ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 พ.ค. 2024
- It's been six years since the release of the last Star Fox game, Star Fox Zero. Star Fox is one of my favorite Nintendo series, and I believe it's gotten a bad wrap due to a slew of releases that failed to live up to the series' potential. In an attempt to draw more attention to the franchise, I decided to take a deep dive into the development history while playing every Star Fox game for myself. In pursuit of creating this complete series retrospective, I discovered that Star Fox has a very messy history to say the least, but I have more hope that it can bounce back into becoming one of Nintendo's core pillars once again.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
5:06 In The Beginning - Star Fox
16:47 Never Give Up - Star Fox 64
33:30 Kaos Kao Krazoa Palace - Star Fox Adventures
43:22 On The Basis Of Shooting - Star Fox Assault
55:47 A Different Style Of Game - Star Fox Command
1:07:14 Star Fox Will Be Reborn? - Star Fox 64 3D
1:16:03 From Hero To Zero - Star Fox Zero
1:40:18 Conclusion
Support me on Patreon! ► / wizawhat
Check out my twitter for video updates ► bit.ly/3dURD4L
Check out my Twitch stream for speed running content and variety gaming ► bit.ly/2QggGai
Join my Discord server to contact me ► bit.ly/3mBBxkD
If you liked this video, consider subscribing and checking out some of my other videos or following my social media:
HOW OUTER WILDS SHOOK ME TO MY CORE ► bit.ly/3zIdzMC
MY FAVORITE GAME THAT NO LONGER EXISTS ►bit.ly/3JGL3Os
THIS GAME MADE ME RETHINK JRPGS ► bit.ly/3nvCFai
Thanks to the following creators for playing the parts of various developers:
HEAVY EYED AS SHIGERU MIYAMOTO - / heavyeyed
CHIPMUNKU CHAN AS MITSUHIRO TAKANO - / chipmunkuchan
KEVIN OF PIXELLIT PODCAST AS TAKAYA IMAMURA - www.pixellitpod.com/
RAZBUTEN AS TSUYOSHI KOBAYASHI - / razbuten
HOTCYDER AS DYLAN CUTHBERT - / hotcyder
PERRYDACTYL AS YUSUKE HASHIMOTO - / perrydactylshow
JESSE GUARASCIA AS REGGIE FILS AIME - / guarascia
Star Fox Adventures gameplay from LongplayArchive - / longplayarchive
#StarFox #Retrospective #Nintendo #wizawhat - เกม
![ตรงที่เดิม - ฝน พรสุดา [ต้นฉบับ :เบส ขวางหวัน]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/c5YnbGEztI8/mqdefault.jpg)
Hello gamers. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long but I've literally been working on this project since March. For anyone who has stuck around following my Outer Wilds video, there is an important message for you at the very end of this video. Thank you.
Oh hell no Krystal the worst character nah that goes to slipey.
I watched the video in its entirety, and loved it, then got to the end, and felt that. I love that you feel like your mom hung on just for that last final moment. Thats beautiful, and i know its rough, but people like us can still smile when we see them in our dreams.
Star fox assault story and levels and gameplay is far better than star fox 64 the story was okay nothing to go wow except for when I got to this boss and slipey tries to help and the boss smacks him to the nearest planet which that was my favorite part cause it surprised me there is probably at least 3 or 5 epic moments compared to star fox assault I can name so many epic moments from pigma getting corrupted that was one of my favorite boss in the game, to general pepper getting possessed or corrupted and having to fight him and he's begging you to just kill him like I teared up during that part, then peppy sacrifices his life, then the final boss mimicking fox's father's voice that choked me up I almost cried damn I could go on not to mention star wolf introduction in this game just was epic and even wolf helped fox fight general pepper. One game I won't forgive in the slightest is star fox command that game's story and gameplay is just not as good as star fox 64 and Star Fox Assault. I do respect your opinion great video I especially understand where you are coming from when it comes to Star Fox Adventures. I definitely understand as much as I love that game I do see a lot of the flaws people point out.
I played SNES Starfox when it first came out. It's still my personal favorite... so when Starfox 64, which is a soft remake, I was in love with that game for giving me an updated version of my favorite game.
Star fox command is the worst star fox game ever made the story was far worse than my favorite star fox game assault I hated the multiple endings not knowing which ending is canon the gameplay is alright but extremely clunky compared to previous games. No wonder Nintendo reimagined star fox 64 with star fox zero cause how do you continue from a convoluted story with star fox command multiple bs endings.?
The landmaster has one gear, no reverse, and if it stops it explodes. They have to keep it suspended in Great Fox's bay with the treads constantly rolling. Thanks, Slippy.
So basically, it's like a giant Sprint Car, at least its driveline and stability.
Ah yes, the Adeptus Mechanicus school of design
@@drac116 praise the omnissiah
Star Fox is the most perplexing misuse of an IP there ever was. You have such iconic and strong personalities taking place in the vastness of space. You have so much creative freedom to create not only fun gameplay but a fun space drama that fleshes out the world the same way something like Star Trek or Star Wars does, but for video games. Instead we get remakes and reboots of the same story over and over again, and they try to cover up any kind of growth or change that does happen in the games with a different story.
Maybe bcuz the Star Fox fandom can't accept that Fox is more than an Arwing...the guy in his comic literally fought on foot before the Arwing
@@thegreatestever913 Its a shame because they could've easily fleshed out the ground sections from assault and made a unique air/land combat adventure game rather than remaking star fox 1 for the hundredth time.
Kinda sad that when it comes to fox on the ground people think smash bros over the games in his own series where he's actually on the ground.
same with metroid and zelda honestly. You have the only cool nintendi IP for non kids and they just shit on them. You get 1 zelda every 6 years now, no star fox, and 1 metroid every 10 years.
Every single Star Fox game that Nintendo has ever released themselves has been a remake of the original, it's honestly ridiculous.
I think a big part of the series' issue is that Miyamoto and co. want to create a dramatic and mature story but they do not know how to continue the timeline beyond that first game because they honestly almost never do anything like that.
For Mario, Wario, and Yoshi the story doesn't really matter, everything resets to zero at the end.
Zelda is literally on a loop.
Kirby has interestingly deep implications on things but it's never the main aspect of the game's plot line and it's all just kind of insinuated and you really need to know your stuff to draw the connections. Metroid plot is slightly more integral than Kirby's is, but that's another series that Nintendo isn't entirely sure where to take.
Splatoon, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem jump to entirely new protagonists nearly every game.
So because Star Fox is always getting tied to its tech and they don't know where to take the characters we're just on endless repeat.
It says a lot that the closest thing we have to an actual maybe canonical Star Fox sequel is StarLink, and in that game they turned Wolf into a megalomaniac that wants to conquer the universe. Funny enough he's Andross in Wolf's clothing.
@@StomachPlug I've never understood the obsession with Andross by nintendo. He works as a villain whose the final boss but otherwise he's a non entity who they keep trying to be the big bad for almost everything in star fox.
Atleast bowser and ganondorf got something over multiple adaptation such as bowser having some respect for his troops and being a loving father to his son or ganon having goals beyond destruction in wind waker and mario and zelda created villains that are also pretty popular that arent just those two like Fawful or Cia. Yet we really know nothing about how Andross was with his own family members, especially with how command gave him a grandson.
Attempts to flesh out Andross are garbage that resulted in Krystal giving a "Hitler had a point" speech to Fox who actively witnessed atrocities in the war. If command fox actually had a spine and wasnt a drama pony for the plot he would've gutted her argument right there with the fiery rage of a thousand suns. Even worse since its KRYSTAL of all people giving this argument.
They should make star fox encompass a much larger galaxy like star wars to give more breathing room for enemy factions and lore for the series.
This video complains about Krystal being a poor character but they all are. Pigma got james killed yet fox/peppy dont fly into murderous rage upon seeing him. They wanted star fox to be more mature yet gave krystal a skimpier outfit but not fox wanting the man that helped kill his father dead. (I havent played zero so I dont know if this changed there).
Wolf showed signs of non 1 dimensional bad guy in assault and they nuked that almost immediately and like you say made him andross 2.0 in personality for starlink.
They're all archetypes rather than actual characters for most of the series. I mean most of the character people think they have come from fanworks. Someone like olimar from pikmin unironically has more personality/character than the team.
Honestly, I loved Star Fox Assaults ground levels. Yeah I prefer the arwing, but mixing it up was a nice touch and the mechanics never bothered me.
I think they had more on rails or free flying arwing sections people wouldn’t care so much. I personally loved the on ground levels. The Land masters controls are funky but easy to master and that first base and boss fight are awesome.
After playing Starfox Assult (back when it came out on Gamecube), I've always thought Starfox Assult 2 would be the title that the Starfox franchise would need to become relevant once again.
I would hope so, too! Perhaps a new Star Fox could take elements of each prior game (on-rail & all-range missions refined from 64/3D and Assault, as well as parts from Zero and Command), fine-tune those mechanics for as many control schemes as possible, and incorporate them into a new story - which could set solid footing for solid remakes of Adventures and Assault with new game filling story gaps, and a new game set after Assault could tell a singular story without Command fogging up the future (a bit like how Capcom built the Street Fighter "lore" between gaps of SFI, II & III with Alpha 1-3, IV & V before *_finally_* getting to move the story past III with the upcoming Street Fighter 6 - but far more concisely than Capcom)
@@jaredhebert942 I agree! And have a playable hero (Star Fox) and villain (Star Wolf) Story Mode, like Sonic Adventure Battle 2
IKR? This guy acts like Star Fox: Assault is the worst game ever just because it wasn't particularly innovative; or it was, but he just didn't like the innovations. But it's practically the only "sequel" in the franchise. SF64 & SFZ are reboots, and every other game is more like a side story.
Thank you for saying this!! I actually loved assault.
@@Wendy_O._KoopaI don't even think he's right in saying that it isn't innovative. Assault is the only game that allows you to switch between all three game play styles in a single level were before it was only ever one.
YOU MISSED STARFOX ASSAULT!?
That game was so beautiful for all star fox fans.
Seeing Fox grow with his allies and enemies. Was just.. The Best thing ever.
But he played and mentioned Assault in this video.
Its a shame that the immediate follow-up to that game was the glorified fanfic Star Fox Command.
If Metroid can recover from the 2000 megaton thermonuclear bomb that was Other M and over a decade of disrespect then there’s hope for any Nintendo series.
Nintendo will just shadow drop a sf64 remastered for the switch or something and then legitimately be surprised when it sells out in 3 hours
Looking forward to the next F-Zero!
We just like to pretend other M didn't happen, just like Nintendo.
@ElZamo92 it's been referenced a lot. I don't know why people think Nintendo is trying to pretend it never happened.
not everything needs to be revived. To quote Pet Sematary
Sometimes, dead is better
Star Fox Assault is a game I grew up playing and loving, and the series has grown to be one of my favorites. Now that we're getting amazing indie inspired takes of the games like Ex-Zodiac, I do genuinely hope that we can get another great Star Fox game someday
I played the early access release of Ex-Zodiac and it was fantastic, hope to see more of those as well
Assault was my first full Star Fox game and I have so much love for the story and gameplay. Here’s hoping Star Fox isn’t gone for good
@@diverman467 Assault is the best and my favorite game. It has something the other games don't and that's sympathy for the characters
Star Fox Assault is genuinely a great game.
I don’t think people would beg so hard for more Arwing-Only missions if the ground controls and mission structure were better. I adore the idea of ground combat and the different weapons and an cold alien threat.
Of course, nostalgia has a hold on me, but I strongly disagree with anyone calling this game awful. I can agree that it is mixed.
we did it was called zero
I love the aesthetics of the Original Star Fox. It leverages its limitations of simple, textureless polygons, to create a sense of funky and mystifying weirdness. It truly does feel otherworldly as a result.
Krystal is still my favorite Star Fox character, and I've always been disappointed that they didn't do more with her character. I always hoped that the next game would delve deeper into her backstory and where she came from... but nope, she was put aside to the point that Nintendo barely acknowledges her existence anymore. It's almost a miracle that she was even made an Assist Trophy in Smash.
I was really harsh on Krystal in this video, but I would gladly eat my words if Nintendo were to repair her character in a new game
@@wizawhat I will absolutely argue against your statement and say that she was a great character in Adventures and Assault. Certainly not any worse than most of the cast. She was still underutilized, you bet! Nintendo removed her character from StarFox *Because* of the backlash people had for her character which was extremely unwarranted. StarFox Zero in numerous ways was a sign that certain opinions were well heard.
@@Z95HeadHunter I've heard it said before that a lot of the endings in command were also influenced by how much fans in japan disliked her.
@@superbrainz2357 I don't buy that talking point at all considering how much of the best fanart is made by Japanese artists on Twitter. If anything Japanese fans seem to accept her more than many Western fans do. And I have literally never seen any Japanese fans say anything negative toward her character. It's a baseless rumor. Imamura is just a bad writer.
@@Z95HeadHunter this 👆🏻 the comment the two are under.
Man, I just want a true SF64 sequel or even an Assault sequel with more emphasis on an elaborate single player campaign. This franchise just never got to truly shine.
Before release I had the impression that Zero was going to be a direct story sequel to 64. I think that would have been a much better idea than what they cooked up
There are true sequels to the 64, it's called Adventures and Assault lol
Yeah, honestly if they stopped trying to have Fox go on foot or us that annoying two-legged vehicle it would already do a lot for the series.
@@thegreatestever913 exactly right that’s the second timeline of the Star fox series wither people like it or not
There are 3 timelines so far
Super nes original timeline 1
Star fox 1 star fox 2
N64 to game cube reboot 1
timeline 2
SF64 to SFA to SF assault to star fox command
This is the most developed timeline so far of the franchise
The WIIU timeline 3
Reboot 2
Star fox zero
And that’s it so far
I hope one day they can continue the 64/game cube timeline
I think it's semi-important or at least relevant to point out that StarFox Adventures isn't as 'villainized' or scrutinized as Wiz would have you think. Adventures released to large positive praise from both audiences and critics, and that actually continued for quite some time. This might be surprising, but as it turns out there's a big overlap when it comes to Nintendo fans between StarFox and Zelda players. Big shocker, I know.
Assault recieved less praise from 'official critics' at the time, but just like Adventures the players loved it, and people still think fondly of it today ( possibly because that split-screen multiplayer was hella fun ). Command was even in the best-sellers charts and sold like 20K copies on its first day, like, all of those games ended up in Nintendo's best sellers in their times so calling that era 'disastorus' is a massive stretch.
If you don't believe me, just as an example go check out the metacritic pages for those games. All of those old reviews from the old metacritic from the mid 2000's are still right for all to see.
Interesting to hear considering the online narrative i grew up hearing around late 00's early 10's. Tbh I've always kind of side eyed the older fanbase, thinking they need to move on from just expecting a prettier 64 because it's making Nintendo themselves evidently scared to do so, especially because i personally think Assault is the perfect direction to take the series with its ground based missions (with some ironing out) since yeah, a lot of ppl are gonna recognize Fox and co out of Arwing from Smash but also it's just a lot more appealing seeing these uniquely designed characters interacting with these uniquely designed worlds, at least to me. I wanna see more of Falco or Krystal running around the planets taking out goons. Rather than solely seeing the back of a ship. And just continuing the on rails shooting wouldn't be able to have much longevity i feel anyway, but that one i admitis me not being super engrossed in the genre aside from like, Panzer Dragoon which in itself I guess is a counter to that point were it not for Sega's larger business decisions screwing over the series main home on Saturn.
But anyway, to hear that those contentious Starfox releases were loved and did well at the time really does make the current situation all the more head scratching. I guess Nintendo was just really keeping their ear to the Starfox fanbase ground specifically during those following years and took complaints to heart. Well, I'm playing Assault first time atm anyway, so if the series continues just trying to redo 64 or just not continue at all, I'll be enjoying that instead in the meantime.
I remember liking Adventures well enough, with my only complaints being that the Arwing segments felt a whole lot worse than 64’s, and the fact that toward the end you could tell that some cuts had been made.
I think if there were more Star Fox games in existence then Adventures would have been looked more fondly on as being a fun side game of sorts. But since there’s so few, the fact that one of the few that do exists was such a departure gameplay-wise left a sour taste in fans’ mouths.
I unfortunately never really played Assault, so I can’t say much about it. Kind of sad that I chose to skip it back in the day now, but back then I chose to because I had took to heart the reviews it got, and didn’t really like how the Arwing segments in the demo I played felt, mostly due I think to the sound design and the simplified controls. They reminded me of Adventure’s segments, and I was frustrated that it seemed to be the second game in the row where they couldn’t get that right for whatever reason.
@@MagillanicaLouM I mean there was a time when Sunshine, Luigi's mansion and Wind Waker were hated
@@ImmaLittlePip i became aware of sunshine and wind waker's recptions over time but Luigi's Mansion being hated is news to me lol
@@MagillanicaLouM People were angry that the gamecube didn't have a new Mario game and at the time people didn't like it
I remember screwattack and collegehumor and dorkly would dunk on it back then
I did enjoy this video but man I was not expecting Assault to be getting such a harsh take. I mean it was a star fox game from the beginning, returned to form on rail shooter/all range mode and was the first game to make Andross not the main villain again. Yes I know sharp claw but he was a villain for a different game and the final fight was andross again. Not only that but it tried to evolve the original formula by allowing you to switch between ground, landmaster, or arwing. Heck you are able to move the landmaster freely rather then just another version of the on rail. What's more is the fact that they further developed the cast beyond their iconic lines from the old games. The back and forth between slippy and falco are fun, fox feels more then just a leader or a hero or a son that wants a little pay back. I will always love the moment where fox is put in extremely tough situations like having to fight general pepper. Of course fox in 64 had to be simple and effective for the way they were telling the story of 64 but assault can show that he can be way more then just that heroic leader.
Some of your criticisms are admitted fair as I can imagine a couple of ways of re doing the ground missions so they aren't repetitive as well as keeping the story. The third person controls also being reworked. But man the villain is one that I will fully disagree with. The aparoids shouldn't be compared to traditional villains seen in star fox like Andross or wolf. The aparoids are more like the alien from the thing. A creature that absorbs people and then imitates them. They are a parasite that desires to grow and expand, it lacks humanity. Not only that but through out the story it comes across as a hopless struggle just because of how overwhelmed they become in the second to third act. Andross forces to me anyways didn't feel that overwhelming but that's simply because he is a good starter villain. It's like Andross is Ganondorf in ocarina of time and the aparoids is like majora's mask. Sorry if this comes across remotely like a rant. I have heard plenty of criticism about the game but I've never came across one for the aparoids.
I because a starfox fan all because of assault. I remember playing the demo of it when I was young and the day I decided to play from being to end (my game cube didn't have one of those saving things at the time). I enjoyed playing sf64, sf, sf2, and even sfz (never played sfa or such). But assault will always be my favorite storfox game and the game to show that they're is more then just the original story. They can remove ground missions if they want all I ask is that we get a story that is better if not at the same great level as assaults story was. I feel like the way the missions for sfz worked is the best way to give classic fans branching paths while also giving story like assault. Have us first play the path with the main narrative then we can go into again and play all those other paths. The only problem with this is it might clash with the timeline of the game, maybe the other mission levels are none canon or something. Maybe they could go open world like starlink minus the toys stuff and adding more to do so it has a good amount of replayablity.
I've found since making this video that there are more diehard Assault fans than I expected. I was definitely harsh on it here but I can see why it has its fans that loved it. For me overall, Assault was weird to play through for this video because I don't think I was able to fully experience the best it had to offer (as I've come to find out, the multiplayer was a big draw for most of its players), and I just don't think the aspects that make it unique within the series have aged all that well compared to others.
My criticisms with the Aparoids is definitely a me thing. I just have never connected with villains that lack humanity. I've always preferred those that show their personality and try to win you over to their cause, although I think the Majora's Mask comparison is a valid one.
@wizawhat you're dead wrong about Asaault. It failed for a lot of reasons, not just because of Halo 2 and its sound design.
GameCube was one of the worst selling Nintendo consoles and adventures being released prior to Assault definitely didn't help skeptical buyers.
@@wizawhat Rail shooters I recommend are Ex Zodiac, gridd retroenhanced, and Astrodogs all of which you can play on Switch.
Another option that really looked like Starfox is (Whisker Squadron: Survivor). However thats only on Steam.
Can't let you do that, Star Fox!
Your message at the end. Thank you. I lost my mom July 2021, and nothing feels the same. It's hard to accept, life doesn't get any easier, but we get tougher. Thank you again.
I'm sorry for your loss. We toughen up.
40:30 I don't think it's a bad thing that they made Krystal sexy, but she could be sexy AND badass. She could've been the Lara Croft of Star Fox. Instead, you're absolutely right, she has absolutely no purpose in the series going forward other than "hey remember Dinosaur Planet, that happened, the sexy blue fox still exists." She's not a character with any meaningful presence or personality.
This is the main point I wanted to get across but it seems like some people are missing that
Should had remain in her own cancelled game.
Except she did have a purpose as a member of the StarFox team. She pivoted the plot at least twice with getting Panther to reveal how to find Pigma and using her telepathy at many points including sensing Sauria under attack from across the Lylat System.
Krystal being held to a completely different standard is something that always pissed me off about this community. No one ever complains about how the other OG4 serve almost no purpose but background voices 80% of the time, or hell how Miyu and Fay literally don't have character at all. But they don't get this treatment either.
@@Z95HeadHunterI think that's probably because there were hints of her being a more involved character with her searching for the cause of her parents' deaths, but it never got expanded upon.
Even as a fan of Assault I don't remember her having much personality there either. The moment her, Fox and Tricky have on Sauria in the post-mission cutscene is hilarious and a nice scene but her character really is just "the love interest".
The fan game Event Horizon makes her a more interesting character by having her be unfamiliar with all the modern tech used in the Lylat system and take everything very literally to make her a fish out of water. From what I've seen it's quite charming.
@@100organicfreshmemes5 I don't even know what point you are responding to exactly, but I just disagree. I've analyzed and argued about this topic a lot and I have my reasons to know what Krystal had going on in Assault. You ignored those specific examples in my comment. If you want more from just Assault by itself and not even Adventures for what I point to for her personality, her lines in the ending cutscene are pretty telling of her character too especially when you know her backstory. I also liked her defiant attitude toward the villains, and spunk in the 5 minutes of screentime she had in Adventures.
Trust your instincts is such a brilliant line due to them being Animals
Wow this was a really great video to watch. I do want to bring up the hidden "best way" of playing star fox zero: co op. One player uses the arwing with a wii remote and nunchuk (still no pointer controls) and focuses on the tv, getting a basic laser, while the other player gets the game pad, the lasers&upgrades, smart bombs, and everything else associated with the game pad. The downside to doing it as a first playthrough? Every. Single. Time. You complete a level, it goes to the next, as SINGLE PLAYER AGAIN. So you exit to map, re select the stage, do co op, re connect the wii remote, and back to enjoying the greatness of star fox zero. It took so long, but it made a really fun star fox game, as long as you were in tune with your other player.
I have a friend who swears by playing Zero co-op in this way. He also played Skyward Sword in a similar way with a friend; one person controlled the Nunchuk while the other used the Wii remote. Pretty wild haha. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who would allow me to put them through that! I didn't even know about that quality of life issue, what an awful oversight.
it is interesting listening to the perspective of someone who played and learned to appreciate SF64 as an adult. when i was growing up i just took it for granted that the game was fucking awesome lol. it was one of two n64 games i got when i was 5 and i didn't actually beat the game until a few years later. it so perfectly encapsulates that late-90s vibe, the last time in history where you learned things about games by word-of-mouth, because there was no internet. i can still remember my older cousin showing me the branching path on corneria--"save falco with a bomb before the ring section, then fly through all the rings, and you go to sector y". mind blown lol. i have played the game for more hours than i could imagine, as a child, teenager, at boring college parties, and now as a married adult, just when i am feeling that SF64 itch. i know a lot of my love for it is nostalgia-based, but i also think it's a great representation of some of the things that made that era so great.
31:59 "because when you cut them open, passion bleed"
holy shit that was powerful, what a cool way to convey the greatness of Starfox 64
Its crazy to think star fox could have been one of their top 5 ips. I still have hope it can be reborn.
I swear, anytime people mention the ground missions in Assault they can't help but compare them to the equally samey on-rails Arwing levels and say they're bad compared to them because of inconsistent reasons as too why. It's like they can't admit they have a bias.
I'm pretty sure I outlined my problems with the ground missions pretty clearly. The objectives rarely change, the map design is bad for single player missions because they were designed for multiplayer, and they drag on too long. I also said I like the Sargasso station a lot, but the quality of the following missions stagnates or even declines afterwards. I was also critical of the on rails levels in Assault. While I prefer them to Assaults ground missions they're missing mechanics and features from 64 that leave them feeling mediocre in comparison. Hope that clears it up
@@wizawhat I do think the ground missions have potential along with the dramatic storytelling if Nintendo can find a way to do it correctly.
I absolutely loved Star Fox Command when I was in middle school. I loved the ability to strategize which character goes into what battle. I loved being able to fly as multiple different characters per mission. I actually didn't care for the story much at all, but that didn't matter! The game was a genuine Nintendo DS classic as far as I'm concerned.
An underrated feature imo is how every time I got an ending, the intro mission was more difficult. It was a feature made for replayability and high-scores in mind, and child me was truly all for that... except for the fact that I was also the only one I knew who actually cared for it
I always get this impression that Star Fox 64 is the only Star Fox game.
It's a reimagining of the original, Zero is another re-tread, and the others don't count. At least that's what all the TH-cam videos feel like they're saying.
Glad to see a much-deserved deep dive into each game!
the fanbase constantly circle jerks 64 so ya
The others dont count WRONG they absolutely do adventures and assault are literally the two sequels to star fox 64 REBOOT continuity story straight up
Zero how ever is another reboot universe
So just like Zelda Star fox has 3 timelines one original and two reboots
Wow. What an absolutely incredible video man. I can obviously tell how huge of an undertaking it was but you absolutely destroyed it. I watched every minute of it from start to finish and I was glued to my seat the entire time. It's very rare for me to do that with long form content on TH-cam, but that just goes to show how interesting and informative this was. Star Fox has been on a wild run and I feel like I've enjoyed the disliked games in the series more than others so it's nice to hear that perspective from someone else while also recognizing the flaws in so many of them. I don't think Zero will be the last we see of Fox and friends but I imagine we'll be waiting a while. I'll be there day 1 whenever they do return though.
Wonderful job once again!
Thank you so much!! :')
Harsh on Assaults. Honestly, it was maybe my favorite entry.
I loved the hybrid gameplay of jumping in-and-out.
I think its just...indicative of Nintendo's design ethos of gameplay-gimic first and then game second, when some games, we DO just want an iteration on.
Starfox starting as a tech demo that becomes a full game, it was never a franchise until we asked for more of the same.
*Star Fox has been left to languish on the vine by Nintendo*
"Fine, I'll do it myself"
*Fox In Space team*
As a long time starfox fan, I’m kinda sad that…the series can’t move beyond what 64 had placed. This is why I liked that of starfox adventures and assault with telling a different story and a new adventure fox goes on, beyond after defeating andross. By a storyline time plate. Assault had heart, despite the sound design.
I never played 64, on the original system, but an emulation…I’ve played zero, which was another reskin of 64. I was going to be impressed…but the sad fate was the controls. But I saw what they were trying.
If metroid prime and Zelda can go beyond what the n64 had…then starfox can have that piece one day.
I love starfox… I want the series to improve and go beyond what it was. That’s what zero and even starlink had.
Great video my guy, I enjoyed your take on a series that we fans love.
My ideal Star Fox game.
-New Galaxy/Story/Villain (please no more Andross)
-Skill-based Events from 64
-Traditional gameplay with the Arwing, Landmaster, Blue Marine like in 64
-On-foot segments like in Assault (but better controls)
-Star Fox 2 RTS like option
-Some good ol' fanservice like in Zero
-Expanded character options like in Command (but less fan-fiction)
-Multiplayer (local and online)
Edit: I'm including machine customization because that's always cool
I want a new villain but what's the issue with Andross but people accept bowser, king k rool and Ganondorf every game
@@thegreatestever913 Different reasons for each one.
Bowser has the benefit of existing in the Mario universe where things are a lot more cartoonish in their approach so Bowser is less a villain and more a foil. On top of having a highly charismatic character and design.
Ganondorf is a very lore-accurate recycling so there's justification for that but on top of that he always evolves and is never quite the same as a previous iteration in most situations.
K. Rool is somewhat similar to both to where he never is quite the same and almost always has a new scheme and theme to match with it. But on top of that, K. Rool is just more rare to come across.
Andross doesn't have most of those benefits. Star Wars presents itself as more of an epic than a colorful adventure and Andross rarely changes in any of his very few iterations. Additionally, Star Fox takes place in space. You have a whole universe to explore. Why not do that? Give yourself new villains with new plots and new ways to defeat them instead of fighting a giant face.
I'd wager a lot of people are also still kind of sour about Andross just yoinking the final boss status in Star Fox Adventures. It's an old wound, but it's still there for some.
Hit every nail on the head. I would also argue in favor of bringing sprites back, if only for dialog boxes, a la Star Fox 2. That game had the best sprites for its characters. I absolutely love Star Fox 2, though, so I could just be massive shill.
💯 % facts
@@SteelandSouls sounds like an excuse to me. If people are content with repetitive villains from their games, don't hate on Andross coming back
This is an amazing retrospective and I can see your passion for this franchise. While I'm not at the same level I can easily say I'm a big Star Fox fan (I skipped out on Zero because of the unanimously panned control scheme). Like many, my first Star Fox game was SF64, and I played the hell out of it. But, it's unironically not my favorite. That would actually go to Assault. Considering your mostly negative outlook on it I'd like to take the time to state my case for it. My hope from post is to show my perspective and perhaps come to an understanding from someone who genuinely loves Assault more than 64.
I like Adventures. In fact I was very excited to play it when it was first announced. The idea of Fox being in both an Arwing and also doing ground combat just felt like the natural step after Star Fox 64. Whether it was due to influence of Fox/Falco's moveset in Smash, or being influenced by other games, I was never one of those people that believed Fox needs to stay in the cockpit. That said, I felt Adventures was too much of a Zelda Clone than actually having it's own identity.
Assault however, changed that. In fact, Assault to me felt like an answer to the criticisms of Adventures while also bringing back the 64 gameplay. Long story short, it was a marriage of two very different styles of gameplay and I feel it did that very well. As good as 64 is, one of my biggest complaints about it is the vehicles all feel the same. The Arwing, Landmaster, and Blue Marine all control and shoot the same way and do not provide a different experience. Assault changed that, and the Landmaster actually feels like the tank it was meant to be, devastating ground units even better than the Arwing can. While the On-foot missions makes you highly vulnerable to gun fire having you prioritize killing your foes quickly and dodging attacks. The fact you're so vulnerable on foot makes you appreciate the sheer power of the Landmaster, while the slowness of the Landmaster makes you appreciate the free flight of the Arwing. Every mode of gameplay feels unique in of itself.
The story is also something I highly appreciate. While I do agree Krystal feels tacked on, I disagree her inclusion at all was bad. I feel she as a character is serviceable, and helps improve the dynamics of the team by being a psychic. But moving on from Krystal, the dynamics of Star Fox, the general expansion of Star Fox, General Pepper, and Corneria in general, are hugely welcomed to me and is top tier stuff for Nintendo. Star Fox is one of the few franchises lets us follow our favorite characters and see them advance, and everything that was done here just feels very natural.
Now, there are some criticisms I have to apply to your take on Assault. For one, you stated that Assault does a bait 'n switch by featuring the next mission as a grounded mission. This isn't true in the slightest. If you didn't see various news outlets talking about the implemented ground combat, Assault's very own opening clearly shows single player clips of Fox on a foot missions. Next, I can't agree with you saying Assault sounds bad. I do agree to disagree, but since it was passed off as factual in your video, I felt the need to address.
Lastly, is the general slowness you have a negative reception about, combined with your runtime on Mission 9. You stated the Aparoid Homeworld mission took you over 20 minutes to complete. It took me 10 minutes my first time around. While that was a longer mission than the rest, it's also one of those most objective-heavy missions and the largest sandbox area, with difficult enemies that you have to handle on foot. And that's how it is with the majority of these open sandbox missions. There are objectives that need to be completed and you need to blast your way through it with your arsenal of weapons. These missions didn't feel slow to me at all, because I'm always progressing to my objective, and the combat is very frantic with snap decisions needing to be made when your team is in trouble.
I also really, really, really enjoyed the final level and thought the final boss was superb.
Assault is my most played Star Fox game, with 64 right behind it. Funnily enough, I'm very lukewarm on Command because it feels like a step back from the direction they were going since Adventures. Though I do think Command is a good game on it's own merits, it's my least favorite within the franchise that I've played.
Overall I think there's always going to be two camps when it comes to Star Fox Assault: The ones who want Star Fox 64, but better. And the ones who are happy with the franchise expanding the Star Fox formula by adding more methods of gameplay. I'm not going to assume which camp you're in, but I'm in the latter.
I myself am in the second camp as it is the more logical of the two that is easier to do. Besides we’ve already had remakes with 64. We don’t need more, we need growth for the series! New stuff, new characters, new story, just an overall good game for Star fox that’s fresh is what we need and want!
I'm a newer fan but i gotta agree. Ppl gotta let 64 go, at least a little bit lol. It's really strangling the franchise, and not in the "always gotta innovate gameplay like good ol Nintendo always does" way. I feel with the kinds of characters and worlds this series has, yes having them out of the cockpit at times is a natural step and the hybrid style should just be the new base expanded on. It's so weird seeing a lot of the fanbase want regression, not to say the pure on rail shooters are bad, but can you really say the series has staying potential that's worth making new entries on JUST that? I love me old school arcadey experiences, but imagine the alt universe where devs did just make SF64 but prettier and more stuff from 97 up to now. Might as well just live with ports. I mean even Panzer Dragoon took a wild (but beloved) shift and turned the same formula into an RPG after 2 games lol. But there's a lot more to build on and progress with the middle ground Assault was providing, I hope Nintendo opens their eyes and sees that. Also bring back Fay and Miyu with Krystal
@@MagillanicaLouM Yeah!! Big agreement!
As a fellow Star Fox fan whom also views Star Fox 64 as one of the greatest games ever made and one of my all time favorites, I'm fully able to appreciate Star Fox: Adventures for what it is even though as I've matured I realize this game should've remained as a brand new IP instead of being happy it was a Star Fox title when I was much younger, but Assault has always and will always be a favorite of mine, and I genuinely do not get the hate it receives at all.
Air, land, and on foot combat is exactly what I wanted from this game and I was overally satisfied, but what I did not expect was such a harrow, grim, and gripping story showcasing such a fearsome new enemy called the Aparoids. While the game is very short lived, which is one of my biggest criticisms with it, it truly felt like the stakes were extremely high and there was tangible risk to seeing many of our favorite characters potentially infected or killed off. When the story concluded, while I was left wanting more, I felt pretty satisfied with what I experienced and it felt like this franchise had finally evolved and pushed forward.
The fact that so much of the fandom doesn't like this game and doesn't feel this way at all, makes absolutely no sense to me, but I will say the fact this franchise keeps repeating the exact same story over and over and isn't trying anything new or taking risks like Assault did, is quite frankly irritating. Whether this is because of Nintendo's lack of vison or care for IP, or the fact the fandom is steering them in the wrong direction like the Sonic fandom is for SEGA, I honestly can't say, but either way it is really starting to piss me off.
Mechanics of assault brought to life again with better controls would be a win imo
Star fox is a childhood favorite! Had fun playing them all, even mucking around with the dinosaurs and all
Starfox Zero is the reason I haven't sold my Wii U. Yep, there are a few of us who love that game. I ended up getting used to the controllers and it was the most fun I had with a Starfox since the days of 64.
An awesome look back at the series, thank you for making it!
I know Im very late to the discussion here but some of my thoughts: Starfox 64 is perfect in its own way, it doesn't shoot for anything super high, it just absolutely nails what it does. That's what makes it so great. Everything from the pacing, level design, music, light story. It all nails exactly what they set out to do.
I think starfox's biggest failing is that it for some reason got the idea that this wasn't good enough. Why upgrade what already works so well? Why on earth did they constantly try and beat new systems and gameplay mechanics into a game that didn't need it?
I'd even argue against your point that the game need aiming independent of the ships movement. That's how these fighter ships are supposed to work. What makes any ship dogfighting game great is wrangling your ship around and lining up your enemy in your sights. Hell, movies even try their best to show this! Watch any film with a dogfight scene and you'll see so much of the action and tension is based around that.
Independent aiming is a massive detraction from the game and starfox zero shows this. Starfox needs to go back to basics. It doesn't need to aim higher because its already fantastic.
I disagree but think you have fairly solid argument against independent aim. I do think independent aim is fun if handled correctly, and if we were to receive the same type of game without many changes over and over again, we would see diminishing returns
It's so frustrating being a Star Fox fan. You can see the potential and greatness awaiting to be unlocked in a expanded universe like the Lylat System, but no one as of yet has been able to tap into that potential. Games like Starlink had glimpses of that great evolution awaiting to be born, and i truly believe an incredible Star Fox game is out there somewhere. You hit the nail on the head about a dedicated team. Much like the Metroid series Star Fox needs it's Retro Studios or Mercury Steam. A dedicated passionate team of developers who can identify the elements core to the Star Fox experience, and are capable of bringing those elements that resonate with fans and newcomers alike into a brand new captivating experience.
Starfox continues to be one of my favorite nintendo franchises. But I have a knack for jank and experimentation. At its core, I love starfox for being a branching path arcadey experience, but I'm down for anything it wants to try out.
Regarding Namco's involvement with Assault, None of the Directors had worked on any Ace Combat beforehand, and infact only one of them went on to help out with later games in the series, those being Ace Combat 6 and Assault Horizon, both extremely polarizing games in their series (even if I think 6 is fantastic.)
Ace Combat 6 is the only one that I've enjoyed actually playing, as someone who does not own any peripheral control options: just a gamepad.
Star Fox in Starlink was the greatest and saddest experience for me. Since Star Fox 64 I've wanted something like this and it was glorious. I really hope something comes in the future that has vision and is cutting edge.
I just bought Starlink this month cause it was on sale and it interested me, and also bc Wolf and Fox in Brawl and Ultimate are my favorite character design wise
I feel bad I didn’t really grow up with Star Fox as much as I did Legend of Zelda/Twilight Princess
Yeah, Starlink was literally the Star Fox evolution from Zero that I was looking for. Just make it a lot less fetch quest-y, and BOOM! New Star Fox title.
Maybe, if it had been a success, Nintendo might've felt more encouraged to make a SF like that game. But, it failed, unfortunately.
Star Fox Zero is honestly my favorite entry in the franchise. But, and this is a big but, it needed to grow on me. And honestly it took even longer than my first playthrough. I finished the game, and was dissatisfied. That's bad. Really bad. And I totally get why reviewers ripped on it. That being said, after I had my fill of StarLink I was hungry for more Star Fox and I knew that I had given the least amount of time to Zero.
My opinion totally flipped. As I got better, as I got closer to 100%, I loved it more and more. It's a hard ask, and it's not like it was marketed like a Dark Souls game. It's made for all ages to supposedly pick up and enjoy. But to any Zero haters out there, if you can, give it another chance. You might be surprised at what you find.
100% agree. I think the obtuse ship controls actually pulled me in and made me more in-tune with the pilot. I tend to appreciate the controls as an artistic choice rather than diluting it down to "bad controls". I think with the controls, they were aiming for a "difficult to control, satisfying to master" mentality, similar to actual flying.
It's interesting because you hear a lot of "artistic integrity" in regards to art style, but rarely with the controls themselves. Reminds me of Ico and how the devs force you to keep the trigger held when "holding" Yorda's hand. Easy controls ≠ Good controls.
I used to play Star Fox 64 with my dad when he came home from work in the morning. I'd play it over and over until I realized you can change paths and discover other planets. But what I remember most was the second battle with Star Wolf when they are bandaged up and injured. I was like..I did that to them...I felt so bad and Leons face scared me too...Playing Star Fox reminds me of my relationship with my Dad, I have that connection to Fox.
I think Nintendo also just doesn't like doing futuristic sci-fi stuff. Think of their most neglected IPs, Custom Robo, F-Zero, StarFox, Mother/Earthbound, and until VERY recently, Metroid.
IDK if they just don't like it or they think it's hard to do, or they figure the other companies will do it. It's weird.
Amazing video, your passion for the series really showed here! Star Fox was always one of my favourite franchises as a kid, I played through Star Fox 64 countless times and loved Adventures & Assault in spite of their flaws. Hopefully one day this series will get the redemption it truly deserves 🙏
He has no passion for the series, he has passion for Star Fox 64 💀
Just to let you know. Your channel will go through the roof at some point in the future. The quality and heart of your videos are simply too good.
You forgot Starlink: Battle For Atlas.
Not really a Star Fox game, but all the Star Fox DLC that they threw in there makes it worth at least mentioning.
This franchise has and still will be in my heart till the day I die
I remember picking up the Wii and going to the virtual console getting things like star fox adventures assault
And many other things.
I even made fan art of the cast too.
The 30th anniversary hit and I was expecting something big something out of the world but my expectations were crushed like a broken landmaster as Nintendo has continually been pushing out fire emblem xenoblade and many others in the market.
I want people of this generation to know this franchise and people to understand what made snes really popular.
That’s why I see people on tik tok TH-cam and even facebook still support this series to this day
And we will forever keep this series alive even if it kills us.
ONE more chance? it deserves as many chances as it dam well needs
As someone whose experience with this series pales in comparison to so many others', I will say without any hesitation that this was incredibly captivating stuff, start to finish, Steve. You always manage to take the personal insight and bring it to an approachable level. These stories you share, these experiences will always resonate and connect with everyone who watches your stuff. So keep at it, sir. Looking forward to your next blockbuster. Take care out there.
It’s 2023 and these characters are still my favorite and I’m still hopeful we’ll see more ports and new entries.
You went above and beyond on this one. Absolutely 🔥 editing and fantastic deep dive.
I'm so glad ya got to check all of these out. I remember the first Star Fox games really fondly growing up and I loved how fast they were like you mentioned. The replayability was great.
I was actually surprised to hear about twin-stick shooting capability because of my older experience with flight sims that sounded so odd at first but can totally see that! I would love to see a refined version of that OR leaning more into flight sim territory with the all range you discussed.
Great video! But man, if I had more time I would type down a whole rant detailing the disagreements I have with the Starfox Assault sections of this video. I have been calling that game underrated since the day it came out and I saw a magazine calling it "mediocre".
It's not a masterpiece, but that's mostly because of the awkward controls and lack of balance with it's multiplayer features. The actual template that the game set was absolutely a natural step forward for the Starfox series, and I've always been really sad that they never made a sequel that refined what it brought to the table.
I went over this in more detail in another comment, but here I'll just say that I would be more than open to another attempt at the Assault style. If the single player levels weren't repurpose multiplayer maps, I think my opinion on the game would be significantly different
Wow! Just Wow! I could never put into words how much this video means to me. StarFox is my 3rd favorite Nintendo franchise and it saddens me how it’s all but disappeared these past several years. I’m going to take a bold step here and say StarFox Adventures is my favorite game of the franchise. The game had a very long playtime, the graphics were outstanding, and the voice acting was (for the most part) spot on, although I thought that Dino language was stupid. Despite a few plot holes I really enjoyed the story. Krystal I believe was a nice addition to the team. I agree completely that the character has a story that’s worth exploring in future games. However I absolutely despise how her character was completely obliterated in StarFox Command and I really really really wish that game never came to be. Because of StarFox command who knows if we’ll ever get answers to her past, such as her parents, her home world Cerinia and ultimately what caused her planet’s destruction. Krystal admittedly needs to find a function within the StarFox team and be more than a love interest, and it made me really sad how she wasn’t present in StarFox Zero. Again the amount of time and effort you put into this video cannot be overstated, so thank you for everything in this video. 1000% I agree that StarFox deserves another chance and I hope this masterpiece renews interest into the franchise.
Ragging on Krystal while praising the cast of 64 for being 1 dimensional was very pot meet kettle. If anything Krystal is one of the more layered characters being she isn't nailed down to one trait and conveys a few fairly consistently. I can agree that being a love interest drowned a lot of them out, especially since she was meant to be a protagonist and therefore has traits that are more muted. Besides, Fox is the plainest of them all and gets a pass. Command's Krystal was a bastardization because it erased all the traits she had and made her only about her relationship with Fox. No lost homeworld, no calm demeanor, no telepathy empathic traits. Only to be removed altogether for Zero being that is what fans wanted of her at the time.
@@Z95HeadHunter well Fox hurt Krystal in Command and besides in Command u could pick your own ending, idk why so many people hate it wen u can choose your own route wen Fox and Krystal settle down and have a son
@@thegreatestever913 I think a major part of it is that command has the unfortunate fate of being the end of the 64 timeline and its the last time any of the non 64 characters ever appeared.
Nintendo developers even said they would've just did something else for the story and ignore all the endings. If they had followed through with a 64/assault sequel on the wii shortly after it probably would've lessened the blow but instead they hit the reset button with zero and nobody knows what will happen now.
And yeah fox did hurt her but the why and how was stupid as he was fine throughout assault letting her risk her life against the videogame equivalent of the borg.
It also makes Fox look bad as he didnt mind the possibility of slippy, falco, peppy(who has family he didnt mention during the other games), rob, and more risking their lives to stop the aparoids or getting into fights with star wolf. If he was on the verge of marriage or Krystal had been pregnant with Marcus or something it would've made atleast a little more sense that he wouldn't want her in harms way so strongly.
You're right in that they do have happy endings but there are also several where Krystal's whole defining characteristic is that she's Fox' spiteful ex girlfriend and her leaving emotionally destroys him completely. She doesn't try and be her own character finding herself in the galaxy as she just goes and joins star wolf or get with the only other man in the series who showed interest in her.
Them having relationship issues isnt a problem rather just how mean spirited and spiteful they're in command and how much of the plot revolves around it.
@@superbrainz2357 well look how close everyone came to dying in the Aparoid war, Pepper, Peppy, Star Wolf, Tricky etc...before the Aparoids Star Fox never had THAT much risk
*edit but people can choose their own ending, as far as Zero...the creator said if Star Fox Zero gets a sequel he'll like to have Krystal in it
@@thegreatestever913 True but all the others disbanded of their own accord yet Fox has to kick Krystal off the team. It's a little better in the japanese text because Krystal leaves on her own because Fox kept pestering her about her safety and she's a lot less mean.
It also raises questions for some other endings with Fox being fine with his old/new comrades fighting the anglars in some paths and be fine with his own son leading the next star fox despite the fact he wouldn't let Krystal stay on.
I've heard about them wanting to include her after zero but I have to wonder how?
Will we get another adventures remake of a game or will she be introduced another way which raises a lot of questions of how to do it since her story will than have to be reworked.
What an amazing piece of work that you’ve created, thank you!! I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. It really choked me up as you seem like such a wicked guy. Your mother obviously did a great job. Hope to see more content (and Star fox)
This was such a passionate and thorough deep dive, I enjoyed it immensely!
Damn that intro sequence was clean. Great video. I played starfox 64 to the point I'd do entire play through without taking critical damage. Man I love these games but 64 will always be my love.
I don't know why people hated Adventures, honestly I loved Adventures cause it honestly gave me the collect-a-thon feel of Donkey Kong 64 and the combat of LoZ. And when it lead into Assault it honestly felt like it was deserved. I mean in Adventures you got a run down Great Fox cause with Andross gone, you ain't getting much mercenary work with Corneria. So outside of slight off jobs, you're just bleeding money and getting slightly stagnant.
Then after the events of Adventures you not only get a new squad-mate given how Peppy is your eldest pilot meaning that he's to old to handle the Arwing so Krystal takes his place, you rescued a prince of a planet and recieved not only money for that from the Dinosaur Planet's government, but you also get funds from Corneria since it was a job issued by them. Great Fox gets a well deserved upgrade along with all the Arwings and the Landmasters as well as ROB. Then you got the Flood-I mean the Aparoids, and their introduction was truly terrifying. SPOILERS FROM HERE: I mean when you finally stick it to Andrew the Aparoids not only still your kill but they're already in numbers and the way ROB ominously repeats "APAROID! APAROID! APAROID!" shows that while Star Fox has never dealt with them before, somewhere in the Corneria military history, they've already battled them, and what happened to the fleet you was with opening up on that mission? Did the Aparoids grind them down or did they just ignore them and come straight to the surface to scare us off? We don't know but the Aparoids as the antagonist besides dealing with Star Wolf was a nice touch in my personal opinion
Hear me out. A co-op follow up sequel to Assault where up to 4 players can play as each of the cast members.
Each team member can have different different on rails paths and win conditions within the same levels. Each can have their own dialogue and hidden sequences. And best of all, for single player, the player could choose another character to experience their path and contributions after completing a solo run with Fox. Imagine the possibilities--the extra comradery and dynamics that could be built between the characters and the players by working together as a team, and having the win conditions reflect the effectiveness of Star Fox's teamwork. Imagine the rich possibilities of simultaneous perspectives on the same events. Imagine how the vastness of multiple paths would allow for different gameplay--vehicles, and on foot options--without them being so dominant they distract from the primary form of Arwing combat. Imagine the replayability for hardcore fans who want to experience Star Fox in different ways.
I think that would be a fantastic continuation of the universe that evolves the story of Lylat, and progresses the gameplay formula in a meaningful way while still resting on the strong Star Fox foundation that we've all come to know and love.
Assault is my favorite star fox game specifically because of the blend of arwing and on foot missions.
As a kid, Star Fox 64 was probably the first game to teach me a valuable lesson: Replay value (get it?)
I didn't just play the game, fail countless times, get to the end and wash my hands of it; I kept coming back thinking "how do I get to that big red Z planet on the map? Or what if I save slippy before he gets swatted like a fly in sector X? What's with those blue rings in Meteo?" The games design drove my curiosity and was rewarded more than once (I think it took me like 7 years until I figured out there was a SUBMARINE MISSION)
Although it's hard to tell if a new Star Fox can replicate the same feeling today. with the advent of the internet and live-streaming, a lot of those hidden secrets are laid bare before most people even get their hands on a new title. But I definitely hope Nintendo will bring back one of my favorite sci-fi franchises and this video reaffirms those hopes, Nice work, man. You earned yourself a new subscriber!
That reminds me of when I had no idea how to get to Sector Y. It was one of the first things I ever looked up online.
There's a submarine mission?
Assault really is a better game than it gets credit for, I didn't overly like it back in the day, annoyed at the lack of Star Fox's main thing, flying. I still think that was a bad design choice to have so little of the main appeal, but the game is still amazing. The music is orchestrated and fantastic, the voice being tinny, well they're still talking over radios for most of it. I could tear into the problems I have with the game, but it's positives outweigh them by a large amount. The biggest and most crucial thing to note, is the default on-foot controls suck, but you can change it to be a more traditional 3rd person twin stick shooter, for some reason your land master controls are soldered on the on foot controls, so the land master is going to control oddly, but it's easier to deal with bad tank controls for 10% of the game's land master sections than actual tank controls for the 70% of the game's on foot sections.
As long Command gets retcannoned, there will always be hope.
In Star Fox 2, your chosen wingmate was mostly an alternate character you could swap to. Either for health reasons, or abilities of said character.
Incredible video. I love Star Fox so much, and I love to see this kind of love to a series this dear to my heart. Thank you for this
i will say this: when you grow up only having played Assault and Command, they are REALLY fun games. i was really confused to grow up and realized they were some of the most hated or forgettable nintendo games.
same with grabbed by the ghoulies. weirdly grew up loving a lot of those common 'hated games'.
I honestly hope with all my heart that some developer at Nintendo has seen this video, especially the Zero part.
This series honestly has quite a bit of unlocked potential and it really pains me that one of my favorite Nintendo series can't evolve like their other titles.
I want to play another Star Fox game that will inspire me.
I'm still so sad Nintendo didn't try and expand Assault and what that story set up and went into a completely weird direction with Command. Really, they could have simply made a Ratchet and Clank clone with more missions and planets to explore, and even more flying missions in between, add sort of a "Dark Side" plot (like Sonic did that one time) and give us playable Star Wolf, and there you go. This is an idea I had years ago, and I'm really sad that Nintendo doesn't see it. There is so much potential for the series it's crazy.
But oh well, I'll keep my hope alive. Someday surely. Metroid made a huge comeback, maybe now it's time for Nintendo's other sci-fi IP to come back in a big way.
I don't agree with you framing Starfox Assault's audio design as "terrible". I'm sorry but I think you missed the point of aesthetic decisions. The sound of their voices is not "badly designed", but tailored to work as a Sci-Fi style aesthetic, with FXs phasing, chorusing (etc) added to the crew's voices to make them more synthetic. This IP was, after all, a star wars-esque game from Nintendo.
I think this might be my favorite Star fox related video so far. Great work on the editing, I find I agree with just about all of it (I haven't played Command) and I appreciate all the dev interviews used throughout to add some more context.
Yes!! Glad you talked about one of my favorite games, Ill be watching this in my free time but Im just glad you uploaded!
38:39 - That's a bold take you have regarding Krystal. Be careful not to say that on the _Star Fox_ subreddit or certain fanart sites, though. They're very protective of their patron blue fox idol.
Joking aside I do see why you feel Krystal is a bland, inconsistent character across all the games she appears in. Part of this is due to the awkward changes her character went through when _Dinosaur Planet_ transitioned to accommodate being part of the _Star Fox_ series. Based on recently leaked game builds and design documents of Rare's original concept for _Dinosaur Planet_ she was meant to share the protagonist role with Fox (who at the time was called Saber). There was also a surprising amount of backstory regarding her being raised by a wolf wizard Randorn after her parents and tribe were killed as well as a deeper connection with the Krazoa and open feelings towards Fox. Almost all of that backstory and agency within the narrative was gutted to ship the game before Rare was acquired by Microsoft in 2002. This resulted in her being a blank slate with only a few lines in the instruction booklet providing only a slight connection to the game she was once a lead character in.
That's not to say the rest of the series hasn't avoided this fate as well. Although Fox and the other main cast play their archetypes well in _Star Fox 64_ the future entries don't carry that consistency or growth as the timeline progressed. They remained mostly static characters that Nintendo would awkwardly try stapling new traits or personalities onto for different games, no matter how inappropriate or inconsistent it would be. Even certain character backstories like Fox's were made more confusing by trying to incorporate elements of the Nintendo Power _Star Fox_ comics with little context or relevance to the main series' plot. For expansive space operas and adventure series this lack of clear continuity and stable character development actively hinders potential growth and can lead to rapid stagnation. _Star Fox Zero_ is a prime example of what happens when the writers have very little idea what direction they want their world and characters to go in, so they just "reimagine" the origin story and hope they can recapture the magic.
This re-treading of the same premise from the first _Star Fox_ is the main reason I think the series has been suffering. While its had its missteps with gameplay choices in _Adventures, Assault,_ and _Command_ they at least tried advancing the timeline forward and showing how events have impacted the characters and the world. They haven't been very successful (due mostly to Nintendo prioritizing gameplay and viewing the story mostly as an afterthought) but the attempts made show that there is still great potential to make this weird space adventure setting and its cast of anthropomorphic heroes one of the major selling points. Nintendo has all the right tools to make this series a quirky, endearing space opera in the same vein as the early _Ratchet and Clank_ games, but their design philosophy of refining only what works, removing the rest, and resetting the narrative back to square one is actively killing any chance this series has of reaching its full potential.
Which is really sad, because the _Star Fox_ fan community has been putting out content that actively explores the setting with these approaches in mind. Two fan games in particular have drawn upon all aspects of available _Star Fox_ lore and crafted them into compelling narratives with equally engaging gameplay. _Star Fox : Event Horizon_ vastly expands the many Lylat Conflicts of the first few games into _Ace Combat_ styled full-on war stories with heavy emphasis on character interactions and motivations, with both Andross and Pepper being given greater depth to their actions. _Star Fox Rem-Adventures_ focuses more exclusively on re-telling _Adventures'_ story through a _Breath of the Wild_ approach to open world exploration and combat as well as restoring Krystal's role of dual protagonist alongside Fox. A number of other elements and backstory cut from _Dinosaur Planet_ are also added back in along with new ones to flesh out the entire Star Fox team as they work together to survive a more perilous version of their mission to save Sauria. Both are still in active development but have received great support from the online _Star Fox_ community, with Estelle Ellis, the first English voice actor for Krystal, happily coming out of retirement to reprise her role for both projects.
I sincerely hope that Nintendo looks at what dedicated fans like these have done for expanding the potential lore and story opportunities instead of their nostalgia for the old gameplay loop they enjoyed in the 90's. _Star Fox 64_ and its rail shooter elements will always hold a special place in my heart, but just like the sci-fi shows it draws inspiration from, it needs to thoughtfully adapt with the times and its audiences. Otherwise, it will end up another dusty relic in Nintendo's catalog.
I sincerely hope Nintendo does NOT look too much at what fans did with the franchise, or the next game will be 100% furry fanservice lol
They destroyed Krystal in Assault and Command. Fuckin' Kursed lmao.
I think virtually everyone agrees with what this video says: that Krystal was an interesting character that was gutted and butchered in the transition to Star Fox and then horribly wasted and ruined by the time of Command. She's ironically a microcosm of what happened to the entire series.
@@RezaQin I thought she was decent in assault.
Command, especially in the english localizations, cranked up her woman scorned meter to 300% and had her try and defend ANDROSS of all people or bang panther (conviently the only other male character who has expressed interest in her) who seems to have lost a few braincells since the aparoid invasion.
Fox is also terrible in command for the sake of stupid drama.
@@UndyingNephalim I don't think we should concede that she was still a good character who had moments in Adventures and Assault. I can agree that she was underutilized, that she was bad? No. That she was the worst?? Fuck no. We shouldn't be so willing to make concessions on any character whose continuity in StarFox is very much in question, which applies to pretty much every character outside 64 and really even Bill and Katt for that matter.
This was an excellent video. Good work. One of the best takeaways I got was that even if a game is "bad" you don't need anyone's permission to be unapologetically in love with it.
I love so many "bad" games. Battle Hunter, Virtual Hydlide, Surge, the entire virtual boy and Nokia ngage library and others.
Your enthusiasm is contagious and you made me replay the original Star Fox.
That's awesome! Thanks for watching :)
Fantastic video! Thank you for your efforts into this and the upload.
Assault is my favorite Star Fox game. Goated
Pretty good video. While I disagree with your opinion of Krystal (I guess it's because I'm more okay with one note characters since I don't have Star Fox as in high regard as you) and I think the assault villains where like that on purpose given the type of enemies they are (hiveminds that assimilate everything they basically touch should 100% not be as entertaining as a mad scientist like Andross). Still overall good.
I loved assault. It was my fave regardless. I grew up on 64 but assault was just too good. I think I'll play it again.
Glad that you're back man, props for pulling through
Fantastic video. Would love to see more of these exposés in the future!
the funny thing about the venom star wolf encounter, as probably other comments will have pointed out, is that if you take the red line the whole way through, then they will still appear on venom as if you had already defeated them, even though you never went to fichina lol. little plothole, but other than that, very good attention to detail from nintendo.
It so does! It needs a really good game to show that this series can be done well. Not a remake or again a reboot, just a damn SEQUEL! With original enemies, a new story line, bigger stakes, and returning favorite characters (KRYSTAL!) with good mechanics and systems.
I do appreciate the honest-yet-positive view of Zero.
I'm really glad that some people do appreciate Star Fox Zero. I remember playing it for the first time and being rather frustrated with the controls, but by the end of the game, I was having a great time. The game looks gorgeous and I love how they deepen the lore from the re-told 64 story.
I've always envisioned a new Star Fox game, whether they keep it on the rails or try to change it up, where it follows the storytelling of Sonic Adventure 2. You can choose to play as team Star Fox or team Star Wolf and at the end of it there's a final story where both sides work together to overcome the "true" villain. That's more from a storytelling perspective versus the gameplay side, but it could add even more replayability to the OG Star Fox formula that already encourages multiple playthroughs. It would encourage multiple playthroughs of both stories to get the full understanding of the story at play.
Star Fox Assault was a great game
Star fox adventure was my first entry into the series. It us the reason I still love starfox. The on rails shooter can only be done so much.
Thank you! I have heard way too many people bragging on the tightest on-rails controls features in SF64, and not nearly enough equal praise for Adventures' engrossing world, amazing lighting, stylish staff combat, and everything involving Krazoa Palace's atmosphere. I want to see more of this side!
@@TomBombadil515 People would have never hated that game had they just marketed it aggresively as "From the creators of Donkey Kong Country and Banjo Kazooie".
For a company that is so greedy, Nintendo sometimes doesn't seem to understand very basic things.
Your documentary and commentary on this was actually pretty good I am honestly impressed. I definitely enjoyed watching and listening to all of this, and I definitely wish that Star Fox, and F-Zero make a great comeback. Sorry to hear about your mom, and I hope that you are going to make the best out of your New Year.
Thank you so much!
What a well done retrospective. It's clear that a lot of work went into thus. Great job.
Wanted to say. I loved this video and really appreciated your words at the end. My mom died last November and I actually played through the whole Star Fox series to cope many years ago when my little brother died so this video hit in a different way. Hope you’re having a good day and thanks for this
I'm sorry for your loss and so glad this video could reach you. Thank you so much ❤
It's good to see that you are doing well. Remember that if you need to take a break from content creation, you can.
Love your game history insights and the quality of your videos
Fox being top tear in Competitive Melee really shows how much love is put into fox
I also believe it deserves a second chance, but I also think it should see somewhat of a reboot. Now, I'm saying they should get rid of the current cast, in fact, keep them and add Krystal as a new team member. What I mean when I say reboot is I'd like to see them add more to the game than just dogfights. In fact, I'd like them to take another stab at the Adventures formula but flesh it out into an epic story where Fox and friends explore different planets on foot with shooting mechanics similar to Assault, while also allowing the layer to call their R-Wing and traverse the landscape in its terrestrial mode. As for dogfights, they can be used between planets, maybe the main villains pick up on their trail and constantly try stopping them from reaching their destination, and heck, they can even throw in some dogfights on the actual planets. To me, while Star Fox's dogfights are fun, there still wasted potential when you have a team of pilots who are constantly traversing the galaxy and not letting them explore various planets. This is just my throughts though.
I would like to see them take a deeper dive into planetary exploration as well! Seems like it would be an interesting change of pace for longtime fans
@@wizawhat Yeah, something else I didn't mention was gyro controls during dogfights. The Joycons and pro controller both have gyro capabilities, and they're usually well suited for shooting sections in games.
I would love to see a better version of Adventures, although I do like the game, with you get to play as Fox and his friends: I had an idea thst it could be set up like Jet Force Gemini as far as planet exploring but also w/ them having strengths and weaknesses that requires backtracking, but not too much. I never understood why, in the original Adventures, Slippy couldn't accompany Fox on Dinasaur Planet. Yes, you could say that b/c they were low on funds they had to be generous with how much equipment they could spare but in the comic, Farewell, Beloved Falco, it had been 4 yrs since they werw able to find work and were in need of money but that didn't stop Fox from sending Slippy to investigate Titania's base-bad move on Fox's part, amongst other major problems with that book. Also, I can't find a reason for why they couldn't write Falco into the storyline. It says they couldn't properly incorporate him into the game at the time of its release but don't explain why. Falco is more than ok with letting Fox take the ground but will pull his weight in helping out-he could've given him different paths, dangerous but faster and give him clues how to haggle w/ the Shopkeeper's prices.
@@AshXXMayftw Star Fox is based on Arcade space shooters, which have always been short. How due you evolve a series when the games are short????? The problem is that Arcades have died in 2004. So there isn't any other examples of modern rail shooters for Star Fox to learn from.
Thankfully Arcade shooters are still a thing in indie games.
Thank you so much for this video, you made fell so many emotions! brilant work!
I could not agree more with your talk about Fox's father appearing to Fox in the end of 64 as one of the all-time greatest moments in gaming. The ultimate fusion between tense gameplay, art design, and story. Truly a peak in the artform. I am so glad I got to be a kid at that perfect time to have the game play a role in shaping my childhood.
As a long time starfox fan, I just wish the series would move away from starfox 64, as far as the story goes.
The past two games in the series has been a remake or a retelling of 64. I love starfox 64, but it's like half the series is a different spin on that same game.
What the series needs is a fresh new story, that goes back to the basic gameplay of starfox. No motion controls, or anything to do with command. Just a fun, simple game.
I still remember as a kid I hated Slippy so I shot him down once while playing Starfox 64. I felt so dumb after the Boss' health bar didn't show up. I immediately picked up it was him since he didn't say the whole "enemy shields analyzed "
And Starfox Adventures. When I ignore that its a Starfox game, I like it. And lol my nephew says all he remembers from this game was the floating dinosaur in the shop. And ohh (Im watching this in parts due to limited time) but Krystal... hmmmm as a kid going through puberty at the time, I was really into Krystal as you said, just for the looks. but now as an adult she's still cute but I just wish she had personality/got to explore her original story more
Assault. The sound was memorable. I didn't see it as a bad. When it comes to that weird sound? To the voices, I thought that was their attempt to modernize the radio comm effect. I saw it as intentional. I have played it recently and it didn't feel out of place or painful to listen to. The on foot 3rd person shooter sections, at least within my friend group, we all had the same reaction "What if Fox could get out the ship (We all ignored Fox leaving his ship in Adventures I'm realizing) But we were all so stoked for the on foot missions. Not to mention we spent countless of hours in the multiplayer mode. But the idea of a co-op introduced to the single player mode is lit. And if they are willing to try one last time to revive Starfox thats what I'd want to see. Not a rehashing of StarFox 64. If they want to bring it back, just make an HD (for a console, not handheld) release and finally move on and innovate the series.
1:01:30
Yeah. I seriously don’t get why they didn’t give Krystal a Spin-off title after a while.
@@danielramsey6141 I remember reading the intro to adventures and thinking they'd at least address what was said in the beginning and when it was never brought up I was like ok, definitely the next game. And then Assault felt like "we're back" into the real Starfox things. And I played Command but I really dont remember it. I just remember not liking it much sadly. But needless to say I've given up on trying to wait around to see if Krystal will get a story
I'm a StarFox fan, and to me it feels like being a fan of Indiana University (basketball and especially football), or the Cleveland Browns. You think the team (or game series) is getting somewhere, and then a catastrophic failure in one area or another brings it right back down. As a longtime IU fan, I'm quite used to the kind of "edge of your seat, 'NOOO!!'" "Going, Going, Nope," feeling of it all. Can't believe it's been more than 20 years. 17 years since the last unique entry in the StarFox series (some would say 18).
Amazing video as always! Thank you so much
I actually think the starfox command story is amazing in a way. First, I firmly believe batshit insane crazy non canon endings are kind of a big draw for multiple-choic-ending-style games like this. From a writers perspective as well as from a players. It's just really cool to explore some kind of bonkers what-ifs you know would never actually really happen. The ballad of Darth Kursed the Edgy is like, a prime example of why i love these.
But i also actually think the path they went for the canon fox/krystal story is, maybe not well written, but plausible.
Fox is a brash, a bit awkward, sometimes pretty headstrong dude with a lot of trauma issues and a tendency to stick to his guns, and head of a mercenary team with at least chaotic good moral flexibility. He is a good leader, but being able to realize his flaws and mistakes and wrong decisions in a team driven redemption arc is a big part of that. He is really likeable and a great protagonist, but he suffers from a lot of 'protagonist' character traits as well when it comes to how he lives his relationships to the people around him. He is also _really_ prone to quippy, provocative or snarky comments and one liners, almost reflexively.
Krystal is an ideologically motivated activist with really strong convictions going through a lot of her own shit, not least of all having those convictions challenged and skewered by what she keeps experiencing. She defines herself by what she not only believes, but believes to be _right_ ; And then defending and standing for that very passionately and unyieldingly. You also very correctly pointed out that she can be pretty shallow.
They hooked up after he decided he's gonna date her after only getting a saxophone accented upskirt of her while she was frozen in a crystal and he possessed, or shortly after thereoff, by an alien entity. After that they went through some intense shared experiences and more or less eloped.
So they are both tricky, headstrong personalitites prone to butt heads that have decent potential for both fundamental and really petty interpersonal conflicts; that got together under less than ideal circumstances in a way very lacking in personal communication and expecation management. They also obviously spent a good time apart from the team by the point of command, which robs fox of his biggest tool in realizing, admitting and overcoming wrong choices and personal flaws. Really, not a big surprise they got toxic. Sometimes that happens even to 'good' people under the wrong circumstances, and these two were kinda set up to end there with how things went.
So, all in all and with where they went for the writing (for bad or for worse, not saying any of it is 'good' per se), i actually think her first more or less cheating on him with panther (i mean it is _heavily_ implied) and then actually properly breaking off from him to hang with the punky rebels and be with panther in a decidedly less complicated, more gratification oriented relationship, professionally and personally, is actually one of the most realistic and character driven character arcs and writing in general Krystal recieved, like, ever. It makes her almost likeable. Well, if not that, then at least relatable.
And i find it pretty amazing that they went this way in lieu of, idk, romantic plot armor.
Really enjoyed your interpretation. I think upon further reflection, one of the most frustrating elements of Fox and Krystal's relationship in Command is that all the potentially interesting interaction takes place before Command. A lot of the tension feels unearned, boiled down to a couple of introductory paragraphs. I think I would've preferred to witness a story of tension building up between the two, with Krystal sticking to her convictions to chip away at the Fox suffering from main character syndrome. Make him more human in that way.
Assault is the best in the series. It is completely misleading to say adventure and assault were poorly received and sold poorly. Hardcore fans making posts online did not qualify as the majority, especiallyyyy back then.
Most reviews were positive, and sales were high. Assault had incredible multiplayer and it's ship levels were the best in the franchise imo.
👆 This right here GOAT
What an immaculate analysis on one of my favorite childhood franchises. Thanks for making my morning, wizawhat.
What an extremely well done video. Really enjoyed it, thank you! Hope to see more videos like these in the future.
I've got more plans to release other Nintendo series retrospectives like this one, this year!
This is not just an amazing retrospective, but also a consolidation of so much disperate info scattered across the web. Really puts into perspective the misteps this series has had.
And you hit the nail on the head with Zero. Your experience mirrors my own- I enjoy the game a lot despite its shortcomings, and I think all of the mechanics such as the more in-depth scoring, target lock and just more interesting all-range mission design are all good steps forward. I still prefer the simplicity of fixed aiming as opposed to independent, but I think combining the best elements from Zero and 64 would be a fantastic way to modernize the gameplay. Zero was so close to being great, just needed more fulfilling content and toning down some design decisions (Forced target lock on bosses is a BIG no-no)
I still don't know why they forced target lock in certain situations. They should've just made it a toggle on and off like the first 3D Zelda games if they didn't want people to have to hold the button down too long
@@wizawhat All good games usually have hold/toggle option, crotching in FPS games being a key one. It's just basic accessibility features Nintendo sorely lacks. I think despite your criticism of the minimap in 64, it does serve a good gameplay purpose beyond seeing enemies- Knowing where the map boundry is. Can't tell you the amount of times I've U-turned unexpectedly in Zero thanks to invisible boundries
@@DanStormVO Are people aware of the training mode of Zero, where you have an easier time understanding the controls????? Or the minus button that lets you swap two screens?????
While Starfox Zero has a really steep learning curve due to the controls, I personally find Wing damage in 64 to be far more annoying in comparison.
@@wizawhatthey forced it to further justify the gamepad, even if it means artificially creating scenarios that would need it.
Star fox is one of the best nintendo franchise. Honestly, i don’t think there is a single bad star fox game. I feel like it’s more Nintendo who doesn’t trust the franchise since the big flop of star fox Zero but this game was already doom because it was on the wii u and the controls are quite difficult to understand and master. I would like a port of zero on switch with better controls or obviously, a new star fox game.
The franchise as so much potential, especially since starlink, it opened my eyes that a free roaming star fox game with a balance of traditional linear missions and free roaming exploration of space and planet could be insanely cool.
This and f-zero shpuld be on wveryplayform