Nintendo's E3 so far has been an oasis in the desert for beleaguered, long-suffering Metroid fans. We're getting not one but two new games, and the first one, Metroid: Samus Returns, is coming just a few short months away on September 15th.
Yoshio Sakamoto, the game's executive officer, discusses many of the new mechanics for Samus Returns in this video. The game is a remake of Metroid II for the Game Boy, but it includes powerups and abilities from the rest of the series like the grapple beam, and new ones like a melee parry and a suite of special powers that let you supercharge your shield or scan environments for secrets.
On the whole I'm really excited for Samus Returns. That said, I have some reservations. It's being developed by MercurySteam who did a great job on the 3DS Castlevania Lords of Shadow, but Sakamoto's involvement raises questions. Sakamoto is legendary and he's been a guiding light for the series--he directed Super Metroid on SNES--but he also bungled the story for Metroid Other M pretty badly. Hopefully Samus Returns won't have that issue as it's a remake of a fairly straightforward story, and I also hope MercurySteam avoided the painfully linear level design that plagued Other M.
I also can't help but feel bad for the superb AM2R fan remake of Metroid II, as it's obvious now why Nintendo shut it down so swiftly. It's nice to have an official remake of Metroid II, but I still love AM2R. At least Metroid fans like me won't have to wait long for Samus Returns.
