Rumour: A Planned 2.5D Metroid Title For 3DS Got Cancelled in 2012

I'd like to see Metroid II: The Return of Samus get the Zero Mission treatment.

I love metroid, i really hope a new metroid is on the way soon, im enjoying metroid prime trilogy on Wii U alot. So i hope a new Wii U metroid game and a new 3DS metroid game/2D

I might be in the minority here, but even though I absolutely love the Prime Trilogy games, what'd make me the most excited would be another Hunters-like iteration. I had fun for tens and hundreds of hours with it and 3DS online seems far more stable than its predecessor's, so I can only imagine how much fun it'd be to play something like it now, with improved graphics, more characters and game mechanics, etc.

Shame maybe but I'd prefer an Fzero over Metroid on 3DS.

This should have been made for fans to quench the thirst for Metroid since Other M. Metroid... The quenchiest.

@Jazzer94 Totally agree I'm in line behind you on that. Port F-Zero GX to Wii U and AX to 3DS and have some sort of link up for tracks etc.

Well just based off how it sounded it was probably gonna be meh. If it's not Retro or Nintendo nobody can touch my Samus

@Cloud02 I disagree, port GX to Wii U and X to 3DS would've worked better imo especially as the 3DS doesn't seem to be powerful enough for GC engine games.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the only Nintendo console that never had a Metroid game released for it was the Nintendo 64 (Wii had 2, and so did the GameCube before it). I hope the Wii U gets at least one!

@helbertpina GBC, N64 and 3DS.

Doesnt sound like it got cancelled going by that article, looks like it never got going in the first place

Why didn't the N64 get a Metroid game? Did they hesitate making a 3rd/1st person Metroid game to follow Mario and Zelda?
I would have loved to see how this game would go down with this design. It would be nice to see something new apart from the 8-16 bit and sad teen drooling at 3d modeled Samus, Metroid games.

@Grumblevolcano Yeah, I meant home consoles. Still, it'd be fantastic if they released a new Metroid game for the 3DS

@Grumblevolcano Yeah fair point that would work get the track editor on it etc AX being a Arcade game aswell would be harder I suppose, see all of our brains put together we should be helping Nintendo run things

Am I missing something, or does this same rumour get brought up over and over? Didn't we already hear about this? Next Level had concept art and everything.

@khadafi3999 yeah, me too.

Does anyone want WayForward to make a 2D Metroid game? I love what they did with Mighty Switch Force.

@Grumblevolcano I don't agree as 3DS has had a Wii game ported.

Wait, where do we see this video or if we're able to at all?

@EllenJMiller This. Goes nicely with their plan to make cheaper games and remakes too. And they should also put Zero Mission on the Wii U VC (ideally it should be on the 3DS, but that's a different issue).

Another prime hunters. Online was crazy fun!

Huh, I thought Unseen64 was defunct for some years now?
I recall a news article that stated the site would no longer be updated a long time ago.

Metroid is an underused series. No need to compare it to an overrated racing game in which the tracks just come at you and your vehicle stands idle.

This just sounds like that same rumour about that Next Level Games' canceling a metroid game. They even had that piece of concept art that sounds like the new art style described:

This is one of the few things I actually hate about Nintendo: if a console starts picking up steam, then a cool game goes back behind a glass with the caption "In case of emergency, break glass" written on it.

It seems it takes bad - or initially bad, anyway - hardware sales (Mario Maker and Super Smash Bros for 3DS, anyone?) for "trump card" games to come out. I mean, I'm sure the DS could have handled a polished port of the first Super Smash Bros, but the console was selling so well that the idea of a portable SSB was put behind the breakable window once more. I'm being a bit of a "conspiracy theorist" here in terms of sheer lack of logic, but bear with me. I can't be the only one thinking that the Wii getting poor sales would have resulted in a Wii version of Mario Maker.

Well that's a shame, probably also means that we won't see anything from the series any time soon. On the other hand it would be pretty hard to make something better than the three Prime games (I will always prefer them to the classic 2D Metroids) and avoid all the problems Other M had. And simply making another game using the same formula (be it 3D or 2D), just with better visuals simply does not cut it, so... Yeah, I'm pretty certain we won't see Samus Aran in her own game during this generation. :/

@EllenJMiller That could be pretty cool.
I hope Nintendo surprises us this year with a 3DS Metroid, a side-scroller. Prime: Hunters wasn't bad but I prefer a traditional one by a landslide.

Come on Nintendo, throw us a bone with Metroid. I hope that a New Metroid game gets announced at this year's E3...

Well, 3 years is enough to make a new game if they didn't like that prototype.

Dang it! I really want another 2D Metroid game.

Look, I've never really been into Metroid because I haven't played any of the games; however, I couldn't help my self but to give Metroid Prime Trilogy a shot after it was re-released on the Wii U eShop. After the first few minutes of playing, I realized that Nintendo needs to get their act together and develop a hardcore fanbase for the Wii U. With such a great franchise, why not use it?

There are people like me who haven't played Metroid: Other M, but who want another Metroid game. Doesn't everyone want an HD Metroid game for the Wii U? C'mon Nintendo, Samus hasn't been finding enough bounty lately.

C'mon Nintendo!
New HD Metroid Prime for Wii U
New 2D Merroid for 3DS
Maybe even add special cross-play features?
We all want this!

How many Metriod games is Nintendo going to cancel?We don't care!We just want a new Metriod game!

No Metroid is best Metroid. Keep it up, Nintendo.

@Jazzer94 DKCR is only a 2D platformer though, if you include platformers then even Wii U games could get ported to 3DS (e.g. NSMBU, Mario Maker).

You all do know that they do things for a reason right? Okay so then try thinking about why they chose to put the Metroid games on the Wii U eshop as wii downloads... Why would they want their audience to be newly familiar with the METROID series again? Answer: A Metroid game is coming.

I'd like to see a new Retro Studios game at E3 and while I'm hoping for Metroid, I won't really care it if it ties up the DKCR trilogy.

A third person 3D Metroid? Anyone thought of that? Just not a shoot 'em up.

@ToniK Isn't that pretty much Other M though?

@Grumblevolcano
He was probably talking about something more like Resident Evil.

@EllenJMiller Not that I don't have full faith of an nth release of every Nintendo game ever in the fullness of time, but just incase it doesn't occur, there's always this:
http://metroid2remake.blogspot.co.uk/

Nintendo need to realise that people don't hate Metroid, they hate Other M. Not making its mistakes again is as easy as looking to every other Metroid game for how you actually make a good game.

I would love to have seen that demo video. Im playing Prime right now for the first time and its not bad...but you can't touch Super Metroid. We need another like that for 3DS.

If they don't want to make a 2.5D Metroid (understandable), why don't Nintendo themselves keep it proper 2D (pixel art)? The 3DS is perfect for pixel art, as was the DS, but Nintendo is wasting one of its best franchises.

@Geonjaha We don't even hate Other M, we hate that it's a Metroid game. As an action game, Other M was pretty fun.

I'm not losing hope. If they can revive StarFox and Kid Icarus, they'll eventually do the same with Metroid and F-Zero... hopefully.

A 2.5D metroid game for the 3DS sounds awesome! I would've definitely bought that.

Not a huge fan of the Prime series personally, but if they were to release a 3D prime game (or HD for that matter), I wouldn't complain.

2.5D Metroid on handheld and a Prime-style first person game on console is what we need.
2012 was two years after Other M, and Nintendo was probably still reeling from that title (the gameplay wasn't bad, but the story and the ridiculously long cut scenes killed it for me).

All I know is that we're getting Star Fox this year, and that gives hope to Metroid and F-Zero (seriously, they don't have to innovate on F-Zero, just put out a 2015 version of GX with some online and most of us will be satisfied)

What would a new Metroid game be about? Isn't Fusion the latest in the series? So any game after that would have Samus with the fusion suit I would think unless they figured out how to remove it which I thought they stated was impossible in Fusion. There's actually been quite a few installments in Metroid. They really should do a Metroid 2 remake for 3DS but I'm afraid we may never see it now since home brewers took it upon themselves to do such. It's too bad too because Nintendo would make a better version.

Geeze Luiz, what's with all the cancelled Metroid games.

@Gamecubed I personally think we don't know enough about the Star Fox game to come to any conclusions. Sure it's coming but what actually is it? 64 HD with Gamepad controls? Brand new title with many control options? Maybe even Command HD but with a better vehicle control scheme?

Gah, I would've loved this.

Eh, I've never been a fan of 2D Metroid, so I'm indifferent.

I loved Other M, sure the voice acting was grating, but the game itself was quite fun, and I welcome a sequel (minus terrible voice narration)

@CaviarMeths
Thought the same thing...

Read about it back in September here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=890009

How many times are people going to make articles on a "cancelled" (I take that with a huge grain of salt as half of the time there is nothing to back that word up) Metroid game? I keep seeing this story over and over, it like I'm in Majora's Mask.

If they want to make M relevant again, they need to take it to a new level. Open world, varied missions, drivable vehicles/aircrafts, lots of NPC interactions, intriguing and open ended backstory.

This is Metroid Dread all over again, isn't it?

Personally I don't see why Nintendo wouldn't want a 2.5D Metroid after Other M. Since it's on 3DS, what else could they do? It's either that, or a first-person Prime style game, or another 3rd person game in the style of Other M. And the latter two don't seem likely on a handheld (sure they did a Metroid Prime on DS but they're trying to move away from that style)

We're long overdue a side-scrolling Metroid after the GBA titles. If you ask me, it's the perfect next move for the series while they try to figure out the next home console iteration.

Layered backgrounds/environments. I'm telling you.

I'm starting to wonder if this generation of hardware is getting a Metroid game.

I would really love to see metroid prime trilogy get remade for NEW 3ds (as I preordered one on friday)

I'd like to see Capcom or Konami develop a Metroid game...

I'm not surprised to find out about it, but I'm still disappointed that nothing's happening with Metroid. I just hope they return to the more passive narrative for a future Metroid title, and maybe hit Sakamoto in the face whenever he tries to go hollywood with the presentation again.

@MetalK I think Metroid Prime (or the general notion of a 3D Metroid game, at least) was originally intended to be for N64, but got delayed until Retro Studios pitched the Prime idea and succeeded.

@andrea987 Oh my god, no! Open world is okay, but the worst Metroid can have is a mission system. Or NPC interaction that goes beyond "Hey it's Samus!". Or vehicles.
Metroid is about exploring unknown worlds where barely anybody else could even hope to survive. Adding company or outside tech that isn't a powerup for the Varia Suit would turn Metroid into a Mass Effect clone, just with less "socializing". If anything, such a setup would only work for a Metroid spinoff without Samus.

People must not have been paying attention at E3.

Nintendo said something along the lines of "they can't make an official announcement yet, but that 2 Metroid games with 2 different styles are currently being pursued- a Prime style game and a 2D style game", surely one for Wii U and the other for 3DS.

That was in June 2014. We also know Retro was offered DKC and Metroid, so with DKC already released, what does that leave? That's right, Metroid. Not only that, but Nintendo seems to prep upcoming new releases with alternative releases, like releasing DKC Returns 3D before Tropical Freeze and Xenoblade 3D before XCX. I find it no small coincidence Nintendo made it a point to release Prime Trilogy for $10.

I mean, besides all that, they're running out of other franchises to make. It's looking like Metroid will be announced soon just out of process of elimination. As well as Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, and Mario Strikers for Wii U.

I'm 90% confident we will get a double reveal of Metroid this E3, the 2D entry on 3DS slated for 2016, and the Prime styled entry on Wii U slated for Holiday 2016/early 2017.

<__<

A 2.5D Metroid for the 3DS would be very awesome, just don't make it like Metroid: Other M where Team Ninja tried to add some kind of emo sense of a background to Samus. Samus is a lone bounty hunter, she should never fall below the feet of another no name hunter.

@MetalK9 Drink cactus juice! It'll quench ya! Nothing's quenchier! it's the quenchiest!

@meppi There's a possibility that that was a different project. Wouldn't it be terrible if Nintendo shot down not one, but two Metroid games?

@RoomB31 Yes indeed. I shall forever bang on about the brilliance of other M. Yes the "thumbs down" and various other cut scenes are beyond lame, but the atmosphere, exploration, sense of completion and reveals made it incredible.

@RoomB31 I agree, I very much enjoyed Other M. The characterization of Samus and the lack of item drops was a mistake for sure, but the gameplay was great!

I can't say I'd like a sequel to Other M though--Fusion was close enough to swing around with that particular story. I would like to see, however, where Samus goes from there or some sort of "Origins" story.

@EvisceratorX

Oof, that would be heartbreaking.
Although I have a good feeling that a Metroid revival is on the way, hopefully for both the 3DS and Wii U.
There certainly have been a couple of hints in the past year, even though they have been very subtle.
Mario Kart is behind us, so is Smash, plenty of Mario, Donkey Kong and Soon Zelda for 3DS and Wii U. So Metroid being next makes too much sense not to be in the books as one of the big titles to build 2016 around.

Everybody wants a new Metroid game. Make a new Metroid game.

@EllenJMiller: I totally agree. I've been waiting for that for a long time too.

I'm still waiting for a big Wii U HD Metroid. ... It'll never happen, not on this console. Meh, I would say that I've given up on seeing another new entry in this franchise, but with a new Star Fox on the way 8 years after Command came out, it has renewed a bit of hope in me. I'll say we won't see a new Metroid come out until 2019. :/

I don't want a 2.5 game on a handheld. THey look awful.

I'd like to see a new metroid game and a new new portable star fox game!

Um, a turned down pitch is not the same thing as a game that was planned and cancelled. Misleading article.

@JaxonH Sure, of course they did say about 2 Metroid games at the end of E3 (2D and Prime style) but Nintendo has also said they're very focused on creating remakes too so it could just be something like Super Metroid HD and Metroid Prime Hunters 3D (or switch the HD and 3D around).

@Grumblevolcano
That's true- it could be. But my gut tells me we'll see a full release. There's just no reason not to release a Metroid- it's a guaranteed 1 million sales, and would bolster any Wii U version when it releases.

@andrea987 Ew, lots of NPC interactions? I don't think that's necessary

if it wasnt good, better cancelled

There's no reason Metroid couldn't be an Aliens-level hit for Nintendo.

@JaxonH True but that could've been said about many of the not so sensible choices Nintendo has made. For example, "There's no reason why Americans should have to wait 5+ months longer than Europe for all the huge Virtual Console games (SMB3, LttP, DKC/DKL trilogy, etc.)" and "There's no reason why Europeans should have to wait 5+ months for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse."

@JaxonH
Preaching to the choir on that one lol, oh don't I know...

@LinkSword - I'd love a new Hunters as well, been hoping since 3DS launch.

@vonseux - Honestly, name a bad Metroid game. Prime's, Hunters, Other M and the 2D Platformers are all so right on the ball for a Metroid game. I don't see how this could have went bad. This would have been something to pass the time while Nintendo begin/continue/finish their next Metroid project. And you can't say the first Metroid or Return of Samus cause they're outdated.

@BlatantlyHeroic - Yeeeah.

arrrrrrrrrrrrrg thats annoying. I want to fight kraid in 3d. He got removed from prime and canceled on 3ds. I am sooooooo sick of ridley.

@MetalK9 we only know the Metroid games that were released, hece, had quality control over them. I'm pretty sure Nintendo Works on concepts for every big franchise it has. If this Project was cancelled, it could be because the game didn't pleased the board, or didn't lived up to it's expectations, they decided to scrap it instead releasing na mess of a game like other companies do.

Aaaaand another Metroid shot down! Good job Nintendo!!!

I always laugh at people who say there are signs that Nintendo is making a new Wii u and 3DS Metroid, because there AREN'T any real signs. Its all wishfull thinking!

@Henmii And that wishful thinking can lead to unjustified contempt to, say, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Hype can be extremely dangerous, yeah.

Ugh. Hang on. rinses his mouth with water and spits out the bad aftertaste After all these years, Other M is STILL hard to wash out. Ugggh.

@EllenJMiller same here!

Oh what could have been.

I guess E3 could yield some answers.

@Henmii Did you not read that interview from last year's E3? They're looking at the future of Metroid and hopefully will have something concrete to announce soon. Doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it is still a sign.

Plus Metroid is the one major franchise still missing from both systems' libraries. Wii U will only be missing Animal Crossing, Paper Mario, and Metroid once this year is over. Sure, there's stuff like Advance Wars and Golden Sun that are both missing from the 3DS' lineup, but I doubt either are in development or coming at all this generation (IS is too busy, Camelot is disgruntled with the Golden Sun franchise). Process of elimination points towards a Metroid game. Also kinda sad that we can literally go down the list of Nintendo's franchises like that.

Wasn't there an extremely reliable rumor last year that 2 Metroid games were in development (a 3D one and a 2D side scroller)?

Also, isn't Retro Studios working on something that they haven't announced yet?

@IceClimbers,

A very vague sign at best. I say its true as soon as Nintendo confirms those titles are in development. Untill then its all speculation.

"Also, isn't Retro Studios working on something that they haven't announced yet?"

I really doubt its Metroid! For all we know it may just be ANOTHER DKC, or a Luigi's mansion, or something different entirely.

Stupid of Nintendo to cancel such a promising Metroid game just because it is 2.5D. Why would Metroid Other M have anything to do with this? the problem with that game was not the play mechanics, but the emo story line that made Samus sound like a prepubescent boy who keeps getting picked on. That and the title on the box looked like it was added in MSPaint.

I suggest a return to form (like in the case of the Gamecube)... A Mario, Zelda and Metroid game in 2015 (Sunshine, Wind Waker and Prime for GC)!

I seriously may cry

Metroid is my favorite Nintendo franchise. I'd LOVE to see a new 2D Metroid with a focus on horror. It just oozes with a hint of that charm anyway. I love the prime trilogy (currently replaying it now) and that was a good spin-off, but for me coming up, Metroid defined side-scrolling platforming. And brought exploration and an awesome story to the table to boot. Other M (my favorite modern Metroid) was on the right track, Team Ninja got a lot of things right. But I'd like to see someone better take the helm. And for me that doesn't have to be Retro. Nintendo has to know that fans are dying for a new one. I bet the next game will be Metroid's return to power. Nintendo Power.

@EllenJMiller Couldn't agree more

@Kaze_Memaryu "relevant", "new level". It can still retain all the Samus appeal and character, while making her world bigger and more interesting, adding more layers. Of course exploring on her own would still be big, but side missions given by NPC, large hubs where to get them and upgrades for suit and vehicles would be grand, if done correctly. I'd love to be able to fly to those planets too, or maybe some missions/levels could be about chasing and hunting space pirates, who knows. And as I said, they also need to be thinking about what is selling today, to make it a success. Old fans of the series are not going to do that on their own.

@EllenJMiller Already happening, sorta. Google AM2R.
One of the best looking fan remakes ever made.There's a beta already out.

I think we will see a new metroid at this years e3. Possibly exclusively for 3ds? It has higher processing power and the c stick. Anyways I'd love to see them re do metroid 2. It's the only one that referenced those specific types of metroids (alpha, omega, gamma). Queen showed up in other m though which was nice.

Something is making me reject that it was because of Other M that this was cancelled, but probably more to do with what was presented just not looking promising. In any case, there's no way Nintendo will let much more time pass before we see another Metroid title announced.

@ToniK I'd love a Metroid in a Dead Space style.

This pisses me off, and I blame the dumb as hell fanboys who cried about Metroid: Other M because they had some built up version of Samus in their minds and couldn't get past that.

I need a new metroid game in my life nintendo make it happen.

Metroid should not be in 2D anymore, and Samus should be treated like a human being, not a stereotype of women pulled from backwards cults from the 1950's.

Wouldn't wonder if we'd see that game again in revamped HD graphics coming to the WiiU. Mario 3D World was also something that started its journey on the 3DS and got moved over. Maybe back in 2012 Nintendo just said to Retro that due to the dark clouds hanging above the WiiU and the lack of any other Metroid plans for WiiU, they should finish their work on DOnkey Kong and then try to make the best out of that Metroid game.

I personally couldn't tell if I'd prefer a 2,5D over a 3D Metroid. 3D woud just help the WiiU more on the mainstream userbase while remaining a solid and great experience. 2D and 2,5D are both the dimension in which Metroid has always been considered to be played in and works better for some mechanics like screw attacking. Plus, as much as I love the Prime trilogy, the first one was actually the only game that managed to preserve the series' spirit, loneliness, atmosphere and so on. The dark world concept and the additional character in Echoes just didn't work for me as good and Corruption, while being one hell of a good game in general, didn't feel like a Metroid game at all to me. Too many, dumb characters, an actual army ... it just ruined the whole atmosphere which I actually play metroid for. At least in some parts. As I said, amazing games, but another 3D game would probably come with even more characters, cutscenes, story ... stuff that just shouldn't be in a Metroid game. At least not in a such direct way.

@andrea987 The problem is that the general Metroid formula is great as it is, and doesn't need any "typical features" it never had.
It's not like people complain that Metroid doesn't improve - far from it, many fans wish for it to return to it's Super Metroid state of combining hostility and isolation with discovery, because the gameplay works perfectly as it is. Whether that's what "sells" isn't the question, since that's what turned many series into trash already. Instead, Metroid simply MUST stay true to its roots, even at the risk of not appealing to the big crowd. And Metroid isn't suited to the general audience, to begin with - forcing it onto them won't benefit anyone.

@Quorthon Is she, though? Though not really brought up explicitly, Samus is far from a stereotype. An athletic woman who excels at biology, linguistics, programming/hacking, military operation/combat capabilty, and physics (the lore and mosnter scans in the Prime games are written by her, technically), who calmly assesses her surroundings, collects environmental data, makes a living off of bounty hunting...
Her life never was normal, and even though the horrible incidents in her past never brought her to her knees, she is well-aware that she's the only one to fulfill the chozo prophecy, and keeps fighting. All in the faint hope of finding surviving chozo somewhere. And considering her heavy responsibilty, it also stands to reason she's such a loner - nobody can really keep up with her, anyway, and socializing doesn't help her in any ways, either.
And even though her personality isn't brough up often, her body language (especially in Prime) reveals a lot of her. A determined, calculating, brave woman with a strong sense of justice, the occasional protective attitude, but also a bit of an ego. Not to mention her curiosity towards ecosystems, evolutionary processes, and foreign cults of all kinds.

@retro_player_22 All reports I've heard is that the story and background for Samus in Other M came from Nintendo's own Yoshio Sakamoto. For instance, in this article: http://kotaku.com/5843159/blame-nintendo-for-metroid-other-ms-sucky-story

Not defending it, and though I think there is an overblown reaction to it overall, any new game must be very sensitive to the backlash Other M received.

didnt everybody know this a long long time ago?

I'm still waiting for my 2D Metroid V, Sakamoto.

As for Retro, they're probably working on a third DKC game. Fair enough, that series deserves a trilogy.

Really all I want is a Prime for the Wii U