Star Fox series

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The Star Fox series (Japanese: スターフォックス) is one of Nintendo's many famous video game franchises. The first game in the series, developed by Argonaut, revolutionized the way Super Famicom and SNES games were made. Utilizing the power of the Super FX Chip, it created the first 3D-esque experience on a home console.

The Super FX Chip was an additional math co-processor that was built into the game pack and helped the Super Famicom and SNES render the game's graphics. The Super FX Chip has been used in other Super Famicom/SNES games as well, some with increased processing speed. It was later released in Europe as Starwing. Its sequel, Star Fox 64, further revolutionized the video game industry by being the first Nintendo 64 game to feature the Rumble Pak. It was later released in Europe as Lylat Wars. The Rumble Pak's concept is still used today, in modern consoles such as the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube.

The original game was a forward-scrolling 3D shooter. Later sequels have added more directional freedom as the series progressed.

1 Games
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

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Games

Image:StarFoxlogo.JPG

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Star Fox

Template:Main The first game in the series, Star Fox (Starwing in Europe), was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. Developed by Argonaut Software, it used the Super FX chip to simulate 3-D graphics when 2-D was the norm. In the world of Star Fox, Fox McCloud and his team take on Andross, who threatens to overthrow the Lylat System.

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Star Fox 2

Image:StarFox2logo.jpg Template:Main Star Fox 2 was the sequel to Star Fox, again developed by Argonaut. However, the game was never released even though it was completely finished, although many of its new ideas were implemented for the forthcoming Star Fox 64, such as the rival team Star Wolf, All-range-mode and a multiplayer mode.

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Star Fox 64

Template:Main Image:Sf64logo.jpg Released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64, Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars in Europe) was the next step in the series. Included in the game was the Rumble Pak as force feedback. It also introduced full spoken dialogue, fully three dimensional graphics, and new vehicles and characters. Star Fox 64 is often considered the beginning of the Star Fox canon, and is one of the more popular games in the series.

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Star Fox Adventures

Template:Main Image:Advlogo.jpg The next Star Fox game would not come about until Nintendo's next home console, the GameCube in 2002. Developed by Rare, Star Fox Adventures was a completely different and radical take on the series. Instead of being strictly a shooting game, it was now an adventure game, where Fox was armed with a mystical staff, although a few portions contain limited space shooting. Its roots can be traced to the cancelled video game Dinosaur Planet, which Rare was developing as one of the last Nintendo 64 games. Adventures also introduced new characters, such as Krystal and Prince Tricky. Adventures takes place eight years after the events of Star Fox 64, and was released to generally positive reviews.

Note: Star Fox and Star Fox 64 both had different names in Europe due to the copyright being already held on the name "Star Fox" before the games' releases. However, Nintendo bought the copyright out before the release of Star Fox Adventures so future games could be released worldwide with the same name.

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Star Fox: Assault

Template:Main Image:Assaultlogo.jpg Nintendo hired Namco as the developer for the next game, Star Fox: Assault. It was released in 2005, also for the GameCube. This time, the emphasis was on shooting again, but the game also has portions of on-foot missions. Assault takes place one year after Adventures, with the Aparoids becoming a new threat to the Lylat System. While returning to its roots, Assault was released to mixed reviews, with the main complaints being control problems.

Note: When Nintendo and Namco announced the new Star Fox game, it was scheduled for both the GameCube and the arcades, but the arcade version never materialized; it is unknown if the arcade was a direct port of the GameCube version, or meant to complement it.

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