Samus Aran

Samus Aran
A person in a big, futuristic-looking powered suit with a helmet. The right arm is a large firearm. The shoulders are particularly large, bulky, and rounded.
Samus Aran in her Varia Suit, as she appears in the 2007 video game Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Series Metroid
First game Metroid (1986)
Created by Makoto Kano
Designed by Hiroji Kiyotake
Voiced by (English) Jennifer Hale (2002–2007)[1]
Alésia Glidewell (2008)[2]
Jessica Martin (2010) [3][4]
Voiced by (Japanese) Ai Kobayashi (Metroid: Other M)
Live action actor(s) Chisato Morishita (Metroid: Zero Mission commercial)

Samus Aran (サムス・アラン Samusu Aran?), is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles. Throughout the series, she executes missions given to her by the Galactic Federation while hunting the antagonistic Space Pirates and their leader, Ridley, along with the energy-draining alien parasites called Metroids. Orphaned at a young age, Samus was brought up by the Chozo alien race, which trained her as a warrior. The Chozo also gave her the Power Suit, which features the ability to collapse Samus into a sphere to roll through tight areas such as tunnels.

Samus has appeared in all eleven Metroid video games as of 2010. She has also been featured in media outside of the series, including comic books such as Captain N: The Game Master, all three games in the Super Smash Bros. series of multiplayer fighting games, and the video games Super Mario RPG (1996), Kirby Super Star (1996), and Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997), in which she makes cameo appearances. Makoto Kano created the characters for the original Metroid while Hiroji Kiyotake designed them. The idea for Samus to be female came up partway through the development of Metroid when the developers determined that it would be an interesting twist to reveal her as female at the end of the game. Samus is one of the first major female protagonists in a video game, and her popularity among fans has helped her top several lists of the best video game heroines of all-time.

Contents

Development

The style for the original Metroid game was designed to be a cross between the side-scrolling gameplay of the Super Mario games and the exploration and puzzle-solving aspects of The Legend of Zelda series, with inspiration from science fiction.[5] The game's characters were conceived by Makoto Kano, while Hiroji Kiyotake designed them.[6] Samus is able to collapse into a ball to travel through tight areas. Calling the ability the Morph Ball, the developers conceived of it because it required less effort to animate than "a cyborg crawling on all fours", and the producer for Metroid, Gunpei Yokoi, took advantage of this shortcut.[6]

The game's atmosphere was influenced by Ridley Scott's film, Alien (1979).[6] Series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto recalls, "We were partway through the development process when one of the staff members said 'Hey, wouldn't that be kind of cool if it turned out that this person inside the suit was a woman?'"[7] The developers voted on the concept, and it passed.[6] The game's instruction manual refers to Samus as if she were male to keep her true gender a secret until the end of the game.[8] Samus was one of the first major female protagonists in a video game. Sakamoto noted that during the course of the Metroid series, developers constantly try to express Samus's femininity without turning her into a sex object.[7] Samus's image was based on actress Kim Basinger from 9 1/2 Weeks and My Stepmother is an Alien.[9]

Fictional biography

Samus spent her childhood with her family on the mining planet K-2L. The planet was raided by Space Pirates, who were looking for bounty. The leader of the Space Pirates, Ridley, killed most of the people in Samus's colony,[10] including her parents,[6] and then destroyed the planet.[10] Orphaned, Samus was found by a bird-like alien race known as the Chozo,[6] who brought her to their home planet Zebes. Samus was infused with Chozo DNA to give her a strong resistance to foreign environments, then trained as a warrior and given one of the alien race's artifacts,[10] a powered exoskeleton called the Power Suit that biologically entwines itself with Samus's mind and body.[6]

She enlisted in the Galactic Federation Police, but later left for unknown reasons.[5][10] Samus, who is 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) in height and 198 pounds (90 kg) in weight', now works as a freelance bounty hunter, and is called on by the Galactic Federation to execute missions "because of her superior skills and sense of justice".[10] Samus is motivated at least in part by wrath as well as an accompanying sense of duty, since her "bounty hunting" helps the galaxy get rid of unsavory elements such as the mysterious lifeforms known as Metroids, who can drain life energy and are frequently used as biological weapons.[5][10] She also takes the opportunity to exact revenge on the pirates who murdered her family. Typically, one of her suit's arms carries a cannon, which can be charged to shoot an extra-powerful blast,[6] a limited number of missiles, and various beams.[5] Samus's suit can collapse into a sphere, a mode called the Morph Ball, allowing her to roll through tight areas such as tunnels. The suit can scan objects to learn more about them, and has a grapple beam used to cross large distances, such as chasms.[6] Since Metroid II: Return of Samus, Samus has been accompanied by her gunship, which is used in the games to save progress and restore health and ammunition.[6]

Samus's suit can be enhanced by power-ups, the first introduced being the Varia Suit. In the original Metroid, it gives a pinkish color to the Power Suit, but in Metroid II: Return of Samus, because of the limited monochrome graphics on the Game Boy, the Varia Suit has giant shoulder pads to differentiate it from her other suits. The design has remained with the suit ever since.[8] The difference between suits was explained in Metroid: Zero Mission, in which after completing her first mission on Zebes, Samus is shot down and her Power Suit is rendered useless. There, she re-visits a Chozo shrine that she first visited as a child, and receives upgraded armor, with the larger shoulder pads.[10] When the Varia Suit is destroyed, Samus dons the less protective Zero Suit. She wears a unique suit in Metroid Fusion called the Fusion Suit, a weakened version of the Power Suit. Other suit upgrades in the series include the Gravity Suit, P.E.D. Suit, Phazon Suit, Hazard Suit, and Light and Dark Suits. As of Super Metriod, the suits have gained distinctive colors: the Power Suit (and variants) are yellow, the Varia Suit is red/orange and the Gravity Suit is purple. These colors are seen again in Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion. Also in the Metroid Prime series, the eponymous Metroid Prime creature fuses with the remnants of Samus's Phazon Suit to become Dark Samus, an evil doppelgänger of Samus.[5]

Samus typically works alone. Before Metroid: Other M (2010), she had never spoken in any of the games in the Metroid series other than Metroid Fusion and the opening cutscene of Super Metroid, conversing mostly through text dialogue. In the first Metroid, her gender was kept a secret until the end of the game—the instruction booklet for the game referred to her character as male. If the player completes the game quickly enough, she is first revealed as female at the end of Metroid. Typically emotionless, Samus reveals some of her true self in Metroid Fusion. Without her suit, she let slip some emotions while dealing with her artificially intelligent computer.[6] In Metroid II: Return of Samus, Samus bonds with a Metroid, which later sacrifices itself to save her from Mother Brain in Super Metroid. Seeking revenge, Samus destroys Mother Brain in a scene that is "more than a little emotionally charged".[10] In the Chozo's scrolls, Samus is recorded as The Newborn, an "orphaned warrior filled with vengeance".[10] Thanks in part to her Chozo heritage, the Chozo consider her the hope of their race. The Galactic Federation sees her as the protector of the galaxy, and the Space Pirates refer to her as the Hunter.[10]

Appearances

In the series

Metroid series fictional chronology

Metroid (Zero Mission)
Metroid Prime
Hunters
Echoes
Corruption
Return of Samus
Super Metroid
Other M
Fusion

In Metroid (1986), Samus is tasked by the Galactic Federation to track down Space Pirates on their home planet of Zebes. At the end of the game, she battles Mother Brain, the organism that controls the defenses in the Space Pirate base, and escapes in time to avoid the base's self-destruction. In Metroid II: Return of Samus (1992), the Galactic Federation once again commissions Samus, this time to exterminate all Metroid creatures on the planet SR388. She travels deep into the planet's caverns, where she encounters a Metroid Queen. After dispatching the creature, Samus discovers a small Metroid hatchling, which she spares. The baby Metroid follows Samus to her gunship, after it imprints on her. In Super Metroid (1994), the baby Metroid is stolen by Ridley. She travels back to the Space Pirates' rebuilt base on the planet Zebes. Locating the now fully grown Metroid, Samus discovers a new and more powerful Mother Brain. She defeats it with the help of the Metroid, which sacrifices itself to save Samus. In Metroid Fusion (2002), Samus returns to the planet SR388, where a parasitic infection nearly kills her. Galactic Federation scientists surgically remove large sections of her corrupted Varia Suit and inject her with the baby Metroid's DNA to save her, which alters her appearance dramatically. To prevent the parasites from spreading beyond SR388 and the space station orbiting above it, Samus sets the station to crash into SR388 and barely escapes before both the planet and station are vaporized.[6] Metroid: Other M (2010), which takes place between Super Metroid and Fusion, provides more information about Samus's backstory.[11]

In Metroid Prime (2002), Samus travels to the planet Tallon IV, which contains a Chozo colony in ruins and a Space Pirate base. There she learns of Phazon, a mysterious mutagen that can alter the genetic material of an organism. Samus is eventually able to access the source of the planet's Phazon contamination, a meteor impact crater, where she defeats the Phazon-infused creature Metroid Prime. In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004), Samus is sent to the planet Aether, a Phazon meteor-ravaged planet split into light and dark dimensions. There she battles the Ing, creatures that are able to possess other organisms, and Dark Samus, an evil doppelgänger of herself formed from the remains of Metroid Prime. In Metroid Prime Hunters (2006), Samus competes against six rival bounty hunters in a race to recover an alien ultimate weapon. In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007), Samus is infected by Phazon and is slowly corrupted by the mutagen while she works to prevent it from spreading to other planets. By the end of the game, she renders all Phazon inert by destroying its original source, the planet Phaaze, and defeats Dark Samus.[6]

In other media

Samus was featured in a series of comic books called Captain N: The Game Master, published by Valiant Comics in 1990. In the comics, Samus is depicted as brash, money-hungry, and fiercely independent.[12] An article at 1UP.com describes Samus in the Captain N comics as "rambunctious, reckless, and gets into pissing contests with Lana over Kevin's affections, which makes for some of the most entertaining situations in the series". The reviewer added, "Not to say that the deadly quiet, contemplative Samus who fights for truth and justice in the more recent Metroid games isn't awesome, but there's something compelling about a Samus who's greedy and conniving—and is proud to admit it."[13]

Comic book and manga adaptations of Metroid games were also developed.[10][14][15] Samus is a playable character in all three games in the Super Smash Bros. series of multiplayer fighting games, where she can use her array of weapons in combat against characters from other video games.[16][17] Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) also features an alternate form of Samus called Zero Suit Samus, in which the heroine loses her Power Suit and has a different set of movements and attacks.[18] Samus also cameos in the Super Mario RPG (1996), Kirby Super Star (1996),[16] and Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997) video games.[19]

Reception

Samus has been generally well-received by video gamers. Paul O'Connor, the lead game designer for Sammy Studios and a fan of the Metroid series, described Samus as a "quiet and mysterious presence in Metroid Prime".[20] While playing Metroid Prime, he felt a connection with Samus after sharing her exploration of an alien world and the catastrophe it experienced. O'Connor commented that curiosity about the unknown is a human trait, remarking that players empathize and identify with Samus because she is often rewarded for indulging in her curiosity.[20] IGN remarked that Samus has a cult following greater than most other female video game characters.[16] In the book Videogames and art, Andy Clarke notes that in the original game, Metroid, the player is not briefed on Samus's past or future; the only interaction that they have with the character is by being her through gameplay, while bits of information can be gleaned from the handbook and through concept art. Clarke remarks, "Samus is very rare for the character intimacy gained solely through game play and for her stasis and then drastic change," referring to the revelation that she is female.[21]

On IGN, Samus was chosen as the most requested character who should have her own movie franchise by the website's users. The website remarked that her tragic past makes her a perfect candidate for a movie, especially the loss of both her parents to the Space Pirates. Among their list of voted characters, IGN considered Samus to be the video game character that "could lead the pack of video game adaptations that actually manage to live up to the source material".[22] The website believed that Samus's theme song should be "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" by Aerosmith because she "spends her time running around in a manly battle suit blasting first and taking names later".[23] Samus's popularity led to a toy line; First 4 Figures, a United Kingdom-based toy company, built 2,500 Varia Suit Samus figures, selling all of them.[24] Nintendo Power listed Samus as their third favourite hero, citing her bravery in the face of dangerous situations.[25] Samus ranked fifth on GameDaily's Top 10 Smash Bros. Characters list.[26] In his review of Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64, GameSpot editor Jeff Gerstmann called Samus one of the characters that made Nintendo "what it is today".[27] IGN ranked Samus as the third-best character for Super Smash Bros.[28] Samus appeared in multiple GameFAQs "Character Battle" contests, winning the "Character Battle V" in 2006.[29] GameSpot featured her in their poll "All Time Greatest Game Hero".[30]

Sexuality

A zoomed in video game screenshot of a woman in a bikini. The image is low-detail and pixelated.
Samus, when she is revealed to be female at the end of the original game.

As a female in a male-dominated role, Samus has been considered both a breakthrough for female characters in video games, as well as a sex object.[10] GameDaily considers Samus the video game industry's "first dominant female, a femme de force that didn't rely on a man to save her".[31] They also listed the discovery of her gender as the greatest moment in Nintendo history.[32] The Irish Times found it refreshing to learn that the series' protagonist, who is "well disguised under the suit of heavy armour", is female.[33] In the book Gaming Lives in the Twenty-First Century: Literate Connections by Gail Hawisher, Cynthia Selfe, and James Paul Gee, they wrote that Samus is perhaps the most nonsexualized female video-game character ever,[34] a belief shared by Steve Rabin, who in Introduction to Game Development also considers Samus as one of Nintendo's most popular video game mascots.[35] Justin Hoeger wrote in The Sacramento Bee: "Unlike most other female video game characters, Samus isn't some husky-voiced bimbo in tight leather included only for sex appeal. Samus is tough, silent, heavily armed and spends most of her time in a bulky suit of high-tech Power Armor."[36] She was listed on GameDaily's list of hottest blondes in video games, described as both one of Nintendo's most famous protagonists as well as a "curvaceous, drop-dead-gorgeous woman".[37]

The Toronto Star argued that the sexual politics surrounding Samus and the Metroid series needed to stop, as they considered it unwarranted. They remarked that although Samus is female, it is not a significant characteristic after considering the fact that she spends most of her time in a suit of armor that "precludes creepy ogling".[38] The newspaper believed that the "big crazy shock to the gaming public" that followed after Metroid revealed that Samus is female was "some seriously misspent energy [...] Metroid Prime's heroine is not a woman for the benefit of the sweaty/excited crowd, and neither is she a standard-bearer nor a courageous leader in the struggle for video game civil rights. She is a supremely talented action figure, and in the closeups on her helmet you can kind of see that she wears mascara, but that is all."[38] Rupert Goodwins of The Independent wrote, "Samus Aran [...] is apparently female, although the Transformer-like suit she wears could just as easily contain a large centipede; it's hardly a breakthrough for feminism."[39]

GameDaily ranked Samus seventh on a list of the Top 50 Hottest Game Babes, describing her as "a refreshing change of pace, a tough, no nonsense warrior that isn't afraid to remove her famous orange and yellow power suit and let her hair down, especially to reveal her skin tight clothing".[40] The website also ranked her number one on a list of the Top 25 Nintendo Characters of All Time.[41] In another article, they listed the "smart and sexy heroine" archetype as one of their Top 25 Video Game Archetypes, using Samus as an example.[42] UGO.com ranked Samus 11th on a list of the Top 11 Girls of Gaming,[43] eighth on a list of the Top 50 Hottest Sci-Fi Girls,[44] and twentieth in a list of Top 100 Heroes of All-Time.[45] The website noted that the original "jaw-dropping moment" was when Samus was revealed to be a woman in the original Metroid,[46] a moment which Game Informer considers to be the greatest twist in video games.[47] GameTrailers named Samus number one on a list of the Top Ten Women of Gaming,[48] and number three among Axe's Top Ten Gamer Babes.[49]

References

  1. ↑ Nintendo Power staff (May 2009). "Power Profiles 26: Jennifer Hale". Nintendo Power (241): 76–78. 
  2. ↑ "Bio - Alésia Glidewell - Voice Over Artist". Alésia Glidewell. http://www.alesiaglidewell.com/bio.php. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
  3. ↑ "Nintendo discusses why Samus is getting the royal story treatment, says they did tons of auditions to find Samus' voice". GoNintendo. 2010-03-05. http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=116389. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  4. ↑ Davis, Ashley (2010-12-03). "GDC 10: From Metroid to Tomodachi Collection to WarioWare". Destructoid. http://www.destructoid.com/gdc-10-from-metroid-to-tomodachi-collection-to-warioware-166595.phtml. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Schedeen, Jesse (2008-02-12). "Stars: Icons - Samus Aran". IGN. http://stars.ign.com/articles/851/851622p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-24. 
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 McLaughlin, Rus (2007-08-24). "IGN Presents The History of Metroid". IGN. http://games.ign.com/articles/815/815011p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-24. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Harris, Craig (2004-01-30). "Metroid: Zero Mission Director Roundtable". IGN. http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/488/488084p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-24. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The History of Metroid - Part One". Computer and Video Games. 2007-10-15. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=173735. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  9. ↑ (in Japanese) Super Metroid strategy guide. Nintendo. 
  10. ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 Oxford, Nadia (2006-08-07). "One Girl vs. the Galaxy". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3152658. Retrieved 2009-02-24. 
  11. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (2009-06-02). "E3 2009: Metroid: Other M Unveiled". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/989/989404p1.html. Retrieved 2009-06-02. 
  12. ↑ Oxford, Nadia (2006-08-07). "One Girl vs. the Galaxy". 1UP.com. p. 3. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=2&cId=3152658. Retrieved 2009-02-24. 
  13. ↑ "Funny Pages. 1UP.COM. 1. Accessed October 16, 2008.
  14. ↑ Oxford, Nadia (September 30, 2004). "Funny Pages: Games as Comics, Past and Present". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3135108. Retrieved January 25, 2009. 
  15. ↑ "Metroid Prime". Nintendo Power (Dreamwave Productions) (164–167). January–March 2003. ISSN 1041-9551. http://mdb.classicgaming.gamespy.com/index.php?g=mp&p=comics. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Smash Profile: Samus Aran". IGN. 2001-07-13. http://cube.ign.com/articles/096/096588p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  17. ↑ Segers, André. "Super Smash Bros. Brawl Characters: Samus Aran". IGN. http://guides.ign.com/guides/748545/page_58.html. Retrieved 2009-04-10. 
  18. ↑ "Samus Aran". Smash Bros Dojo!!. http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/samus.html#3rd. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  19. ↑ HAL Laboratory. Kirby's Dream Land 3. (Nintendo). Super NES. (1997-11-27)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 O'Connor, Paul. "Deepening Emotional Involvement With First-Person Video Game Heroes". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/deepening-emotional-involvement-with-first-person-video-game-heroes/. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  21. ↑ Clarke, Andy; Mitchell, Grethe (2007). Videogames and art. Intellect Books. p. 231. ISBN 9781841501420. 
  22. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (2008-04-16). "Franchise Players 2: Reader's Choice". IGN. http://stars.ign.com/articles/867/867018p8.html. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  23. ↑ Collura, Scott; D., Spence (2008-05-23). "Every Hero Needs a Theme Song". IGN. http://music.ign.com/articles/876/876324p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  24. ↑ "Samus - Varia Suit". First 4 Figures. https://www.first4figures.com/component/option,com_myphp/Itemid,3/product,44/. Retrieved 2009-07-26. 
  25. ↑ Nintendo Power 250th issue!. South San Francisco, California: Future US. 2010. pp. 40, 41. 
  26. ↑ "Top 10 Smash Bros. Characters - Page 6". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-ten-super-smash-bros-characters/?page=6. Retrieved 2009-08-07. 
  27. ↑ "Super Smash Bros. Review for Nintendo 64". GameSpot.com. 1999-02-19. http://www.gamespot.com/n64/action/supersmashbros/review.html. Retrieved 2009-05-11. 
  28. ↑ Pirrello, Phil; Bozon (2008-01-10). "Super Smash Bros. Veterans' Day". IGN. http://stars.ign.com/articles/844/844916p2.html. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  29. ↑ "Fall 2006: The Great GameFAQs Character Battle V". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/contest/cb5. Retrieved 2007-09-23. 
  30. ↑ "All Time Greatest Game Hero - The Standings". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/greatest-video-game-hero/standings/index.html. Retrieved September 15, 2009. 
  31. ↑ "Babe of the Week: Samus Aran". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/babe-of-the-week-samus-aran/?page=1. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  32. ↑ Workman, Robert (2008-12-12). "Top 25 Nintendo Moments". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-nintendo-moments/?page=26. Retrieved 2009-12-28. 
  33. ↑ "Super Metroid". The Irish Times: p. 11. 1994-08-13. 
  34. ↑ Hawisher, Gail E.; Selfe, Cynthia L.; Gee, James Paul (March 6, 2007). Gaming Lives in the Twenty-First Century: Literate Connections. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 162. ISBN 978-1403972200. 
  35. ↑ Rabin, Steve (2009-06-26). Introduction to Game Development. Charles River Media. p. 29. ISBN 978-1584506799. 
  36. ↑ Hoeger, Justin (2002-12-06). "Samus Aran returns in two new games". The Sacramento Bee. 
  37. ↑ Workman, Robert (2009-01-16). "Babe of the Week: Hottest Blondes". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/babe-of-the-week-hottest-blondes/?page=9. Retrieved 2009-12-28. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "A prime example of an action figure". Toronto Star: p. D04. 2002-12-03. 
  39. ↑ Goodwins, Rupert (1994-08-02). "Samus it ever was". The Independent: p. 22. 
  40. ↑ "Top 50 Hottest Game Babes on Trial". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-hottest-game-babes?page=45&cp=4. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  41. ↑ "Now You're Playing With Power: Top 25 Nintendo Characters of All Time". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/now-youre-playing-with-power-top-25-nintendo-characters-of-all-time/?page=25&cp=8. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  42. ↑ Buffa, Chris (2009-01-23). "Top 25 Game Archetypes". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-video-game-characters-archetypes/?page=26. Retrieved 2009-12-28. 
  43. ↑ "Top 11 Girls of Gaming – Samus Aran". UGO.com. http://www.ugo.com/games/gaming-girls/?cur=samus-aran. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  44. ↑ "Top 50 Hottest Sci-Fi Girls – Samus Aran". UGO.com. http://www.ugo.com/movies/top-50-hottest-sci-fi-girls/?cur=samus-aran. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  45. ↑ "Best Heroes of All Time". UGO.com. 2010-01-21. http://www.ugo.com/games/best-heroes-of-all-time?page=9. Retrieved 2010-07-29. 
  46. ↑ "Salute to Heroines – Samus Aran". UGO.com. http://www.ugo.com/channels/girlfriends/features/salutetoheroines/samus.asp. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  47. ↑ Game Informer staff (April 2007). "The Top 10 Video Game Twists". Game Informer (168): 20. 
  48. ↑ "Top Ten Women of Gaming". GameTrailers. 2006-08-11. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/12352.html. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 
  49. ↑ "Axe's Top Ten Gamer Babes". GameTrailers. 2007-10-08. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/26082.html. Retrieved 2009-02-25. 

External links

Metroid series
Main series
Metroid · II: Return of Samus · Super Metroid · Fusion · Zero Mission · Other M
Prime series
Metroid Prime · 2: Echoes · Pinball · Hunters · 3: Corruption · Trilogy
Characters
Mother Brain · Ridley · Samus Aran ·
See also
List of media
Wikipedia book Book:Metroid series · Category Category:Metroid · Portal Portal:Video games