The future of the series

[okey]

Completely agree! Just having a space traveling/exploring game with a few places you cold go wit their own distinct environments, atmosphere, and threats would be great! there could be a lot of games with just this premise, and i would enjoy them. I would like the story to continue and eventually end. If they finished the main story, and made "fill in the blank" games that would be equally fun.

Have you ever played Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath? There's no space stuff, but you play as a bounty hunter and explore different environments.

It's really similar to what you're asking for. I'd love to play a Metroid game that went for that feel.

[okey]

If scanning ever comes back (I hope it will), please no more necessary/forced scans. ALL scanning should be 100% voluntary. And as for the series as a whole, they should definitely utilize more scan logs, audio logs, and such for a lot of the series.

Scans written from Samus' perspective could be pretty cool. (But only if the next game had better writing)

[okey]

I hate to link to IGN but this seems pretty interesting.

Miyamoto discusses Metroid on Wii U

As the co-manager of Nintendo's internal development teams and one of the most senior executives at the company, the legendary designer surely has a bit more influence than just about anyone else in the world. When I recently chatted with Miyamoto, I asked him what he would want to see on Wii U.

With the caveat that he's not necessarily talking about games in active development, and that the process of evaluating which characters and games are appropriate for a system or mechanic is always ongoing, Miyamoto indicated two franchises have his attention. The first? Metroid.

"With Metroid it's very easy to imagine some interesting implementation for Wii U," Miyamoto mentioned. "I think that having another screen with the gyro built in really gives you a lot of interesting opportunities for development, and we can bring a lot of our games to life in a completely unique way with that."

"I feel like the possibilities of the GamePad for Metroid could be really fantastic," Miyamoto told me at a different point in our conversation. "There's certainly a lot that you could do there for that game."

Yet the one that Miyamoto really wants to see? The Nintendo executive didn't give any details, but noted that "personally" the franchise he wants most on Wii U is Star Fox. Here's hoping one day Miyamoto's wish - alongside millions of Nintendo fans - is realized on the HD system.

Sheesh, three posts in a row

[HYRUL3]

That article was a waste of time. The headline gave away the only worthwhile info.

Luckily Miyamoto is showing interest, and Miyamoto usually gets what he wants.

[Homeboy]

I'm an older gamer (33) and have been waiting for the day that Nintendo releases a TRUE sequel to the Metroid series. The game I most want to see is a 2.5D Metroid game very much like Shadow Complex. Shadow Complex was designed with the Metroid formula in mind and was executed perfectly.

I admittly have not played Other M as it looks pretty lame. To me, that's not really Metroid, but just another 3rd person shooter.

There's alot to be said about innovation & evolving the series, but I think Nintendo should go back to the basic Metroid formula and release a 2.5D side scroller. I was hoping they would release a side scroller Metroid for the 3DS or announce a new Metroid at E3, but so far......nothing. Please Nintendo.........please..........go back to the basics & keep the story to a minimum!!!!!!

[Homeboy]

Some new enemies to fight would be welcome indeed. For the most it's been Space Pirates and Metroids. A welcome departure from this was in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes where the two things were just secondary to the primary enemy; the Ing.

I'd like to see a smaller scale threat actually.

Not every story needs to be a huge epic I guess? I want a Metroid game where you play as 'Samus Aran, capable bounty hunter' as opposed to 'Samus Aran, planet-destroying super badass'.

Great post!!! I completely agree. Not every Metroid mission needs to be about saving galaxy's. I would also like to see the story kept to a minimum. Samus's character is best left to the imagination. Samus Iran, lone bounty hunter, end of story.

[HYRUL3]

I want them to do what they did in 2002... Simultaneously release a handheld and console Metroid.

I personally want a Zero Mission style remake of Return of Samus. New art, new areas, new monsters, maybe a new epilogue. Make it feel unique. That should satisfy those that want a return to form.

Then i would like a huge, 3rd person game. Focus on exploration, have a better control scheme, resolve this evil branch of Federation storyline so that designers have unlimited freedom afterwards.

[Thunderchin]

It'd be interesting to see HAL make a metroid game, but again, I'm pretty sure that they'll be busy working on the next SSB game.

Sure, a so-called perfect supercomputer that ejects astronauts into space can be trusted with the development of a Metroid game.

On topic, potential "dream teams" could be Valve, Bethesda, Retro, and many others. (Those three happen to be favorites of mine. Lol.)

Valve has incredible art direction.
They know how to make a game that plays well and is balanced yet still offers variety and new content throughout.
They know how to make a game that tells a story while still keeping you one with the character.
They have yet to demonstrate non-linearity.
Their high quality standard and other obligations make Valve Time legendarily long.
They can't count to three. Metroid is up to five.
Valve is known for being a PC developer. They wouldn't make a game that couldn't go on Steam.

Bethesda is the master of open-endedness.
They make damn good multi-hour epics that engross the player in the game world, and have done so many times.
They provide plenty of deep, interesting subplots that keep the fresh stuff in the forefront while still offering a larger goal to complete.
The exploration in their games isn't item-driven like in Metroid. It's player and story driven.
They create huge worlds. I've always been a proponent of larger games, but would it be Metroid detriment to have a massive overworld?
Their games are always plagued with bugs right off. While this happens to everyone, Bethesda got the short end of the stick.
Not really a complaint, but I don't know how Bethesda will fit in their trademark "sweetroll" joke with the Metroid-verse.

Retro has done well with the Metroid series in the past.
They have superb artistic direction.
They have proven themselves able to create mostly new environments, enemies and powerups.
Is it going to be just another Prime game? Not that it would suck or anything, but if all it becomes is Prime 4 the whole thing becomes pointless. Prime is finished, what now?

[HYRUL3]

Well why can't Retro make a game not in the Prime series? They could either make another FPA and call it Dread, or make a 2.5D game? They've shown mastery of both.

[Daya]

Well exactly. I can't see why they can't touch on Metroid anymore just because they made the Prime trilogy, unless R&D1 makes a comeback and take a shot on a 3D Metroid.

[HYRUL3]

Precisely. Until Retro says they're closing the door on the series forever, I will have hope.

[Thunderchin]

It better be a 2.5D, because if it's an FPA like the Primes were then all it will be is a Prime 4 no matter how you brand it.

[HYRUL3]

Nothing wrong with that at all. I would play the hell out of it

[Emperor Ing]

I'd much rather see a 2D Metroid, with at least 3D graphical capabilities display. In HD, that'd be pretty nice too.

As for who?

I don't know which R&D teams at Nintendo really have the sort of power that is required for an honest-to-goodness next-gen Metroid game. In that I mean a core group of programmers capable of making the game perfect, while a whole other team of graphical designers works on making the game the most beautiful Metroid game yet.

Intelligent Systems? I'd be worried they'd make the game too much like Fusion. Though at the least I'd give them a shot.

R&D1? Are they even still around?

Retro? I would definitely buy it; however, I don't want them working on the series unless they could create a 2D-style Metroid. The First-Person-Adventure experiment was very successful, but I think the series needs to move on and further refine itself.

EAD? Perhaps, though I'd be wary to let a bunch of Link-heads touch mah metroid.

My ideal size would be something like 40 people working on the game, with at least half of those folks dedicated programmers. That way there'd be less of a hassle coordinating the project from a directorial point of view (I think several problems in Other M stem from the insurmountable obstacles of communication between three different studios).

I wouldn't really trust Valve or Bethesda - I don't think either really has the chops to make a game like Metroid. They're good at what they do (though with valve it's been so long since they've made a game I dunno).


It's hard to pinpoint developers good at making the type of game-style mechanics the series is known for. You'd almost have to hand the series off to some group of nobodies and hope for the best. Hey, it's not like that's happened before, right?


--
As far as weirdness goes, if Treasure got to make a Metroid game, it would be so un-Metroid, and so off-the-wall that it would demand a purchase no matter what. It would be the most non-Metroid game of the series, both in tone and style, but it would probably be fun as all hell!

[HYRUL3]

Valve just made Portal 2 last year. It won all kinds of awards and is going to be used in some schools for educational gaming.

I would be okay with either perspective. But I'd prefer 3D. I'd rather explore a wide open alien world than a 2D view