Concept art from Metroid Prime has been recently discovered online from the blog of Greg Luzniak, a former Concept Artist at Retro Studios between 1999 and 2000. The art showcases two pieces of artwork, an overly spiky Kraid engaging Samus in battle and an unknown six limbed monster in an icy environment, most likely Phendrana Drifts. The ice boss could very likely have been a boss that was eventually replaced with Thardus.

The artwork for Kraid is very different than the 3D model by Gene Kohler that was supposed to be added to the game, but was scrapped due to time constraints.

It’s the second time in recent history that fans have been treated to never before seen concept art, a few weeks ago, concept art for Metroid Prime 1.5 appeared online.

What are your thoughts on the artwork? Would you have preferred to have seen these bosses in Metroid Prime?

Source: Greg Luzniak Concept Design

Nintendo’s latest handheld system, the 3DS will launch with six augmented reality cards featuring characters from Nintendo, one of which will be Metroid protagonist Samus Aran! The augmented reality cards work by placing them face down on a flat surface and pointing the 3DS camera at them in order to detect what is on the card and allows you to interact with the card in a similar way to how the Eye Toy from Sony works.

The six cards bundled with the system feature classic characters Mario, Link, Kirby, Pikmin, Question mark block and Samus. It is not yet known what sort of features these six cards will bring but as soon as we know we will update you with the information.

UPDATE: According to Wired the Nintendo character AR cards mentioned are for an AR game called “Star Pics” which is played by placing one of the cards on a table and a 3D model of that character will display on your 3DS. You can then move the 3DS around the card and take pictures of the model from different angles and save them. This isn’t exactly a game but it’s still a nice little feature that you may be able to have fun with.

Source: My Nintendo News

The Metroid Database has recently obtained five chapters of a rare Metroid manga-zine originally released in Japan called “Episodes of Aether”. EoA is a retailing of the story of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and was released in monthly chapters. The first chapter is available in english on the website and can be found here

More translated chapters will be added over time so keep checking back there often!

Source: Metroid Database

While it may not be a surprise to learn that Nintendo removes old websites of games that are no longer saleable, it is rather sad to learn that a vast majority of Metroid websites have lost their official place on the Internet.

Nintendo have removed Metroid Prime 1, Metroid Prime 2, Metroid Prime 3, Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission websites from their database taking with them downloadable extras such as PC wallpapers, messenger icons and other official content.

Official sites for Metroid Prime Trilogy, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Metroid Prime: Pinball and Metroid: Other M are still active as these games are still on sale available to buy in stores.

An interesting document has been discovered online from Tony C. Giovanni’s personal website, who was a level designer at Retro Studios back in 2002. On his site was a document containing information regarding a scrapped Metroid Prime game, which was to be set immediately after Metroid Prime and before the events of Metroid Prime 2.

Quoting from the document:

This adventure would take place immediately after Samus takes off from the surface of Talon IV. Upon exiting the planets surface, Samus decides to take a long rest in her Cryo chamber as her ship autopilots home. However, something goes wrong and Samus’s ship computer hones in on a distress signal. The distress signal is coming from a huge alien vessel (huge like the size of several Star Destroyers) that is drifting out in space. As Samus’s ship approaches the alien craft, a tractor beam activates and the Ship is pulled into one of the gigantic docking bays. As the ships doors close, the gigantic vessel folds and enters a parallel dimension, thus begins Samus’s new adventure…

The document goes into details regarding the plot, which is focused on a mad AI on board a warship heading for a peaceful planet in order to enslave the inhabitants and life there. The AI has four different personalities, “The Child”, “Mother”, “Martyr” and “Killer”.

The lengthy document outlines things such as world layout, example areas of the ship, puzzle elements and details new creatures, which includes a lifeform that is half Metroid/human!

The document also lists various power-ups that Samus can obtain. These are:

• Cloaking
• Self Destruct Method
• Wall walk
• Ceiling hug
• Camo-skin
• Infrared vision

The game also planned to include various multiplayer modes such as an Ancient Chozo Robot battle, in which you could enter and beat up other robots until one remains standing.

The whole concept of Metroid Prime 1.5 took a year to put together and the document and all images have since been removed from Tony Giovanni’s website. I would naturally assume that the idea, like many games was simply scrapped in favour of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes which was released a couple of years later. It is normal for many ideas and concepts to be scrapped, but very rarely do we hear about them.

Credit to Mama Robotnik who found the original document and Nintex for providing us with it.