So recently, Zero Suit Samus' new design has left the internet in a tizzy, particularly the new high heels. Now, this is, of course, an Internet Flash Firestorm, which will probably be forgotten in a week, but I've nothing better to do today and might as well get myself sucked in.
First of all, people are complaining that the character has now been 'too sexualized.' This is, in fact, stupid, since Samus has been sexualized in almost every game she's been in. For every 2D game, the faster you complete the game, the more undressed she is in the ending cinematic. Hell, she was even guilty of this in Brawl. Think about the first scene you see her in - dropping down from some air vent, the camera panning over her backside before we even see her face. My non-Nintendo cousins saw this and immediately started laughing at my attempts to explain, no really, she's a badass. So I fail to see how this is any worse.
Secondly, the heels really aren't that sexy. They're big, clunky, and look like a utilitarian piece of gear. Which they are. I remember hearing someone say that if you have rocket boots, a high heel makes sense, since you need a tube for the flames to shoot down. That may not have been the reasoning the designers had, but the point remains that the shoes seem like a standard powerup. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they end up in the next Metroid game.
Third - and I don't see a lot of people making this point - this new Zero Suit Samus is a really good character model. I'm serious, the design improves on a lot of flaws from Brawl. For example, in Brawl, the Zero suit looked just like it had in Zero Mission, its inception - an undergarment, something you wear so the Power suit doesn't get all sweaty. However, this begs the question of why you would wear such an armor into battle, as you only use it in Zero Mission when you have no other choice. The new Zero Suit looks a lot more functional, with the jet boots offering a strong offensive (no pun intended) capability. Also, the suit itself has a more intricate design, with multiple different colors to give the impression that it might actually be something you could wear in situations other than near total incapacitation. Aesthetically, it's a very streamlined design with a unique appeal. I thought the same thing with Rosalina as I thought here - it's a shame Nintendo doesn't make many new character designs, they're really good at it.
Well, that's all I have to say about the matter. I look forward to being told the 1,009 ways I'm wrong and a terrible person by this afternoon.
P.S. Some people are saying that they made Samus' boobs bigger. I didn't really notice. And you did. What does that say?
