Anyway, I liked the Ninja Gaiden revival as much as anyone, but I can't honestly say I'm as excited about the idea of a Team Ninja-Nintendo Metroid partnership as the guys from Penny Arcade apparently are. Basically, I like what they did with Ninja Gaiden in spite of the their fascination with incomprehensible plots, bad voice acting and gigantic breasts. I guess it just bothers me a bit because Metroid's exploration and rather austere tone has always been my favorite things about the series. I'm still not really comfortable with the ideas of a talking Samus and I've never really been interested in the whole Zero suit business and having to know everything about the woman behind the mask; I think there's something to be said for keeping things mysterious. I'm all for strong female characters and all, I just tend to think the video game industry is pretty bad at portraying them and would rather fill in the blanks myself.
This.
I have no doubt that the gameplay is going to be amazing, but I'm horrified at the possibility that Samus' defining characteristics are going to be manhandled (HUR HUR. I didn't notice that when I typed it, but now it's staying). One of the things I disliked about Metroid Prime 3, for instance, is how Samus is suddenly one of the "good guys" as such. She's supposed to have an isolated existence where everything is alien and nothing is friendly. That's what I loved about the other games. It was frightening much of the time, but the complete isolation and lack of human interaction served to help create the atmosphere.
Let's also take into consideration Samus' development. While still a child, Ridley razed her home planet and injured her almost to the point of death. A sole survivor, she was saved by the Chozo. This informs us that her social upbringing would have been mostly influenced by Chozo tradition and language, further cementing her isolation. Samus essentially has a less powerful understanding of human beings than of Chozo, and human beings have even less understanding of her.
The less known about Samus, the better. She's a bounty hunter by trade that works on levels unthinkable by us, both psychologically and morally. Something of the ultimate Lawful Neutral. She doesn't fight the Space Pirates for the greater good, or to save the galaxy. She fights the Space Pirates because the law and her occupation give her plenty of opportunity to impose vengeance on the ones that destroyed her home, and with it, any hope of having true interaction with those around her. Anything else is really superfluous. Other characters can be heartwarming, but Samus' characterisation is something rare for Nintendo and the gaming industry both - someone who was a victim of circumstance with absolutely no hope of reclaiming anything resembling what once was, nor building anything just as good. No matter how many Space Pirates she kills, or how many times she defeats Ridley, Samus has lost from the beginning.
And that is a part of what makes Metroid one of the most frightening game series ever. Plenty of games try to be dark through any number of means, but nothing comes close to despair. Gears Of War, for instance, was adult only by the technicality of violence. The plot and themes were juvenile at best, and although that doesn't stop it from being a fun, enjoyable game, it does prevent it from being truly immersive.
And that's why I fear the next Metroid game. It may very well destroy everything that makes Metroid just as much of an artwork as it is a game series.
In other news:
None of you utter cunts have even mentioned the new Alien vs. Predator game. I HAVE BEEN WAITING SO SO LONG ;_;
