My Thoughts on Metroid.

I remember one of my first Gameboy Advance games. Metroid: Fusion. It's a MetroidVania style game (well duh, it is the first part of the sub-genre.)
A MetroidVania style game is a sub-genre of a side-scrolling adventures, in a non linear environment, so instead of running from one side of the map to the other, there is a large environment that you explore, gather new powers that allow you to access other areas.

Metroid Fusion is chronologically the latest installment of what has happened so far in the Metroid universe.
So you play as Samus Aran, a bounty hunter who seeks bounties against Space Pirates and rescues the universe when the time arises.

So Samus is a bad ass of extreme proportions and is a part of one of the biggest plot twists in gaming history.

On the NES in the 1980's after playing through the entire game of Metroid, after the credits roll, gamers were shocked to see that they were playing a girl the entire time!

This was ground breaking on the representations of females in games. Samus was also the first female Protagonist, and the first female who didn't need rescuing (to my knowledge)

So awesome, I love the Metroid series, a strong, compitant woman who will save the earth when she damn well pleases.
Samus was what I like to call "Traditionally sexy". a simple case of 'less is more' and I admired that.

Keyword: was.

Don't get me wrong I love samus, but there are a few problems. you see if you beat the games fast enough, you got to see Samus in a different way, luckily it is never too graphic. thanks to pixels.

Well when you come home after wearing a suit all day, you'd like to dress into something more.. comfortable? right?

It gets oh so very worse. Nintendo decided to do a collaboration with Team Ninja to develop a new Metroid game for the Wii.

If you don't know Team Ninja or their work, this is one of their games

 ...oh god no.

So in Metroid: Other M; Samus' suit falls off constantly, revealing her backside in a skin tight suit. On top of that she needs permission from a higher ranking officer in order to use her suit weapons.
Also Samus used to be a silent protagonist, and now has a voice actor which gives the mighty bounty hunter a whining, monotone voice.

So instantly Samus goes from an independent, confident and capable; to an over-sexualised robot who can't use a weapon only she can use, without a permission slip from her captain.

I love Metroid, and I love the Team Ninja game 'Ninja Gaiden' but keeping a character consistent would be a good idea if you want to please the fans.

Samus will always be my favourite female character, but whenever I hear of Other M, I kind of cringe.
It's kind of like you love your sister no matter what, but if she gets a stupid tattoo, you just feel a little disapointted, but you still love her.

Nicholas Boulton.