Metroid is a series long overdue for a sequel. Regaining relevance after the excellent Metroid Prime series by Retro Studios, it seemed like the franchise was here to stay. Unfortunately, after the highly polarizing Metroid: Other M in 2010, Nintendo's been pretty frosty towards the series and has been hesitant to make any statements about the franchise's future. Granted, there's been some hope, but Nintendo's silence on the matter is disappointing; surely, one would think, there's something on the way? Well, if this source is to be believed, there was a game coming to 3DS that got canned.

According to Unseen64, a site devoted to finding and sharing details on cancelled and unreleased games, Nintendo had a 2.5D side-scrolling entry that was being developed by “a pretty popular western developer." In the short 30-second prototype video they found, Samus ran through a series of corridors until finally getting into a boss fight with a monster that very closely resembled Kraid. The project reportedly had a slightly different art style than usual and Samus was depicted as more thin and athletic. The mystery studio pitched its concept to Nintendo, but it was shot down as Nintendo didn't want to take the series in a 2.5D direction at the time, possibly due in part to the recent release and mixed response to Metroid: Other M.

Perhaps, if we're lucky, Nintendo will have something substantial to announce regarding this series at this year's E3. What do you make of this news? What kind of Metroid game do you want to see next? Sound off in the comments below.