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This, then, is how Nintendo has chosen to mark Metroid's 30th anniversary. And this is how Nintendo has elected to break six years of silence for one of its most celebrated series: a co-op shooter with chibi visuals in which Samus Aran, the stoic bounty hunter who's fronted every Metroid to date, is relegated to the sidelines. Ever since its announcement at last year's E3, the reaction has been resoundingly negative. Given the path Nintendo's taken with this 3DS entry, it's no wonder some noses have been put out of joint.*The lonely exploration that's long been a series staple has been jettisoned in favour of levels explicitly designed for four players to work through together. The backtracking and world map that slowly unfurls is torn asunder, now simply a run of 22 partitioned missions with a neat through line. The cold, cool art-style has been swapped out for a world of Tonka toys and throwabout mechs, all of which look like they've been freshly wrestled from a toddler's hands.*
Federation Force is a bizarre spin-off from the Metroid series, though despite all the hostility thrown its way since its unveiling it's far from a bad one. The work of Canadian developer Next Level Games - previously responsible for the wonderfully charming Luigi's Mansion 2 - it's a game that's full of neat ideas and a fair amount of novelty. You're one of the Federation Force, a small bobble-headed soldier that clambers into a hulking armour suit at the outset of each mission as you explore three different planets in events that take place just after the climax of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
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