10 Video Game Characters You Didn't Know Were Based On Real People
8. Samus Aran (Metroid) - Sigourney Weaver & Kim Basinger
Metroid's Samus Aran was an undeniably ground-breaking video game heroine, what with her only being revealed as a woman at the very end of the series' inaugural title.
And for that big moment, Metroid co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto turned to the big screen for inspiration, fashioning Samus as a fusion of two incredibly famous actresses of the period.
In the official Japanese strategy guide for Super Metroid, when asked about the basis for Samus' image, Sakamoto said:
"Of course she's a bit like Ripley from Aliens (Sigourney Weaver), but a little more extravagant. Personally, I like Kim Basinger from 9 1/2 Weeks and My Stepmother Is an Alien."
One one hand it's easy to see Samus' strength and general badassery as reflective of Ripley in the Alien franchise, while the famous reveal scene, showing Samus in all of her femininity, doesn't look a million miles away from Basinger, accepting the limited detail of the low-res visuals.