Metal Storm [NES]

There are many games out there that play with gravity. Strider and Strider 2 have you walking on the ceiling and flinging all over the place at times. Metal Warriors has an item that lets you put yourself up there as well. Even the more recent Prey has you walking on walls and ceilings like so much Fred Astaire. However, usually you have no say in the matter when gravity manipulation is present, or, when you do, the choice isn't that long lived.

And then there's Metal Storm. Metal Storm is an obscure title from Irem featuring a mech going through some base shooting up stuff in a futuristic platformer environment. Stuff we've all seen before. However! There is something that Metal Storm has that sets it apart from all the rest (and I'm sure you've already figured it out from the article's lead-in. I'm not exactly the master of literary deception.); gravity control. At any time you can choose to jump up or down to the ceiling or floor. And many times you have to; to get out of the way of obstacles, to get past spiked surfaces, to open doors that orient themselves accordingly to how you have yourself oriented, and to take care of enemies that you wouldn't be able to head on. You're constantly moving yourself up and down and it never becomes gimmicky. It's both a joy and a challenge, and refreshing to see it used so well. It sets what would otherwise be an average game above all the rest.