Let me be clear: Metroid is my absolute favorite video game series of all time. While I realize it’s quite common for longtime gamers to identify with a particular Nintendo franchise, I’ve always felt that Metroid was something special. The isolation, the atmosphere, the sense of progression; everything about the franchise reaches out to me.

That being said, I realize that the franchise has fallen on some hard times. The release of Metroid Prime 3 was practically ignored by Nintendo and its PR teams, Trilogy is almost impossible to find in stores and even harder to get for a decent price, and Other M was such a disappointment (both in terms of quality and in sales) that many a fan’s faith in Nintendo’s ability to handle the franchise has been shaken.

That’s why I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. Below, I’ve compiled a list of the top four things that I believe should be done with the next entry in the Metroid franchise.

Note: these are just this writer’s opinions. Currently, Nintendo has announced no plans regarding a new Metroid title.

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It is a hard thing for me to admit, but the original Metroid is a tough game to go back to. While the graphics and controls hold up well, its insane difficulty and incredibly tedious health replenishment make it a frustrating ride. But I’m not here to focus on the few bad things. I want to talk about the things it did amazingly right.

The 8-bit era was a time when many developers were unsure how to make games for the home market. Looking through the NES library, you’ll find a huge selection of the games, particularly the early ones, are ports of arcade classics. The quarter munching arcade mentality was so ingrained in developers that even some of the best entries on the NES still have that feeling that they are after your allowance.

Let’s look at what set Metroid apart from the pack.

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While Nintendo has been awfully quiet about the 25th anniversary of Metroid in favor of pushing Zelda, fans have been putting together their own tribute. Metroid fan site Shinesparkers.net enlisted the help of artists from the OverClocked ReMix community as well as other musicians from around the net to put together a two disc album of music covering the entire Metroid series.

Harmony of a Hunter concentrates pure Metroid fandom into a two and a half hour musical celebration. 24 different artists including Zircon, Stemage (of Metroid Metal), Mazedude and many others contributed to the album covering a variety of styles. You’ll hear music from the game that started it all right up to Other M.

There’s talk of a very limited physical release, but for now space jump over to the official site and download the album and all its artwork for free. It’s guaranteed to increase your life’s completion rating.

Source: Shinesparkers Download the Album: Harmony of a Hunter

Taking the road less traveled when it comes to Metroid art, designer Chris Furniss recently put together a rather adorable collection of pieces in a series he calls “31 Days of Zero Suit Samus.” Each piece depicts Samus (and occasionally other Nintendo characters) in a variety of silly situations. The project was a collaborative effort between Chris and Ross Rosenberg who provided ideas for each image.

The series will soon be collected into a book, but in the meantime you can order a 5″x7″ print of any piece in the series for $10 on Etsy. Chris also mentions the prints are done in-house, signed, and include extra goodies like stickers and buttons.

With 31 pieces to choose from, what’s your favorite? As a fan of Samus’ ship design, I couldn’t help but order this one.

Source: Wasabi Sunshine Buy a Print: Etsy

Without a single announcement on the matter at E3, things have been looking mighty grim for RPG fans. Nintendo has still made no announcement of plans to localize Xenoblade, The Last Story, or Pandora’s Tower in North America. While each game differs in developer, all three were published by Nintendo in Japan.

At this point, a Europe release of Xenoblade under the name Xenoblade Chronicles has been announced, making the lack of plans for North America all the more puzzling. Not to mention the three already developed games would help fill out the system’s lineup while we wait another year or so for the Wii U.

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I’ve written before that I’m not terribly pleased with Nintendo’s direction on the latest Kirby title for the DS. Of course, as it happens Nintendo heard my concerns and went about creating one of the greatest Kirby games in years if not decades. So truthfully I could care less what happens to Kirby Mass Attack. Still, that’s not any reason not to give the game a try.

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Luigi’s Mansion 2 was the one real surprise announcement from Nintendo concerning their 3DS hardware. I had some requests from friends to check the game out, but there was one problem: I had never played nor did I know anything about Luigi’s Mansion. Fortunately, the pal I was staying with owned the game, and I gave myself a brief tutorial in it the night before to have a basis for comparison. What new horrors await the timid, second Mario Bro?

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I’m a bit hard pressed to think of what to say about Mario Kart on the 3DS. I mean… it’s Mario Kart. Based on what I played, Nintendo hasn’t strayed too far from the DS and Wii versions with this, which is probably for the better.  That’s not to say there isn’t anything new, just that what is new may not matter that much in the grand scheme of things.

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I never really got into Kid Icarus, short lived as it was. My greatest exposure to the series was Captain N: The Game Master. I also wouldn’t have figured it’d have retained much of a fan base over the years. So it was pretty surprising at least year’s E3 when Nintendo announced Kid Icarus: Uprising as one of their initial offerings for the Nintendo 3DS. This take on the series comes off as an entirely different kind of game, which I do believe is for the better.

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I think it’s safe to say that Wii U was the pearl of this year’s E3. It stood out tall among many of the offerings of other announcements, which came off as more conservative (including those from Nintendo as well). Not to mention I had to spend a good five hours in line just to play with the blasted thing. The Wii U represents the direction Nintendo intends to take its home entertainment. So what does it have to offer?

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