I beat it in one sitting. I have no idea how long I took, but I had to take virtually all day yesterday to recover mentally. I think it took me maybe 12 hours? I don't know. 64% the first time because I didn't know that you can't go back after getting to [spoiler]Phantoon[/spoiler]. Beat it 100% before I probably should've; I was still largely unconscious of everything but any single given item at a time.
Hard mode: Take more damage, no missile packs, no energy tanks (I think), and not sure about the chargers. More/stronger enemies in certain places. Despite the fact that you can still recharge, if you get down to 30-50 health, there is a strong possibility that you will not even be given the chance. So it's basically 1-3 hit mode. I haven't played very much, but I've died a whole lot and have I think I'm now actually playing a ninja gaiden game in disguise, as it's "dodge, dodge, dodge, counter, dodge, dodge, counter, attack normally, dead, repeat until you get it right" just ninja gaiden's hardest mode. Thanks team ninja, I can't wait until the final boss!
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Ridley's[spoiler] larval stage[/spoiler] is weird. It's far too seemingly [spoiler]cute and fuzzy to turn into a retardo lizard that then turns into Ridley.[/spoiler] I guess this game explains why he [spoiler]crumbles into dust upon thawing in fusion[/spoiler]. Disappointing that [spoiler]you don't get to actually kill him[/spoiler]. Nor do you get to [spoiler]fight the MB in any way shape or form. She's the master antagonist who set the whole thing up, but she's not really all that evil (initially self-defense, then didn't go against her violence-momentum and allowed it to snowball* because she'd gotten over emotional over being betrayed) and get's deus ex machina'd!?![/spoiler] What the hell!?
[spoiler]*Okay that's evil, but she's still portrayed as the victim of the heartless bastards of
the megacorporation from aliens the galactic federation.[/spoiler]
The story's kinda 'meh' at times, but it set's up fusion quite nicely... although I still don't get how they [spoiler]got Adam's brain to make into an AI[/spoiler], which at this point they should've realized was a bad idea on their end. Though it did help Samus. Also, I still have no idea [spoiler]who the deleter was and why he was apparently working with or possibly being controlled by MB.[/spoiler]