Fans were none too pleased when Metroid Prime: Federation Force was announced at E3 last year. A Metroid game without Samus Aran? That strays away from the traditional atmospheric, non-linear exploration style of the series and instead opts for co-operative multiplayer action? Featuring a cartoony art-style instead of the usual dark and gritty realism of the series?
Yup, the fans were pretty outraged, even opting to create a Change.org petition to halt its development. Sometimes I actually feel sorry for these people, because they have so much free time on their hands that they can actually make something like this their main objective in life.
But yeah, it will feel a little strange at first to play a Metroid title without Samus. But is it really so hard to accept that there are other characters in the vast, expansive universe of the series? I think not.
For those of you unfamiliar with the series, Metroid is set in a galaxy heavily inspired by the Alien movies (the antagonist of the original games was named Ridley, in a none too subtle homage), which features a war between the galactic Federation Force and the fearsome Space pirates.
Federation Force is now available in both the US and Europe, and hits Japan and Australia within the next few days, so give it a chance and it might just remind you why the series is so beloved to begin with.
