20 Nintendo Games You Must Play Before You Die
18. Super Metroid (SNES)
After finding platforming success with Super Mario Bros and redefining the adventure game with The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo married the two approaches and created Metroid, a series that really came into its own during the 16-bit age.
Super Metroid had it all: vast levels, head-scratching puzzles, addictive side-scrolling shooting and a kickass female protagonist long before Lara Croft made them trendy.
Samus Aran was a refreshing change from the princesses in peril usually found in '90s Nintendo titles, and the world she existed in felt atmospheric and huge, taking platforming fans outside of their comfort zone.
With Super Metroid, Nintendo proved it was capable of delivering compelling female characters and platformers with more substance than the block-breaking, Goomba-stomping thrills of the Super Mario series.