Strange how you blame Retro Studios for certain game conflicts when, from the interviews I've read (specifically a rather lengthy one at IGN), they talk about how series creator Yoshio Sakatmoto oversaw their games and had to approve any and all of their story drafts. In fact, it was Yoshio Sakamoto that forced them to utterly change their original plans for Metroid Prime 3, which was going to just be about Samus doing her job as a bounty hunter and going off into space to hunt the deadliest criminals the universe possessed, but they were told they weren't allowed to have Samus do "bounty hunting" in her games.Mike Cass said:Here's a problem with this, Retro Studios has shown that they have no idea what they were doing with the Prime games. Not only do the games conflict with each other but they all screw up the canon to the point that one could easily mistake them for separate off shoot canon.
That seems like a bit of a stretch for many reasons. One, the Galactic Federation does pretty good on their own during certain scenes, especially in Metroid Prime 3, while many non-Retro games show the Galactic Federation in a very poor light as well, particularly in Fusion and Other M. How many Galactic Federation officers survived in Other M? Just one. Anthony. And we thought he was dead (and he should have been). If the Galactic Federation didn't need Samus help, then why did the Galactic Federation personally contact Samus in a variety of non-Retro games, ranging from Zero Mission to Fusion? They knew she could get the job done, they knew she was the best they could get, and they knew she'd be an asset to their missions. If they DIDN'T need her help, and they were genuinely capable of taking care of themselves, why ask her to get involved in Zero Mission, Metroid II, Other M, and Fusion?Mike Cass said:In the Metroid canon, its made clear that Galactic Federation is fully capable of taking care of itself. Retro Studios acts as if the GF would implode if Samus wasn't there personally wimp everybody's bum.
Lol. Did you play Other M? The GF soldiers used SOLID ROUNDS in that game too, quite early on too. And did you play Echoes recently? The live rounds those soldiers were using were doing a very good job at killing the Ing monsters. They only lost due to the sheer overwhelming numbers of Ing attacking them. This is a world where solid rounds still have a place, and have always had a place, right alongside beam weaponry. Hell, in Echoes, they're using beam weaponry against the pirates in space before using solid rounds on ground... probably because solid rounds are faster, consume less energy, and don't overheat as frequently... something that would be preferable when you're surrounded on all sides by hordes of enemy. BOTH types of ammo exist in this universe in MANY different games, even the non-Retro ones.Mike Cass said:Case in point, the canon manga clearly shows the GF police force using energy weapons but because RS couldn't actually come up with a good scenario for the troopers in Echos getting wiped out they just opted to give them incredibly ineffective solid rounds.
The validity of a seldom read, Japanese-only manga with gaping plot holes of its own even without Retro's games notwithstanding, you do realize the Prime games occur at the very beginning of Samus's adventures, right? The Prime series occurs just after Metroid 1 and before Metroid 2, where Samus is on the rise in prominence, her acts of heroism are just now sending shockwaves through both the GF and the Space Pirate organizations. She's not an "urban legend", but she's not common knowledge either. When you drop down on Tallon IV in Prime and go to the pirate base, they know exactly who you are... and they're freaking the hell out of their minds because they know what "the Hunter" can do to them. They saw it first hand in Zero Mission.Mike Cass said:Another good example is the fact that RS gave Samus an urban myth status after she's already become the most popular and successful Hunter the GF as ever known. To make it worse, the manga shows that Samus saved the president of the GF live on intergalactic cable so how do you justify that?
Again, all story elements are approved by Yoshio Sakamoto and Nintendo. Secondly, the Space Pirates were not "out in the open" and Samus herself had to FIND their headquarters. That's part of the plot in the game. She's alarmed to discover they were there and that they've been secretly building bases, smuggling weapons, and doing experiments in caves and bases throughout the planet. Tallon IV, if you recall by the scan logs in the game, was considered a "dead planet" once the Chozo had either died out or migrated from it, and it held no value to the GF. The Space Pirates moved in during the absence, only for Prime 1 to have Samus discover them and route them out once again. I see no plot hole or contradictions anymore than I see Metroid Fusion having a huge plot hole due to the presence of the SA-X parasites suddenly appearing, something that you'd think the Chozo would've mentioned to her at some point.Mike Cass said:There being Space Pirates out in the open on Tallon IV was a big ass plot hole that's never been explained. RS has even made it worse with one of their retcons.
That was actually explained. For starters, the Space Pirates lost a major headquarters in Metroid 1... but that was NOT their entire organization. Not even half of it. That's like saying the Sith Empire was doomed once the Death Star blew up, but rather The Empire Strikes Back shows that, while a setback, the Empire was much larger and powerful than initially realized and had the means to get revenge in a big, big way. The Space Pirates aren't some scavenger gang; they're a large, powerful organization that's been enduring in every last single Metroid game as a massive threat. Ridley himself keeps coming back, usually due to the pirates themselves rebuilding/resurrecting him. I think you sold the Space Pirates short. They've been a threat since the first game and they're still a huge threat in the last game, Fusion.Mike Cass said:And from what I understand the Space Pirate organization hasn't even remotely recovered form the galactic bet down the Federation combined forces dealt them surrounding the events of original Metroid game by the time Fusion rolls around. So why in hell are they strong enough to attack them like they did in Corruption?
You mean the magic suit that Samus magically earned through a mystical Chozo spirit test in Zero Mission that somehow is effective only if Samus woke up on the right side of the bed and doesn't freak out in a war-like situation and that can magically absorb the abilities of ancient artifacts and alien technology left to her on obscure planets by various alien cultures and currently-existing Federation technology?Mike Cass said:Plus, Prime 2 and 3 completely ignore how the suit works.
I fail to see how they ignored "how the suit works". Does the suit protect her? Yep. Can it adapt and absorb new powers and abilities? Yep. Can she go into morph ball mode and plant bombs? Yep. Does she have the vast majority of her trademark abilities and powers? Yep. If anything, I'd say I prefer their portrayal of her sci-fi suit of armor as something functional, rather than a rather shoddy Sailor Moon-esque magic transformation outfit that appears on her if she thinks about it REALLY HARD (and that somehow gives her missiles in Other M too).
Trishbot said:![]()
This woman, this strong, smart, capable, amiable, powerful, independent, confident warrior woman with a zest for life and a penchant for doing the impossible, as has been established in prior games... this woman does not exist in Other M. And the gaming world is the lesser for her absence.
Are you really comparing Samus to Batman when Joker killed Robin? Because I read that story. Batman never broke down crying in hysterics or fear at the sight of the Joker. Quite the contrary; in that story, Batman is driven to get revenge to such a rage-inducing degree that he quite nearly breaks his vow never to kill. He was sad, yes, but it didn't impede his ability to BE BATMAN; quite the opposite; Robin's death by the Joker drove him to become a far more lethal, focused, and driven hero.Mike Cass said:Except that's you talking out of your ass. Everbody can have good and bad days, and Samus was having a bad day like Batman after he loses a Robin kind of bad day.
Or, here, let's pick a more recent example: Arkham City. Batman's having a bad day in that game too. He's poisoned; dying even. Loved ones of his die in that game. He's getting beat up, tortured even, and is overwhelmed trying to keep things under control, let alone stay alive. He's having a bad day. Does he sit at home, cry about it, and whine about how Alfred doesn't respect him or that he misses his daddy? Hell no. He mans up, puts on the cowl, and punches villains in the face all the way to the credits, doing his job like a pro.
In Other M, Samus's frailty and insecurity nearly gets her friends KILLED.
Here's the thing; while it's realistic to have a bad day, most people would rather play as the hero being a damn HERO and NOT playing a game where the hero is having "a bad day" that drags the character and the whole game down. When I play a Batman game, I want to feel like a badass justice of the night, terrorizing criminals and rising up against overwhelming odds with confidence and courage. Arkham City is full of those moments; he tells Robin to get out of his way; Oracle and Alfred crack jokes about how he'll pick the "suicidal" route into a building, knowing full well he'll be just fine. When they express concern for him, he shrugs it off and marches on... even when it's obvious he's physically at his limits and is hanging on by a wish and prayer.
Samus should be Batman for the player. Empower me. Make me feel brave. Make me feel strong. Make me feel smart and talented and full of confidence, control, authority, power, and ability. Other M, in particular, did NONE of that and instead stripped away control, overruled my desires, impeded my progress, and put up enough barriers, physical and emotional, that I could not help but be detached from the heroine I have adored for 25 years.
That's literally the very first time I've ever heard anyone say Nintendo "screwed up" Link in the past few Zelda games. Literally. I've read dozens of reports to the contrary, talking about how amazing and expressive Skyward Sword's Link is, how charming and timeless the Wind Waker-esque Link has become, how Twilight Princess gave us a believable Link that truly grows as a characters and rises to the occasion to protect his friends. Link, in every incarnation, is always brave, always courageous, always enduring, always noble, always kind, always intelligent, always talented, always dependable, always trustworthy, always determined, and always victorious as the hero that Hyrule (or Holodrum, or Labrynna, or Termina, or Koholint Island) needs him to be. How have they "screwed that up"?Mike Cass said:Another thing, why doesn't anyone care that Nintendo royally screwed up Link in the last couple of games?
In the end, I know Other M has its defenders and those that genuinely liked it; I'm not one of them. I know many who are, and I know just as many who aren't. The game was divisive and it was divisive for a reason, just as Final Fantasy XIII and The 3rd Birthday were.
I was enough a fan of Samus Aran that I dedicated my life to making video games and making games with a strong female protagonist just as she was. There were far too few female role models in games for me growing up, and Samus was one of the best. The Samus of Other M is not that woman, and I'm sorry if you can't see or understand why I feel that way. Were I a single voice of protest, that might be something, but there is a strong collective of people who felt that Samus was mishandled in Other M, and an overwhelmingly positive reception for how Samus was treated in the Prime games, so while dissenting opinions exist, the outrage from many shouldn't be ignored, and valid points of contention can and should be addressed by whoever handles a Metroid game going forward.
I want to be a hero again, one that is fearless in the face of danger, one who is strong in the face of adversity, one who is enduring in the face of setbacks, one who is resolute in her own convictions and refuses to back down when pressured. I want a Samus that looks Ridley in the eye and rushes into battle to protect others from him; I want a Samus that doesn't shy away when a fat GF officer tries to intimidate her; I want a Samus that does question retarded orders from a man that is genuinely unfit to lead a marching band, let alone an army; I want a Samus that earns her powers, not one that submits herself to unnecessary limitations. I want to grow, not regress, to challenge, not submit, to fight, not cry, to go into suicidal situations and emerge victorious, not get shot in the back and told to stay behind where it's safe. I want to deliver the finishing blow to my enemies. I want to be the one saving others, not being save. If I were to complain, it would be about how the blood on my visor is obscuring my vision, not dwell on Twilight-quality boy problems and daddy issues. I want to go in, kick alien ass, and get the job done like a pro; not have every thing I do get second-guessed, mocked, belittled, and demeaned. I want to wear awesome battle suits full of awesome powers and abilities, not a spandex leotard in f***ing high heels. I want to be Batman in Space. I want to be Samus Aran.
I do not want to be a vapid, big-boobed, blonde airhead that needs permission to tie her shoes.
I don't ask for the unreasonable. I ask for what existed in Metroid games for over 25 years, a quarter of a century. Surely that's not too much for a woman to ask for.