Samus Aran was a videogame heroine before it was sheik to be a butt-kicking chick. Ultra Metroid sees the return of Samus facing an all-new threat. Ultra Metroid would also be the first game to bring Samus into full 3D. Adding a new dimension to the adventure, Samus will have to learn new techniques to vanquish her enemies.

Basic Features:
• Huge sprawling levels presented in full 3D

• Standard complement of weaponry that fans have come to expect from Metroid (Ice Beam, Grappling Beam, Bombs, Screw Attack, etc.), plus new weapons

Extra Goodies:
• The original Maps from Metroid (and maybe Super Metroid) presented for full screen play

• Perhaps multi-player deathmatch as well

Rick P. says: We know that there is a Samus Aran game in the works at Nintendo, and it's a virtual certainty that the game will be for Dolphin. While its creator is no longer around, I'm confident that the EAD team can do Samus justice while bringing her into the third dimension.

And like Mario Anthology, fans really want to relive the 8-bit classics now more than ever. Having the original Metroid done in 3D would be a very interesting twist, while maintaining the feel of the old classic.

CptnSisko says: A Metroid game at launch could spite even Mario in the US. This game has a legion of fans, all of which have been anxiously awaiting the next installment in the classic series since beating Super Metroid. The game could be used to show off some of the Dolphin's bump mapping effects and NURB implementation better than Ultra Mario. I say this because seeing an alien pod smash into million of pieces after being blasted by an energy beam, its many fragmented innards and limbs scattering all over the realistically proportioned ground, it blood staining the mushy brown swampy area. Ohhhh.

Justin has already pointed out a plus of Metroid heading in a new direction with its 3D atmosphere before (as Mario did in Mario 64,) no longer the jump around blast um up of the NES, SNES, and GB era, but rather a moody, creepy trip into impossibly dark alien caves, dynamic shrieks and screams and slithers surround you as you delve deeper into the cave, your only line of sight coming from your headlight. Suddenly, you hear a falling rock, you quickly turn around. You see nothing, and assume it was the wind (although you know deep down it was not.) You continue deeper into the near photo-realistic cavern, and notice a streak. Like something out of the original Alien, a black blur crossed through your line of sight. You tense up. You pull out your blaster, and begin to pray that you are hallucinating. Ambient cavern noises mask your whispers, as does the sound of water.

Suddenly, you hear a gut renching scream. You turn around to see two XenoMorph looking creatures jump at you. You freeze for a moment. But wait, you're not some average horror movie chick, you're Samus Aran. You quickly dive to the right, in 60 fps, bump mapped, NURB implemented action. You turn to see the XenoMorph looking Alien jumping towards you.

You think for a moment. "Where's the other one? they always strike in pairs..."

Remembering William Shatner’s TekWar, you think, the XenoMorph from the front still leaping towards you in photo realistic glory. "If I were the XenoMorph, what would I do?" You realize. "Slash me in the back."

You quickly perform a backflip, just in time to see the XenoMorph that was leaping at you from behind lunge past you, almost crashing into the one that was leaping directly towards you. You let out a grunt, then a snicker... the aliens quickly turn, there NURB bodies quickly rotating in 60 FPS goodness. Seeing your intent, they try to move quickly. Too late.

"See you in hell, you bastards!" you yell, letting forth several of your rockets into the ground next to them. Their respective innards fly out of their bodies, their blood stains the ground, there intestines litter the floor. One is still moving. You walk to it, and blast it with your energy beam. It's head falls off a nearby crevice, landing in an underground river, being washed away like a forgotten memory. You regain your composure, and move on, further into the photo realistic cavern, knowing you haven't seen anything yet...

Man, have I got anybody besides me salivating? Here's to hoping Nintendo America doesn't edit this one. it'll single handedly wash away any stereotype of Nintendo's, namely the "kiddie" image they currently have.

Steven says: That's it .. I can't sleep now. These visions are going to be dancing in my head all night long. The thing is .. it's not fantasy. This is totally do-able.

Justin says: Just whore my idea out why dontcha Sisko. :)

Well nyah, I have since developed and even bigger picture for this must-have launch title for Nintendo. Of course this could be the title that puts the kiddie image in the grave and that's well and good. Sure, mimicking the Alien movies and the style of suspense gaming in Resident Evil would be cool (hopefully with MUCH better control). Sure, beating the game within a certain amount of time or finding all of the secrets to unlock the classic bikini Samus (Now THERE'S a chance to show off some NURBS and bump-mapping my poor naive Sisko) would all be cool. Thing is, there is so much that Nintendo could stick in this game that would not only make it a system seller... it would also make it a terrific candidate for technical demos and screenies early on. Here's my current concept:

Metroid games have always rewarded the cunning adventurer so having an element of hidden secrets has go to be an element in the game. Especially when you have a game where you get so many different power-ups during the game Samus has plenty of potential for being able to conquer that suspect hole in the ground later on once you can do the bomb-ball bit and all. Returning more to making the gamer experiment would be good.

More than ever Nintendo needs to grasp on to the concept of making games that step out of the limits of crayola-colored worlds. The original Metroid had a certain creepy edge to it and even at my humble younger age when I first played the game I remember being hooked. Taking that all a step further and building the suspense is a no-brainer for Nintendo... sales of Resident Evil and Dino Crisis prove that this is a market begging to be exploited. Show people an Aliens-esque moment in the game and a creature popping out from the shadows to snap off Samus's head would have people lining up in hordes for this game. In terms of tech demos this would also be a great chance for Nintendo to show off effective sound (hey with DVD you'd hope in Dolby Surround) and total detail. Make the shadows seem to move on their own... maybe have Samus holding a flare of some kind giving off an uneven kind of light to the room... really showcase the artistic talent at work. Of course once the enemy is revealed make it one of the bosses in the game and make it HUGE... push that polygon count and make people's jaws drop.

Now, the final element that would really nicely compliment the suspense and high-poly boss sequence would be a total ambush. Assuming that in a 3D environment someone like Samus would have to have a sort of Z-targetting technology and better yet maybe a form of radar on-screen have the system get pushed in another direction. Instead of going with a high-poly single enemy push in terms of displaying as many low-poly enemies as possible. As many as they could possibly fit on the screen and keep it from being a slide show go for. Have them coming from every direction all attacking Samus at once. Then let Samus click into Z-targetting mode and have a field day blasting them all to smithereens. A shot of this action juxtaposed with the suspenseful boss scene would literally send people reeling... sci-fi is the perfect platform for giving you a game where the variety of creatures varies so drastically and showing that variety in a demo would give answers on all ends of the spectrum. Yes, if you want to push with a single object you can make something incredible but also yes, if you really want to have a ton going on and will scrimp the detail this machine will do it for you too. Just imagining playing a game with so many variations in gameplay and what it expects of you is a thrilling concept.