I'm sorry the Metroid series ended with Super Metroid which was the pinnacle of the franchise. Anything else pales in comparison to it.

This is true.
Moreover, the Citizen Kane analogy is so farfetched it just gets awkward.

Meh. Castlevania > Metroid, anyway...

If any of you know Mike Thomsen from IGN's podcasts (I believe it was the Insider podcast, "To Catch an Editor") you'd understand how this guy loves to go overboard with analyzing the legitmacy of videogames as a medium in expressing ideas, narrative, emotions and all that crap. To an extent, I understand what he's trying to say, but videogames haven't matured to that level yet. Also, not all videogames have to have narrative significance to be enjoyable. Even in cinema there are lots of dumb movies that are fun to watch.

Video games cannot possibly be compared to films and other types of art. And besides, Metroid? Really?

Games as art is a very laughable idea. The only game that I had played that ever went to a level comparable to other forms of narration was GTA IV. Still, it was how the game treated the characters and made them human, to me in my opinion. Nevertheless, I wouldn't call GTA IV art in years just say it was close to a good sense of film narration.

It's IGN making gamers look like pretentious morons. Metroid Prime is great and all, but it's not for everyone, and it doesn't have that same mass appeal. Stories like this truly undermine the whole "games as art" movement.
While I'm on that subject, the "games as art" movement infuriates me. Some good games have come of it, but many, many more have been absolutely awful, and it makes us all look worse and worse.

Why do you say videogames can never be compared to films and other forms of artistic expression? I'm no Mike Thomsen, but the interactive nature of "videogames" as a medium has potential for greater things than what it's being used for right now.
I'll try to keep it short and non-ranty, but imagine a game like Call of Duty where the run and gun action is restrained and the emphasis is placed on situations where you see the horrors and reality of war played out more. I don't see why it can't have the same effect as watching a film like "Saving Private Ryan".
The quality of visuals, sound effects, voice acting, and presentation certainly has reached a point where audiences are willing to suspend disbelief more so than in the past.
The CoD series tried to do this which is what set it apart from other shooters at first, but eventually the developers went for the more mainstream approach giving players lots of guns and faceless enemies to blow apart. It's admittedly fun, but doesn't progress the interactive entertainment medium.

There are different types of movies just as there are games. GTA IV would be more like a cool action movie with some dark humor thrown in. Kind of like a Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarantino film. Characters in Tarantino's films were never really "human" either but they fit into the setting.

Lemme see... "Arty" games?

*Braid
*"Dear Esther" mod for HL2.
*Penumbra: Overture
*John DeFoe series (flash games by Benjamin "Yahtzee" Croshaw, look for them on fullyramblomatic.com)
*Half-Life 2 Episodes (arguably; lots of work went into the cinematography, that's for sure...)
*Schism
*The Dig
*Loom (Musical!)
*Ace Attorney series (interactive novels, you dig?)
*Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (Another interactive novel)
*The World Ends With You (An interactive novel, of sorts)
*The Path
*Myst series
*The Longest Journey
*Psychonauts (arguably; all the metaphorical mindscapes and unique character style made it stand out)..
There's a lot to be said for "Games as Art." It just means expanding your definition of what true Art really is. The way I think about it, the true value of a videogame as an artistic piece is that it can deliver feelings or stories to your mind in a way that is much more visceral and memorable than can be done with less interactive media. Games don't have to be all about Gameplay alone.

Metroid prime is one of the best games ever made.
It's also beautifully crafted, full of great small touches, and very creative in terms of the art/design.
I can't be arsed to watch the video (why can't people WRITE on the freaking web anymore?) but I can't see how you could compare it to citizen kane. At least not directly.
Metroid is about immersion in a beautiful, alien world, and exploration and challenge. But it's not at all about story. Citizen cane is all about characters, relationships and story... which metroid doesn't feature at all.
You could of course argue that metroid is gaming's citizen kane (though i'm not sure i'd go that far), but as for content... they go totally different ways.

If it is simply a statement of highest rated, IGN has Ocarina of Time listed as the #1 video game, not Metroid Prime. If the goal is to draw parallels between stories, I would think one of the 'tycoon' games would be a more appropriate comparison. (Or maybe even Paperboy (I dunno.))

Have you watched Kane? The case to be made is pretty strong actually. It is a shoe-in for best drama. The cinematography (My forte) is just STUNNING, without a doubt the best use of shadow I have ever seen, even moreso than the best noir films.
It has a depressingly universal message about life as well. And no, Rosebud isn't it.

Well, in defense, Citizen Kane and most other "artsy" films are most definitely not for your average 300/Disaster Movie consumer either. If anything, art almost by definition implies "select audience".

I woudl agree with you if the title in question was Brothers in Arms.

QFT
But hey its freaking IGN what did you expect ...