So, random idea I had while reading about everyone talking about suits. Not sure how feasible this is, but what if you had a sub-menu for the armor pieces similar to the sub-menus for the cannons and morph ball. The helmet could have slots for possible visors if you add them, the body could hold suit upgrades, like the varia and gravity suit. Not sure what the boots could hold, perhaps space jump or screw attack? Also, for armor, you could have each piece of armor hold energy tanks to increase their defense, similar to the missile launcher holding missile tanks.
Random idea, it may just be easier to have multiple suits for higher defense.