Ice Beam

The Ice Beam is one of Samus's most powerful signature beam weapons that appears in all Metroid games except for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime Hunters, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (though she collects the Dark Beam in Echoes, the Judicator in Hunters and the Ice Missile in Corruption, which have similar properties). It fires a potent beam that has the power to freeze most enemies.

When frozen, certain enemies can be shattered with Missiles (or charged shots in the Prime series). It is commonly used to combat Metroids as it exploits their weakness to low temperatures. The official website for Metroid Prime states this as being one of "Samus Aran's favorite tactics".

Description
Samus has the power to stand on frozen enemies in all of the 2D games. This is usually crucial at some point in the games, as it gives extra height for jumping.

In Metroid Fusion, the Ice Beam was thought to be incompatible with the Fusion Suit by the Galactic Federation, as the Metroid Vaccine gave Samus a vulnerability to ice. This was proven by the Cold X, the cold climates of several rooms within the Biologic Space Laboratories and the SA-X's own Ice Beam being able to completely freeze her in place. However, following the acquisition of the Varia Suit upgrade, this vulnerability was seemingly neutralized, as Samus could withstand all mentioned threats; thus she did not receive the Ice Beam until near the end of the game from the SA-X. Before that point, freezing was done with the Ice and Diffusion Missiles, suggesting that Samus' Missiles are not integrated as close to her body when compared to her Beam weapons. The Ice Missiles replaced the Ice Beam in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption as well, because the game used a beam-stacking system instead of a beam-switching system, so it would not be possible to combine the Ice and Plasma Beams, the latter of which represents fire in the Prime trilogy.

Oddly enough, when Samus freezes a Magmoor serpent in the Magmoor Caverns in Prime, its head is the only thing that is visibly frozen.

The Ice Beam has been confirmed for Metroid: Other M. In the second trailer, there is a scene when Samus can be seen freezing a Dessgeega with the Ice Beam, indicating that Samus will find it again in the game. Adam Malkovich's Federation Marine soldiers utilize a similar technology, Freeze Guns.

In the Japanese version of the same trailer, Samus is seen firing the beam towards a Space Pirate freezing only its claws, but not the rest of its body like in the other games.

In Metroid Prime
The Ice Beam is a slow-firing interchangeable Beam upgrade to Samus' arsenal. Upon impact with a solid surface, the shot will freeze into a small fragment of ice and then shatter. When the Ice Beam is charged up, the Ice Beam will not only create a larger fragment of ice upon impact, but it will also freeze various enemies in their place. The Ice Beam is able to open White Doors. The 10 Missile Beam Combo for the Ice Beam is the Ice Spreader, which is a missile that releases a rapidly spreading sheet of ice upon the impacted surface. Such a weapon is highly effective against flying enemies, or those that attack or move in swarms. A glitch in the game allows the upgrade before fighting the Flaahgra, which can then lead to more opportunities for Sequence Breaking. This does not aid in the fight against Flaahgra, however, as the Ice Beam has no effect on either Flaahgra or the panels that are to be flipped over to defeat Flaahgra.

Similar to fighting Metroids in 2-d installments, Samus may freeze a foe and then shatter it with a Missile, ultimately killing it.

Metroid Instruction Manual
"This allows you to freeze an enemy temporarily. If you already have a long beam, then the Ice Beam becomes a long ice beam. This can't be used at the same time as the wave beam. When you freeze an enemy, you can climb over it."

1986 Manga
"Freezes enemies for a short period of time and can also destroy them. Can't be combined with the Wave Beam."

Official Nintendo Player's Guide
"This allows you to freeze the enemy temporarily. You can escape from strong enemies by freezing them. You can climb up to high places by stepping on frozen enemies like stairs."

Metroid II: Return of Samus Instruction Manual
''"This beam will freeze an enemy for a short period of the time, making them unable to move. Samus can jump on a frozen enemy without receiving damage." ''

Super Metroid Instruction Manual
"The Ice Beam freezes enemies for a short time. You can use frozen enemies as platforms."

Official Metroid Prime Website


Weapon effect: Freezing or slowing opponents

Weapon range: 3 m

Weapon potential: High

"Chozo Technology. The Ice Beam upgrade for Samus Aran's arm cannon emits a sub-zero attack capable of freezing certain enemies. If the Ice Beam does not freeze a target solid, it will at least slow it down. Charging the Ice Beam increases the amount of time enemies are frozen. One of Samus Aran's favorite tactics is to freeze an enemy and then shatter its body with a Missile attack. The Ice Beam is also quite effective against fire-based enemies."

Metroid Prime Instruction Manual
"The Ice Beam has a slower rate of fire than the Power Beam, but it makes up for this flaw with its ability to immobilise enemies briefly with a layer of ice. Some enemies are particularly vulnerable to this weapon, so experiment with it. The Ice Beam may destroy weak enemies rather than freezing them."

Metroid: Zero Mission Instruction Manual
"This weapon allows Samus to freeze enemies temporarily. Samus can stand on frozen enemies."

Zero Mission Samus Screen Data
"This beam can freeze enemies in place. You can safely stand on frozen enemies."

Trivia

 * The gaming website Game Trailers ranked the Ice Beam as number 5 in the top 10 best weapons due to its use as both a weapon and an exploration aid by turning enemies into platforms in the 2-D games.
 * Curiously, in the New Play Control! and Metroid Prime Trilogy versions of the game, the Arm Cannon does not freeze over when charged.
 * The Ice Beam, along with Samus herself and some of her other abilities, were slated to appear in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but was ultimately removed due to a decision that used the Playstation 2 to support the game's demo. The Ice Beam appeared to be based on Prime's iteration.
 * In Super Metroid, the Ice Beam does not kill enemies on the last shot, but rather freezes them. The next shot will be fatal, provided that the enemy is still frozen.
 * Strangely, in all Metroid games, enemies frozen with the Ice Beam whilst in midair will remain in the specific spot until the ice thaws out.
 * In the first Metroid Prime, the symbol for the Ice Beam is a hand print sticking out its thumb, index, and pinkey fingers. Donning the X-Ray Visor reveals that Samus positions her hand in this manner to activate the beam.
 * In the Metroid Prime beta, the Ice Beam hand print was the same design as the Power Beam hand print but white.
 * The Ice Beam is found thrice in Metroid II, unlike the other beams. The first time is in Phase 2, and the second time in Phase 7's Chozo ruins (where all beams are found in separate chambers in one shaft). The third and final time is in Phase 9, before Samus fights the Queen Metroid.
 * In Metroid Prime, the Ice Beam was modeled and skinned by Gene Kohler.
 * In Metroid: Other M, Adam and his soldiers have a pistol with freezing capabilities. They were first seen using it on ULF 27 to hold it in place while Samus destroyed it.