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Why Did Nintendo Just Shaft the Metroid Series?

Why Did Nintendo Just Shaft the Metroid Series?

Did you know Metroid is 30 years old? Yes, Samus has reached quite a landmark birthday. Yet, you might not have knnown if you hadn’t read this. Why? Because Nintendo did absolutely nothing for her, or the series’, birthday. It came and went with no special honors. This is a travesty, considering what a staple the games are in Nintendo’s library. Samus deserved something.

The first Metroid game was released on August 6, 1986. It was an extensive action game, sending us crawling through catacombs and searching for power-ups that would let us proceed to new areas and defeat new foes. Aside from helping to name a new category of games, Metroidvanias, it defied expectations by offering us a female heroine. With 12 games and spin-offs released so far, and another on the way on August 19, you’d think Nintendo would have offered some sort of salute, but it didn’t.

I suppose one could consider Metroid Prime: Federation Force a delayed celebration. The Metroid Prime: Blast Ball demo was released July 21, but was hardly lauded as a means of honoring Samus. The Galactic Federation members we’re controlling are going to see her, but who knows how members of this group will view a bounty hunter who left their ranks? It isn’t a proper way of honoring a reknowned hero.

Samus didn’t even get an eShop addition or sale celebration. Each year, Nintendo remembers Kirby’s special day. More of his games are added to the Virtual Console, giving folks a chance to revisit our favorite puffball. This year, Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Kirby Mass Attack appeared. No Metroid games have been announced for a release this week, and there’s certainly no sale in sight.

Why Did Nintendo Just Shaft the Metroid Series?

It looks like the only thing we will see is a cease & desist order, which is hardly festive. While Nintendo forgot about Metroid and Samus, fans didn’t. The AM2R fan project, also known as Another Metroid 2 Remake: Return of Samus , released this weekend on her birthday. It lets PC owners play through an improved and enhanced version of Metroid 2 . It offers new visuals, audio, areas, and enemies, taking elements from Metroid: Zero Mission to make the Metroid 2 Game Boy game look better. Yet, a shadow hangs overhead. The project head and most download hosts have received DMCA takedown notices , so if you didn’t snag it right away, it’s going to be difficult to find. Even the one good thing to honor the series could be tainted.

Metroid is an amazing series. No matter what your age, there’s a good chance an installment could have been one of your first major gaming adventures. You’d think Nintendo would have done something extra special for Samus. Maybe a new game announcement. Rerelease a classic title via Virtual Console. Maybe even discount a few of her games via their eShops, so more people can experience them. Instead, all we saw was a group of fans release a labor of love Metroid 2 remake, which could very well be removed by a Nintendo DMCA. Happy Birthday, Samus.

Image Credit: magicaanavi

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