Metroid series hits 25th Anniversary
It's been Aran the block.
Veteran Nintendo series Metroid celebrated its 25th Anniversary over the weekend.
The original Metroid launched for the NES on 6th August 1986 in Japan. 11 more games have followed, with the latest, Metroid: Other M, released on Wii last year.
Metroid stars space-suited Samus Aran, a bounty hunter whose face is usually kept hidden. Gamers were shocked at the end of the first game when she removed her helmet and turned out to be a woman.
The series started as a 2D third-person action-adventure, although the recent highly-praised Metroid Prime Trilogy took the series into first-person. Throughout the games, Samus must frequently face the eponymous Metroids - energy-siphoning life forms with a penchant for sucking on heads.
Nintendo has yet to announce any Metroid-themed celebrations, despite it being one of the company's flagship franchises.
In comparison, fellow Nintendo series The Legend of Zelda's own 25th anniversary has been given plenty of attention, with an international Zelda concert tour coming to London in October.
Metroid fans have taken it upon themselves to celebrate the milestone however, with Shinesparkers creating a remixed 36-track soundtrack CD with Metroid tunes covered by folks such as the Video Game Music Choir, available to download free.