Metroid is my favorite game series. It's been that way for quite a few years now, and I honestly don't think it'll ever change unless Final Fantasy ever decides to make my jaw drop again. I've discovered that exploration-based platforming games are among my absolute favorite, and I find the insane re-playability of many of the series 2D titles to be perhaps the most appealing aspect of them. I'm also a huge fan of the Prime games, essentially first-person exploration with more of a focus on combat. This thread isn't about any of that, but I just wanted to throw out there why this is a rather interesting topic that I care about, the topic being the "oversexualization" of series protagonist Samus Aran.
This was recently brought to light once more with the reveal of Zero Suit Samus for Super Smash Bros 4. Prominent online figures such as Doug Walker (The Nostalgia Critic) have already begun to call foul on her new design, and, once again, bringing up how badly she's being "oversexualized" in today's current industry. This made me start to wonder; is what they're saying true, specifically about Samus herself? Or is it just the popular thing to do these days, throw a tantrum about anything "sexy" in the gaming industry?
Above is a picture from the "best" ending of the original Metroid on NES. If you completed the game fast enough, you were "rewarded" with that image, which is a pink/purple bikini with the same color boots. Off the bat, was this "oversexualizing" a female protagonist? Or is it no harm no foul because it's at the end of the game? This is the first problem I have with this mindset; it's nothing new when it comes to the character. She's been prancing around post-game in nearly nothing since 1987. "But Vergo, it's just 'fanservice', it's not shoved in the game". So? Doesn't merely the fact that this type of thing exists in the first place enough to say that she's "oversexualized"? And if it's not, is it okay to shoe-horn this type of thing at the end of the game with no problem so people don't get outraged?
Metroid II doesn't get any love, but Super Metroid certainly does. Held by many to be the best entry in the franchise, it's a near-perfect game to some. But as we see above, the next two games in the series did exactly what the first did; have Samus strip down once the game was over. Again, no harm, no foul on the part of these games, even though she's showing significantly more skin in all of these than she does with her current Zero Suit. So why was it okay then, but not now? Was it again because it's "extra"? Sexism and sexualization shouldn't be applies to only prevalent situations, and scenes that are "extra" shouldn't be exempt.
Fast-forward a few years, and we have the introduction of the Zero Suit in 2002 in the game Zero Mission. Can someone tell me why the image below is somehow worse than the images above? I don't think it is, but am I wrong by thinking that? If anything, the Zero Suit is more modest than past incarnations of what she wears under the suit. Was there an outcry in 2002 over this? Or did people just think it was a super-awesome game (which is was) with tons of re-playability value? And if there WAS outrage, why is it still going on today over a decade later? It can't be just the Zero Suit. Jumping even further, we have Super Smash Bros Brawl, which took the concept of the Zero Suit created in 2002 and used again in Prime 2 and 3 and made a fully playable character out of it. Wouldn't it have been WORSE if they went with the bikini from the original Metroid instead of the Zero Suit?
At this point in time, I think saying that she's "oversexualized" is either 1.) A bogus argument because people hold a double-standard against games of today versus games of yesteryear if they think the likes of Metroid and Zero Mission weren't oversexualized and Smash 4 somehow is, or 2.) Just completely non-unique to Smash 4 because this kind of thing has been going on for nearly three decades. The only thing I can think of is that the fact that she's wearing high heels now just completely pushes it over the edge for some.
Are the heels really what's breaking the camel's back and causing the outcry? Again, if that's what's pushing her over the edge.... didn't that happen with the bikini and the bodysuit anyways? What makes this so unique to this time period?
Ehh, maybe I'm completely wrong and I'm a chauvinistic, masculine male who just doesn't understand. I thought this might make for an interesting conversation in the Nintendo fan community, so shoot me if it doesn't. Is Samus oversexulaized in your eyes? And, if so, when exactly did it start happening in your mind, and why hasn't it supposedly happened to others such as Peach or Zelda?
This was recently brought to light once more with the reveal of Zero Suit Samus for Super Smash Bros 4. Prominent online figures such as Doug Walker (The Nostalgia Critic) have already begun to call foul on her new design, and, once again, bringing up how badly she's being "oversexualized" in today's current industry. This made me start to wonder; is what they're saying true, specifically about Samus herself? Or is it just the popular thing to do these days, throw a tantrum about anything "sexy" in the gaming industry?
Above is a picture from the "best" ending of the original Metroid on NES. If you completed the game fast enough, you were "rewarded" with that image, which is a pink/purple bikini with the same color boots. Off the bat, was this "oversexualizing" a female protagonist? Or is it no harm no foul because it's at the end of the game? This is the first problem I have with this mindset; it's nothing new when it comes to the character. She's been prancing around post-game in nearly nothing since 1987. "But Vergo, it's just 'fanservice', it's not shoved in the game". So? Doesn't merely the fact that this type of thing exists in the first place enough to say that she's "oversexualized"? And if it's not, is it okay to shoe-horn this type of thing at the end of the game with no problem so people don't get outraged?
Metroid II doesn't get any love, but Super Metroid certainly does. Held by many to be the best entry in the franchise, it's a near-perfect game to some. But as we see above, the next two games in the series did exactly what the first did; have Samus strip down once the game was over. Again, no harm, no foul on the part of these games, even though she's showing significantly more skin in all of these than she does with her current Zero Suit. So why was it okay then, but not now? Was it again because it's "extra"? Sexism and sexualization shouldn't be applies to only prevalent situations, and scenes that are "extra" shouldn't be exempt.
Fast-forward a few years, and we have the introduction of the Zero Suit in 2002 in the game Zero Mission. Can someone tell me why the image below is somehow worse than the images above? I don't think it is, but am I wrong by thinking that? If anything, the Zero Suit is more modest than past incarnations of what she wears under the suit. Was there an outcry in 2002 over this? Or did people just think it was a super-awesome game (which is was) with tons of re-playability value? And if there WAS outrage, why is it still going on today over a decade later? It can't be just the Zero Suit. Jumping even further, we have Super Smash Bros Brawl, which took the concept of the Zero Suit created in 2002 and used again in Prime 2 and 3 and made a fully playable character out of it. Wouldn't it have been WORSE if they went with the bikini from the original Metroid instead of the Zero Suit?
At this point in time, I think saying that she's "oversexualized" is either 1.) A bogus argument because people hold a double-standard against games of today versus games of yesteryear if they think the likes of Metroid and Zero Mission weren't oversexualized and Smash 4 somehow is, or 2.) Just completely non-unique to Smash 4 because this kind of thing has been going on for nearly three decades. The only thing I can think of is that the fact that she's wearing high heels now just completely pushes it over the edge for some.
Are the heels really what's breaking the camel's back and causing the outcry? Again, if that's what's pushing her over the edge.... didn't that happen with the bikini and the bodysuit anyways? What makes this so unique to this time period?
Ehh, maybe I'm completely wrong and I'm a chauvinistic, masculine male who just doesn't understand. I thought this might make for an interesting conversation in the Nintendo fan community, so shoot me if it doesn't. Is Samus oversexulaized in your eyes? And, if so, when exactly did it start happening in your mind, and why hasn't it supposedly happened to others such as Peach or Zelda?
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