Issue #29: Revenge of the Hunter – September/October 2017

So, do you know Samus?

Almost immediately after E3 2017’s back-to-back announcements of Metroid Prime 4 and Metroid: Samus Returns, the thought occurred to me that you may not. Specifically that since some of our readers are young gamers, there’s a real possibility that those back-to-back announcements of two new Metroid titles were met with more of a “Huh?” than a “Hooray!” – after all, it’s been seven years now since she was last cast as the lead character in a game (Other M), and 10 years since she last headlined a game that most people actually liked (Prime 3). A decade is a long time! That’s an entire new generation of Nintendo fans who’ve found their fandom through the adventures of Mario and Link and Pikachu, but probably not Samus Aran.

Let’s change that! Let’s bring everyone up to speed. In this 29th edition of NF Magazine, we’re shining the spotlight on Nintendo’s original leading lady and her epic sci-fi franchise that’s just about to burst back into mainstream recognition with the arrival of Samus Returns. (A more appropriate subtitle there could not be.) We’ve prepared a complete History of Metroid retrospective for you all, going back to the very beginning of the Metroid franchise and tracing each game that’s been released since. That leads into our final preview of Samus Returns, speculation on what the future holds in Prime 4 and more Metroid-related content elsewhere, like our review of the Metroid: Rogue Dawn fan game. Here’s hoping that through this issue of NF you’ll have your memories of Metroid renewed . . . or you’ll be introduced to the adventures of Samus Aran for the first time!

As always, print editions of this new issue ship with double-sided wall posters to hang up in your home. This time, you’ll have your choice of Samus staring you down in her official art from Samus Returns, or, if you’ve in the mood for something less intense and menacing, the reverse features Mario and Luigi surrounded by characters from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions!