Super Metroid

Super Metroid is about a strong, positive female lead who fights aliens in space for the sake of humanity.

Self-Contained Plot
The first few moments of the game summarize the previous two, making a playthrough of either less necessary. Better yet, after the intro the game is told almost entirely through character interactions.

Action-Adventure Hybrid
Super Metroid can be played purely for the exploration and adventure and take as much time as you want. However, because of the game's length and intelligently designed encounters, it's possible to play the entirety of Super Metroid in one go, collecting 100% of the available hidden items. The game then becomes more of a time trial challenge and less of an adventure. It provides variety in the ways it can be completed.