Star Fox (series)

The Star Fox series of games is a franchise of Nintendo. The games have been released on Super Nintendo Entertainment System (or SNES for short), Nintendo 64, GameCube, Nintendo DS and possibly Wii in the future.

Games

Star Fox

Facing the wrath of the evil Emperor Andross, Fox McCloud and his Star Fox Team must battle their way through the various planets of the Lylat system to put an end to Andross' madness.

Developed by Argonaut Games, Star Fox was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993, and was quite bold in breaking technical barriers with the new Super FX chip. The chip simulated three-dimensional graphics, a first for console games.

Star Fox 2 (unreleased)

Andross survived his encounter with Fox and has returned to destroy Corneria. With an arsenal of new enemies and giant missiles aimed at the planet, Andross's insurrection is large enough to demand the attention of the Star Fox Team. With new custom Arwings, and a mothership, and rookies, the team must defend Corneria and take the battle to Andross himself.

It is still unknown why the game was never released. The beta has since been leaked, and a few people have been able to find a copy of it using an emulator. Nevertheless, many of the features introduced in this sequel were later implemented in the upcoming Star Fox 64.

Star Fox 64

Many years have passed since the supposed death of James McCloud, the former leader of the Star Fox Team. Andross, a psychotic scientist and powerful dictator of the planet Venom, has built an army and unleashed an invasion onto the neighbouring planets of the Lylat system. Under direct order from General Pepper a new Star Fox Team, lead by James' son Fox, must battle their way through Andross' forces in hopes to stop him and save the Lylat system.

Star Fox 64 is a reimagined remake of the original Star Fox and is considered to be the starting point of the current Star Fox canon. The game included and introduced the Rumble Pak to the North American gaming audience. Full spoken dialogue also replaced the original game's Lylat Speak.

Star Fox Adventures

Eight years have passed since the end of the battle against Andross. Having issues with money, the Star Fox Team is contacted by General Pepper to investigate problems on the distant planet Dinosaur Planet, after receiving a distress call. With Falco gone, the rest of the team agrees to do so and set forth on another adventure.

Star Fox Adventures was released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2002. The series took a very different turn in gameplay and style. Originally meant to be an entirely different game entitled Dinosaur Planet, the series was later branded with the Star Fox logo and given the Star Fox treatment of flying missions and the series' trademark characters. However, instead of a basic rail shooter that was common with its predecessors, Star Fox Adventures was much more of an action-adventure game, similar in genre to the The Legend of Zelda series. Some gamers were disappointed with the lack of Arwing fights and the use of a "magical staff" but it received decent reviews.

Star Fox: Assault

A year after the crisis at Sauria, a new threat haunts the Lylat and brings up images of past enemies: Andross. His nephew Andrew Oikonny has taken over his uncle's army and has begun to attack Corneria. To add to the threat, a new alien force has come to Lylat: the Aparoids. Bent on absorbing the life in the system, the alien invasion brings about devastation to the citizens of these planets, and the Star Fox team is forced to protect them, as long as they can stay alive themselves.

Star Fox: Assault was developed by Namco for the GameCube, the second title for the platform. The game emphasis returned to its roots with its trademark ship-based shooting. However, new features were added, such as the addition of on-foot missions. Assault was released to mixed reviews, with the main complaints being control problems, the short length of the main game, and the amount of on-foot missions.

Star Fox Command

Andross have been defeated, but from the poisonous Venom Sea, the new threat is rising; The Anglars, lead by the Anglar Emperor. And that not all; Team Star Fox has been shattered, and Fox stands alone against the Anglars.

In Star Fox Command you can play with Team Star Fox for the first time on your Nintendo DS. You can play the game up to five friends wireless or using Wi-Fi connection. You can even save your voice and use it in-game.

Future of the Franchise

Star Fox Wii

Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has shown interest in creating a Star Fox game for the Wii console in the future. As of now, however, no plans have been announced. This game will also reveal what is the real ending of Star Fox Command or if the game is canon at all.