Missile Launcher

A Missile is a weapon in the Metroid games that has appeared in all of them so far. It is a more powerful weapon than the normal uncharged Beam. They are always acquired upon finding a Missile Tank, or in Fusion, through an "update" from the Galactic Federation. Missiles are useful in destroying rock walls and Missile Blocks, and in the Prime games, can seek targets.

Original Metroid games
The 2D side-scrolling Metroid titles feature rapid-firing missiles. In their usual form, the Missiles have a rocket shape with gray colouring and pink stripes. The Missiles are very fast firing, and Samus can hold up to 255, though the total number of them she could acquire varies from game to game. Super Missiles are separate items in most 2D games; they are larger, slower firing variants of the standard missile and are at least 3 times stronger than average Missiles.

Super Missiles are a more potent form of missile capable of opening Green Doors and clearing away Cordite. In the first Metroid games, early Super Missiles had their own separate ammo reserve. However, in the Metroid Prime Series a Super Missile attack draws from ordinary missile reserves, using up five missiles per attack. In Metroid Fusion the Super Missile just makes normal Missiles three times stronger, damages unique beings that the standard Missile couldn't, and simply creates a larger explosion upon impact followed by an earthquake.

Missile Expansions, sometimes called Missile Tanks, can be collected to increase Samus's missile supply by 5 (on Normal difficulty), and 2 (on Hard difficulty) in Metroid: Zero Mission and the Japanese version of Metroid Fusion. On the latter game, it is heavily implied that Missiles are not closely integrated to Samus's body in comparison to her Beam weapons; this is apparent when the cold attributes of the Ice Beam is initially incompatible with Samus's new genetic make-up, while her Missiles, outfitted with subzero properties, seem to have no repercussions on her.

Metroid Prime Series
In the Metroid Prime series, Samus must first obtain the Missile Launcher (which automatically provides a capacity of up to 5 missiles). She can then further expand her Missile reserves by collecting Missile Expansions; each Missile Expansion increases the maximum missile capacity by 5. There are several uses for missiles in the Prime series, and Missiles can be combined with other weapons for special attacks, though this feature was removed in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Missiles in the first 2 Prime games were blue and were fired like energy from the Arm Cannon. Corruption differed from the other depictions and seemingly returned to the roots of the franchise by making missiles more similar to the original designs. Missiles of the Prime series always feature the ability to home in on locked enemies, although they still may miss. Some enemies can have a jamming effect on homing missiles, causing them to become erratic and miss their target. A few Space Pirates in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are equipped with sloped battle armor that simply deflect missile attacks, making missiles useless against them. However once their armor is broken they are vulnerable to missiles.

In Metroid Prime Hunters, the missile can be charged to deal more damage. The Missile Launcher is also Samus's Affinity Weapon. When Samus fires a charged missile, it deals more damage and gains a slight homing effect. Other hunter's missiles have no tracking effect. The missile does around 36 damage if uncharged.

Methods of acquisition

 * Metroid/Metroid: Zero Mission - Found in a corridor in Brinstar. In Zero Mission, the Missiles must be collected before the Deorem will challenge Samus in the same room.
 * Metroid Prime - Samus has it at the beginning of the game, but it is lost when her suit is damaged by an explosion on the Frigate Orpheon. Reacquired after the Hive Mecha is defeated.
 * Metroid Prime Hunters - Samus begins the game with Missiles.
 * Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - Samus begins the game with Missiles, but they are lost when Samus is attacked by the Ing. Samus finds a replacement Missile Launcher in a Galactic Federation Ordnance Crate.
 * Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Samus finds the Missile Launcher in a room on the G.F.S. Olympus.
 * Metroid II: Return of Samus - Samus begins the game with Missiles.
 * Super Metroid - Samus finds the Missiles once again in Brinstar, but in a different room.
 * Metroid: Other M - Samus has the Missiles, and uses one unauthorized to open a door. During the fight with the Brug Mass, Adam gives her permission.
 * Metroid Fusion - Samus downloads support data for a Missile Launcher on the Operations Deck.

Super Smash Bros. series
The missile is Samus' side-B attack in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl. It is similar to the 2D appearance and function, but homes in on enemies like in the Prime games. However, unlike all of its appearances in Metroid games, it moves very slowly and will decelerate until it stops and explodes after traveling for a set amount of time. By smashing the joystick before pressing B, Samus will fire a Super Missile rather than a normal one; Super Missiles inflict slightly more damage than normal Missiles but lack a homing ability. When fired, it will initially move even slower than a normal Missile, but rapidly accelerates until it is much faster than a normal Missile. Instead of slowing down at the end of its flight, it travels at full speed until it reaches its maximum range, at which point it will immediately explode.

Types of Missiles

 * Normal Missile- The basic missile Samus gets at the beginning of the game or finds later in the game. Does more damage than a regular un-charged Beam shot. Has rapid fire capability in the 2D Metroid games.


 * Super Missile- A stronger version of the missile, sometimes a power-up to regular Missiles or a separate powerup portrayed as a silver projectile with a enlarged green top. It appears in Metroid Prime as the Beam Combo for the Power Beam.


 * Seeker Missile- Yet another missile-based upgrade that only appears in Echoes and Corruption. This adds an additional 5 missiles to the maximum missile carrying capacity and allows the ability to lock on to up to 5 different targets then simultaneously fire a missile at each. A single enemy may be locked on to multiple times to expose a weakness or to just do more damage.


 * Ice Missile- A Metroid Prime 3: Corruption feature is the Ice Missile upgrade (obtained by defeating Rundas) which turns all normal Missiles into Ice Missiles. Ice Missiles have no negative characteristics or disadvantages over normal missiles and have the added abilities to slow down or freeze enemies, freeze liquids in the environment, and open doors protected by shields vulnerable to cold-based weaponry. It should also be noted that Ice Missiles appear in Metroid Fusion as well, as the Ice Beam was incompatible with Samus' Metroid-infused cellular makeup at the time and therefore could not be downloaded from the Galactic Federation.


 * Diffusion Missile- Only appearance thus far is during the events of Metroid Fusion. This upgrade adds a charging effect to the Ice Missiles; when fully charged, a successful hit will create a massive explosion which freezes every enemy in the blast radius.


 * Hyper Missile- This is a powerful attack that appears in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption; it uses one standard missile, but can only be used in Hypermode. It puts a large drain on Phazon reserves (equally draining the Hypermode time limit), but creates a very large explosion that can defeat many enemies (and those nearby) in only one hit.


 * Charge Combos- Charging a beam and activating a missile will activate a Charge Combo, if that particular beam's Charge Combo has been added to the suit. There have been 7 different types of these (over the course of three games).

Trivia

 * In the Metroid Prime games, Missiles have a slower rate of fire than their variants in the 2-D Metroid games. However, this can be remedied by rapidly pressing and alternating constantly between the buttons that shoot the Missiles and Beams, respectively. An example of this can be seen here.
 * It is revealed in Corruption by use of the X-Ray Visor that the reloading mechanism for the missile launcher is actually operated manually by Samus turning her hand inside the arm cannon, performing the turning motion of the open barrel seen every time Samus fires a missile. However, this action is not performed in Metroid Prime.
 * It should also be noted that there have been a total of four different ways the arm cannon morphs when using the missile launcher. In the first game, the arm cannon turns a turquoise color, the second is shown in all games besides Prime and Hunters in which the arm cannon has four small sections that rise up; it is revealed in Metroid Prime 2 that the arm cannon nozzle rotates when doing this. The third is depicted in Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime: Hunters in which the nozzle splits into four pieces around the barrel in the form of an X. The fourth and final is the formation unique to the arm cannon in Fusion, where the two outer pieces separate and the interior piece expands slightly.
 * In Metroid Prime, firing missiles will not activate any Blue Doors, and instead will bounce off and Samus' visor will display a message saying that it is not a weapon that can open that door. Oddly, this never occurs for the other Blue Doors of the Prime series.

1986 manga
"When you collect one, you will receive five Missiles. You can defeat any enemies that show up with one Missile."

Official Nintendo Player's Guide
"When you take one, the number increases by five. You can have up to 255 Missiles."

Metroid Fusion manual
"These are the standard Missiles Samus downloads early in the game."

Official Metroid Prime website
Weapon effect: Devastating potential

Weapon range: 3-10 m

Weapon potential: Lethal

"Chozo technology. The Missile Launcher adds ballistic weapon capabilities to Samus Aran's standard Arm Cannon. Its ammunition is limited. Charge Combo enhancements scattered throughout Tallon IV allow the Missile Launcher to be used in tandem with the Charge Beam, creating devastating effects."

Metroid Zero Mission manual
"This is the most basic form of a Missile."

Zero Mission Samus Screen data
"Press R+B to fire. Opens red hatches."

Metroid Prime Hunters Logbook entry
"Launches explosive-tipped MISSILES that detonate in a percussive blast. This standard-issue weapon is extremely effective in dealing with biological threats. Hold the FIRE button to charge the weapon and cause the MISSILE to seek heat signatures. Charging will attract energy and ammo."

Metroid: Other M manual
"Press and release A while locked on to release a missile. If you press and release A when the Charge Guage is fully charged, five missiles will be used and you'll shoot a powerful Super Missile."