I feel like the games have gotten progressively more broad as they move on through the years. What the gain mass market appeal, they also progressively lose the je ne sai quoi that made them original and unique to begin with.

I'm just gonna vote for Super Metroid and move on

Metroid Fusion is super linear in comparison, though. The world in that game doesn't really feel like it's opened up until really late in the game. Super Metroid easily has the most interesting, best laid out level design I've ever seen. It's so easy to get lost, explore, find a bunch of things, and then find your way back to some familiar area.

My favorite Metroid game for atmosphere is Prime, I think that game's pretty damn amazing, too.

I do enjoy Fusion quite a bit, I can beat it in an afternoon and there is no shortage of afternoons where I've just picked it up and run straight through. But I don't think it's great. I don't like the story - it's fine, but I think there's too much of it and it's too plainly laid out for what I want from the series. Fusion kind of occupies the same place that Prime 2 and 3 do for me - it's good, really good, but it's far from being as good as Super or Prime.

EDIT: Metroid II is not a game that holds up. Have any of you tried to play that game recently? How did you like jumping up and down a bunch of those vertical corridors? How did you like jumping up and down a bunch of them that looked exactly the same because you need to grab the Ice Beam again, because for some reason you can't carry all the beams with you at once?

It may seem petty, but I would like the first two way more if they had a map. I playef Metroid so much as a kid I've more or lessmemorized the lauout, but I pity anyone going in there fresh.

They may not be mainline titles, but the two on the GBA are both awesome. I haven't played Prime so I don't know too much about them, but the GBA titles are up there in my top 20 games.

Edit: Sorry I realise now that Fusion is one of the GBA games... Duh!

I voted 'no opinion' mostly because I like all three Metroid Prime games more than every other.

I have a lot of trouble deciding between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, but I think Fusion might *just* eke it out.

It's between Super and Fusion for me on this list. Don't care for the two first games.

Possible surprising to you folks, but I like Other M quite a bit. It plays about as good as Fusion. Though it's not as good as the aforementioned two because of large story vision chunks I don't agree with and lack of memorable music.

The actual answer is 'Prime 1'.