5. Star Fox Adventures (GameCube)
Star Fox Adventures is by far the most different entry in the entire series, from its look to its gameplay style. Adventures is actually an action-adventure game featuring Fox McCloud as the titular hero. Fox is dispatched to “Dinosaur Planet” in the Lylat system after pieces of the planet start to break off and pose a threat to the rest of the system. After landing on the planet, Fox receives a mystical staff from a mysterious blue fox named Krystal and subsequently sets off to save the planet.
Interestingly, Star Fox Adventures didn’t actually start out as a Star Fox game. The title originally started on the Nintendo 64 as “Dinosaur Planet,” developed by Rare. After going through restructuring many different times, Fox was put in as one of the main heroes alongside Krystal and Fox’s Triceratops sidekick, Tricky. Because of this, the game is developed as an action-adventure title instead of the usual Star Fox fare.
With the exception of a few flying sections, most of the gameplay of Adventures puts Fox on foot for the majority of the time. Exploring the world and finding collectibles is key, with Fox engaging enemies in hand-to-hand combat with his staff. The biggest fault of Adventures, though, is that it feels a bit off as a Star Fox game.
Fox and company do end up feeling a bit shoehorned into the world of Dinosaur Planet and the game. It did have a vibrant atmosphere and environment, that helped provide a personality to the game’s world. The combat and exploration is fairly strong, and Dinosaur Planet is an expansive land. Star Fox Adventures is by no means a bad game, it just feels like the Star Fox team may not be an exact fit for the feel of it.
4. Star Fox Command (Nintendo DS)
Besides a remade version of Star Fox 64, Command is the most recent game we’ve seen in the series. It also mixes up the series’ traditional gameplay a bit.
Command is split into two different types of game modes: a strategic map mode and a battle mode. The map mode is basically an overworld, with players taking control of up to four ships in turn-based strategy style gameplay. Players are tasked with using their ships to stop enemies from reaching the Great Fox, which they can also use to fire off missiles. When one of the players’ ships encounters enemies, the game switches into battle mode. In this mode, you have direct control of the Arwing or other vehicles, and can fly the ship around in any direction similarly to all range mode in other Star Fox games.
As a new threat faces the galaxy, Fox runs back into characters like Falco and Krystal to bring a team together. Command’s unique gameplay style is inventive at first, but can feel all too similar after you’ve been playing for a few hours. By that same token, the game is fairly short even for a Star Fox game. Although Command definitely has a few flaws, it’s still a worthy entry to play for any Star Fox fan.
3. Star Fox (SNES)
It’s been 23 years since the first Star Fox game was released on the SNES, and surprisingly we’ve only seen four more entries in the series since. The original game still holds up gameplay wise, even if the visuals feel a bit dated.
Star Fox was Nintendo’s very first game to use 3D polygon graphics, and crafted the iconic third-person rail shooting that Fox and company would return to for years. It differentiated itself from other rail shooters by giving players the ability to speed up and slow down, avoiding objects or enemy fire.
Much of what the original game did, Star Fox 64 would expand and improve upon years later. The SNES game had branching paths that players could choose between, with each route corresponding to a different difficulty level. However, each route also has its own set of unique levels, allowing for a bit of variation and replay value.
The story of Star Fox also sets up something we’d see again, with Fox and his mercenary team summoned by General Pepper from the planet of Corneria which is under attack from the mad scientist Andross. The game instantly gave us another one of Nintendo’s most recognizable mascots. Its fresh take on rail shooting coupled with the tight gameplay was enough to create a fanbase, and a new series for Nintendo.
2. Star Fox Assault (GameCube)
Assault is another interesting entry in the series, as it’s actually developed by Namco and published by Nintendo. After taking a brief aside in Star Fox Adventures, Assault brings the series back to its spacefaring roots.
Taking place one year after Adventures, a new alien race known as Aparoids are bent on assimilating the Lylat system into their hive mind. Of course, Fox and his team have to come to the rescue, with Krystal taking the now retired Peppy Hare’s spot on the team.
The big change in gameplay for Assault was the ability to hop out of the Arwing and fight the battle on foot, in a third-person shooter style. Certain parts of missions would require Fox to complete objectives in this manner, and it also featured into the multiplayer mode of the game. Unfortunately, the on-foot controls don’t work nearly as well as piloting the Arwing or Landmaster tank.
Arwing specific levels return, as well, in similar style to the rail shooting levels of the original and Star Fox 64. Some sloppy controls on the ground hurt the overall package, but Assault still manages to up the ante in terms of spectacle. The story and presentation all feel grander than before, thanks in part to the orchestrated soundtrack. Fox and his team have a bit more personality in this adventure, and it was great to see Fox and his team return after the series had been dormant for years.
1. Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64)
Star Fox 64 is still seen as one of the very best games on the Nintendo 64, even receiving a remade version on the 3DS. The game itself is essentially a reboot of the original Star Fox, taking many of the same elements like branching paths and the ability to boost or slow down.
The plot of 64 is familiar, with Fox and his team having to save the Lylat system from Andross. Another element is thrown into the mix with Fox’s father James McCloud, who led the original Star Fox team and has been missing for years. The branching paths of the game are weaved in brilliantly, with players having to discover secrets or meet certain objectives on levels to find an alternate path. The basic route of the game won’t divulge the entire story, meaning that you have to play through the game more than once to see everything.
Star Fox 64 only takes three to five hours to complete, but the game feels fresh because of the huge variety in levels. Each one has its own objective or gimmick that makes it unique, on top of the fact that they’re all visually different, as well.
The gameplay also received an upgrade adding on new abilities like the barrel roll, and making everything feel a bit tighter and smoother. You also get a change to pilot some other vehicles in the game with two levels putting Fox in the Landmaster tank, and one dropping him in the ocean with a submarine.
Star Fox 64 truly shows the series at its best in terms of gameplay, story, presentation and more. The 3DS remake manages to upgrade everything to an even higher degree. Star Fox 64 made the series’ mechanics feel better than ever, and firmly cemented Star Fox in Nintendo’s stable of iconic characters.
What’s your favorite Star Fox game? Are you happy to see the series finally return on Wii U this year? Let us know down in the comments.
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