Samus (JoyRide Studios)

"Samus" is the first-ever officially licensed Samus Aran action figure. It was released by JoyRide Studios through Nintendo Power in January 2003. Based on her Varia Suit's appearance in Super Metroid, the figure has 12 points of articulation and two interchangable heads: Samus's helmet, and her head without it. The articulation points include her Arm Cannon, which can be pointed upward, and her knees, which can be bent as if she is walking. Beyond this, the figure is much less posable than the later released Figmas or figures produced by Jakks Pacific. The unmasked Samus head has shoulder-length blonde hair and does not appear to be based on any of her previous appearances. The figure box's back is sealed with velcro and can be opened to reveal game hints for Super Metroid. These hints erroneously state that Shigeru Miyamoto created the Metroid franchise; while he produced the Prime series, the overall franchise was created by Gunpei Yokoi and Yoshio Sakamoto. On the inside packaging behind the Samus figure is one of her promotional renders from Metroid II: Return of Samus. A subscription offer for Nintendo Power is also included.
While it sold for $11.99 on release, it is now a collector's item that frequently sells at much higher prices on auction sites. It is much larger than the Jakks Pacific Samus figures or Samus amiibo. On the JoyRide Studios site, the figure was referred to as Metroid Samus Aran, Samus Aran - Metroid and Samus Aran from Metroid, and was part of the fourth series of their action figure line. Its item number was 75389.
JoyRide Studios launched in July 2002 and also produced figures based on James Bond, MechWarrior, Battlestar Galactica, Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. It has since gone out of business.
==Inside description==
===Samus===
"The armor-clad hero's sci-fi side-scrolling games introduced the galaxy to Metroids, parasitic organisms capable of absorbing energy. Samus starred in three Metroid games, beginning in 1986 when the Galactic Federation first recruited her to battle monstrous space pirates who were amassing armies of Metroids. With her special combat gear engineered by the Chozo aliens, Samus was able to stop the Metroid threat, and she's gearing up for more interstellar shoot-outs on the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance."
*NAME: Samus Aran
*OCCUPATION: Bounty Hunter
*FAMILY: Orphaned
*HEIGHT: 6'3"
*WEIGHT: 198 lbs.
*ARMOR: Power Suit
*DEBUT: Metroid (NES, 1986)
;PRO SAMUS TIP - SUPER METROID (SUPER NES):"If a ledge is too high for you to jump to, curl up using the Morphing Ball, then drop bombs. In ball form, fall into a bomb just as it explodes to get a boost from the blast. Once you get the timing down and get into the groove, you'll be able to drop bombs and bounce yourself up to new heights."
;A Brief History of Samus:"Samus is the star of the Metroid series of action games, which was created by Shigeru Miyamoto-the man behind such video game greats as Mario, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda."
Title 	System 	Year
Metroid 	NES 	1986
Metroid II: Return of Samus 	GB 	1991
Super Metroid 	Super NES	1994
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	Super NES	1996
Super Smash Bros. 	N64 	1999
Super Smash Bros. Melee 	GCN 	2001
Another all-new adventure coming soon to Nintendo GameCube
Another all-new adventure coming soon to Game Boy Advance
===Kraid===
"In Super Metroid for the Super NES, the hulking Kraid is the boss enemy that resides in Brinstar. The giant's weak spot is its mouth, and you can inflict damage by firing a missile into its mouth when it's open. To get Kraid to open up and say 'ahh,' fire a missile at its face, then shoot another missile into its slack-jawed mouth."
"Fire missiles into Kraid's open mouth to cause damage. If you're out of missiles, use Charge Beam shots."
"When Kraid rises, hop onto one of the platforms that it shoots out of its belly. Use the platform or the Hi-Jump Boots to set your sights on Kraid's face, then blast missiles into the alien's open mouth."
===The Grand Finales===
"Super Metroid concludes with three different finales, and the ending sequence you see depends on how long it takes you to finish the game."
Finale 	Time to Beat Game
OK Ending 	Over 10 hours
Good Ending	3 to 10 hours
Best Ending	Under 3 hours
===Ridley===
"The dragon-like Ridley is the first boss you'll encounter in Metroid for the NES. To slay the beast, use powerful attacks such as the Wave Beam or a missile fired at point-blank range."
"Use the Ice Beam to freeze Ridley's projectiles, then close in and fire missiles at point-blank range."
"If you use the Wave Beam, you'll have to stand in the lava to take your shot. Keep jumping to minimize your damage."
===Power-Up Code===
"It's not until the ending of the game that Samus removes her helmet to reveal that she's a woman. To see what she looks like, go to the Password Screen and type in JUSTIN BAILEY on the first line, then fill the second line with hyphens. When you activate the password, you'll play as Samus without her armor and Ridley and Kraid will have already been defeated."
"Enter the code on the Password Screen to play as Samus without her armored Power Suit."
"The code will start you out with six energy containers, 255 missiles and the Wave Beam."
==Gallery==
File:Samus JoyRide back.png|Back view.
File:Samus JoyRide posing.png|Side view, with points of articulation demonstrated.
File:Samus JoyRide heads.png|Samus's heads
File:Samus JoyRide empty packaging.png|The inside of the packaging without Samus in it.
File:Samus JoyRide game tips.png|Game tips.
File:Samus Aran - Metroid (JoyRide website).png|JoyRide Studios website
Category:Toys
Category:Nintendo Power