I don't think Nintendo should be tampering with sacred IP just to appeal to a wider audience, unless it evolves the franchise. What you suggest doesn't do that; it changes it. As long as Metroid is patient and confusing and quiet, I don't see it ever reaching the mainstream, and that's alright. Nintendo has Mario and Zelda and Pokemon for current IP that does that. Instead of giving Metroid "more dynamic action," Retro should simply create a new IP with "more dynamic action."

I think that that comparison lends itself more to how the market didn't care as much for COD-type games then than anything to do with Metroid's hidden potencial as a more mainstream franchise. Playing Metroid is like playing Dark Souls for the lore. Now I think that's brilliant, but that's simply not mainstream material. It's too obtuse to sell.

But Nintendo decided that all of their original ideas sucked and had them focus on the Best Game of All Time instead.

So...

I wasn't making a prediction; I was making a suggestion. I wasn't saying "I can see Nintendo doing this;" I was saying "it would be in Nintendo's best intrest to do this." This is also not a very foreign suggestion for them. It's the reason Retro was created in the first place.

I was also not saying that Retro should be the only attempt at this audience. I made it extremely clear that they should only be the starting point, specifically outlining a plan where they commision the creation of new, first party IP to independant western studios during the first year and a half of their next platform while Nintendo builds more/buys more western studios in house to create them themselves. I talked about how doing this early on would cultivate an early audience that would buy third party content not usually bought on Nintendo consoles, helping to retain third party support as the audience who buys their games continues to grow on the system. It's not simply "one studio pulling them away." 

It's not that they have to do it better. Better will always be too subjective for something like this. They have to do it well enough to get the ball rolling.

I actually do see massive, and I mean MASSIVE untapped potential in Metroid. Same with Fire Emblem truth be told.

Imagine Metroid retaining the isolation and fear as the gameboy games but with a big budget well written plot and an HD makeover. Multiplayer could be non cannon so long as it was fast, addictive and twitchy. This franchise alone could fulfill one of the games Nintendo needs without making the IP feel washed up.

One other thing I'm disappointed they haven't tried is making a true first person RPG for Pokemon with online battles being a thing. The game would be eaten up like crack. If it looked good enough I'd actually debate jumping in lol.

I don't care to see more Mario. If the rate at which they make new IP is a slow burn then utilize the aforementioned franchises in what are damn obvious ways to your benefit. I'm certain I'm not the first with these ideas.

That Raven Blade concept art is pretty badass

Maybe Retro should make an action rpg out of Fire Emblem? Take inspiration from Western action rpgs like Skyrim.

Nintendo's platform is not strong though. It's clearly not. And it's clearly not accurate anymore to state that Sony is just strong thanks to third party. It's first party studios pull just as much weight now, regardless of your opinion on their quality. You may not care about them, but there are 20m PS4 owners now, many of which likely made their jump with a first party game in mind. I don't think Sony makes better games than Nintendo either, but my opinion isn't selling Nintendo consoles.

Also, I've never said that Retro needs to follow Naughty Dog. The comparison was made to be symbolic. Retro should be symbolically to Nintendo what Naughty Dog is to Playstation. That's not saying they should make an Uncharted or TLOU clone. It mean that they should be seen as the top developer to Nintendo making masterpeices, which happens to appeal to that specific mainstream western audience. Whether you agree that they make masterpieces or not, and I definitely don't, doesn't matter. That is how Naughty Dog is viewed by the majority of the western gaming populace, and that's helped Sony tremendously this generation as well as last.

I'm talking about both. Metroid Prime is barely one, and not the other. Metroid Prime is still rooted in a japanese franchise with what has now become niche. No amount of westernizing it making that franchise sell well in the west. Same with Other M. Aside from being utter garbage, no ammount of glossy eyes was goin to make that game sell in the west. It's foundation simply isn't. Uncharted is mainstream in the western market.

Since when are cutscenes a western game design phylosophy? Wasn't it Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII that popularized them to the cinematic degree that they've become? You're grasping.

I'm not saying they should make games for the "M" demographic. I'm saying they should make games for the "W" demographic. Nintendo already has games for the "M" demographic.

Not more popular than the western games they were hired to make could have been.