Fair enough. 

I am currently finishing Metroid Samus Returns on my 3DS. A very enjoyable game and the satisfaction of gaining new skills that allow you to open new paths and go back on routes that you could not access before, is there. I would also say that the game is difficult but I am a rookie in the series, so it may not be the best reference.

This is my second metroid. The first one I played was Metroid Other M. I liked it a lot although I understand that the game is hated by a certain part of the fan base and in part I can understand why but I personally liked the story, the cinematics are great and the gameplay is Very fun and with the elements of a Metroid.

I have not had the opportunity to play the Metroid Prime. I had planned to buy it on the virtual console of the Wii U but when rumors started that I was going to go on Switch, I decided to wait. I hope it comes out soon!

I'm not a Metroid fan in the slightest. It never appeared as a very welcoming franchise to me. The Metroid Prime games always looked so grey and creepy. But I am hoping that with Metroid Prime 4 they are able to revitalize the franchise with something a bit more inviting.

Unpopular opinion, but I really think that a complete reboot of the franchise is in order. Start from scratch with the lore, rebuild the characters, go for a slight visual design, nothing too extreme, but just enough to get more people to notice it and feel like they could play the next game in the series without missing several games worth of backstory.

First off, the Prime games are anything but grey.  I'm honestly not sure which screenshots you may have been looking at, but every title in the Prime series is actually very colorful and full of a variety of environments.  I understand if you just saw an image or a video or two of a corridor or something how you might feel that way.

Second, in a lot of ways the Prime games were a kind of reboot.  They bear some similarities to the original titles, but if they had been poorly made one of the critiques you might be hearing now is how much they aren't cut from the same world.

And third, and the most important part of your post that I'd like to respond to: you really don't need to worry about any sort of back story with Metroid.  Whenever there is a story in the games they fill you in on the history or it's a self contained idea.  And the stories just aren't the main reason for playing these games.  Samus needs powerups that are hidden in the world to get stronger, be a badass bounty hunter (who never once has collected a bounty),  and get to new areas to defeat all the baddies.  Yep, that's Metroid.

I don't want to dissuade you from trying out Prime 4 if it releases, and I do hope you give the series more than a cursory dismissal based on a few preconceived ideas about it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't do the same thing to other series.  We're all busy people with busy lives and adding a new fascination or addiction into our worlds is sometimes something to be feared.  But please, when you have the capability (system or time wise), actually play Super Metroid or Metroid Prime 1.  Give it about three hours and try to go in with an open mind and a willingness to get past the learning curve and then see if you really aren't a Metroid fan in the slightest.  There's no denying that Metroid isn't an everyman's game, and it may not be yours, but before you ask them to tear it down, give it a checksee and see if maybe there's something there you may have missed.

The first Metroid Prime is absolutely phenomenal!! The best in the series by far!
In my opinion Metroid Prime was the best Nintendo Game in decades until BoTW came out.
I can't wait for Prime 4!

I agree with you there. The music, the atmosphere, the ambience; what a masterpiece. The gameplay loop is very satisfying and getting new suit upgrades felt awesome. I replayed the entire Prime trilogy on the Wii one or two years back, and it was just as great as I remembered.

I used to go to a website called metroid2002.com, which had segmented speedrun videos (which seemed to be the norm) and sequence breaking tricks. I had tried some of them out and I remember getting the space jump boots right from the start and felt so free to explore the world out of order.

Damn, what a great game.

I tried this trick for so long, and I think I may have accomplished it once.  Definitely changes the entire game and I wish I could really get it figured out.  I'd love to be able to sequence break in Prime as well as I do in Super Metroid, but I'm not sure that'll ever be in my future.  

To all Super Metroid pros in this thread. I never was able to wall jump consistently, do you have any tricks or tips? Something that made it click for you?

You've got to be in a full spin, aim away from the wall as you touch it with your feet and jump.  Practice, practice, practice.  If you can find two walls opposit each other that are close enough to bounce to that's the easiest way to get the rhythm down.  You can even wall jump on a single wall, but it's a lot harder.

Prime is cool and all, but can we get a Metroid Fusion 2? That game and Castelvania Circle of the Moon were the first GBA titles I bought. (Zero Mission was cool too...)