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Just what it says: A Zerg swarm descends on the home planet on the Metroids, SR-388. Zerg vs. Metroids, etc.

Scenario 1) Overmind is leading the Zerg.

Scenario 2) Kerrigan is leading the Zerg.

Metroid stages from Larval to Omega and Queen are available. If the Metroids are destroyed, the X-Parasites return.

So what the heck happens?

Zerg take it in both scenarios, imo.

I don't know what they do, but I wouldn't think that the Zerg can defeat the X Parasites.

I don't know how the Zerg would fight either the Metroids or the parasites.

Originally posted by ScreamPaste
I don't know how the Zerg would fight either the Metroids or the parasites.

Psychic nastiness?

Originally posted by The Scenario
Psychic nastiness? They seem to largely lack that, though, it's more the domain of the Protoss. The Zerg's only psychic nastiness, unless I'm tired and retarded, seems to be Kerrigan. They have biological nastiness like Defilers and Queens, but I don't think these things will allow them to kill Metroids or X Parasites.

I know next to nothing about the Zerg, so this entire thread is invalid and must be closed.

I think the Zerg could take control of the planet from the Metroids, but they would have trouble with the X.

Who are the X-Parasites and why are they such a significant obstacle?

The X are parasitic life-form native to SR388. They reproduce asexually and rapidly in their natural environment, going from perhaps four or five individual parasites to hundreds, at least. They seek out hosts to inhabit and absorb their forms and knowledge from within. The Metroids are the main predators and natural enemies of the X, capable of absorbing the parasites life-force en masse to keep the species in check. In Metroid Fusion, an X infection almost kills Samus Aran, and drastically alters her physical form. A vaccine developed from the cell culture of an infant metroid, the baby Metroid, in fact, saves her life, killing off the infection. The few specimens left attached to her old Power Suit were shipped to a research station orbiting SR388, and the X were able to manifest a copy of Samus with the full complement of her suit functions, and after breaking free, the X proceeded to overrun the station. Only the timely arrival and intervention of Samus prevented the X from spreading across the galaxy. I'd add more but at this point I'm dipping into the main plot of Metroid Fusion.

I think what makes them so deadly is their tendency to absorb theirs hosts completely, essentially taking their form and all the knowledge they pertain. If the X were to, say, absorb a Cerebrate or something, they could wreak havoc amongst the Zerg, not to mention all the absorbed "Xerg" that would come into being. I'm not sure what they would do about creep, but again, these are just my basic opinion and reasoning as to why I think the Zerg would have trouble fighting the X.

You don't think the Zerg has too resistant physiology. They are highly regenative.

What the X do is take DNA, and make a copy of what they infected. Then that copy asexually divides, and those copies asexually divide, and so on and so on. Their ability to kill you via shutting down the nervous system and/or just eating you is not the real threat, so much as the fact that they'll copy all your abilities and then proceed to paste them hundreds of times.

What if the Zerg take over the Metroid, then? XanatosForever said that the Metroid pose a threat to the X-Parasite.

I don't know that that would work too well. The Space Pirates are trying to do that all the time.

But again, I dunno anything about the Zerg.

By the way, nice sig, Scenario.

If they can't be taken over, why does the X-Parasite pose a threat to the Metroid?

I don't think they do. The Metroids are the natural predators of the X Parasites. Unless I understand the question incorrectly.

No, I suppose I just understood "natural enemies" wrong.

Well, the Zerg would be physically taking over whatever in the same fashion that the X-Parasite does, it appears. If there aren't anyones there to take over that can fight back the X-Parasite, though, I suppose they have to rely on their natural resistances and regenative abilities, as well as sheer numbers.

I assume it's visible whom the X-Parasite take over? From how I understood it, the parasite deform the physical form. So unless the X-Parasite outnumber the Zerg, the Zerg could just as well kill those of themselves that get infected.

Killing the host does not eliminate the X Parasite. In fact, when you do that the X Parasite just flies off, and if you wait long enough one parasite will come back and reform it. The only reason Samus can even fight them is her Metroid vaccine allows her to absorb them without being killed. It's how she heals in that game.

I don't know what numbers the X-Parasite exist in, but I think that'd end up going on forever. The Zerg aren't exactly few, and they don't stop increasing in numbers.

Well, maybe it's a stalemate based on ever increasing numbers then.

What is required for the X-Parasite to survive?

I'd guess a food source, mostly. But they have been capable of surviving in very harsh environments. Areas so hot it damages Samus from within the confines of her power suit, and equal extremes of cold temperatures. The terrain of SR-388 is their main habitat, and I think it's similar to Earth. But you'd get a more certain answer out of Cyner or Scenario.

I can't say if Oxygen or anything is required, but I wouldn't think so given what they appear to be. Basically just flying blobs of...stuff. Again, Scenario or Cyner could probably answer this better.

Killing an X-parasite's host does nothing to the parasite itself, and infact, the parasite can make it get back up, or reform it, as was done to Ridley's corpse by an X parasite in the same game. The parasitic copies are perfect, reproducing all of an opponent's abilities and even their tech. In Fusion there were several SA-X's formed from pieces of Samus' armour which were equipped with her entire arsenal.

The Zerg, while numerous, I don't think have any weapons capable of stopping the X. Killing a host releases the parasite which can just infect you, as well. It could be called a battle of endless numbers, but the truth of the matter would be that it's not. The X never become fewer, only more the more Zerg are thrown at them, and the Zerg while numerous are finite. The X would get them all eventually. Taking over a space-faring form would probably mean the end of the Starcraft galaxy, it was implied in Fusion that if the X spread they would be unstoppable for even the Metroidverse.

This is all assuming the Zerg even get past the Metroids, energy draining parasites which can grow into some nasty things. I'm not sure how the Zerg would go about fighting the Metroids, they're... Quite durable, even in their most basic form, and usually require being frozen to be handled effectively, the larger they get the harder they are to kill.

http://www.ingamevg.com/images/review/metroid_evolve_large.jpg

So the only means of defeating the X-Parasite is through psychic abilities?

Originally posted by Super Marie 64
So the only means of defeating the X-Parasite is through psychic abilities? In Fusion the only way to beat them was through the Metroid's ability to eat life force. IIRC, the Chozo made the Metroids specificly to fight the X.

Granted, blowing up SR388 at the end of the game seemed to do the job, as well.

The implication, though, was that if they spread, they'd become unstoppable.

Originally posted by Super Marie 64
So the only means of defeating the X-Parasite is through psychic abilities?

I would assume so, but it's never been tried. Metroids work by absorbing the life-force of things, which is what prevents them from being infected, as their cells will absorb the parasite. Metroids and X are not really natural enemies, as the Metroids are bioweapons designed from the ground up specifically to kill X.

Bolwing up the planet they were on also worked.

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This has basically all you need to know about the X.

0:27, Samus kills an X infected Hornoad, causing it to reform as an X.

0:32, The X outright ignores 2 missiles, then apparently bypasses Samus' armor without her realizing it.

2:02, Metroid's are revealed to be X' predators, and even their base cells can absorb energy. Something in this also turns Samus part Metroid somehow (presumably to prevent the Metroid cells from killing her too.)

On the space station, there were very few X infected specimens, but they took over the entire station extremely quickly. At one point they attempt to change the simulated environments to more suit their needs, implying they at least have some requirements. But otherwise, they just eat all the creatures on the station and proceed to violate most natural laws, conservation of mass among them. They seem to have no problems in magma, acid, or sub-zero environments. At one point an X-Parasite mimicking Samus and an Omega Metroid face off in a vacuum, so neither appears to need atmosphere, either.

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1:16 specifically for the no atmosphere showdown.