro_trap.php The TRO Trap,]] which is a very tricky {{Sequence Break|ing}} that lets Samus fight Nettori (the root boss) before defeating Yakuza (the suplexing spider). It's unwinnable because the game breaks when bosses are defeated out of the scripted order, as Nettori will give you an error message saying Level 1 hatches are unlocked instead of the Plasma Beam, and Yakuza will be gone if you try to go and fight it afterwards; it's insane because executing it requires you to do a very tricky Shinespark to a path you shouldn't even know exists at that point in order to skip Yakuza, then navigate through several areas without the [[NotQuiteFlight Space Jump]] that the boss gives.