Nintendo often focuses on a few popular franchises, while others don’t get as much attention. The Mario series, for example, has seen many new games, but other Nintendo properties sometimes go years, or even decades, between releases. This can be disappointing for fans who love those less-frequent series, especially since they’ve been important to Nintendo’s success and remain popular through games like Super Smash Bros.
The Star Fox series is a good illustration of this internal struggle. The original game was a hit when it came out in 1993, and there have been seven main Star Fox games released since then. Unfortunately, the last truly new installment, Star Fox Zero, came out in 2016 and received mixed reviews. It’s disappointing because Star Fox seems ideally suited to showcase what Nintendo’s current consoles can do.
Star Fox Is One Of Nintendo’s Biggest Franchises For A Reason
Despite not having a new installment in nearly a decade, Star Fox remains an important piece of Nintendo’s history. The game originated from a prototype called “NESGlider,” created by Nintendo and Argonaut Software. Programmer Jez San and his team were instrumental in its development, creating the Super FX chip, which was a groundbreaking advancement in 3D graphics for home consoles. While Argonaut handled most of the programming, Shigeru Miyamoto and Katsuya Eguchi led the game’s design. The original Star Fox drew inspiration from sources like Star Wars and Japanese mythology, and critics praised its innovative 3D graphics and unique take on the rail shooter genre.
The original Star Fox was a huge success on the Super Nintendo, becoming one of its best-selling games and even breaking sales records at the time of its release. A sequel, Star Fox 2, was planned immediately, but wasn’t actually released until 2017 as part of the Super NES Classic Edition. Star Fox 64 quickly became a defining game for the Nintendo 64, particularly in North America, launching shortly after the console itself. Interestingly, developing the technologically advanced Star Fox influenced legendary developer Shigeru Miyamoto, who later used the 3D techniques pioneered in Star Fox as inspiration for Super Mario 64.
Star Fox Has Had Lots Of Ups And Downs In The 21st Century
The initial success of Star Fox games, combined with the character’s popularity in the Super Smash Bros. series, caught Nintendo’s attention in the early 2000s. Rare took one of their existing games, Dinosaur Planet, and reworked it into an adventure game starring Fox McCloud, similar to The Legend of Zelda. This game, Star Fox Adventures, was released on the GameCube in 2002. In 2005, Namco continued the series with Star Fox: Assault, which went back to the original arcade-style flight simulation gameplay.
The next year, Q-Games released Star Fox Command, a game with a greater focus on strategy. While all three of these newer games received more mixed reviews compared to earlier titles, the series then went into a period of inactivity. This changed in 2016 with the release of Star Fox Zero for the Wii U, which used the console’s GamePad and motion controls for flying the Arwing. Unfortunately, the series hasn’t seen much development since then, and a planned animated show was even cancelled before it could be released.
Star Fox Deserves A Modern Revival
Compared to franchises like Metroid and Fire Emblem, Star Fox hasn’t received much attention lately. The most recent addition to the series was Star Fox 2, which was released on the Switch through the Nintendo Classics service. This is unfortunate, as Star Fox could really shine on current Nintendo consoles. The Switch 2, in particular, could unlock exciting new possibilities for the series, especially with online competitive and cooperative gameplay.
With a more powerful Switch 2, game developers could build vast, explorable worlds, letting players experience adventures similar to those in games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Mario Kart World. Nintendo could also bring virtual reality experiences to life through Star Fox, potentially putting players right in the pilot’s seat of an Arwing. Star Fox is a classic Nintendo series that’s due for a fresh, updated release.
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2025-12-30 08:10