Namco-Bandai is developing Metroid Prime 4?

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, as bad as we are, Japan is definitely a more sexist place than America. In videogames, the idea that there is something wrong with automatically sexualizing every or almost every significant female character in a story, game, what have you, is often not even considered... there's a lot more to say about that subject (such as that it's not always about Japan in general but also about otaku audiences, etc.), but I'll stop with that for now.

Otherwise, what I played of Samus Returns -- and I admit, I stopped for no good reason -- I liked. It's pretty good, with great graphics and music, good controls (apart from the melee counter thing, which I don't like), and good classic Metroid level designs. I haven't played AM2R, though, so I can't compare them.

but unfortunately Nintendo in spite of their princess tropes seems to somehow have managed to be the MOST progressive Japanese company when it comes to women.

I don't see how this could be true, considering that half of Nintendo games (to only slightly exaggerate) involve rescuing princesses, Nintendo makes their own stereotyped anime-style games now full of oversexed female characters -- see Fire Emblem (particularly from Awakening on, but some of it's there before that too) and Xenoblade (especially from what I hear about the new one...), most obviously. I know the competition isn't much better, but seriously, Nintendo is pretty bad here too.