So other than generalized female talent being represented by devianart caliber bland art with a unifying theme of prudishness, I'm surprised to see the Rob Leifeld "put a million pouches and extraneous details and that makes it a good design" school of thought survive beyond 90s comics and make it's way into Samus for the sake of "realism" as she shoots ice rays at space dragons.
You and many others in this thread sorely need to understand an inherent law of imagineering:
There should always be a semblance of grounded believability in any fictional work, so as to aid in the distinguishing and appreciation of its fantastical elements.
Skirting a very fine line, you simply
cannot contain numerous unexplained and/or impractical features and resolutions in your story, and honestly expect to not be called out for deus ex bullshitting after enough key plot events occur by such inane handwavium.
"Shooting ice rays at space dragons," or whatever the rest of what Samus Aran the character may achieve in the Metroid universe, is definitely a far-fetched feat that is impossible in reality.
However,
it is still a feat Samus achieves via a realistic means; Samus Aran wasn't written to have to sneeze cryobeams out of her eyebrow pores, no,
she was written as having to fire freeze missiles out of her arm-cannon. The act of firing projectiles from a gun is a feat totally achievable in reality, what more, it's her job, she's
employed, she does it to get paid; thus, she becomes more relatable to us, the audience, via this mutual combo of
realistic abilities and needs, so written by her creator.
Would it be more entertaining, if Samus iced cosmic lizards with cryobeams sneezed from her eyebrow pores? Yes, no doubt it would be;
but, I would argue that such a fantasy-based ability (not realism-based at all) would detract from the essence of the interstellar gadget-using bounty hunter character that Samus is. Eye-candy for eye-candy's sake will only get you so far. Eventually, you're going to have to explain your shit, get real, roll that charisma/intelligence check, if you really really want your apostles to follow you further down the valleys of your mindscape.
By dismissing all "realism" from your fiction, you shit out 100% null chaos. You shit on it as you shit it. The product is insubstantial yet impenetrable to understanding and constructive criticism, just layers upon layers of spineless, foundation-less bullshit. It becomes baseless. Don't dismiss "realism" from fiction. For stories, it's a yin-yang relationship.
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With this in mind, take another look at that Samus redesign:
Of course, detail for the sheer sake of detail will often negatively detract from any experience due to all that unnecessary visual noise;
but, I don't think that applies to this particular fan re-design of Samus. Its aesthetic follows a more contemporary astronaut/pilot theme, evident from the air force pilot-esque parachute-style strapping, pressure-maintaining head cowl and air supply tubing. I assume the artist imagined her version of Samus owning a more vehicular version of her staple Power Armour; a larger version that is not worn, but is instead sat in and piloted like a mech, which would explain away the fitting issue born from the extra equipment she is wearing on top of her Zero Suit.
In the end, it's not so much about prudishness as it is about
practicality in context.
Use your own imagination,
imagine this re-design existing in the context of a prequel or alternate Metroid universe. For example, it could also be one where she does not yet possess her original Power Armour and this is how she equipped herself as a bounty hunter beforehand.
It is in the imagining of this re-design's existence in such other possible contexts, that is why others may appreciate it alongside the official design.
You seem to vaunt fantasy so, yet your own opinion seems limited by the mundane, ironically bound in that realism you so disdain; you, clinging onto the reality of the official design like an uneasy child might to their favourite stuffed animal, no matter how antiquated and worn-out it may be.