Topic: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Has the non-boss combat in any Metroid game ever been much to write home about? The 2D games generally wouldn't fare well if you considered them as run 'n' gun games, while the Prime ones aren't exactly first person shooters either. Sure, Samus has a gun and can shoot things with it, but that's not really the point. The enemies are there more to be minor hindrances and sap her energy than to present a substantial threat.

Not especially, no. It feels like the equivalent of if people told me pre-BOTW Zelda was falling behind because it wasn't God of War or Bayonetta. (which is perfect now that I think about it because Darksiders exists to prove that very idea would only have a niche audience anyway :V)

Which also again makes me think that's an underrated issue with 4, since they somehow decided to have less variety in combat encounters.

I also just don't fully agree with the concept that its inherently niche, at least not to the extent where it can't be a reliable game release from Nintendo. From Software games, Persona, Yakuza, Monster Hunter were all obviously niche series that had no chance of growing bigger until they did. Obviously to different extents but it happened, so I don't buy it as a major issue. I think pricing issues for 2D games, and the fact that the series only really has momentum from the past 15 years from one great full priced 2D game and one shadow dropped and thus not heavily marketed at all remaster and then a very divisive Prime follow up that objectively failed to expand the audience with gameplay elements most Metroid fans aren't here for, are all bigger issues than caring about some mythical wider audience.

If there were actual reliable new releases after the 2000s and Nintendo knew how to take advantage of the indie Metroidvania boom and sales were not notably better than it would be better to say there's a limit to the series' success, but that has not happened.