Today, Shinesparkers has an exciting new feature to share with our readers: an exclusive translation of four interviews that were shared on Metroid.jp in 2003! The people interviewed include Yasuo Inoue, the director of the Japanese commercial for Metroid Fusion, Tadashi Konan, the founder of apparel brand The King of Games, Michael Mann, Mark Pacini and Karl Deckard from Retro Studios, and Japanese author Miyuki Miyabe. The interviewees discuss their interest in the Metroid series and the merchandise or work they have done for the franchise. This feature would not have been possible without Vectrex28, who generously translated these interviews for us. We hope you enjoy them!
Samus Helmet statue coming from First 4 Figures
Not one to be outdone by their amazing Meta Ridley statue, First 4 Figures have revealed a massive replica of Samus Aran’s Helmet. Unfortunately, it can’t be worn since it is a statue. It appears to be based on its incarnation in the original Metroid Prime. At this point, all that First 4 Figures have shared is a brief teaser video, but they’ve said they will reveal its price, availability and release date in a livestream (embedded below) on Tuesday, March 2nd, which is next week. They are also giving away one of these statues on their website, which you can access here.
Source: F4F on Twitter/YouTube
Community Spotlight: Dana Nicole
Our second Community Spotlight of the year is live! This month, we are sharing the work of a talented illustrator and digital artist, Dana Nicole. Dana’s work focuses on who Samus is underneath her Power Suit, and also includes Adam Malkovich, who is often neglected in Metroid fanart. We were amazed by the drawings of Dana, and felt she deserved a Spotlight.
We are always looking for new Community Spotlights, so if you or someone you know is a cosplayer, artist, musician, speedrunner, YouTuber or has an interesting Metroid project that you feel could use a bit more attention, don’t hesitate to share it with us via social media!
Metroid fan album “The Last One in Captivity” available now
Musician Danilo Ciaffi has released a Metroid fan album titled “The Last One in Captivity” a post-rock tribute to the series. The album features four tracks, which are the main theme from Metroid, Red Soil from Super Metroid, and two tracks from Metroid Prime: Phendrana Drifts and Sunken Frigate. Guitarist Mark Autumn is also credited on the album, along with the amazing artwork by Alessio Ciaffi. We really love what we have heard, and the world could always use a bit more Metroid music!
Quote from Danilo:
This album was quite a comeback for me on the Metroid+post-rock combo, and it features a mix of new and old arrangements that I think portrait the beginning of my post-rock journey. I am proud to finally present it to the world 🙂 The biggest of thanks to Mark Autumn for lending me his buttery guitar skills all along this project and ultimately making it possible.
The Last One in Captivity is available via Spotify and iTunes right now, and you can check out the opening track on Danilo’s YouTube channel, and by clicking the video below.
Episode 12 – Metroid Board Game Concepts
Our twelth podcast is now available! We kick off 2021 with a discussion on Metroid board games, and how an original game could look, in addition to a Metroid themed game based on existing properites already made, such as Monopoly and Frustration. This podcast features host Amanda, with team members TriforceGuy, RoyboyX and Dalagonash.
1:07 – Main Topic: Metroid Board Game Concepts
30:23 – Outtakes & Bloopers
Feature: Online Multiplayer Metroid Game Concept
Ever wondered what a modern-day online multiplayer Metroid game might be like? For our first feature of the year, team member Glaedrax shares his ideas for his perfect multiplayer Metroid game, which would include a death-match mode like Hunters, but with team missions too. It would obviously include Samus, but also feature a variety of different characters across the series. Glaedrax goes in-depth on the type of move sets these characters could have. Give this one a read, and let us know your own ideas via our social media channels!
Sam Tung (Rooster Teeth) joins Retro Studios as a Storyboard Artist
In October, we shared that Retro Studios was seeking a Storyboard Artist for Metroid Prime 4, a position which they’ve now filled. Sam Tung, a Storyboard Artist formerly at Rooster Teeth, announced that he joined Retro in that position yesterday. A longtime Metroid fan, Sam released a storyboard animatic he developed in his spare time back in late October. It’s a cool and flashy piece that shows Samus dealing with a secret Space Pirate base teeming with Metroids. You can watch it here.
Some of you may be worried about what this means, and whether this position getting filled just now means Prime 4’s development hasn’t been going well. Not to worry! In game development, the core gameplay is usually worked on first, and then cinematics are concepted, developed and animated afterwards. Think of it this way: with a Storyboard Artist at the studio, we are one step closer to a possible cinematic trailer for the game!
We want to congratulate Sam for joining Retro Studios and wish him the best in his new role. We can’t wait to see the no doubt gorgeous cutscenes he will work on.
Source: Sam Tung
Lego Metroid set could become a reality, if you vote for it (UPDATE: officially under review!)
Update: since this was posted, the Metroid set has reached 10,000 votes and will now be reviewed by LEGO! L-DI-EGO has expanded the set with several Ridley designs, minifigures of the Dachoras and Etecoons, and alternate Samus Gunship builds based on the versions used in Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime Hunters, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Prime: Federation Force. He also unveiled the Zero Suit Samus minifigure. Here’s hoping that LEGO will approve the project, and secure a license from Nintendo to produce it as an official set!
Original Post:
Lego Ideas is a site where fans of Lego products can submit designs based on properties, locations or other subjects in popular culture considered for an official release. One very creative fan’s idea for a Metroid range is quickly gaining support, but it needs your help for it to gain Lego’s attention.
The range includes custom Samus and Zebesian minifigures, as well the Morph Ball, the Baby Metroid’s iconic capsule and a constructible version of Samus’s Gunship. A “mystery” figure – likely Zero Suit Samus given the silhouette’s shape – will be unveiled when the project gains 9,900 supporters. It was first designed in December 2019 and shared in early 2020, getting halfway to where it needs to go this month.
For an idea to be considered by Lego, it must have 10,000 supporters in an allotted time limit. As of this writing, the project has 5,711 supporters, and it must gain 4,289 more in 514 days – that’s June 18, 2022. If you have not yet signed up to Lego and supported the project, please do so! It would be amazing to see an official Metroid range released by Lego while we await news of Metroid Prime 4 and future games.
Source: Nintendo Life/LEGO Ideas
Community Spotlight: Chernabogue
Our first Community Spotlight of 2021 kicks off with Chernabogue, a musician who was involved with our original album Harmony of a Hunter. Since then, Chernabogue has created tons of amazing video game remixes and arrangements, and in this feature, we highlight his great work and showcase some of his music. We hope that you’ll check it out and support this great musician by checking out his work in more detail by following the links in the feature.
Nintendo to acquire Metroid Prime Federation Force Developer Next Level Games
Nintendo have confirmed in a statement that it is to take control of Metroid Prime: Federation Force developer Next Level Games, and has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of outstanding shares of the company, with the acquisition expected to close on March 1st, 2021. The Canadian studio was already a close partner of Nintendo for many years, working with some of their well-loved properties, such as Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Strikers and Punch-Out!!
Next Level Games released Metroid Prime: Federation Force back in 2016 for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, which included Metroid Prime: Blast Ball, and most recently was responsible for Luigi’s Mansion 3 on Nintendo Switch.
Source: Nintendo (Japanese), Nintendo (English)