E3 2015 was a tough one for Nintendo. The company didn't have a strong lineup on display at the show — while there were some big reveals, it was clear from the start that Nintendo would be overshadowed by its competition.
However, it looks like the publisher's biggest problems may be coming from within its own fanbase.
During its digital event on Tuesday, Nintendo revealed the latest entry in the long-running Metroid franchise. Normally, such an announcement would be cause for celebration: despite the fact that the games are released so sporadically, Metroid is one of the most highly-revered franchises in gaming. On top of that, it's been five years since the underwhelming release of Metroid: Other M ... so why were fans so upset?
Well, from the looks of things, Nintendo turning a single-player action-adventure game into a four-player co-op shooter (with a soccer minigame) wasn't all that appreciated. In fact, fans are so upset that they've started a Change.Org petition — one that demands that Nintendo cancel Metroid Prime: Federation Force entirely.
"For almost a decade, long time Nintendo fans have been waiting for a true Metroid game ... What we got however is a disgrace of a game with the name 'Metroid' slapped on the title. It has no elements at all of what Metroid is about and it's a disrespectful manner to old and new fans of the series ..."
That's from the Change.Org page, and while it may be a bit dramatic, it's easy to see where Metroid fans are coming from. The series was built on creating stunningly-detailed, atmospheric environments that players had to fight their way through — abandoning all of that for an arena shooter and a soccer minigame seems like a bad idea right from the start.
To be honest, Change.Org petitions rarely get much done — but it should, at the very least, show Nintendo just how upset its fanbase really is. At times, it seems like the publisher is completely ignorant of what its fans want — while that may or may not be true, in this case, it's clear that there's a disconnect between a company and its fans. After all, it's not every day that you see a Nintendo trailer with over 50,000 dislikes.
If the petition is unsuccessful at changing Nintendo's mind, Metroid Prime: Federation Force will hit store shelves sometime next year.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
