The Star Fox series (スターフォックス Sutā Fokkusu?) is a video game franchise published by Nintendo. The original game was a forward-scrolling 3D rail shooter. Later sequels added more directional freedom as the series progressed. The first game in the series, developed by Argonaut Software, used the Super FX Chip to create the first accelerated 3D gaming experience on a home console. The Super FX Chip was an additional math co-processor that was built into the Game Pak and helped the Super Famicom and SNES better render the game's graphics. The Super FX Chip has been used in other Super Famicom/SNES games as well, some with increased processing speed. Its remake, Star Fox 64, further revolutionized the video game industry by being the first Nintendo 64 game to feature the Rumble Pak. Due to trademark issues over the name Star Fox in PAL region territories, Star Fox and Star Fox 64 were released in those countries as Star Wing and Lylat Wars respectively. However, Nintendo bought the rights before the release of Star Fox Adventures so future games could be released worldwide with the same name.
Contents |
Released games
Star Fox
The first game, Star Fox (released as Star Wing in Europe), was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. Developed by Argonaut Games, it used the Super FX chip to simulate 3D graphics during a period of predominately 2D games. In Star Fox, Fox McCloud and his team, Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, and Falco Lombardi, take on Andross, who threatens to overthrow the Lylat system. Several boss battles from the game are included as mini-games in the Wii title WarioWare: Smooth Moves, using the Wii Remote to fly the ship.
Star Fox 64
Released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64, Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars in Europe) introduced full spoken dialogue, fully three dimensional graphics, and new vehicles and characters. The game came bundled with the Rumble Pak, a force feedback attachment.[1] Star Fox 64 is the true beginning of the Star Fox canon,[2] and is one of the more popular games in the series. Although the main storyline features no on-foot missions, the player may unlock on-foot play in the multiplayer mode.
Star Fox Adventures
The next Star Fox game, Star Fox Adventures, was released in 2002 for Nintendo's next home console, the Nintendo GameCube. Developed by Rare, the game is predominately an action-adventure game in which Fox is armed with a mystical staff; traditional space shooting is limited to small segments between chapters. Its roots can be traced to Dinosaur Planet, a canceled video game Rare was developing late in the life cycle of the Nintendo 64. Adventures introduced new characters, including Prince Tricky. Adventures takes place eight years after the events of Star Fox 64. Despite receiving positive reviews,[3] Adventures is criticized by some fans for not being a "true" Star Fox title.
Star Fox: Assault
Nintendo hired Namco to develop Star Fox: Assault, released in 2005, for the GameCube. The emphasis returned to ship-based shooting, but also had portions of on-foot missions. Assault takes place one year after Adventures, with the Aparoids becoming a new threat to the Lylat system. There are 3 "Arwing-only" missons. While returning to its roots, Assault was released to mixed reviews, with the main complaints being control problems, the short length of the main game, and the number of on-foot missions.[4]
Star Fox Command
Star Fox Command was developed by Q-Games for the Nintendo DS. It is the first Star Fox game for a handheld console and the first to offer online multiplayer. Like the original Star Fox, gameplay is completely aircraft based, and uses gibberish chatter instead of the voice acting of previous installments. Command utilizes a new system of gameplay, incorporating strategy and abandoning its "fly-by-rail" roots. Players plot flight paths and engage enemies in an open arena-style flying mode using the Nintendo DS's touch screen. Each character has a unique ship with different abilities. For example, Slippy's ship has no lock-on feature and shorter boosts, but has stronger lasers and shielding; Fox McCloud pilots the redesigned Arwing II. Command features nine endings, determined by the player's story progression choices. None of these endings are currently considered to affect the storyline of the series as a whole.
Cancelled games
Star Fox 2
Star Fox 2 was the sequel to Star Fox, again developed by Argonaut. The game was cancelled even though it was completely finished. Many of its new ideas were implemented for the forthcoming Star Fox 64, such as the rival team Star Wolf, all-range mode, charge shot, and a multiplayer mode (though Star Fox 2's multiplayer mode was no longer featured in the final beta).
Star Fox (Virtual Boy)
This game was a tech demo of what would have been a Star Fox game had the Virtual Boy adopted the series. It ended up that the closest game to it was Red Alarm. Cinematic camera angles were a key element, as they were in Star Fox 2. Shown both at E³ 1995 and at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show 1995, the game, though on the Virtual Boy, still used filled polygons. One observer called it "An intriguing technical demo featuring a Star Fox-like spacecraft doing a lot of spinning and zooming in 3D. It's made of filled polygons and looks much better than the unfilled Red Alarm vehicles." [5] Attendees to these two events were given 3D glasses to watch the demos and tech videos that were played on screens at the show floors, and from these videos, only one public image of the possible Star Fox for the Virtual Boy survives.
Star Fox (arcade)
Originally planned as a companion game with Star Fox: Assault, it was abandoned and never released. It was supposed to be released in 2004-2005, but for reasons unknown, it wasn't. [6]
Related games
Star Fox (Wii)
So far, there has been mention of a Star Fox game for Wii, but there is no confirmation that such a game is currently in development. Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has suggested the Wii remote would work really well for controlling an Arwing,[7] while series designer Takaya Imamura has also said he has some ideas for a sequel.[8]
Super Smash Bros. series
Two Star Fox characters have appeared in the Super Smash Bros. franchise of fighting games. Fox McCloud has appeared in all three as a playable character while Falco Lombardi was featured in Super Smash Bros. Melee as an unlockable character, with Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, and Wolf O'Donnell also making brief cameos in Melee. It is now confirmed that Fox is set to return in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Krystal is also rumored to have an appearance in Brawl, as Alesia Glidewell, the American voice actress who played Krystal in Assault, stated on her website that she voiced Krystal in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (this statement was removed from the site shortly after being released). All three games feature Star Fox related stages that are Venom, Corneria, and Sector Z. Corneria is played atop the length of the mothership "Great Fox" and is scaled down from its original distance of .46 miles (.74 km).
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
In WarioWare: Smooth Moves for Wii, there is a Star Fox minigame in the style of the SNES title with three stages. Using the Wii Remote, the player pilots the Arwing through Corneria, Sector X, and Titania. At the end of each level, the player fights R.O.B. (not ROB64 from the Star Fox series, but rather the ROB attachment for the NES), who is armed with a large NES Zapper.
Other Star Fox Media
Monthly Nintendo Power Comics
A monthly Star Fox comic strip was printed in issues of Nintendo Power in 1992. It was a sort of background covering of events in the original Star Fox, with some exclusive characters not currently seen in any of the games to date. One such character was Fara Pheonex, a vixen who becomes the fifth member of Star Fox after they saved her from Venomian forces. The story of the comics was on the same level of darkness as the games. It followed the Star Fox team as they went from outlaws on Papetoon, to an elite Arwing fighter squadron. Fox, Falco, and Andross were the only 3 characters who's backgrounds were fully explained in the story.
Star Fox: Farewll, Beloved Falco
Star Fox: Farewell, Beloved Falco is a manga created by Nintendo, and part of the Star Fox series. The manga chronicles the events between Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Adventures. Although it isn't one of the games, it is still considered canon, since Nintendo had written it. The manga was only released in Japan, and came with the Japanese version of Adventures. The reason why it wasn't released outside of Japan was because Nintendo of America had already planned on releasing Star Fox Adventures in America and didn't have time to translate the manga.
Possible live-action film
It was rumored by a video on Youtube that a film based on the events of Star Fox 64 was being produced, with the title "Lylat Wars". However, this video has been widely considered to be fake, despite its rather convincing nature.
References
- ^ Johnston, Chris (23 May 1997). Rumble Pak Titles On the Rise. gamespot.com. Retrieved on 25 June, 2006.
- ^ Nintendo Power: Why did you make Star Fox 64 a remake of the original Star Fox? (an interview between Nintendo Power and Shigeru Miyamoto exclusive to the Star Fox 64 Player's Guide)
- ^ Star Fox Adventures Reviews. GameRankings. Retrieved on April 22, 2006.
- ^ Star Fox Assault Reviews. GameRankings. Retrieved on April 22, 2006.
- ^ Planet Virtual Boy on Starfox Demo
- ^ Namco Brings GCN Support. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
- ^ Miyamoto on StarFox Wii and Super Mario Galaxy. SPOnG.com. Retrieved on September 2, 2006.
- ^ SF Command's producer has a small idea.... Games Radar. Retrieved on February 18, 2007.
External links
|
|
|---|
| Star Fox · 2 (Unreleased) · 64 · Adventures · Assault · Command |
| Characters · Fox McCloud |
