The Metroid ZM impressions/reviews thread

Post 'em when you get the game!

So far, I like. First thing I did was link up Fusion to unlock an art gallary, then I actually PLAYED my new game. It really has that Metroid "feel" to it. You know, the feeling of being totally alone on a world and exploring on your own? The hint system isn't NEARLY as bad as Fusion. You ARE forced to GET these hints, because the chozo statues actually block your path until you "listen" to them, however it's generally in the form of a destination dot in the middle of empty space, generally giving you the feeling you didn't get any real info at all. Actually, the very FIRST hint also revealed some map area around the first destination, but the hints I've gotten since then have been, as I said, in the form of a nearly pointless dot in empty space. So, while I have a feeling later hints may just reveal map areas too, in general the hints don't spoil much of anything at all except that you will know if you are close by (though with Metroid games, I imagine you can end up looping ALL OVER the place and having to worm your way back AROUND even if you are directly to the side of it at first) which is great because as I said that means the classic "lost in a huge world with no idea where to go" feeling (well, yeah to that point, but no real idea how to start or anything, same diff really as I tend to totally ignore the dot as it gives me no hints on how to actually get to it). Great game so far, and though as I said you still HAVE to get the hints, the game is just as open as the rest of the non-Fusion Metroid games.

Oh yes, they even included the fact that at first Samus just has a short range beam weapon, even though you get the long beam about 2 minutes in. Nice naustalgia bit :D.

I'm 3 hours into the game and in Metroid heaven. I love Fusion but man, ZM just blows that game away. It's Super Metroid with the controls and moves of Fusion, and it works wonderfully. I don't like it as much as Super or Prime, but it's every bit as fantastic as I expected it to be. Early on the hintsdo make it pretty easy, but after an hour and a half or so the hints are far less frequent. So while it's not as non-linear as Super, there's still chances to get lost and plenty of freedom to explore. I can't wait to play the game in hard mode. :D

:D

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20040211l.jpg

I beat it! 3 hours, 40 minutes, and 15 seconds with 50%. That was so damn fun I just feel like playing through the game all over again. If only I wasn't at work... Anyhow. You've all read the reviews so you know what it's all about, what the main pros and cons are. YES it's slightly shorter than most Metroid games, YES it's slightly easier than most Metroid games, and YES some of the bosses are too easy. HOWEVER, I had more fun with Zero Mission than I did with Fusion, Metroid I, and Metroid II combined. It's just crazy fun. It is a lot like Super Metroid with the controls and moves from Fusion, but it does add quite a bit to the Metroid formula with the cinematics and *spoiler* bits (see below). It's the most cinematic Metroid game to date even though there's only a few lines of text throughout the game. And it showed that IS doesn't need to make Metroid linear in order to tell a story. It's still a bit more linear than Super because of the hints, but after the first 45 minutes or so I stopped getting any hints. I think there were maybe three or four hints total, and they're only there for the first 25 or 30% of the game. Not bad at all.

The game ties just so wonderfully with Prime that I hope they remake Metroid II in order to fit that game better into the updated storyline. There are designs from Prime, but also music which was a great surprise. Overall the music was fantastic, right behind Super and just about as good as Prime's (not in terms of sound quality though, of course). Metroid-online.com has already ripped the music from the game so go check it out.

The Samus out of suit parts were very cool, and probably the most challenging parts of the game. Think Flashback meets MGS and you kinda get the idea. And when you get back your suit (with a few additions), the awesome music starts and you run around blasting space pirates from every angle. By far the coolest moment of the game, IMO. I hope they bring back more jumpsuit Samus in future games. I think it'd be extra awesome in Prime's sequel. They'll just have to figure out a way for it to make sense. Maybe they could show Samus doing gymnastics in her house or something and then out of nowhere a bunch of space pirates start attacking, so she has no time to grab her suit and must make a run for it!! :D

Right now Zero Mission is definitely my favorite GBA title, and it's my favorite Metroid game after Prime and Super. Buy it NOW, people! Now I have to go back to my last save and get the other 50%. :D

:D

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20040211l.jpg

Hahaha! :D

ZM does a great job of explaining some things from other Metroid games and tying everything closer together.

Remember the huge wrecked ship area in Super Metroid? That ship is the last area of Zero Mission, and it's Samus' fault that it got wrecked. :D

It elaborates on some stuff from Prime, like how Samus was brought up and trained by the Chozo on Zebes where she grew up. Looks like the Chozo lived all over the place. Zebes, Tallon IV, etc.

Meta Ridley is in the game, which goes in line with those pirate notes in Prime which mentioned that there was more than just one Meta Ridley. However, the meta Ridley in ZM is 100% robotic while the one in Prime is just part robot. Hmm...

Samus has a very nice butt. Just thought I'd mention that. ... *cough*

I like it how they made her sexy while not revealing too much. http://mors.f2o.org/samusbutt.jpeg

First off, I was thinking about game controls and remembered a problem I've had with both Fusion and Zero Mission.

It's basically concerning missiles. I find it very annoying when I'm using nothing BUT missiles that I have to hold DOWN the R button for a long time. It's a tough button to hold down despite which version of the system you are using. I would have much preferred it if that had been a toggle rather than a hold button. Tap it for missile control, and tap it again to return to normal mode. Wouldn't mess up a thing really, select still switches the KIND of missile that's used in missile mode.

To be honest, I came up with this playing Megaman Zero. They did it the best way. They had a control option right from the start to either control weapon switching Metroid GBA style (default actually) by holding R to fire secondary and letting it go for primary, and a second control option for using R as a toggle so you just need to tap it to go back and forth. As you can imagine, in MMZ, I have the second as default. I just wish they would put that in the next Metroid GBA game, since I imagine it'll use a very similar control system.

To be honest this game served to leave me asking how she got the ship we all know and love that you first see in Metroid Prime. She supposedly went STRAIGHT to that space station FROM Zebes after that mission, so how did she get rid of the tadpole ship and get herself that classic yellow thingy? (Oddly enough, having a ship with movement like that IS what engineers are trying to do now. That sort of movement is much more efficient and fast than static bodied ships with propellers. Of course, that doesn't apply to SPACE mind you . :D)

Oh, and OB1, are you SURE that that ship in Metroid Zero Mission (placed in very nearly the same place I also notice) is REALLY supposed to be the ship in Super Metroid? I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it, but if you look closely the two are really very different. Also, according to the manuel, the ship in Super Metroid was from an ANCIENT civilization that CRASHED on Zebes long ago. It doesn't even mention pirates, nor are any to be found in there. Besides that, as far as I can tell, the ship in Zero Mission exploded completely.

Oh yeah, as far as I can tell, the Meta Ridley in Zero Mission was more of a robot based off of Ridley than an attempt to rebuild him. I suppose Ridley's race is considered the ultimate form of warrior or something.

I will say this, with the story expansion of Zero Mission, it makes Super Metroid's story seem like a hollow shell of the original, rather than an expansion on it like it originally was. Seems like a "been here done that, but now there's less storyline" affair. After they get around to remaking Metroid Return of Samus, I believe they should not just PORT Super Metroid (even though the graphics and sound are already at that infamous "good enough" level), but remake that as well. They don't need to touch up the graphics, well not really, maybe make up for the tiling that's more apparent in Super than in the two GBA ones, but they should expand on the story I think. Maybe they could change the ship to one that really IS the remans of the old pirate ship, then it really would fit, though I'm content with it just being the remains of some ancient civilization.

Oh yes, those Chozo wouldn't just be from Tallon IV. I mean, it was kinda obvious they had places everywhere, and it even says as much in the Metroid Return of Samus manuel, to explain why there were Chozo statues on SR-388 as well as Zebes. I do believe they aren't from Tallon IV either (though the name fits well doesn't it?) because there's a NUMBER in the name of that world and all. Why, I imagine that somewhere in the galaxy, or maybe in another galaxy, is their home world. The story of Prime only says that the Chozo of Tallon IV decided to retreat from extreme technology and merely use what would help wed them to the planet. Other groups of Chozo wouldn't need to do that, though it's apparent they DID hide themselves from the rest of the universe in general anyway.

It's basically concerning missiles. I find it very annoying when I'm using nothing BUT missiles that I have to hold DOWN the R button for a long time. It's a tough button to hold down despite which version of the system you are using. I would have much preferred it if that had been a toggle rather than a hold button. Tap it for missile control, and tap it again to return to normal mode. Wouldn't mess up a thing really, select still switches the KIND of missile that's used in missile mode.


Yeah I found that slightly annoying as well. Got kind of confusing during the Mother Brain battle, especially.

To be honest this game served to leave me asking how she got the ship we all know and love that you first see in Metroid Prime. She supposedly went STRAIGHT to that space station FROM Zebes after that mission,
so how did she get rid of the tadpole ship and get herself that classic yellow thingy?[spoiler][/quote

Maybe we'll find out in Metroid 1.25. :D

[quote]Oh, and OB1, are you SURE that
[spoiler]
that ship in Metroid Zero Mission (placed in very nearly the same place I also notice) is REALLY supposed to be the ship in Super Metroid? I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it, but if you look closely the two are really very different. Also, according to the manuel, the ship in Super Metroid was from an ANCIENT civilization that CRASHED on Zebes long ago. It doesn't even mention pirates, nor are any to be found in there. Besides that, as far as I can tell, the ship in Zero Mission exploded completely.

Well no I'm not 100% sure about it but it does make a lot of sense. Same location. Remember that a lot of stuff is being rewritten, so perhaps they'll change that detail in Super Metroid Advance's instruction manual, or explain it some other way.

Oh yeah, as far as I can tell, the Meta Ridley in Zero Mission was more of a robot based off of Ridley than an attempt to rebuild him. I suppose Ridley's race is considered the ultimate form of warrior or something.


Was Meta Ridley in Prime entirely the creation of the Space Pirates, or did they just add cybernetic enhancements to a Ridley-like alien? I forgot.

I will say this, with the story expansion of Zero Mission, it makes Super Metroid's story seem like a hollow shell of the original, rather than an expansion on it like it originally was. Seems like a "been here done that, but now there's less storyline" affair. After they get around to remaking Metroid Return of Samus, I believe they should not just PORT Super Metroid (even though the graphics and sound are already at that infamous "good enough" level), but remake that as well. They don't need to touch up the graphics, well not really, maybe make up for the tiling that's more apparent in Super than in the two GBA ones, but they should expand on the story I think.

I agree, all they'd really need to do is add some cinemas and some more text. I doubt they'll totally remake it though, judging by that recent interview.

Oh yes, those Chozo wouldn't just be from Tallon IV. I mean, it was kinda obvious they had places everywhere, and it even says as much in the Metroid Return of Samus manuel, to explain why there were Chozo statues on SR-388 as well as Zebes. I do believe they aren't from Tallon IV either (though the name fits well doesn't it?) because there's a NUMBER in the name of that world and all. Why, I imagine that somewhere in the galaxy, or maybe in another galaxy, is their home world. The story of Prime only says that the Chozo of Tallon IV decided to retreat from extreme technology and merely use what would help wed them to the planet. Other groups of Chozo wouldn't need to do that, though it's apparent they DID hide themselves from the rest of the universe in general anyway

Yeah they've really seemed to set up a big storyline for future Metroid games. Now I want to see a Chozo civilization that is not extinct! :D
BTW did they ever say what happened to the Chozo on Zebes? What happened to the people that raised Samus?

As far as I can tell, from my memory when the pirates attacked Zebes, they wiped out everyone there, so the previous Chozo civilization on that world was destroyed by the mean pirates.

As far as Meta Ridley in Prime, I was under the impression that it was the same Ridley from the space station, and more to the point, it was also the same Ridley from Metroid 1/Zero Mission. Reading those notes in the space station about it, I always understood it to mean they managed to recover a near dead Ridley and save its life via cybernetic enhancements, and now its angry at Samus in particular. Remember that only Torian actually exploded. Norfair likely was left SOMEWHAT untouched, I think. On to Metroid 3, I always thought that Ridley had been restored via bioengineering, like cloning organs to remake Ridley as it originally was (though that was defeated by Samus before so I'm not sure why they'd go to the effort :D). After Prime, I get the impression that the pirates will NOT let Ridley die, remaking the poor space dragon not once but twice now.

As for Fusion, I don't quite remember but I THINK that the "Ridley" there is just another member of that species, X-ified.

Oh yeah. I forgot what the deal with Meta Ridley was.

I hope they show a planet with living Chozos in a future Metroid game. Maybe Samus can visit them to get rid of that crappy Fusion suit.

...WHAAAA?! That suit is COOL! I thought you loved her new suit! Besides that, though it's worse through most of Fusion, by the end of the game it's actually SUPERIOR to her old suit, when you finally get that last X downloaded and become the first "Metroid" that can resist ice and all. Now I will say I don't exactly like how it looked in Prime, but that's why I haven't used that bonus since I first tested it out.

The original suit just looks way, way cooler.

Ack, I've always hated the Fusion suit! Samus looks like some sort of crazy French space clown in it.

http://www.gamecritics.com/feature/artgallery/metroidfusion/art01.jpg


*shudder*

And WHAT is wrong with that? :D

Come on, it looks organic AND technological! It's technorganic! Except the top part... Plus, the shoulders aren't the size of planets.

And compared to real Samus, ... just no. Not even close.

That IS real Samus! That's what she is going to look like FOREVER! Mwahahaha! Deal with it.

Or not. I don't expect many if any more Metroid games will have that Samus...

Good gravy, I can't believe there's actually someone on this planet that likes that design, and even moreso than the original suit! Sends a shiver down my spine, I tell ya. There's nothing organic about that suit. It looks like a left-over rubber space clown suit from a bad sci-fi flick. And it doesn't even match the helmet! Just look at it! That design makes my eyes bleed.

And I seriously doubt they'll use the Fusion suit for future games. For one thing the suit requires those floaty jelly thingies to work, and secondly it's really unpopular among fans.

Yes that really needed two posts and not an edit.

Well the guy at mDB seems to like it, as well as most of the people I talk to about it. I haven't heard anything from Nintendo regarding polls about the popularity of the new look. In fact I've never seen any poll anywhere regarding it. I wasn't even aware it was an issue until you slammed it earlier in this thread. lazy never had a problem with it either.

Yes that really needed two posts and not an edit.


I'm glad you agree with my decision.

Well the guy at mDB seems to like it, as well as most of the people I talk to about it. I haven't heard anything from Nintendo regarding polls about the popularity of the new look. In fact I've never seen any poll anywhere regarding it. I wasn't even aware it was an issue until you slammed it earlier in this thread. lazy never had a problem with it either.


Polls? I'm not talking about polls. That's just the general opinion you'll hear at all of the major gaming boards.

I... guess? Anyway, I don't see the problem. It does look organic, and more important, it looks VERY flexible. I'm not saying I don't like the look of the old suit, I loved that one too, I just like the idea of something more organic and flexible for a warrior known for her acrobatics.

Oh, it doesn't NEED the X, it just CAN use them. No where in fusion's story does it say she HAS to consume X to survive, just that she CAN consume them and that's the only energy source that can be found. Remember that she can still use normal energy recharges, like those energy machines for instance.

I hate the design. It looks like Nintendo had a contest at some elementary school for kids to come up with Samus' next design, and all of the entries except one got lost in the mail so they had no choice but to go with that crappy design.

And you know, it's not like the new suit made you any more flexible than usual.

So you really find it that ugly do you? What about a different color scheme? How'd you like the final one, which was orange on yellow?

That color scheme is better, since it copies the original, but if you're copying the original colors why not go all the way and actually use the original one, which is so muich nicer looking? :)

This one's sleeker though.

Eh, anyway I suppose it's all about different tastes. I recall OB1 and me had different opinions on Mario and Luigi's artistic style as well.

The final suit has a much better color scheme, but you don't play through most of the game looking like that! And what's with the super-lame Batman arm fins? I hate that.

If all you want is sleek then you might as well put Samus in one of these suits:

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jbouffartigue/images/silverhawks.jpg

Looks about as lame as the Fusion suit.

What are those from? Some '80s cartoon clearly...

And it may be sleeker (except for that ridiculous helmet that doesn't fit at all with the rest of the suit, OB1's right), but it's far more ugly! The lack of the real suit was a problem with the game. You look so more bland with this thing instead... yes the orange and red suit helps but it's still not the same. :)

And the giant shoulder pads aren't bad.

It's from Silverhawks! :D

The giant "shoulder pads" are the shiznit!

Except Samus can't see to her left or right (no wonder it's a 2D series for the most part http://www.tcforums.com/ubb/biggrin.gif).

Let me put it this way...

Versus this...

Exxageration sure, but the gist is organic and sleek look is something I like more, and this comparison should let you see how I can see that. I don't think it's nearly like the space cowboy or whatever is up there's suit. That's bland, but the Fusion suit has a pattern resembling a sort of symmetrical tissue growth all over it. That's what I think is so cool about it.

As I said though, artistic tastes differ.

:muddled:

Great comparison. :rolleyes:

Samus can see just fine, as Prime showed. And since there is absolutely zero difference in movement between the two suits, all you're left with is an ugly suit that looks more sleek but functions exactly the same way as the much better looking regular suit. It looks like somebody took the Varia suit, stripped away all of the cool parts, made it hunch over (Samus looks like a hunchback in Fusion), and took a bunch of bottles of green, blue, and pink ketchup and sprayed it all over the thing.

I too noticed she's all hunched over. That I'm not a fan of. Still, I like the Fusion suit and apparently a lot of others like it as well. With it about even, if they decide to listen to American audiences (and considering both Japan-made Metroid games got released HERE first, and that's a wowey thing there, I'd say they will), they'll likely make the next upgrade to the suit be a sort of combination of the classic style and the fusion style.

ONE MORE THING, I'd just like to add that when I say it's more flexible and other stuff like that, I'm talking from an artistic view of functionality. As in, what it looks like it is capable of, not what the games allow it to do.

Artistically it looks like crap. :) Yeah it does look a bit more flexible, but it also looks weaker than the Varia suit. Remember that Samus needs the suit to battle aliens in space and planets that aren't too friendly to humans.

Zero Mission and Prime 2 don't use the Fusion Suit. I know they aren't set after Fusion, but the fact that they didn't set them after Fusion should say something... :)

LOOKS weaker, but isn't :D. Why does she NEED to look scary anyway? Ya want aliens urinating on themselves, like you're some sort of bad arse? I prefer the idea of her actually BEING human rather than cold blooded and generally being scared of the things she fights (not that this has anything to do with the look mind you :D). That seems to be the mood the series is going with anyway though. Personally, I just can't stand the "completely cold hearted only cares about doing the job and says one liners to everyone they kill" persona anyway, like Master Chief, the completely uninspired and dull personality in Halo. Hmm, seem to have slipped into an unrelated rant there... :D

Besides, lots of new battle suits in the real world have an organic look to them. Sort of form fitting outfits that don't really make the wearer look beefy or anything, but get the job done and look good in their own way. Perhaps you compare this design to the previous too much, only looking at how this one doesn't have such and such compaired to what the previous one did, rather than analyzing it on it's own merits. I'm sure that knights in shining armor, some of them anyway, would find what we dress our most updated soldiers today to be very weak looking, until they try stabbing one and it doesn't even phase the soldier... OOoh ooh, and gas masks and guns kinda create a similar appearence offset in the real world too.

Um, ABF, you just explained exactly why it doesn't say anything that it isn't being used in those two games.

:erm:

So having a cool outfit rather than a stupid clown outfit makes her a cold-hearted killer? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, DJ. I never thought of her suit as scary-looking, just super keen. There's absolutely no need to change it as it's perfect as is.

The Fusion suit just looks plain stupid. Even if that was the first Metroid game ever and I never knew what a varia suit was, I'd still think it looks dumb. It'd hideous! Nothing matches at all, and if they could have done a lot better if organic is what they wanted. The fusion suit is extremely amateurish, like as if a fifth-grader drew it. But hey that's okay, every developer is allowed to fuck up their characters' costumes at least once. I just hope they put that suit away for good.

What I'm saying is that while there's no problem with you hating it yourself, to say that it's absolutely bad in the face of a good chunk of the fans actually liking it is very insulting to everyone else. The way you say "so you prefer a stupid clown outfit?" suggest I actually think it's a clown outfit, but I don't. So don't put it like that.

Look, I was only trying to defend my like of that suit (and as I said during that side rant, that whole cold hearted thing really had nothing to do with the suit), not try to actually convince you to like it so much as convince you to let others like it. And NO, I do NOT mean let others like it as in "okay, you can like STUPID LOOKING THINGS" like you do a lot. I mean, allow others to think it looks good, since it IS subjective in this case. You can hate it, just so long as you let others like it without thinking "but they are morons to like it" or something like that.

Hey you made beanjo feel bad about liking NIN videos, you big hypocrite. I'm sorry but I just despise that Fusion outfit. I thought you knew that since this is subjective and it's only my opinion, you wouldn't feel insulted if I called it ugly. I don't feel insulted whenever you say that you hate something that I like. It's just your opinion.

Well ya didn't exactly make it clear earlier did you? You seem to actually make an EFFORT to say the other person is an idiot for thinking something, ya know?

Oh, you never answered my question.

Now I'll pose another one. If the technical side of the suit was much more technical, perhaps something along the lines of the general shape of the old suit combined with a overall organic growth like on the Fusion suit, would that be nice to you? It could have all those neat lines that say "hey, this is technical" which at least I like about the old design.

(Note about SJ: Hey, that's different! Those old music videos are OBJECTIVELY bad, like you know, a picture of feces or something. Besides, ya big hypocrite, you're always being a hypocrite! Now THAT'S irony, hypocritical statements REGARDING someone's hypocrisy!)

Well ya didn't exactly make it clear earlier did you? You seem to actually make an EFFORT to say the other person is an idiot for thinking something, ya know?


To quote Prince, "if the bra fits"...

...

*crickets chirp*


Guess noone has seen "An Evening with Kevin Smith", huh? Never mind.

I didn't mean to say that you're an idiot for liking the Fusion suit, alright?

Oh, you never answered my question.

What question...

Now I'll pose another one. If the technical side of the suit was much more technical, perhaps something along the lines of the general shape of the old suit combined with a overall organic growth like on the Fusion suit, would that be nice to you? It could have all those neat lines that say "hey, this is technical" which at least I like about the old design.

I don't care about the mechanics of the suit, I just care about the design. If it's made out of oatmeal and still looks great then that's all I care about.

(Note about SJ: Hey, that's different! Those old music videos are OBJECTIVELY bad, like you know, a picture of feces or something. Besides, ya big hypocrite, you're always being a hypocrite! Now THAT'S irony, hypocritical statements REGARDING someone's hypocrisy!)

:erm:

The Fusion suit looks streamlined, but gameplay-wise isn't... and the (starting) colors are dumb. And Samus just doesn't look right... she should have a big bulky spacesuit not that more formfitting one. :)

And it's just way less cool.

I concur.

You see, I don't have a big problem with the colors because in nature bright contrasting colors are "danger danger danger", and she's organic so it fits.

also this...

Finally, I'd just like to say that in the very first game, Samus' suit had a somewhat... jumpsuit look to it as well.

Yeah, and it looked like shit.

Those frogs look great. Black and green? Wonderful! Red and black? Wonderful! But give the frogs a pink head, a green and yellow body, and stupid Batman fins on their arms and they'll look absolutely ridiculous.

But, there ARE frogs like that!

What's the problem with the batman-esque fins?

See? Well, hard to see, but this frog has those fins too. Granted, they are more of a natural slope off the arm's naturally angled shape, and they actually have a USE, for flying, but still the point stabs.

Fish have those things too, only on their back.

Guess you think those sharks with the giant noses that look like chainsaws with all thsoe teeth up and down them look stupid too don't you? If it actually exists as an animal, it doesn't look stupid! That's my faulty logic today!

This is a nice froggy that's green, neon orange, and black with a tinge of purple. I like it, but I don't want to ever touch it.

Okay first of all, there aren't any frogs that look as dumb as Fusion Samus. And secondly... Samus isn't a frog-person!! Hey let's give her a really long tongue now since frogs have those! And let's give her big sharp teeth because lots of animals have big sharp teeth! I really don't understand your logic, DJ.

Oh and there are totally dumb-looking animals on this planet. Just look at the duck-billed platipus!

http://hpd.botanic.hr/bio/platy10.jpg

Poor thing... *tsk tsk tsk*

Also, here's some more crazy frogs, and a fish I think.

The platypus is cute, you philistine!

Also, you don't get what I was trying to point out there. The whole look of Samus had a design goal you know. They didn't just DO that, they did it for a reason. She's part Metroid now. That life form is very evident on her suit. It's part-alive now. That's not just supposed to LOOK like a growth, it IS a growth, metallic yet alive. As such, they made it look biological. Besides, this isn't much different than the orange and purple color combo they had before with all her gravity suits (which by the way are horribly misnamed :D).

I wasn't really amaing at frogs in particular, but looking for venemous animal colors turned up more frog photos than anything else. I was actually thinking more along the lines of fish, ya know?

Yeah that's... that's great. Pretty frogs indeed.

But that doesn't mean those color schemes would work with everything.


DJ: Come on, hot pink and green would look great for our living room! There are frogs with color schemes like that, you know!! *shakes fist*

The platypus is cute, you philistine!

Also, you don't get what I was trying to point out there. The whole look of Samus had a design goal you know. They didn't just DO that, they did it for a reason. She's part Metroid now. That life form is very evident on her suit. It's part-alive now. That's not just supposed to LOOK like a growth, it IS a growth, metallic yet alive. As such, they made it look biological. Besides, this isn't much different than the orange and purple color combo they had before with all her gravity suits (which by the way are horribly misnamed ).


Yes I know they had a design goal with the Fusion suit, but it still looks terrible. You can argue forever how frog-like and organic the suit looks, but an ugly suit is still an ugly suit no matter why it is ugly. They could have made a much better-looking suit with that plot point in mind.

Platypus are cute in a "haha that thing looks so funny" sort of way.

I'm not exactly a decorator so I can't say I understand that joke, but I'm assuming that it's supposed to be something that would obviously look bad... Eh, I dunno, I like the playhouse look :D.

And everything? No, but I'm trying to say why it would work with Samus. She's supposed to look like a dangerous life form ya know? That's why it would work great for her, that's what the colors SAY to someone. Well, that's one way to interpret it anyway. You see it as more of a clown fish I guess. Whatever, I'm trying to let you see how someone CAN like it, but you won't even listen.

That's like someone trying to explain to me why they like rocky mountain oysters. I'm happy you like them, but explaining why you like it won't make me like them.

I'm not a decorator either, but I think hot pink and green would be pretty ugly. :)

I agree, that NES Metroid suit picture is pretty bad...

I wasn't trying to get you to like them, just to see how someone else could, and that, in a way you don't appreciate, it does look good. No matter, for the most part we were in perfect agreement in this thread about Metroid up until you said something about the suit, and I foolishly responded rather than just changing the subject.

I'll do that now. So, did you find those boss battles as mind numblingly easy as I did? Especially the last one. Sure, it could be made harder on hard with them doing more damage, but that's not exactly the best way to increase challenge. Seems they listened to you and removed not only nightmare sized challenges, but also all challenge whatsoever from the bosses.

I wasn't trying to get you to like them, just to see how someone else could, and that, in a way you don't appreciate, it does look good. No matter, for the most part we were in perfect agreement in this thread about Metroid up until you said something about the suit, and I foolishly responded rather than just changing the subject.

Why, it's not like this has been a really unpleasant ABF-style argument or anything like that.

I'll do that now. So, did you find those boss battles as mind numblingly easy as I did? Especially the last one. Sure, it could be made harder on hard with them doing more damage, but that's not exactly the best way to increase challenge. Seems they listened to you and removed not only nightmare sized challenges, but also all challenge whatsoever from the bosses.


Yeah the bosses were way too easy. Try hard mode though. :D

Why, it's not like this has been a really unpleasant ABF-style argument or anything like that.


Because I don't care that much either way... sure I think Samus' normal suit is cooler (like in Fusion where the X has the Samus suit) but I don't care anywhere near as much about it as either of you do.

What? I just said that this hasn't been a heated argument so DJ shouldn't regret saying how she felt about it.

Actually, you tend to give off the impression during an argument that you believe the other person shouldn't be thinking whatever they are thinking. Also, you give off a strong impression that you don't respect the other's opinion at all. Yeah, I know you say it's jokes or whatever when you call them idiots, but it's not readily apparent. Tact is important. Perhaps with some tact it would be more readily apparent, as in this case, that you don't actually think someone is stupid or has bad tastes for liking something else.

No matter, as I said, hard mode doesn't really add much except life and attack power to the enemies. It'll provide more challenge to be sure at least. Still, I wish the bosses were harder due to their strategies, rather than just tossing on some extra offensive power. If I can avoid their attacks easily, added offensive strength won't really do much as far as challenge goes.

You just have a problem with people not agreeing with you, DJ. I said that I think the suit is incredibly ugly and I stand by that opinion. If you have a problem with that there's nothing I can do.

There ya go again. You start out just stating what you think, but then you say "well if you don't agree I guess there's nothing I can do" like some doctor saying an illness is untreatable. Are you even aware of how you come off sounding sometimes or is it just too natural?

It's the truth! You constantly put down other peoples' opinions yet complain when people simply disagree with you. Incredible hypocrisy.

But, but that's YOU who does that all the time!

Only with ABF, and that's because he's an ass!

YOU are the one who constantly makes fun of things that people like.

No I don't! Wait, is this about the whole rant I had about action movies, JUST before I found out that apparently everyone here loves them? I swear, I thought I was among NERDS here, ya know? I thought everyone would agree with me!

Actually I wasn't thinking of that example, but thanks for bringing it up! I'm talking about putting down Weltall's dragon logo (before trying to make up for it, most likely after I made the above post), fittsy liking NIN, and so on. You do it very often.

What ARE you talking about? I never "put down" Weltall's dragony thing. That thing did look cool, but terrible for a company design, and if I remember correctly, you AGREED with me. Fitsy liking NIN? That doesn't even COUNT! It's socially acceptable to make fun of NIN! :D Yeesh, you do it yourself half the time...

Actually, you tend to give off the impression during an argument that you believe the other person shouldn't be thinking whatever they are thinking. Also, you give off a strong impression that you don't respect the other's opinion at all. Yeah, I know you say it's jokes or whatever when you call them idiots, but it's not readily apparent. Tact is important. Perhaps with some tact it would be more readily apparent, as in this case, that you don't actually think someone is stupid or has bad tastes for liking something else.


Exactly. And as this arguement proves it's not just with me, OB1. You do it with everyone you argue with and it's REALLY tiring. Insults for "humor" aren't funny in any way. And when you say them it does not look like you are trying to be funny...

OB1, the way you do that all the time is REALLY tiresome. I don't like how you insult me so often. I know I don't deserve it and it's wrong. It also does not help you in your arguements one iota... it makes arguing with you very tiring and ... well, almost not worth it.. because I know you will instead of thinking of what I said and writing a response based on what I mean you will just read off the top, insult me, and absolutely refuse to actually consider any of my ideas. You just restate what you said with insults. As I've said before, that is NOT how you conduct a discussion worth having.

But as OB1 says you're hardly perfect either DJ... between making statements that are argumentative and bring counterpoints that you never defend (how you think that is okay I will never understand)... yes, OB1 does that 'insult your opinions' thing ten times for each time you do it, but you do it too, definitely. I can think of some examples... other than what he mentioned. It makes your complaint of the same against OB1 somewhat hypocritical.

How about that WoW thread? I think it was that one anyway. Where we were discussing Warcraft III. ASM made some points about the current game balance. You then mocked him for using Warcraft-fan terms and 'just copying what you say elsewhere'. Then you left and never returned to the point when ASM and I said how stupid that was (to me your position there just shows that you are not a hardcore Blizz fan -- a Blizz fan would know those terms and would discuss game balance because it's such a big factor in the game! Oh but even if you aren't you should understand, given how you claim to be a nerd -- you care about so many things on that level that insulting someone for caring about another one is just stupid...)... that to me is cowardice -- running in, insulting someone, and running out. Worse in many ways than OB1 because you just leave.

Oh, you did defend yourself in the Enlightenment thread but again you attaked some... I mean, you almost made it sound like history didn't matter much and because you hadn't heard of the Enlightenment it didn't matter and you didn't really need to know what it was which is again quite dumb...

What ARE you talking about? I never "put down" Weltall's dragony thing. That thing did look cool, but terrible for a company design, and if I remember correctly, you AGREED with me. Fitsy liking NIN? That doesn't even COUNT! It's socially acceptable to make fun of NIN! Yeesh, you do it yourself half the time...


I agreed with you that a simpler logo was better, but the way you put it was completely tactless. And when do I make fun of NIN?

Exactly. And as this arguement proves it's not just with me, OB1. You do it with everyone you argue with and it's REALLY tiring. Insults for "humor" aren't funny in any way. And when you say them it does not look like you are trying to be funny...
The only person here I ever insult is you ABF, and you deserve every single one of them. Please point out where I insulted DJ in this thread, other than saying that I do not like the Fusion suit (which you did the same, BTW).
OB1, the way you do that all the time is REALLY tiresome. I don't like how you insult me so often. I know I don't deserve it and it's wrong. It also does not help you in your arguements one iota... it makes arguing with you very tiring and ... well, almost not worth it.. because I know you will instead of thinking of what I said and writing a response based on what I mean you will just read off the top, insult me, and absolutely refuse to actually consider any of my ideas. You just restate what you said with insults. As I've said before, that is NOT how you conduct a discussion worth having.
It is almost NEVER worth discussing anything with you, Brian. You live in a bubble where nothing but your own lonely, delusional observations and understandings of human behavior matter. I don't care if it's not your fault that you have no idea how incredibly fucking annoying you are. You're an asshole most of the time and I do not like assholes. You most certainly DO deserve every single insult that gets thrown at you. I only insult someone when they've tested my patience to the absolute limit, and you do that very often. The worst part about this is that you are completely clueless about what I'm talking about right now.

But as OB1 says you're hardly perfect either DJ... between making statements that are argumentative and bring counterpoints that you never defend (how you think that is okay I will never understand)... yes, OB1 does that 'insult your opinions' thing ten times for each time you do it, but you do it too, definitely. I can think of some examples... other than what he mentioned. It makes your complaint of the same against OB1 somewhat hypocritical.

How about that WoW thread? I think it was that one anyway. Where we were discussing Warcraft III. ASM made some points about the current game balance. You then mocked him for using Warcraft-fan terms and 'just copying what you say elsewhere'. Then you left and never returned to the point when ASM and I said how stupid that was (to me your position there just shows that you are not a hardcore Blizz fan -- a Blizz fan would know those terms and would discuss game balance because it's such a big factor in the game! Oh but even if you aren't you should understand, given how you claim to be a nerd -- you care about so many things on that level that insulting someone for caring about another one is just stupid...)... that to me is cowardice -- running in, insulting someone, and running out. Worse in many ways than OB1 because you just leave.

Oh, you did defend yourself in the Enlightenment thread but again you attaked some... I mean, you almost made it sound like history didn't matter much and because you hadn't heard of the Enlightenment it didn't matter and you didn't really need to know what it was which is again quite dumb...


What the fuck? You just spent two whole paragraphs telling me how wrong I am for "insulting" DJ, and now you admit that she's got more of a problem than I do. You're messed up, Brian. Severely messed up. I insult you because you piss me off, but I do not go around putting down people's opinions for no reason at all like DJ does. No, I just annoy the ones that annoy me first. Immature, sure, but when in Rome...

:far-out:

Indeed.

What? I just had never heard of the enlightenment. I never said history is stupid (though it's not exactly my forte). Sorry if you interpretted it that way, but I never meant to actually insult anyone, well except the Oklahoma school system. I don't see what the big deal was...

I'll just say this. I still have no idea why it's so wrong to say something "argumentative". That's subjective anyway. Big deal if I say something controversial, it doesn't mean I wanna fight about it. Making arguments and then just stepping away from the conversation? Don't see the problem there either, I'm just saying what I think fully realizing it won't go anywhere. Running in insulting someone and then leaving? Yes, I DO see the problem with that. I don't recall saying that, and I looked in the WoW thread (now totally dominated by some graphics debate I see) unable to find whatever post you mean. Did I say something especially offensive to ASM or something?

You know what makes me most angry? This whole thread started out with OB1 and I in perfect agreement, but suddenly everything went awry. Now sure the way I put it was rather obviuosly a lead in for an argument considering what I now know OB1 thinks (I had been convinced that OB1 actually liked the look of the suit), but OB1, is it just me or do you have the viewpoint that acknowledging the other person's opinion in something like this as perfectly valid somehow degrades your own opinion in some way?

:erm:

So I can't say that I dislike something because you're gonna get all offended and think that I'm out to "get you"?? I've always hated the Fusion suit, so I'm surprised that you thought I liked it. I don't like it, you do. I explained why I don't like it, and you explained why you do like it. Then you got offended and started to accuse me of putting down your opinion, which resulted in me being very confused. I never said that you're an idiot if you like the Fusion suit! I just stated my opinion on it.

Yeesh, you people are so tiresome.

No, that's not what you did. You didn't just say "I personally can't stand it". You said "That suit is HORRIBLY ugly and I can't see how anyone with ANY sense of taste could like that clown suit!", then when I tried to defend myself you were all like "Okay fine if you like that ugly piece of junk whatever, but that's NOT organic or sleek and you are wrong for thinking it, it's worse than those old silver surfer suits!".

Oh please. Quote me!

Also, one last thing in defense of ABF. I've read enough threads of your wars to determine for myself that ABF most certainly did NOT deserve the bulk of all those insults as you claim. They were uncalled for.

Says you, Ms. Cranky Pants.

BTW it's Silver Hawks, not Silver Surfer.

Good gravy, I can't believe there's actually someone on this planet that likes that design, and even moreso than the original suit! Sends a shiver down my spine, I tell ya. There's nothing organic about that suit. It looks like a left-over rubber space clown suit from a bad sci-fi flick. And it doesn't even match the helmet! Just look at it! That design makes my eyes bleed.

As you can see, you find it frightening that I could ever hold such an obviously wrong opinion on the clown suit.

I hate the design. It looks like Nintendo had a contest at some elementary school for kids to come up with Samus' next design, and all of the entries except one got lost in the mail so they had no choice but to go with that crappy design.

Starts out as your opinion, but then it seems like you're explaining why it should be EVERYONE'S opinion.

Artistically it looks like crap.

That's in response to my defense of it from an artistic point of view. Ya know, just read the entire first page. Though I think I could have put that first post of mine about the suit better, I think I handled the whole argument very respectfully. You were the one to keep aggressing even after I tried just putting it behind us by summing it up as a difference of opinions. Of course, by the second page I too ended up acting da fool in the argument.

Wait, did I actually say "uncalled for" in that fasion? Ahahhaahaha! I think I actually ended up making fun of ABF MORE than you did with that! Don't get me wrong, I still think that, but wow I could have used a less um... stupid... line than that.

As you can see, you find it frightening that I could ever hold such an obviously wrong opinion on the clown suit.


Well that's no worse than you were about ABF liking The Rock or any of us liking action movies.

Starts out as your opinion, but then it seems like you're explaining why it should be EVERYONE'S opinion.



That's in response to my defense of it from an artistic point of view. Ya know, just read the entire first page. Though I think I could have put that first post of mine about the suit better, I think I handled the whole argument very respectfully. You were the one to keep aggressing even after I tried just putting it behind us by summing it up as a difference of opinions. Of course, by the second page I too ended up acting da fool in the argument.


So should I have said "I hate the design with a passion, but hey if you like it then that's wonderful"? Do I have to end all of my sentences with "IMO"? We know each other well enough to do away with formalities. If I dislike something I'll let it be known, and if you dislike something then you'll certainly do the same". If you want me to end everything with IMO and be more formal, then I'll do so. In return I'll request the same from you. The difference between you and me is that I don't go out of my way to put someone's opinion down with something that I have no interest in. I have great love for the Metroid series, so my opinions regarding it are passionate. But when you have no interest in something (say, movies in general, specifically ones with action), you go out of your way to put down the other person's opinion.

DJ I forget which thread that was in... as I said... or I'd post the link. But it was pretty annoying.

And OB1 all you're doing is proving my points for me... well except for when you say the only one you insult is me. That is untrue in numerous threads to a lot of people and everyone here knows it.

Insult as in name-calling. I can't help it if people (DJ) cry when I say that I don't like something that they like.

*Scratches his head* Samus got her old suit back at the end of Fusion...

No it was still the Fusion suit. Different color scheme.

But it did make it look a lot better. I like blue more than red or yellow but somehow that just doesn't work... that helmet is probably part of it in the artwork. Ingame it looks okay but not really anything special really... doesn't stand out as well as the normal one I guess.

Yeah the all orange suit looks a lot better than the one you start out with, but you don't use that through most of the game.

Oddly enough, when you get all of the suits in Fusion, you look exactly like the first Samus in the original Metroid. It would also make sense that Samus looks the way she does in Fusion since she is only half of what she once was. She had become apart of a monster, then unified with her other half (maybe even some of her lost humanity) from the SA-X. She litteraly looks like Samus mixed with a Metroid. Vanity aside, the Fusion Samus is the lightest Samus Aran we've ever seen (her power suit weighs a few thousand pounds) and those batman fins are actually what allowed you to grab ledges in Fusion. The skin-tight Fusion Suit is definately not as glamorous as the Power Suit, but it fits her character and the Fusion story-line perfectly. If I had a choice of what is the coolest looking Samus costume, I would have to say it's her one piece string bikini.

So far in Zero mission, I was able to break the chain of events multiple times and with practice I think you could be able to completely break the chain. I have two gripes with this game though, namely Kraid and Ridley. Way too easy. This is the first Ridley, a monster with the mind of genius and the general of the space pirates, he shouldn't be able to be defeated with a barrage of missles. Though I can safely assume that the next boss fights will be more challenging, Ridley atleast should have been near impossible.

I wanted to see a Ridley that will grab your missles and throw them back at you. Pinning you down and engulfing you in fire, able to rip you right out of your suit if given half the chance. In the story, this is the one and only Ridley, not a clone or a cyborg, but the real deal, so i'm dissapointed about that.

OB1/ Since you hate the Fusion Suit so much why dont you draw a version of what 'half a Samus' should have looked like in Metroid Fusion.

Oddly enough, when you get all of the suits in Fusion, you look exactly like the first Samus in the original Metroid.
Do you mean in-game or just the art/cut scenes?
It would also make sense that Samus looks the way she does in Fusion since she is only half of what she once was. She had become apart of a monster, then unified with her other half (maybe even some of her lost humanity) from the SA-X. She litteraly looks like Samus mixed with a Metroid. Vanity aside, the Fusion Samus is the lightest Samus Aran we've ever seen (her power suit weighs a few thousand pounds) and those batman fins are actually what allowed you to grab ledges in Fusion. The skin-tight Fusion Suit is definately not as glamorous as the Power Suit, but it fits her character and the Fusion story-line perfectly. If I had a choice of what is the coolest looking Samus costume, I would have to say it's her one piece string bikini.

If the fins allowed her to grab onto ledges then how come you can grab onto ledges in Zero Mission?

And Samus sure doesn't look half-monster. Her suit was all that was affected, right? I just hope she returns to normal in Metroid 5.

So far in Zero mission, I was able to break the chain of events multiple times and with practice I think you could be able to completely break the chain. I have two gripes with this game though, namely Kraid and Ridley. Way too easy. This is the first Ridley, a monster with the mind of genius and the general of the space pirates, he shouldn't be able to be defeated with a barrage of missles. Though I can safely assume that the next boss fights will be more challenging, Ridley atleast should have been near impossible.

I wanted to see a Ridley that will grab your missles and throw them back at you. Pinning you down and engulfing you in fire, able to rip you right out of your suit if given half the chance. In the story, this is the one and only Ridley, not a clone or a cyborg, but the real deal, so i'm dissapointed about that.

I agree, the boss fights were far too easy. Especially the last boss.

There seems to be quite a lot of sequence breaking in this game, at least as much as Super Metroid. Adds a lot to the replay value. :D

OB1/ Since you hate the Fusion Suit so much why dont you draw a version of what 'half a Samus' should have looked like in Metroid Fusion.

That's a good idea. I'll get to that after I'm done with all of the artwork for my game.

OB1/ Since you hate the Fusion Suit so much why dont you draw a version of what 'half a Samus' should have looked like in Metroid Fusion.

it's funny because when i first read this thread, that's the first thing i started doing. when i finish it i'll try to get it scanned and posted.

Awesome!

Yeppers OB1, the Metroid vaccine is a part of Samus herself. That would be why she almost died when the X infected her very nervous system, and why they injected it directly into her, and why she said "and I was born anew".

Well lazy, isn't it true that Ridley is the same one and only Ridley througout the Metroid series, with the exception of the robo-Ridley at the end of Zero Mission and the Ridley clone in Fusion? I was under the impression that for the most part, Ridley had been tweaked out and revived so many times you'd wonder how much of his original body is left. Well, not that body matters anyway. I'd certainly replace this inferior human form with some sort of futuristic nano-tech body given half a chance. Well, half a chance wouldn't be enough, considering what the word chance means in the first place, but given half a chance, I'd expand that into an ENTIRE chance, and THEN jump right on it.

Bosses are teh suck in Zero, as I said. More I replay, the more I think that. I know I know, the bosses in the original weren't all that good either. They too were morons who basically just sat there while you found cute hiding spots to pount them with missiles. However, that's not exactly the sort of thing they should have kept intact in the remake :D. I do believe Ridley COULD catch missiles in Metroid 3 and so on. The ability to pick you up and hold you against a wall until you did something he didn't expect would have been nice. Sure, it allows him to have developed those new strategies for his revival in M3, but still, he could have done something. See what you get when Nintendo does what you ask OB1? They are like those goth genies on the X-Files who don't actually grant the wish you ask for, but reanalyze what you said until they find out how they can grant the wish you DIDN'T want, and DIDN'T ask for, but they can say you did to the Genie high council later on.

Ya know, I found out you can't do a quick save in Metroid 1 on Metroid Zero. You can even do that quick save on the M1 they have in Metroid Prime, but not the version in Zero. I can see why, there's no second controller. Still, that was very useful, to be able to "save" without having to die, and more importantly, get out of those odd situations where I can neither get out (due to not having the right tool or whatever) or die. Oh well, that stretched thing messes with my abilities anyway. I move faster horizontaly than vertically. That's why I never stretch the screen on any of my GB/GBC games, the distortion affects how I play that way. When Link used to move just as fast both directions but now is superficially sped up left and right, I can't play the same way.

Me, I can't draw at all. I can barely write legibly. It's why I don't think I should be doing computer graphics. My mouse control in an attempt to model some frame would be terrible and I'd end up with some duck with a tumor in it's head rather than a unicorn like I wanted.

Hahaha, draw it!

i'm almost done with the outlining of samus in my version of the fusion suit. mind you, fancy pants space suits are really hard for me to draw, so it's coming along slowly. once i get the outlines all done i'll post it...then i'll shade it and post that...but that could take a very, very long time.

I'm looking forward to it.

well I take back what I said.

I got to the Ridley Machine and saw that it did considerable damage. Then I got 100% and fought him again. Wow... pain. 3 energy tanks with one hit and I think about 10 super missles to the chest. He should have been that hard to begin with, but the game redeemed itself with that.

Also, when Samus loses her suit you still have some abilities like the high jump and grip. Or it could be that Samus can grab ledges and jump higher simply because she doesn't weigh 6000 pounds without her suit (or while wearing the much lighter Fusion suit). I'm not sure yet.

DJ/ In Metroid Prime there are some scan files on Ridley. Apparently Ridley, being formerly the general of the Space Pirates, has lots of insurance in the form of clones and hybrids. The hybrid you fight in Metroid Prime is the result of the Prototype you fight in Zero Mission, they felt Ridley needed some lnhancements to take on Ms. Aran. Kraid has many children, we killed one right before we fought Kraid in Super Metroid, plus the Kraid creature is a Zebesian creation. so that's explained away. But the 'organic' Ridley in Metroid 3 isn't, All Ridlies are formed from the Space Pirates, so I would say that this was a clone, quickly formed to grab the Metroid hatchling.

As for Mother Brain, well she used to be the code name for a central computer that was given an organic base. That 'Living computer' was then destroyed by Samus. When the Space Pirates created another Mother Brain, it remembered that Samus killed it, and created an entire body for itself. In one of the comics there's apparently a 3rd Mother Brain program in use at an automated construction site on a distant planet. maybe we'll meet mommy again. :D

Perhaps whenever Samus gets powerups they actually power up herself and not just the suit... but then the beginning of Prime would make no sense. It's best not to think about it. The Varia suit is probably heavier than the Fusion suit but it still controls the exact same and with the exact same abilities.

I found this avatar at the GA forums and I thought it was a pretty cool sleek Samus design.

http://whitacam.com/samus.jpg

Something along those lines would have been much better than the Fusion suit.

In my opinion, that's way too sleek for Samus Aran.

Samus Aran is a cold blooded, automatonic, sadomasochistic killer... when she's in her suit. Out of her suit, she's a feminine fun-loving gal who has a celphone and wears experimental clothing that doesn't leave much to the imagination.

The beauty and innocence of woman, the destruction and power of woman scorned.

In her suit, she should be a robot, she shouldn't move or react like a human female at all. (This pissed me off a little in Metroid Prime when you see her eyes behind her cycloptic visor, but seeing her face in the reflection was just too damn cool.)

Did you guys know there are apparently two main Samus designs at Nintendo? One of them is the one we see in the games all the time. Blonde, tall... typical Japanese heroine. The other design looks like Ayla from Chrono Trigger. :D Blonde, tall... and covered in muscles and messy hair :D You can get one of the pics of her in the gallery and it looks weird, but good weird.

I still think the Fusion Samus looks like a cross between Samus and a Metroid, and the only things you could do to improve on that is to do small cosmetic things. Like maybe taking her cyclops visor and turning it in to the 3 nuclei of the Metroid innards. Samus would appear to have 3 eyes. But she has that design on her back. Maybe expand on the idea of the batman fins to make her entire body spiky or maybe even make her suit transparent in some areas so that you can see 'veins' or 'nerves' of the suit's inner workings, or Samus's organic structure as well.

That suit is a lot less sleek and thin than the Fusion suit.

In that picture, Samus is moving her back and torso in ways she could never do before. She appears sexy in that picture, and Samus Aran shouldn't appear as sexy while wearing her protective armor.

She's thinner and has a wet look in Fusion, but she still moves mechanically as a machine.

Um, I gotta disagree with that sort of artistic goal as a concept. Sounds kinda silly...

You disagree that Samus should appear machine like in her suit and feminine out of it?

Well, the way you describe her as becoming a complete robot of a killer with no real emotions or anything is never how I saw her. Fusion's attempt to put some sort of mind in her is something I accepted gladly.

Lazy, the Fusion suit moves the same way because it's a game and they didn't care if the more organic suit moved the same way as the old one.