Metroid Database.com

Further information from various sources sheds a little more light on the mysterious Metroid Zero Mission and reveals that the game is, in all likelihood, not a prequel, but rather a beefed-up remake of the original Metroid. It looks as though we will be taken back to Zebes for Samus' first encounter with Mother Brain, but this time our girl will have all the abilities and weapons she's gained in all her adventures since then! Imagine exploring Metroid 1 with the ability to crouch, wall jump, speed boost and grab ledges, and taking on the game's enemies with the help of Super Missiles and who knows what other weapons! So far, it looks like while Samus herself looks much more streamlined than the big-helmeted sprite did in 1986, her animation pays a sincere homage to the original version, with Samus running notably fast and holding her gun arm out constantly.

Of course, the question remains, why the name Zero Mission? "Zero" usually denotes a prequel of some sort, so why not name the game "Metroid Advance" or "Metroid 2003" or something? This remains a mystery, as do whatever twists and additions Nintendo will throw at us (we already know there will be completely new areas, enemies and bosses added to the game). NCL's website does mention that MZM is a "tentative title," so it may change before the game's release (remember that Fusion was at one point actually titled simply Metroid IV). With an almost Hideo Kojima/Metal Gear Solid-esque level of ambiguity, Nintendo has teased us with little other than screenshots, video, and a name. So, with no solid information available from Nintendo, all we can do is make a few guesses and wait for some more answers.

Follow these links for some of the currently-available media on MZM:

IGN: MZM video shown at E3
Nintendo.co.jp: Nintendo's E3 2003 titles

(The last title on the bottom is MZM -- the video is almost the same as IGN's, but direct-feed. A very intriguing point of interest: up until 5/15, NCL's video showed what was apparently an earlier build, featuring simpler graphics and a cartoony Samus. Doomo arigatou to MDb visitor n128 for originally providing this link!)

--TJ