Nintendo realized how important it was and so they added passwords to the US Metroid. For a game of size it’s a bit much to expect anyone to have the patience to sit all the way through it, especially taking into account its maze like structure. Why did it take so long? Because there are no password saves or battery backup. Large in scope but slightly lacking in execution, Section Z was a game that my family and I would pull out every so often and make bits of progress here and there until eventually months later we mustered up the fortitude to finally complete the game. The object of each massive stage is to destroy 2 power generators guarding the boss of the entire level in order to destroy it and move on. There are 3 stages broken down into 20 sections for a total of 60 “levels”. Rather than a shmup this version is more of an adventure. Aside from the basic premise it’s an entirely different game. The NES game is a different beast altogether.

As a whole this version of the game is fairly generic as shooter, not that there’s anything wrong with that I suppose. Since it was an arcade game each section is of average length. I remember the arcade game due to its cumbersome controls, with one button set to shoot and the other governing the direction of fire. This version of the game was broken down into 5 stages composed of 26 individual sections lettered A-Z. Originally released in the arcade in 1985 Section Z stars an unnamed astronaut sent to destroy a space station near Earth’s orbit. Capcom did not follow that example and among a few other faults leaves Section Z a shell of the game that it could have been. However Nintendo realized a sprawling adventure of that size should not and in most cases could not be completed in one sitting. I was and still am a huge Metroid fan and the NES version of Section Z is eerily similar to Nintendo’s classic series. You know once upon a time I actually liked Section Z somewhat.

Section z nes