Would you be interested in a Metroid game where Samus wasn't the main character?
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Nintendo trying to do exactly that is how we ended up with Other M. That attempt at expanding the series, which from 2002-2010 had 8 entries, not counting rereleases, to none for 6 years. I'm quite alright with them playing it safe, honestly.
Which was a nigh perfect transition of the essence of 2d metroid to 3d. You can't redo that a second time because there's not been any serious shift in videogames like 2d to 3d since.
(Arguably vr but that's not switch compatible and prime is also practically perfectly built for that too).
And even thrn, prime not starring Samus would have been a very poor choice too.
Assuming this is about Federation Force, I'd say it was more unanimously hated for the gameplay (and the timing I guess), than Samus being MC or not.
I don't think FF is representative of what the reaction would be like say, if you made a game that was in every reasonable way like Metroid 1/2/Super/Fusion, just with a different main character. If there is any data on that, I guess you would need to look at how not-Metroid "Metroidvanias" are doing these days, which I think is "pretty good?"
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Prime 4 being like this. Would be excellent for backtracking and whatnot if you had entirely different characters.
Still, they did it against much gnashing of teeth and online petitions (yes even in 2001. I'm old enough to remember vividly) and claims of fan betrayal, with older fans taking solace with "at least Metroid Fusion exists for us real fans." We can look back now and see that making Metroid Prime a first person shooter/adventure was the right decision, but the Fan Elders at the time very much did not think so. You can still find a few of them wanting a "real sequel" to Metroid Fusion, even today. I'm pretty glad Nintendo decided to risk alienating those fans and do something that was previously decided to be a bad idea and verboten.
I could be very much into it.
I think exploring a mainline and more serious version of the federation force could still be interesting. I'm thinking more halo marines and maybe focus on a squad. You could use this to explore more of the cities and urban environments that exist in the universe.
I also wouldn't mind deep diving into some other bounty hunters. If Sylux got his own spin off series that was still connected to the main games universe and story, I think that would be rad!
I think a lot of Nintendo's big franchises would benefit from branching out and exploring other aspects of their worlds. Imagine a AAA console Zelda game that didn't star link and instead focused on the kingdom of hyrule. Maybe theres a war coming and you're a castle guard.
I enjoy these kinds of side stories.
I think exploring a mainline and more serious version of the federation force could still be interesting. I'm thinking more halo marines and maybe focus on a squad. You could use this to explore more of the cities and urban environments that exist in the universe.
I also wouldn't mind deep diving into some other bounty hunters. If Sylux got his own spin off series that was still connected to the main games universe and story, I think that would be rad!
I think a lot of Nintendo's big franchises would benefit from branching out and exploring other aspects of their worlds. Imagine a AAA console Zelda game that didn't star link and instead focused on the kingdom of hyrule. Maybe theres a war coming and you're a castle guard.
I enjoy these kinds of side stories.
Yes I think I would probably prefer this, speaking as someone for whom Samus was an incredibly important role model growing up.
I am long past caring about 'salvaging' what I didn't like about games that explored the deeper lore like Other M. I would rather they braved a new narrative with an all-new protagonist, with minimal baggage from previous games, though i'd like to see recurring or old design elements (zoomers, metroids, wave tech, lava areas, hostile climates, chozo ruins, etc) among new ideas.
I feel the same way about zelda, for me the weakest part of recent zelda games is the feeling of retreading the old 'link is a small town boi who discovers his courage and has to rescue zelda so she can rescue hyrule from ganon or some ganon-like who has corrupted the lands, ps don't forget to pack some light arrows for the finale' The story defined the characters, and so if you want some surprises, you'll have to either radically redefine the characters or just make another one, same dif.
I am long past caring about 'salvaging' what I didn't like about games that explored the deeper lore like Other M. I would rather they braved a new narrative with an all-new protagonist, with minimal baggage from previous games, though i'd like to see recurring or old design elements (zoomers, metroids, wave tech, lava areas, hostile climates, chozo ruins, etc) among new ideas.
I feel the same way about zelda, for me the weakest part of recent zelda games is the feeling of retreading the old 'link is a small town boi who discovers his courage and has to rescue zelda so she can rescue hyrule from ganon or some ganon-like who has corrupted the lands, ps don't forget to pack some light arrows for the finale' The story defined the characters, and so if you want some surprises, you'll have to either radically redefine the characters or just make another one, same dif.
Maybe after they spend a solid 5-10 years establishing even one significant alternative to her.
Goes back to my desire to see them make another attempt to fill out the universe. They should take notes from MegaMan Zero and X.
Right now, Ridley and D!Samus are the only significant non-Samus characters who aren't floating blobs, dead, or obvious one-offs. Most of the other mercs make good bosses but I'm not seeing them as playable any time soon.
Goes back to my desire to see them make another attempt to fill out the universe. They should take notes from MegaMan Zero and X.
Right now, Ridley and D!Samus are the only significant non-Samus characters who aren't floating blobs, dead, or obvious one-offs. Most of the other mercs make good bosses but I'm not seeing them as playable any time soon.
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Definite potential there. You're thinking maybe like Demon's Crest, with Ridley wrangling rogue Space Pirates back into the fold?
The less named, speaking characters in a Metroid game, the better. I just want Samus narration at the beginning and maybe the end.
I say the time for innovation, brave experimentation, and ambitious fresh ideas is right now! And not when they receive permission from increasingly particular fans! </soapbox>
It is certainly possible to expand out the story without Samus, although given the circumstances, all the games up to this point revolve around her. Would be nice if... say... You were to take an "Aliens" approach to Metroid. Something like a "prologue" to before Samus comes in to clean house. That would be something.
Only if it is Anthony Higgs
I could definitely see Anthony headlining a Halo-like spinoff.
Just don't release spin offs during main series droughts. Do them when that need is already being satisfied.
has nintendo released a mainline game in their main 3 (mario, zelda, metroid) where you dont play as an iteration of the main series character?
Ever heard of Yoshi, Donkey Kong or Wario?
Theres also the Tingle games for the DS-
i think you misread my question. there are no mainline Mario, Zelda or Metroid games that star a PC other than Mario, Link & Samus. Don't know why youre bringing up those characters?
Yes because Samus supposedly ended the Metroid threat and I felt Metroid could use a very robust multiplayer system. If Samus isn't the main protag she should be a very prominent character that basically saves my ass in very serious moments.
Samus is Metroid. Outside of a relatively niche crowd that loved Metroid Prime Hunters and people who get into the (admittedly mostly terrible) Metroid "lore," nobody cares about the Federation or Sylux or Anthony Riggs or Adam or any of that other bullshit.
Yoshi's Island is actually called Super Mario World 2, they just evolved into their own series.
I don't see the difference to a Metroid game without Samus, this thread didn't even specify the gameplay style.
I think their "main three" at this point would likely be Mario, Zelda, and Splatoon. As stated above the Mario Land games just converted to Wario. Super Mario World 2 is Yoshi. Luigi's Mansion is Luigi. Pikmin changed protagonists for the 3rd entry (to 3 people in fact), Fire Emblem certainly is not married to Marth. Xenoblade is likewise all over the place. Splatoon is entirely customizable.
You don't see any peeved online petitions about those series. Well you typically don't.
I don't know if I'm one of those fans in this scenario, but I honestly I don't hate your idea.
My desire to see them wait is just about their relative lack of success with previous attempts to add more lore or a deeper character pool to the franchise. My 5 to 10 years idea was more about giving them time to mess up a bunch so that they can pick out a few real winners and proven candidates to share the burden with Samus.
It's an interesting idea, but for me Samus is the draw of the series. She's an incredibly interesting character, and is arguably the best example in video games of how characters don't need to be oversexualized to be interesting to players. Very strong female character, and we need more of those.
Don't bring up Other M either if you're debating on Samus's characterization....we don't talk about Other M.
Don't bring up Other M either if you're debating on Samus's characterization....we don't talk about Other M.
Oh you mean my idea on the first page? Nah that was just me spitballing. If they don't use it it's no sweat off my back. I'd just like for them to have the freedom to try new things without being tied down by expectations and headcanons, you know. I'm afraid Samus may end up being Nintendo's Wonder Woman. A character with a built-in outrage regardless of which direction she takes in the future, and not enough market success to justify further attempts. Wonder Woman only survives (in comics) because of a contractual obligation to DC. It's not like her comics are super successful.
And sorry if I confused with "particular fan." I don't mean particular as in "certain fan." I mean particular like "exacting fan." The kind of people that won't even consider trying Smash Bros. if Stevenson from Gumshoe isn't a playable character.
SMW2 is iffy because of Baby Mario. But i see where you all are coming from with the rest. As for Splatoon being the 3rd, idk i'd still say Metroid is their 3rd big franchise. We just havent gotten the mainline game yet. With the Wario Land & Luigi's Mansion spin offs, I guess that would sortve be the same, in the case of Mario, but that was probably necessary considering his name is in it. But for Zelda & Metroid, it's always Link & Samus. That was more what I was getting at. Though there are others possible to lead, it has always been those two.
Why couldn't someone OTHER than Samus be in the suit (not her suit in particular, just another one like it)? I know the suit was made specifically for her by the Chozo, but what makes it impossible that they didn't do the same thing for another person in the galaxy? I wouldn't want them to be enemies though (we got that in Dark Samus already). It would take some getting used to though. (I've only played the Prime games and Metroid 1, 2 and Super Metroid--haven't played through all of the GBA/DS/3DS games in the series--so I could be missing something in the lore).
Wario Land is called "Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3." Mario shows up at the last minute to steal the golden Peach statue away from him.
I wonder about Yoshi though. I mean if we count Baby Mario as the "protagonist" of Yoshi's Island, does that mean we've already had a Zelda game with link, at least in part? Midna rides Link like Mario rides Yoshi. Pick your poison!
I only mentioned the baby mario thing because he's always with Yoshi lol. Wario Land, o'll give you that, since "Mario" is in the title. But yea, we havent gotten a Zelda or Metroid game without Link/Samus. Mario is a lot more muddy as yall have reiterated
Always always always comes down to how well executed it is and whether or not it messes up any of the lore/story.
Also I would not want this rhetorical new main character to replace Samus as the franchise's main character. And I would not want whatever gameplay systems this rhetorical game has to replace what we aready have in mainline games.
Metroid could do cool stuff with, say, its own Raiden-like (MGS). In terms of how he's utilized in mainline and spinoff titles.
Also I would not want this rhetorical new main character to replace Samus as the franchise's main character. And I would not want whatever gameplay systems this rhetorical game has to replace what we aready have in mainline games.
Metroid could do cool stuff with, say, its own Raiden-like (MGS). In terms of how he's utilized in mainline and spinoff titles.
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I just want to demand another Metroid pinball game. Doesn't have to be Samus in her morph ball going over a Prime game like last time, it could be any ball type character (Hunters showed us several) going through the weird worlds of the Metroid universe or some new creations.
I want more mission based pinball games.
I want more mission based pinball games.
There really isn't. At all.
*clapping emoji* *clapping emoji* *clapping emoji* *popgaf.gif*
A massive federation full of different people, squads, ships, planets, missions, and so forth. The back story of Prime 2 for Federation troops and scientists show they do plenty without Samus around, as do large battleships that serve to police and defend various systems.
Federation ran by giant artificial brains has plenty of potential for sci-fi story telling.
Multiple chozo remains Samus has no idea of.
Surviving Luminoth.
Whatever the N'kren are.
Whatever the Ylla are.
Origins of phazon (could be as expanded as much as the origins of the metroid themselves were).
Characters like Weavel, Rundas, Ghor, Kanden, Trace, Gandrayda, Noxus, Sylux, and more for other bounty hunters besides Samus not to mention their species and home planets or sectors. Other sci-fi easily took "one character with little known about them" and then expanded into a full story and they could that with Vhozon as one example.
Hundred of different worlds shown or mentioned in the games already, and whatever else they could come up with.
Various ships from a series we've had very little space combat shown in and plenty of people would like to see that if Star Fox isn't ever going to live up to it's potential.
The fact they travel to different galaxies is something to draw new ideas from.
Bio-organic technology existing at all is plenty to work with, especially post-Fusion and Prime games where we know bio-cyborgs are possible.
The fact planets can be sentient in this universe.
Carbon, silicon, energy based, and other type of life forms is a lot to work with, and multiple other sci-fi stories have done a lot with less.
So off the top of my head and just a quick glance at the plot of the Prime games,, they have a lot they could work with already, as much or more than other sci-fi universes have that found a lot to work on, explore, or expand upon. I'm not saying they should do anything without Samus or not, just that if they wanted to do more with the universe, they could just like Star Trek did despite "not having a lot of new ideas to work on" back in the 80s.
I know it isn't exactly what you are asking, OP, but Rogue Dawn is an insanely good Metroid rom hack where Samus is not the main character. Highly recommend.
