This is why I'm not a mod

Those last three posts

Some of us have to set a better standard.

PS: turned Juhani to the light, sorta-fixed the family fued.

I will report a mod for taking this off-topic, I swear to God

Though on that note, this rash of "sexy anime Samus" pictures really does help frame the rest of the conversation as sourced from some participants

Prurient interests really have no place in this discussion, or at least not this discussion specifically. We could hold discourse about the nature of Rule 34, and how everything remotely pornographic is inevitably made pornographic (or at least pruriently-oriented non-pornographic material), but that is separate from notions of the exploitation of Samus as an individual, simply because Rule 34 is equal-opportunity, and has made pretty much every respectable character into fapping/jilling material at some point.

No, no. The existence of the material isn't what's on the slab, here.

It's that this is a topic about Samus's effectiveness as the faceless/voiceless hero and how she is, in some ways, a powerful feminist symbol in spite of not being inherently feminine, and how that plays into the larger discourse about that archetype, and how the use of sex as a reward for performance undermines her essential strengths and is pandering in the worst possible way - and then you guys post pictures of Samus with disproportionately enlarged boobs for the sake of posting them

Well, really for the sake of trolling, being deliberately counterintuitive to the thread's purpose for the sake of humor and poking gentle fun at one of VGC's "grumpy old men."

But on the main topic, i would maintain that Rol's explanation here is the correct one. Once you've made it onto her gunship, you cease being Samus, and the degrees to which she is unsuited are basically easter-eggs, proof of achievement for the sake of achievement, and only incidentally exploitative. "Soft" sexism, if sexism at all, and not really damaging to the character.

Metroid Prime's narrative excellence is a breed apart, and one that should be emulated in future titles, but it is not inherently better simply from the lack of Zero Suit. Part of the problem, of course, is it would be hard to get a scenario where you can read the accounts of two different groups with very different conceptions of (but familiarty with) Samus. A more practical problem that the story will get boring if its always the Space Pirates, or if the Chozo are always around.

Hell, the end of Prime, along with a few other points, helped me form my characterization of Samus, which is ironically why i didn't find her portrayal in Other M all that jarring: a la Prime, she is more than just a faceless destroyer, she is someone who is aware of the sadness and the gravity of what is going on around her, someone who does not bear her immense destructive power recklessly (but is still inscrutable and unstoppable), so her long-winded internal monologues did not faze me (the *only* thing that really threw me in that game was the Ridley freakout)

The way Samus started out, her character was incredibly boring. By today's standards, at least. She had zero feminine traits, and could just as well have been male as female. But for her time, she was an interesting character. Back in the 80s, women had to prove that they could do the things men do. A strong female character was one who could do what men do. And that's what Samus was.

But as time has passed, a strong female character had to be more than that. It's today more or less commonly accepted that there is little difference in what men and women can do. Samus' character is more or less redundant, because the point that her character - and character like hers - was trying to make, has now already been made. There's no need to make it again. For a strong female character to be interesting today, she has to be more than just strong. She has to be cunning as well, and - preferably - show sides of herself that a man couldn't, or would be harder stressed to.

I probably don't know the origin of the zero suit well enough to speak of this, but I'd imagine that this could be a part of the reason for why it was made. As "Super Samus Aran" she isn't interesting anymore, but if you removed the "Super" bit for a while, you could make her interesting and relevant again. I'd imagine this was also the reasoning behind Other M, although I obviously can't know that.

So, I disagree with your ending sentence of your opening post. Samus has been a great female character, and Nintendo is trying - and struggling - to keep her being one.

Samus is a great role model for women as she was first women character to be a badass!

Character
She doesn't talk much and very mysterious woman! She was in the first game thought as a man because how she she was because at the time girls characters were just after thought or not made to be the focus. She was doing everything the guys WOULDN'T do in the series because they were afraid or thought THEY couldn't do it! She is a very beautiful character and made to look very strong as pointed out earlier. Lot's of women believe or not look up to the character because of the power she gave women who played games back than.

Winning Award

If you beat the game more than once you would win an award of the Samus taking more and more clothes. This may seem as dehumanizing at first (more so to the woman who were shocked and amazed by this female icon) but this would only happen when you won multiple times. This gave a chance for those women who respected her to not have to see her lose her clothes. The award of her losing clothing was for those boys out there to get excited over and to have a reason to replay the game.

What about Metroid other M well it wasn't sexism she was just following an order as in the story she later does what SHE believes is right. People need to remember all the psychological problems Samus was having in that game which she overcomes later.

Samus Judged overall!

In the Prime series there wasn't anything to like the nes game. She is well presented and made to appeal to women out there looking for idol. She is a great role-model showing just because your female doesn't mean you have to play second fiddle to any man. She is a badass chick who isn't afraid to blow up some planets if it means doing the right thing.

Conclusion

Women should look up to her as she is rarely made to be seen as a sex symbol. Here characters is made to be relate with children out there who have lost there parents and want to do something good with there lives. Young girls without parents (father/mother) can pretend to be a beautiful woman fighting and never giving up to do what's right no matter what.

Samus is a good role model!

How carefully did you read the rest of the opening post, though? Most of this post reads as if you didn't look at it, since it's almost entirely about Samus as the prototypical voiceless hero, and how that's not the same thing as being a male character with boobs.

Samus is not a strong female character. She is a strong character, period, who happens to be female under the suit. There is nothing about the important aspects of her that is intrinsically female, and she should stay that way.

Nintendo is trying and failing to make her intrinsically female; let us not mince words here. It's a large part of why Metroid Prime was the best Metroid game, especially when compared to all the games that came after: the world was how Samus was characterized.

Khuutra I think that your saying if even doesn't act like generic girl she isn't an acting a like girl. What do you want her to do cry? Talk about screwing boys? Show scene of here cleaning her hair? I would pick her over a role-model over the "I CAN"T DEFEND MYSELF 90% of the game then I FEEL POWER NOW I CAN FIGHT~ The problem I guess is she actually doesn't take bullcrap and isn't here to act weak. She is here to kickbutt. 

I find it funny how those girls LOVED Larua when she was known just for sex symbol. Samus is actually respectable after all that happen to her. Yes you can be female and not act 2 dollar girl on corner.

You gave no defintion of how a girl is suppose to act. She acts cold because of here background which she took very well compared to average emo girl character in games. Samus is a tomboy like character and girls can relate to that (tomboys). In other M she actually has emotional break downs I believe from what I remember.

So you just claim oh it's fail isn't argument it's the lack of one. The only argument I see is see not acting like a female. Again...feamles don't act the same there are different types.

She is in a metal suit is a horrible reason to say OH NOT A FEMALE AT ALL. Again we have to look at the whole story ,every game, and break stereotypes because it's just going to be circular argument.

By the way it feels more impactful when you don't need it in your face she is a female it makes it feel real and not forced.  It means more when we don't have be told she is women every minute.  Lol imagine if the message was strong powerful woman and every cutscene she says I'M A WOMEN RESPECT ME[type of cutscene]! It just sounds bad and forced. She is an amazon not a feminist.