Metroid: Samus is Full of Surprises!

It's the sixteenth day of the 32 Game Endings of Christmas! That means we're exactly half way through this laborious piece of garbage ... er, I mean amazing holiday celebration. Today we're taking a look at one of the most beloved sci fi games of all time: Metroid! This ending has big surprises. At least it did when it first came out, now pretty much everybody knows how it ends. And that's why it's a perfect selection for the 32 Game Endings of Christmas!

Previously On Metroid: It's a good thing Samus has a strong sense of direction, because that's the only way this intergalactic bounty hunter is going to make it out alive. Here we have a character stuck on a hostile planet with only their wits to guide them. To the left is a power-up that allows you to roll into a ball and to the right is still a mystery. As we journey through this dark and often familiar locales, we're reminded of our mission -- to kill Mother Brain and ruin a bunch of space pirates' day. To do this we are forced to locate power-ups that will allow Samus to battle a new life form (aka metroids) and open new areas of the map. The good news is that Samus knows a thing or two about creating detailed maps of underground alien worlds. Sadly, that may not be enough to keep the player interested throughout this long ordeal.

How It Ended: Samus has finally defeated the evil Mother Brain (the mechanical life-form that controls the Space Pirates' fortress and its defenses) and triggered the self-destruct button. It's time for her to rush out before the entire alien cavern system collapses on top of her. Thankfully our hero was able to draw those highly detailed maps and ... wait a second, where did those maps go? Oh, that's right; Samus doesn't start drawing maps until Super Metroid. Thankfully we all remember the right way out of this pit.

Eventually Samus does make it alive. We are rewarded with a message that tells us that we brought peace to space. Hell yeah!! Of course, peace is fleeting and who knows how many other alien species are looking to cause intergalactic strife. Just as we're about ready to turn off the NES and move on to the next episode of the 32 Game Endings of Christmas, the game surprises us with one final twist. It turns out that Samus (the baddest bounty hunter in the galaxy) is actually a girl! That's right; the Metroids were schooled by a skinny white girl. How does that make you feel, Mother Brain?

How It Should Have Ended: As Samus boards her bounty hunting space ship, she gets ready for a long space sleep. And if anybody deserves it, Samus does. As she starts to disrobe she notices something in the corner of her eye. She quickly reaches for her gun and flips around, poised to take out whatever it is that snuck into her ship. That's when she comes face to face with what used to be a chest burster! She takes a few shots and makes a run for the loading bay. Without much time to think, our hero quickly opens up the door, flushing the alien out into the dead of space. Hey, it worked for Ripley.