Metroid Prime was the first Metroid game that was not a sequel to a previous one; it started a new story line, set before or around the time of the first Metroid game.
The Infamous Samus Aran Standee
Metroid Prime is connected with one of the obscurer auctions in the history of eBay. In March 2003, an item with the following description was offered:
You are bidding on an insanely rare item, a prototype Metroid Prime standee, devised by Nintendo for possible use in Playboy magazine!
History: When Nintendo marketing was designing the Metroid Prime ad campaign, one of the ideas was to make the series appeal to more adult gamers. In one of the meetings I had a chance to sit in on, one of marketing women had an idea to market Samus Aran in a bra and panties, and she stood up, ripped her clothes off, and put her bra and panties on this Metroid Prime Standee! The execs at NOA loved the idea, but it was shot down by Nintendo of Japan as being too risque for the American gaming public.
This idea was shot down just as Playboy magazine was agreeing to run the ads too…so this almost made it to press! Fortunately, I managed to sneak the entire standee out of the meeting, panties and all, and am now making it available to you, the public!
Actually, the auction was not for the standee, but two digital photos of a standard Metroid Prime standee of Samus Aran in full power suit, with a black, lacy bra and panties draped over. It seems it did fetch a couple of dollars.
