A brief history of Samus in her underwear

Despite its flaws, the recently released Metroid: Other M does manage to push a lot of the right fanboy buttons. As the game nears its end, several classic Metroid elements are brought to the surface, though one tradition was seemingly forgotten or purposefully omitted - the end-of-game shot of Samus in her underwear. Used to be, each Metroid game had several endings that displayed Samus is varying states of dress. Take too long to complete the game and she'd be encased in her armor, which isn't much of a reward.

On the other hand, speeding through would usually net you a shot of the galaxy-famous bounty hunter in a bikini or some other skimpy getup. It's strange that Other M would ignore this, as developer Team Ninja is already known for excessive boob physics and absurdly constructed women. So, if they're not going to continue the trend Nintendo started in the '80s, let's at least look back at how Metroid used to end.

Above: The original Metroid ending offered three views of Samus' true feminine form, with faster times earning less clothing. God, those sure are sexy squares

Above: Metroid II for the Game Boy followed up with this alluring selection of lingerie, much more womanlike than the horrifying pixel blobs that came just a few years prior

Above: Super Metroid regresses a bit, as a swimsuit is one thing, but the dress/boots/lipstick combo actually comes off a bit crass compared to the fairly traditional Samus of Metroid II

Above: Eight years later, Metroid Fusion introduced something like five different endings, the skimpiest of which you see here

Above: Then in 2004, Metroid Zero Mission brought us this orange number that's never been seen since

Above: Zero Mission also introduced the now-standard Zero Suit, which has been seen in Prime 3, Smash Bros and Other M

Above: Here she is in Other M during a cutscene. The Zero Suit is skin tight, so it kinda counts as underwear, but it's more like a second skin that can instantly summon her power suit than casual wear

None of the three Prime games show more than the Zero Suit, and Other M similarly opts to refrain from a near-naked Samus. Odd how Nintendo, a company known for its 80s and 90s censorship began and continued this trend up through 2004, then abandoned it. On one hand these "hurry and see a half naked chick" endings could be seen as objectifying one of the stronger female leads in games, but uh, that hip-hugging Zero Suit is no better. What do you think?

Thanks to this great site for some of the Samus images!