Needs Help: Franchise.Metroid

If you need an official image with Samus both in and out of her suit, there's this one.

I thought there was an unspoken agreement to forget that Other M happened.

I all seriousness it works I guess.

I personally despise an aversion from Other M artworks. If they have good images, shouldn't we at least take some of them if they are better than the other results?

And besides, if we want something other than Other M, we have Samus Returns as an alternative.

Samus◊

However, the Zero Suit image aside from Other M will be hard to find. That I'll tell you. 3DS resolution doesn't lend itself well to good images and aside from concept art, there has been no image of Zero Suit Samus from Samus Returns.

I think 26 works well for her. Both sides of her, one image.

x2 It was a joke. I've never even played Other M.

I'm fine with the image, I just think it's kind of meh.

I made my case on the discussion thread already, which was basically with a character where Depending on the Writer and Depending on the Artist are as big a factor as with Samus, using fan art for her is just fine, so long as it is recognizable.

Now when there is an Art Shift that actually sticks, that more or less becomes her default, then we might want to make sure her picture reflects that, but as is, neither the "Fusion", "Prime", "MOM", "Prime Fedration Force" nor any other such depiction of Samus is any less recognizable as Samus than the "Super Metroid" depiction of Samus or even the "Metroid II" depiction, for that matter. All we have to watch out for is if Nintendo ever decides to go forward from "Fusion" and the smaller shoulders become consistent, until then or some similar development there is no reason to change Samus's picture to "update" with the games, nor is there any reason to change the perfectly serviceable image already on the page.

Really, that's something that needs to stop on TV Tropes altogether, changing images that aren't flawed in any way for images that aren't any better. There Is No Such Thing As Notability, so official should really only take precedent with characters much more static, or at least consistent in appearance and Examples Are Not Recent, so changing the image just to be current is equally pointless. Leave the Samus page image for now. It's accurate enough and its general nature should discourage "updates" from those who still don't get it.

If you really just want to reduce the amount of images, that solution is easy too. Use the armored picture of Samus and pothole to an unarmored picture somewhere on the page. You spend 100% of 83% of the games playing as armored Samus. The few games where that's not the case still come to Samus being in armor 71% of the time. So if reduction must be done, just go with the varia suit or something, which is already up, and pothole to the "zero suit" or one of the game end pictures somewhere. But really, I'd rather just leave it be on the subject of the image on Samus's character page for now. Pretty much all the glaring examples seem to have been "corrected" already.

edited 23rd Sep '17 1:10:08 AM by IndirectActiveTransport

There is one artwork I want to change for good, and that is the main page of Metroid. Never mind the fact that it's an unofficial artwork done by a fan, that Harmony of the Hunter artwork is simply a poor representation of the Metroid series. I could barely make out what is what...

Best call for replacement is either the main title or an official artwork from Nintendo itself. I know it's a bit generic to the title alone, but we never replaced the generic Legend of Zelda title with anything like this◊.

I have a few suggestions...

Metroid Zero Mission Official Artwork◊

Super Metroid Official Artwork

Metroid Samus Returns Official Artwork

Metroid Logo◊

28 works well for Samus.

I honestly could go for anything in 32 for the main Metroid page.

26 for Samus. It shows her in and out of her suit.

There Is No Such Thing as Notability does not mean that. Official images take precedence over fanart. That's not about notability. That's about accuracy.

More "recent" images, on the other hand, do not have priority over older images. The older works still exist, and they're still troped.

For the Franchise page, I like the Zero Mission artwork the best It even subtly has Ridley in it.

edited 23rd Sep '17 11:35:51 AM by Drope

After doing a little searching and researching, this artwork in question is apparently approved by Nintendo if Wikitroid is to be believed. Technically, this would make it an official artwork considering that Joe Roberts apparently said:

I do not know how much of it is true, but it means we can keep if no alternative Zero Suit Samus is found (I'm trying my best to find a Zero Suit Samus facing towards the viewer with a determined look). However, that caption needs to be replaced as apparently, it was taken from the non-canonical Captain N. Best use a quote from the actual franchise.

However, no such luck with the main Samus picture. As such I feel free to replace it with the Samus Returns artwork.

I'm not a fan of using a forward-facing headshot if it can be avoided. Those types of pictures are just really boring, plus there's the whole "looking into the camera" thing.

edited 25th Sep '17 6:59:59 PM by Karxrida

I see your point. In that case, I found two pictures of Zero Suit Samus.

One is an official artwork. The other is a game render.

edited 25th Sep '17 7:25:53 PM by Shadao

I'd be fine with just using 26 on Samus Aran's page, since it's a single image that depicts both iconic forms of Samus (Varia Suit and Zero Suit) cleanly in a single image while wordlessly conveying that they are the same character.

The current image for Varia Suit Samus, as lovely as it is, is the exact same reference pose used in the page image for Metroid: Samus Returns, which might potentially border on the problem of "duplicate image".

As for the main franchise page, if we could find a higher-quality version of 32.2 (also more tightly cropped to remove the negative space on top), that would be my first choice since it concisely depicts series staples Samus, Ridley, and Kraid in a single image, along with the dark and isolated tone that the franchise is known for. If not, then I suppose 32.1 could work; I just wish Ridley's presence was less subtle.

Point noted. It would allow me to get rid of the Captain N quote. Since I noticed people are supportive of this picture:

Shall we put it in the character page? As well as a disclaimer and warning to future editors to not pull this down out of some misplaced grudge?

By the way:

Higher Quality of Super Metroid Poster◊

edited 27th Sep '17 11:56:29 AM by Shadao

Super Metroid Poster is good.

edited 27th Sep '17 8:25:14 AM by Drope

The main picture has been replaced with the Super Metroid cropped poster. Hmmm, should I make the picture make a link towards to the Super Metroid page?

In any case, that final leaves Samus Aran's image replacement to be dealt with. If I were to replace the two pictures with that once picture, should we put a disclaimer for future editors not remove it without starting up a discussion given its source game? I say that because it was the original image for Samus's character folder/page before someone removed it and I suspect that old grudges against Other M is why it was replaced by fan art in the first place.

In fact, Samus's whole character page needs a rewrite. It's full of writing that jabs at Other M, complaints about Samus's appearance or muscular frame, and taking quotes from non-canonical material such Captain N to make Samus seem more badass than necessary (and thus misleading viewers).

edited 27th Sep '17 12:08:07 PM by Shadao

If you ever find something like that, rewrite to something more neutral/objective or delete it if you have the time. Rule Of Cautious Editing Judgement comes in place here,

Hmmm. Is anyone going to replace Samus's two image with the one discussed here? Or does anyone have a better suggestion?

I do feel like it needs some kind of editor's message on top if we are choosing the Other M image. I don't know how to make one and I won't do make one without permission/approval from the mods. Maybe it's not necessary, but given how controversial Other M is, it wouldn't hurt to have it.

Well, after getting no responses, I decided to go with the click here to see Zero Suit Samus instead, on the grounds that yes, you play armored Samus most of the time and Samus without the armor is a reward completing the game quickly.

^{Click here to see Zero Suit Samus} 

And that is that. Also, in regards to the possibility that the main Samus page is too close to the box art of Samus Returns, I have this:

And that is really the only other alternative official art for Samus. Do you think we should replace the one on the main page with this one?

I guess the leaning poses can work as long as they're both featured.

Well, I would say for the most part that this cleanup is done. I believe all the fan arts have been removed and the only thing left is to decide whether the main image for Samus is her doing the cover art pose:

or her doing an action pose like this is better:

Still somewhat partial to 26 for the reasons I previously mentioned in 40... but, if we want two separate images for Varia and Zero suits, then I'm fine with that too.

Between 49.1 (current) and 49.2, I'd choose to stick with 49.1. Visually, it's a lot clearer due to not being angled in an awkward way.

If we don't want to use 49.1, I suppose this image◊ from Metroid Prime is another one for consideration. I don't think it's too similar to any other image currently on TV Tropes.

I don't suppose a crowner would be useful for deciding?