Is Chell the new Samus?

[rancher of monsters]

So before I start I want to make it clear that I've onlly played Portal: Still Alive, so I can't speak for any character development in Portal 2. My experience with the Samus is also somewhat limited, and I haven't played Other M and don't intend to.

Hearing how dissapointed people were with the voice and character given to Samus in Other M, I couldn't help but think maybe Chell could fill her shoes. Despite not saying anything Chell still comes off as a very positive figure in the realm of female video gam characters. She's strong, creative, and persistent. She even bares Samus' trait for arm mounted guns. She is resilient in the face of her greatest adversary, one who has psychologically tormented her throughout the game, while Other M Samus falls apart upon encountering a villian who she's actually defeated before.

So what do you think Escapist, is Chell comparable to Samus, or am I missing something?

 

[Outright Villainy]

Well, I'd say they're similar enough, yes. (pre other M anyways). Both are silent protagonists who have characterisation solely via their actions, but still have backstories. The comic [http://www.thinkwithportals.com/comic/] adds a bit more, but not too much. I'd recommend reading it if you haven't already.

I think it's pretty easy to compare them by virtue of having so little characterisation, so it's not really too surprising.

 

[Mister Benoit]

Chell has a long long way to go until she can be compared to Samus.

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

It's just pointless, why do we need chell to fill Samus' shoes anyway?

Can someone just explain that to me? Anybody?

 

[Popido]

Too late for that. And she doesnt have the same amount of impact as Samus.

 

[FallenTraveler]

why did you call it Portal: Still Alive? It's called Portal, that's it.

Anyway, Chell is not samus, she has a puzzle solving gun that shoots holes, and she beat up a bunch of robots. Samus committed genocide about eight or nine times. Chell is not Samus, if she had a 20 year or so long legacy she might be on par, but it's not like her actions make her seem less feminine and any more badass than a puzzle solver to me.

 

[rancher of monsters]

So this is how it is then?

Every Female Video Game character that's not always in a bikini will ALWAYS have to be compared to Samus, by law?

Not really, honestly, it was the arm mounted guns that first brought my attention to any similarities. But I think in the context of SILENT female protagonist the shadow of Metroid is always going to be there.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Y'know I still haven't played Other M yet (I was planning to play all of the NES/SNES titles first, which should only take me a weekend) but since Other M wasn't the last game in the timeline (Fusion was I believe), it probably isn't the end of the line for Samus in the fans' eyes.

But I do think Chell is comparable to Samus. Why? Because she's a silent protagonist with no personality (though Samus had a bit more backstory). When Samus goes back to being silent, gamers can project whatever personality they want to project onto her. It's almost similar to what people did with Zoey in L4D, but not quite.

That's probably why Other M was going to fail, because fan projected personalities of characters just won't be the same as the developer's rendition.

 

[rancher of monsters]

why did you call it Portal: Still Alive? It's called Portal, that's it.

Anyway, Chell is not samus, she has a puzzle solving gun that shoots holes, and she beat up a bunch of robots. Samus committed genocide about eight or nine times. Chell is not Samus, if she had a 20 year or so long legacy she might be on par, but it's not like her actions make her seem less feminine and any more badass than a puzzle solver to me.

Portal: Still Alive refers to the XBLA version, it comes with some additional challenges

 

[SomeBritishDude]

I could see the simularities.

Honestly though I think Chell is a better character (as characters that don't speak go). Chell is just caught in this bizare situation, the right woman in the wrong place. Samus just keeps throwing herself into harms way.

 

[FallenTraveler]

why did you call it Portal: Still Alive? It's called Portal, that's it.

Anyway, Chell is not samus, she has a puzzle solving gun that shoots holes, and she beat up a bunch of robots. Samus committed genocide about eight or nine times. Chell is not Samus, if she had a 20 year or so long legacy she might be on par, but it's not like her actions make her seem less feminine and any more badass than a puzzle solver to me.

Portal: Still Alive refers to the XBLA version, it comes with some additional challenges

SENSE! You made it there. Thanks for that, sorry if I seemed mean

 

[Hawkmoon269]

Samus is a pretty iconic character, what with the long history, awesome power suit and whatnot.
One game that did less than justice to her character doesn't change that.
I think that trying to displace her with another strong female character is a bit silly.

Besides, rather than just having one "queen" of the video gaming world, why cant we just acknowledge that Chell is an addition to the roster of strong female game characters, something that is still lacking from video gaming as a whole. The more the better, i say.

(and in a side note, while yes, the story and characterisation in Other M was bad, the gameplay (awkward missile mode/scanning aside) was rather good i thought. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the game, even if the writing left something to be desired)

 

[Sandytimeman]

well lets see...Chell uses every advantage she has to stick it to the voice giving her orders, Samus runs into fire and starts burning to death on the whim of a man she isn't even obligated to follow orders from, except she kinda likes.

 

[mew4ever23]

They're similar, in that they're both (generally) silent female protagonists whose actions define who they are. That said, they are quite different. Samus is a bounty hunter who constantly throws herself into dangerous situations, whereas Chell is a exceptional test subject who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The reason Chell is so awesome is because, as the Gman puts it "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world."

This is kind of an apples and oranges comparison.