Why don't enough people like Metroid?

[Infinity's End]

This is probably the wrong kind of forum to post something like this in, since pretty much everyone here likes Metroid to some degree, but I'm truly and honestly curious of your ideas and feelings on this matter. I also strongly encourage any lurkers out there to say something. Even if it's just *one* measly post.

Just by looking at major fan-made websites, there are less than a handful that cover the Metroid series as a whole. But take Zelda, or Final Fantasy... and there are literally HUNDREDS of fan sites on these games.

What do you feel causes people to just not like (or not purchase games in) the Metroid franchise?
I was looking through VGCharts site today and the Prime games sales are EXTREMELY depressing.

Japan could basically give 2 shits about Metroid. According to that site, Prime 3 didn't sell over 70k copies in Japan. And it didn't even break 1M in the US. How shitty is that, really?

Let's look at the factors, whether any of these be completely ludicrous or not, that's up for debate. I'm just throwing out some possible conclusions...
maybe this will spark some conversation.

Are Metroid games are too difficult?
Do people want to start playing the game with the first one in the franchise (NES), but get too frustrated by it, think they're all that way and give up on all of them?
Do people not like the science fiction setting?
Did Nintendo just not market it well enough? (And if this is true, WHY? WHY is this the case?)
Is the lack of merchandise part of the issue? Do people just not care about the series enough for Nintendo to not see it as a profitable market?
Did the First-person perspective turn off too many people (esp. in Japan)?
Was the Gamecube's ultimate failure part of the problem the Primes didn't see well enough?
Is Nintendo not "Hardcore" enough to get their target demographic interested?
Do people who buy the Wii not buy games like Metroid Prime 3?
Or maybe since they never played the other two, they don't even want to start, fearing that they'll be unfamiliar with the storyline?
Do they not like the fact you can't see the main character's face/body? (Which wouldn't make sense looking at Halo)

Feel free to add your own. You can focus on a single title, the Primes, or the whole franchise if you'd like. Just give me some better idea why you think Metroid is just not as popular as Mario or Zelda.

[mental]

That's a really interesting question. The weird thing is that Metroid fandom isn't even quite like regular "cult" fandoms. There are far more obscure series that have more fan-involvement than Metroid does, taken as a whole.

I don't have any good answers. Maybe it's the lack of characterization, which is kind of simultaneously Metroid's biggest asset (from my point of view as a fan-writer) and its greatest liability. Of course, characterization can be bad; I don't really think very highly of the Metroid manga for example. But hopefully Other M will have good characterization.

[Outlaw]

I am so fucking happy you made this thread IE.

Ok if you go to Zelda Universe, they have over 500,000 on their forums. Maybe not all are active but its still a damn high number.

I have no idea why Metroid isn't doing so well fanwise. I partly blame Nintendo not being hardcore enough but then again i have no problem with out Metroid is.

Heres my theory, Kids and adults over time have just turned to the "overhyped", and "overrated" Take Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare for example. I find it completely and utterly boring, and noob friendly.

Another example is Halo. (Im not turning this into a debate, its just an example.) - It is "overhyped", and "overrated". Sure the no-scoping might be a little impressive but the sword skills won't impress me considering it homes in on people when you get close to them. Another downer is its full of 12 year old kids that talk shit and teens/adults that are just fucking assholes. Heres a game that I never heard of until months after it came out. That game was Bioshock. It beat Halo's ass at getting Game of the Year which I am happy about.

Those examples don't necessarily explain why Metroid has a low number of fans. Because Zelda sells a shit load off of its games.

[Emperor Ing]

I would say we are the most devoted fanbase, but series like Mother etc. blow that proposition out of the water.

The more I think of it, there is no real good reason for the Metroid games to be unpopular or not sell well.

It don't make no sense, man.

I'll have to think about it and type a super-long post later.

[Antiquity]

I had sort of understood that Metroid was Nintendo's #3 franchise, after Mario and Zelda. I am going to compare mainly to Zelda, since that is much more similar in flavor to Metroid (and, in fact, I like Zelda better, although I obviously greatly enjoy Metroid also).

What I can think of are some of the following:

1. Zelda is more consistent/bigger than Metroid, possibly on account of it being Miyamoto's baby instead of Sakamoto. Every Nintendo console has a Zelda title, usually one of the first released for a given console and on occasion a flagship title. Metroid usually comes later. This means that there are more Zelda games, and Zelda is more noticeable when a new console emerges.

2. The atmosphere of Zelda is arguably more appealing to more people than that of Metroid (or more conventional, which amounts to the same thing). Zelda is classic high fantasy. Metroid is not the archtypical sci-fi (compare with StarFox, minus the furry animals).

3. Zelda has in many ways more accessible and arguably appealing characters than Metroid. Link is most definitely a silent protagonist, but from the things he does and where he comes from in his games, he's definitely a likable character. Zelda is a different kind of strong female character, but she certainly is one, and again, we get to see her. Samus is more mysterious than anything else; we really don't know anything about her. I like to imagine that she's a nice likable character similar to Link or Zelda, but I seem somewhat unusual. Perhaps this is why I am a Metroid fan - although Samus is still outnumbered 2:1.


I don't think that it's difficulty, or at least not the difficulty of the first game in the series. The Legend of Zelda is extremely difficult, presenting puzzles easily as difficult than any I've ever encountered in a Metroid game. The Adventure of Link is even harder (I beat Ninja Gaiden unassisted, but not AoL!). Nintendo not being hardcore enough may be a problem, although honestly Zelda can get pretty hardcore in places too (there are some nasty things that happen in Zelda games!).

[Outlaw]

Now when I think about it, there is something weird here.

Ok lets head back to the Nintendo 64 shall we?

Zelda had Ocarina of Time, the BEST out of the Zelda games, and truly a classic to most Zelda fans.

Mario has Super Mario 64 which was as well a great game.

Metroid didn't have a 64 game. Maybe if it did, things would be different, possibly for the better.

[Antiquity]

Zelda had Ocarina of Time, the BEST out of the Zelda games, and truly a classic to most Zelda fans.

I seriously don't understand why so many people feel this way. Other than being 3D, of which OoT is now hardly unique, I fail to see what it has that sets it apart from the rest of the series.

[Outlaw]

Im just saying, Zelda Fans mostly think of OoT to be the best.

Its kinda like, when you say Zelda what do people think of? OoT.

Like when you say Jame Bond Game. You might think Goldeneye seeing as the ones past goldeneye are starting to lose their touch.

[Infinity's End]

Interesting points, guys. I think Nintendo had possibly wanted to put Metroid on the N64, but after the death of Mr. Yokoi in 97, they may have digressed out of respect (or hate, I can't tell. ) There's probably a very early prototype of Metroid 64 somewhere in the Nintendo archives, but we'll never know for sure. I always had the theory that the N64 wasn't "good enough to handle a Metroid" but of course that's just a crazy unsubstantiated theory because I'm bitter that it never happened. Maybe Other M has some remnants of the original Metroid 64 design? (Again this is just complete conjecture) Of course if we had gaming media that actually asked interesting and thought-provoking questions like this when they get the opportunity to talk to Mr. Sakamoto, maybe we could have a better idea of where they stand.

Check out this article. Nintendo didn't add Metroid to their list of famous franchises until 2005. Fucking crazy, eh?

[Outlaw]

I agree, it is crazy. I have considered Metroid the part of Nintendo's famous 5 for far longer.

[Antiquity]

Im just saying, Zelda Fans mostly think of OoT to be the best.

Its kinda like, when you say Zelda what do people think of? OoT.

An artifact, IMO, of the fact that it was the first 3D Zelda game, and as a consequence there were many players who encountered it for the first time in a way that they identified with graphically, and so remember it more strongly than any other. Final Fantasy VII is similar - it's the first 3D Final Fantasy game, so it got a lot more attention than FFVI or FFVIII, but there wasn't really anything remarkable about FFVII when compared to the other FF games. It does have its idiosyncrasies that set it apart, but so does every Final Fantasy game, and FFVII's are not appreciably greater than those of any other game in the series.


Back to topic -

I couldn't find the reference in the article, or the article itself (the website seems garbled). I do find it surprising that Metroid wasn't a flagship Nintendo title until recently, since it certainly was used as one. The first real Nintendo sequel that I am aware of is Super Mario Bros. II, followed by Adventure of Link, and then Return of Samus. There are other series made by other companies and released for Nintendo - Megaman being a spectacular example that produced many, many games, but it's still ultimately Capcom, not Nintendo.

I think part of it may be bad luck, or overly ambitious game designers. Super Metroid was arguably the best of the series, came out after a long hiatus in the series, and was nearly canceled several times because it was such a big, resource-demanding game for its time. For all we know, an N64 Metroid masterpiece was planned, and had it been released, Metroid really would be Nintendo's #4 franchise (I recently learned that Pokémon has surpassed Zelda). But maybe the project was too ambitious and got canceled - or maybe not too ambitious, but some bean-counting top brass at Nintendo thought it was, so it got the axe.

[Outlaw]

Pokemon DOES sell big, but I don't really like it. Its just the same thing over and over.

Kirby used to be very good but they have slowed down.

Star Fox hasn't had much attention either.

But Metroid is still going and everything, im like Emperor Ing, I can't find a good explanation for this.

[mental]

Inf brings up an interesting point, actually. It is possible that the lingering effects of Gunpei Yokoi's disgrace at Nintendo may have set the franchise back (among many other factors).

[Outlaw]

Maybe if Nintendo promoted Metroid more, we wouldn't be doing so bad.

[Reconite]

I think it's people not wanting to play as a girl character, so Instead they play Halo (Almost the same badass suit, except it's a guy).

Off Topic:
Also this is off topic but I was looking at some locked topic on some ancient forum about Samus vs Master Chief and a Xbox troll fanboy said something along the lines of this: "Master Chief would beat Samus because he was trained for battle since he was a kid and she wasn't." AHAHAHAHAHA LEARN YOUR F-ING METROID DUMBASS! That is the epitome of fanboyism, at least research before you embarrass yourself.

OMG I have to find that page and link it!