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« on: July 12, 2008, 04:01:52 AM »
Ditto that, SixthAngel. After an absence on N64, we have almost a half a dozen games spread out between GCN, WII, GBA, and NDS. I think the Metroid franchise is at a well-deserved rest.
However, I do share the bit of worry on where the franchise should go next in gameplay and story.
I think having a prequel into Samus' time with or after living with the Chozo on Zebes would be a worthy installment in terms of story. Though, seeing as how there would be disgust at turning the series into more of a shooter than it already is, it makes me wonder if there is any tolerance for the next Metroid to be lacking or absent of its trademark gameplay themes of exploration and adventure.
As for Leahy's idea of switching between the Power Suit and the Zero Suit for gameplay, I rather like it very much. However, I wonder how that can be worked in to the fiction of the series. Disregarding the disturbingly quick change from Power to Zero on Samus' gunship in the Zero Mission cutscene, I'd like to think it takes great effort to change between the two suits (if Brawl is to be taken as an accurate representation). Samus just can't slip out of the Power Suit in a hostile area and risk the suit being taken or getting very, very dirty. You certainly can't make Samus go back to her ship to slip in and out of the Power Suit as that would greatly slow down the game (a game known to encourage speed runs). Having the ship come to you is a viable alternative.
Of course, there is the obvious option of switching between the two different suits at the press of a button or menu press. Storywise, it doesn't quite sit well with me that a suit that has such a god-like capacity for offensive and defensive power can be turned on and off like a reversible jacket. Then again, should the story matter, especially for a suit that can turn into a relatively small ball and carry hundreds of missles and gadgets and especially if it gets in the way of gameplay? We are playing games, of course, and not stories! (Insert cheap "Or are we?" here.)
This is what I find interesting about sequels: how and how much they are a sequel in terms of gameplay and story. Each time it gives me a chance to think about which is more important in the game series and in general.