Metroid Fusion FAQ/Walkthrough

By: Phediuk

3. Archives

3.1. Powerups (1)

Listed in alphabetical order, of course. Here's a sample profile for your viewing pleasure...

(insert item name)
Location: Where/when/how it's found
First appearance: The first Metroid game it appeared in
Effect: What the powerup does
Use: What you can use it for
Comments: Just some little blurbs from the mouth of yours truly.
Usefulness Rating: 1-10, how useful is the powerup?

And off we go...

BOMBS
Location: Sector 2, during Mission 3. It's downloaded in a Data Room.
First Appearance: Metroid (1986)
Effect: While in Morph Ball form, press B to lay small explosives.
Use: Blowing secret passages open, revealing special blocks, attacking enemies, and propelling you in the air.
Comments: Bombs are cool. If ever you're seemingly stuck in a room, you can try bombing around to find your way out. Nifty.
Usefulness Rating: 8, possibly the most versatile upgrade in the game. They plain suck for attacking enemies, however, despite being able to kill them.

CHARGE BEAM
Location: Sector 1, during Mission 2. It's recovered from an Eye-X after defeating Chozo-X.
First Appearance: Super Metroid (1994)
Effect: It doubles your beam's regular power, and also gives you the ability to charge up a shot by holding B.
Use: Beating the snot out of enemies, and breaking away some weak blocks.
Comments: The first beam upgrade. You can perform a Pseudo Screw Attack after getting this, awright!
Usefulness Rating: 7, despite being somewhat limited, I don't know where I'd be without those charged shots. Neat stuff.

DIFFUSION MISSILES
Location: Sector 4, during the Intermission after beating Nightmare-X (Mission 14.) It's downloaded in a Data Room.
First Appearance: Metroid Fusion (2002)
Effect: It doubles the power of your Ice Missiles, and lets you charge up a Missile for quadruple power and a freezing wave of ice upon impact that, well, freezes any enemies within its radius.
Use: Freezing an enemy in Sector 4 with a Diffusion blast.
Comments: Woah mama, this baby packs some SERIOUS power! Aside from freezing enemies, a Diffusion blast can also break Missile blocks, so use 'em as often as you can!
Usefulness Rating: 5, despite being a handy-dandy weapon, Diffusion Missiles are required in ONE puzzle throughout the whole game. Kind of a waste, as I can think of plenty of cool scenarios where it could've been put to use.

ENERGY TANK
Location: Various, and they're all pickups (walk into it to acquire it.)
First Appearance: Metroid (1986), as the Energy Box.
Effect: They give you 99 more max energy each, and each one appears as a pink rectangle beside your current energy.
Use: They increase your vitality! Handy stuff!
Comments: There are 20 Energy Tanks in the game. None of them, however, are required.
Usefulness Rating: 9, the only thing stopping these from getting a 10 is the fact that some are a pain in the ass to get.

GRAVITY SUIT
Location: Sector 5, during Mission 14. Recovered from a Core-X after defeating Nightmare-X.
First Appearance: Super Metroid (1994)
Effect: Allows Samus to move freely underwater, and reduces enemy damage inflicted on you by 5%.
Use: Getting through Sector 4 (after beating Nightmare-X), and acquiring some pickups that are submerged in lava. Yep, that's right, the lava can't hurt you after you get the Gravity Suit.
Comments: No damage from lava? Sweet! =D Heh, not much else to say here, aside from the fact that it makes your suit have a slick purple hue to it.
Usefulness Rating: 7, the no damage from lava and underwater movement is nice, but if you're going to include something like a defense increase, make it MORE THAN 5 F'ING PERCENT. Otherwise, no problems.

HI-JUMP
Location: Sector 2, during the Intermission after Mission 3. Simultaneously recovered from a Core-X after defeating Pogo-X along with the Jumpball.
First Appearance: Metroid (1986), as the High Jump Boots.
Effect: Lets Samus jump twice as high.
Use: Reaching high ledges.
Comments: What an incredibly boring powerup.
Usefulness Rating: 3, it's just SO DAMN BORING, and has no combat value whatsoever.

ICE BEAM
Location: Main Deck, during the Omega Metroid battle. Recovered from a Core-X that was formerly the SA-X, until you beat the shit out of it.
First Appearance: Metroid (1986)
Effect: Gives Samus the power to beat that sorry-excuse-for-a-final-boss Omega Metroid.
Use: Kicking the crap out of Omega Metroid, and looking cool while doing it.
Comments: If it weren't for the fact that you had this beam for about 45 seconds of the game, I'd have something to say about it.
Usefulness Rating: 1, because you can't use it on anything except the final boss! What's up with that?

ICE MISSILES
Location: Sector 5, during Mission 7. It's downloaded in a Data Room.
First Appearance: Metroid Fusion (2002)
Effect: Your Missile's power is halved, but they can freeze most enemies with a single hit.
Use: Freezing enemies to use as platforms, thus allowing you to scale passages otherwise un-scale-able.
Comments: What? Halved power? Grr...
Usefulness Rating: 6, two points subtracted for the decrease in power, and another two points for being a half-assed replacement for the Ice Beam (well, until the end of the game, that is.)

JUMPBALL
Location: Sector 2, during the Intermission after Mission 3. Simultaneously recovered from a Core-X after beating Pogo-X, along with the Hi-Jump.
First Appearance: Metroid II (1991), as the Spring Ball.
Effect: Lets you jump (with the A Button) a reasonable height in Morph Ball form.
Use: It isn't required ANYWHERE in the game, to my knowledge. Still, it looks pretty cool.
Comments: The Jumpball has traditionally been a flashy, yet useless powerup in the Metroid series. The tradition continues in Fusion.
Usefulness Rating: 3, it get the points for looking so funky!

MISSILES
Location: Main Deck, during Mission 1. It's downloaded in a Data Room.
First Appearance: Metroid (1986)
Effect: Lets Samus shoot Missiles by holding R and pressing B.
Use: Defeating Core-X's, Eye-X's, and roughing up enemies in general.
Comments: The classic power weapon of the series! Use 'em when your beam just doesn't cut it!
Usefulness Rating: 9, because most of the time, your beam DOES cut it. Aside from that, they're actually necessary in some puzzles. Trippy.