• 1.7.2 re-recording v17.1
  • Aims for fastest time
  • Collects 100% of the items
  • Takes damage to save time
  • Abuses programming errors in the game
  • Manipulates luck
Metroid Fusion is a very linear game where samus has to follow a set path and collect all of the power-ups. My run pushes this game to the limits, especially during boss fights like Yakuza. Because I collect all of the items, I have extra missiles that make the boss fights quite fast and entertaining.
The in-game time at the end is 0:57, 16 minutes faster than the current 100% single-segment run at SDA.

Notes

Here are some various notes about the run, listed in order of appearance.
  • I aim for fastest in-game time, even though there are only a few instances where this applies (like going through a door an extra time to build up the speedbooster).
  • Because all of the power-ups need to be collected, the game only measures percent by the amount of missile, energy, and powerbomb expansions picked up.
  • I like to abuse my missiles to make the run a bit more entertaining. I have 250 by the end, so wasting them won't hurt me.
  • Any pause I make before a room is to luck manipulate the eye door to open its eye right away.
  • There are 3 things that are useful to hit at the same time with 2 missiles: eye doors, Core-Xs, and Eye Core-Xs. This does the same damage as 2 missiles at the same time. Double missile shots on eye doors are only helpful before the charge beam is acquired.
  • Jumping for 1 frame off of platforms on to platforms directly below samus save 2 frames each jump.
  • Spinning and "unspinning" on crumble blocks will make samus fall through them faster
  • Shooting 1 frame after pressing the opposite direction will turn samus faster.
  • Jumping and shooting at the same time will make the beam/missile fire from the bottom of samus' sprite. This is also true for morphing at the same time, except it fires at the back of samus' sprite.
  • It is faster to morph in midair because there is no morphing animation.
  • Firing missiles while running will bend them. This can be helpful for killing creatures in a few spots.
  • Pressing left and right repeatedly while in morph ball form makes the ball stop spinning, like it's frozen.
  • The charge beam has a "flare" that appears in front of it while released. Enemies touching the flare will be dealt extra damage, which allows for one-hit eye door kills before super missiles.
  • Zazabi can waste no fewer than 3 jumps.
  • Morphing in midair repeatedly will cause samus to fall very slowly.
  • While speedboosting, pressing nothing for 1 frame, jumping for 1 frame, and pressing forward for one frame will make samus jump in the standing position. This allows samus to keep the shinespark for longer by crouching while approaching the ground.
  • Mega-X is killed in 4 shots by getting the flare damage inside of it each time.
  • Single walljumping is a combination of normal walljumping and morphing on the way back. This is first used to save time getting a missile tank in NOC.
  • Crumble blocks can be jumped off of the frame samus lands on them.
  • On the way to my ship (when the elevator shuts down), you may notice I don't lay the powerbomb right away. The blocks on the left act strangely, sometimes breaking and sometimes not (but I don't know why). The position I lay it in is about the only place the powerbomb will blow up all of the blocks.
  • The Yakuza fight is very interesting. First, I bring it down to one more hit until it would normally enter what I call its "spinny phase", where it would spin all around and spit crap all over the place. Then, I do so much damage that it actually skip its spinny phase (I only had 3 frames of leeway). The game freaks out and leaves behind a glitchy sprite that damages samus if touched.
  • The bomb I lay in the SA-X encounter strangely changes its position. I'm not completely sure what causes this, although it may be because the SA-X can "hear" samus' weapons.
  • During most of the Nettori fight, samus stands on a safe spot that needs pixel-perfect positioning. I also lay powerbombs, which do the same damage as missiles but also let me shoot the next missile a few frames faster.
  • Pressing R with a charge beam and while spinning will fire the beam and keep samus spinning. This allows me to spaceboost (space jumping while speedboosting) from room to room.
  • Firing missiles for Nightmare's low-gravity phase ended up being faster than charge beam shots.
  • My BOX II fight would best be described as, "me messing around". I was surprised to find out that it was faster than my originally intended method.
  • I have no clue why the music continues playing after the BOX II fight, although both the normal music and the boss music are playing at the same time.
  • In my last visit to NOC, I come in too fast from the right and mess up the door transition.
  • For second form of SA-X, I keep the second shot in it as long as possible (I shoot up as it jumps up). This is helpful because the wave beam does damage for each frame it is inside the creature.
  • I use the wave beam to my advantage again for the Omega Metroid. I stand in a position that lets the middle of the wave beam pass entirely through it, killing it very quickly.
  • Once again, my in-game ending time is 0:57.
Suggested screen shot: Frame 305208
Thanks to nate, moozooh, and Dragonfangs for all of your support.

DeHackEd: It has the most votes in a short amount of time, so you have to assume it's good. Plus I liked it despite having never played the game myself.

Senior Moderator
Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5770
Location: Away
jaysmad wrote:
some missed shots got me wondering, is there a reason?
Do you mean those that are done to speed up the turnaround speed?
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Skilled player (1670)
Joined: 6/11/2006
Posts: 818
Location: Arboga, Sweden
I have to agree with upthorn here. While it's a BADASS run, extremely well performed all the way through, especially the last half, where all you do is hunt for items, and the "I got a new item yatta"-tune plays once every 12th second, gets very boring to watch. A great run with insane moves though, but I can't say that I enjoyed it for too long. Damn game :(
Warp wrote:
omg lol this is so fake!!!1 the nes cant produce music like this!
Qlex
He/Him
Joined: 2/25/2006
Posts: 193
Location: Available
I found it perfect. I would have asked for a star, but it's true that many viewers might find it annoying. Yes vote anyway, I remember your first 100% run Biospark, and I see you still are very entertaining in each of your moves. I tried to guess which way you would shoot the next door, and I didn't succeed once >=( Good job!
Senior Moderator
Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5770
Location: Away
On the subject of entertainment: if this run will ever get redone, I DEMAND that the door that gets blasted by SA-X in the first cutscene is opened beforehand, as P.JBoy did it in his hard mode any%. I laughed really hard when SA-X opened an already open door with a super missile. :D
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
jaysmad
Other
Experienced player (834)
Joined: 12/1/2006
Posts: 629
Location: Mom's
moozooh wrote:
jaysmad wrote:
some missed shots got me wondering, is there a reason?
Do you mean those that are done to speed up the turnaround speed?
Aah! That's exactly what i thought. :) Edit: Usually when SA-X appeared I'd get scared like hell but you just made her look like she could have been killed in an instant. One time she was in your back but all we saw was her beam, that gave me a good laugh.
Active player (278)
Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 5712
Anon wrote:
Wait, you what? Explain thineself!
Well, I don't remember exactly, but I think it was some conversation on IRC where somebody was saying one Kirby game emphasized Kirby's butt-kicking side, while another emphasized Kirby's cute side. And I was thinking about how in half the games, you have a few powers that you can combine with animals or other powers, while in the other half, you just get lots and lots of individual powers. And the "combine powers" games were the ones with Dark Matter rather than some other villain. But maybe this isn't true anymore, because I haven't been keeping up with these crazy new games where Kirby splits into 4 Links or whatever, although I did try that one game where Kirby gets his limbs amputated so you have to draw bridges for him.
put yourself in my rocketpack if that poochie is one outrageous dude
Player (29)
Joined: 9/23/2006
Posts: 207
Location: Moreno Valley, California
Yay, I was waiting for a 100% run of this! ^_^
"The way to move out of judgment is to move into gratitude." — Neale Donald Walsch DannyLilithborne on IRC
Qlex
He/Him
Joined: 2/25/2006
Posts: 193
Location: Available
moozooh wrote:
On the subject of entertainment: if this run will ever get redone, I DEMAND that the door that gets blasted by SA-X in the first cutscene is opened beforehand, as P.JBoy did it in his hard mode any%. I laughed really hard when SA-X opened an already open door with a super missile. :D
Damn right. I hope next time the TASer will HAVE to wait for a few frames (luck manipulation) here, so I would see that again.
XYZ
Former player
Joined: 12/9/2006
Posts: 165
Location: 2bastuz
IMO,in this nice run only one bad thing. TASer is person who convert chance into constancy, but in this game opposite way is better. In JXQ's Super Metroid movie Samus find all items in unexpected time, here ... so many items in the end... May be it's not author mistake, but in game itself. Sorry for comparison.
Player (88)
Joined: 11/14/2005
Posts: 1057
Location: United States
yes XYZ, that is the nature of Metroid Fusion. It is a very linear game, sequence breaks are almost non-existent.
They're off to find the hero of the day...
Senior Moderator
Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5770
Location: Away
Actually, it doesn't change the picture much, since most of the items can still be gotten at different times — it's only a matter of choosing an effective route, which exists for SM100% as well — the other matter is that it's harder to predict the SM routes due to its overall nonlinearity (but the fact that there's only one fastest route for either of the games still stands).
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
upthorn
He/Him
Emulator Coder, Active player (388)
Joined: 3/24/2006
Posts: 1802
moozooh wrote:
Actually, it doesn't change the picture much, since most of the items can still be gotten at different times — it's only a matter of choosing an effective route, which exists for SM100% as well — the other matter is that it's harder to predict the SM routes due to its overall nonlinearity (but the fact that there's only one fastest route for either of the games still stands).
It may not change the TAS description much at all if the fastest route is the normal one, but it makes a huge difference to entertainment, because entertainment in TASes mostly comes from the player doing very surprising things.
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.