Year after year, it seems like Nintendo neglects the Metroid franchise. Despite being one of the company's oldest and most critically acclaimed IPs, it appears Nintendo simply doesn't know how to move the franchise forward.

That leaves it up to fans to keep the love of all things Samus Aran alive, and the fans certainly haven't disappointed. This latest labor of love comes from animator Rabbit Machine, who has put together a brief but action-packed short in tribute to Nintendo's sci-fi franchise.

In true Metroid fashion, there's no talking, only fantastic music, a foreboding sense of atmosphere and plenty of action. Space bounty hunter Samus Aran arrives at a derelict facility only to find its inhabitants have been killed. Soon she's blasting away at various monsters in stylish form, all before blowing them away with a missile at point-blank range.

The fact that the short's music comes straight from the critically acclaimed Metroid Prime series helps make the action so much sweeter. It's really a shame that Nintendo seems so unable (or unwilling) to release new installments in the series. The Metroid Prime trilogy that spanned the Gamecube and the Wii were some of the best games of that console generation.

Nintendo followed it up with the poorly received Metroid: Other M, and since then the franchise hasn't been seen. A Metroid spin-off for the Nintendo 3DS, Metroid Prime: Federation Force, only served to enrage fans of the series. Rather than making a new, single-player Metroid title, Nintendo instead seemed content to create a multiplayer-themed game that was Metroid in name only.

With Nintendo's new console on the horizon, perhaps Metroid's chance to shine will come once again. A new game in the series launching alongside the NX would certainly make a big splash, but it remains to be seen if Nintendo has any plans for the franchise in the near future outside of Metroid Prime: Federation Force. Until then, fans can at least enjoy fan creations like the one above to pass the time.