Let me be clear: Metroid is my absolute favorite video game series of all time. While I realize it’s quite common for longtime gamers to identify with a particular Nintendo franchise, I’ve always felt that Metroid was something special. The isolation, the atmosphere, the sense of progression; everything about the franchise reaches out to me.

That being said, I realize that the franchise has fallen on some hard times. The release of Metroid Prime 3 was practically ignored by Nintendo and its PR teams, Trilogy is almost impossible to find in stores and even harder to get for a decent price, and Other M was such a disappointment (both in terms of quality and in sales) that many a fan’s faith in Nintendo’s ability to handle the franchise has been shaken.

That’s why I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. Below, I’ve compiled a list of the top four things that I believe should be done with the next entry in the Metroid franchise.

Note: these are just this writer’s opinions. Currently, Nintendo has announced no plans regarding a new Metroid title.

1) Where my Chozo at?

For those unfamiliar with Metroid lore, the Chozo were the ancient race of avian aliens that raised series protagonist Samus Aran and gifted her with her iconic Power Suit. According to Metroid Prime, they were nearly wiped out by an alien incursion before disappearing.

We’ve seen next to nothing of the Chozo, save for ruins and artifacts of their forgotten civilization. With their heavy connections to Samus’ history and equipment, their involvement in a future title would be a fantastic look into the fiction. Other M had the right idea in showing us Samus’ backstory, but chillin’ with the space marines wasn’t exactly the part of the lore fans wanted to explore. An encounter with the Chozo would give us more insight (much more interesting insight, anyway) into the Metroid universe than we’ve ever seen before.

2) Break out the graph paper, bring it back to 2D.

I love the Prime games. In point of fact, I hold the not-so-popular opinion that the first Prime is the best Metroid game period. That’s right, better than Super Metroid. Now that that’s out of the way, I would love to see a new sidescrolling entry. The idea of beautifully hand-drawn sprites and 2D gameplay has recently come back into vogue in gaming. Imagine a true follow-up to Super Metroid with the full weight of the top artists of the day and the processing power of the Wii or the Wii U.

It certainly wouldn’t be the first modern, flat-perspective Metroid game in history, with both Zero Mission and Fusion being made for the GBA, but it would be the first one in quite a while. And now in a post-price drop world, the 3DS with its lack of core content, 3D capability and high processing power seems like the perfect test bed for Nintendo to drop a new Metroid.

3) A moment of silence, if you please.

Part of what makes Metroid Metroid is the sense of isolation. While a silent protagonist definitely requires some unique storytelling methods, it’s just too damn hard to feel alone and independent when you’ve got half a dozen dude-bros giving each other the thumbs up every five seconds (see Other M).

That’s not to say that Samus shouldn’t be able to express herself. There really is no good reason for her not to be able to talk and, as long as she’s well-written, I would love the opportunity to take a look into her psyche. However, I’m just not that interested in 20 minute cutscenes in a Metroid game.

Keep it entertaining, keep it concise and keep Samus separated from the rest of the civilized galaxy. Have her facing the unknown terrors of the dark alone and unaided, and we should be golden.

4) Let’s get progressive!

Along with the sense of isolation, Metroid really depends on its sense of progression. The ability to tackle previously unassailable obstacles or handle old obstacles in new ways is the reason any Metroid fan worth their salt comes back time and again.

Over the years, developers have run out of legitimate excuses to strip Samus of her powers at the beginning of each game. Other M tried to alleviate this with an implausible and downright insulting story explanation while Prime 3 just started her off with most of her abilities from the get-go. Neither of these sat well with me. While the last thing people seem to be clamoring for from core Nintendo franchises is more traditionalism, this is one thing that I would be okay with seeing brought back.

I find it hard to believe that there isn’t some developer out there willing to give this issue the proper time and care it deserves. Maybe an Ubisoft, with their long track record of explaining gameplay conceits through the story could lend a hand? Honestly, I’d be okay with anything that didn’t keep me from using the Power Bomb until after I’ve beaten the game!

"Oh Other M, will I ever run out of complaints about you?"

5) Start loving Metroid again, Nintendo.

This isn’t really so much a suggestion as it is a criticism of Nintendo’s handling of the franchise. Metroid has never been as widely appealing as other Nintendo stalwarts like Zelda or Mario. With the darker aesthetic and vastly different style of play from just about anything on the market, Metroid is certainly the black sheep of the Nintendo family. This seems to have given Nintendo the idea that they should leave the franchise out in the cold. You can hardly blow your nose without spraying a new Mario or Zelda, while Metroid games feel few and far between in comparison.

On top of that, Nintendo seems to ignore those few games that do come out. It’s the 25th anniversary of the franchise for god’s sake! This is supposed to be a celebration! With nary a peep from the Big N on this most auspicious occasion (compounded with their practical disavowing of the last three games), can it be assumed that they just don’t care about the franchise anymore?

Metroid helped to define a whole new class of adventure game while redefining what a protagonist in a game could be. It shouldn’t fall entirely to fans to celebrate this fantastic series. Nintendo should recognize that there are fans that want more Metroid and more awareness for the franchise.

Tags: game ideas, metroid, Metroid 25th Anniversary, Metroid Fusion, Metroid Prime, Metroid Zero Mission, Metroid: Other M, Nintendo, super metroid

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 16th, 2011 at 11:00 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.