star fox has a problem. It’s a problem faced by many games of the same genre and contemporaries – arcade-originated games that squeeze cash from hapless players. Of course, Star Fox was never actually an arcade game–but its direct spinoffs were definitely built that way, primarily to maximize player turnover and revenue.
Today, Star Fox turns 30—but it’s fair to say that for at least half of its existence, Fox McCloud’s adventures have been kinda nonsense. Or, well – maybe the bullshit is a little harsh. Let’s call them confused. what is the reason? Well, that’s the damn problem described above – it’s a structural problem.
You see, the best Star Fox games are short. Like I said, they’re structured like arcade games – similar in length to games like After Burner or Space Harrier, but equally similar in length to games like Time Crisis or House of the Dead. They are designed so that they can be completed within an hour, so even experienced players can walk away from the machine in a reasonable amount of time, freeing up the control panel and coin entry for new customers. The length is designed to appeal to arcade and laundromat owners first, and gamers second—a problem in the modern gaming landscape.
Nintendo knows this too. That’s why every Star Fox game since the turn of the century has some other gimmick to slow the pace down and fill it out. We’ve got Zelda clones, strategy layers, and of course the dreaded walking part–if not literally, in the form of deformed walking mechs. These things make up for the relative simplicity of the rail shooter action.
But there is a problem. This stuff, is mostly crap. Even if it’s not crap – Star Fox Adventures is pretty good, you know – that’s not really what I came to Star Fox for. That’s the problem with this series. Even Landmasters will find themselves firmly sandwiched between this particular rock and hard place pairing.
Incidentally, this is exactly the question that has plagued Sonic for years. The equation is different — the question is about the relative speed at which Sonic moves quickly through environment s that are costly to create — but the end result is the same. The Pants Alternative game mode is designed to fill the experience. Speed is Sonic’s greatest strength — and his greatest weakness. The same goes for the fast pace of Star Fox and other rail shooters. Hence the filling.
However, it’s magical when Star Fox doesn’t work things out. The fact that there are only three games in the series that actually follow this path, I can say, does say something. Especially Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars in Europe) is in my opinion one of the best and most complete game packs ever made – but you have to understand it from pressing start to seeing credits, you can only play about a max Hour.
Back in the day, that was okay. Games are usually short. Star Fox 64 isn’t boring, though — it has multiplayer, but also hidden gateways and triggers, medals to collect, interesting s tory branches, multiple paths, and several different ending permutations. As a kid, this was how I ended up playing Star Fox 64 as much as I played Mario 64 – I replayed the game over and over again, earning every medal, seeing every path, and learning the best way to make the levels melt. best way. I became obsessed with chasing high scores, shooting game end scenes with a film camera, scanning them, and posting them on forums.
There was a time in my life when I was a real little SF64 expert, posting some of the highest scores in the world. I know games like the back of my hand; I’ll play in a trance-like state, my lips tracing the outlines of the game’s signature voice-over melodrama as it lands, remembering every beat. Due to the highly choreographed nature of rail games, many of these moments still occur for the hundredth time. To this day, District 6 still gives goosebumps. If you know it, you know it.
I know some people have had the same experience with the 30-year-old original on the SNES. Both games are amazing for their simplicity (and great music), and they don’t require any gimmicks.
However, in our year of domination, 2023, it’s a bit taboo to release a game that’s several hours long – and that’s the problem. I really don’t think it should, as long as the user knows what they’re getting into, and as long as the content that’s been built is full of replay value – and not just in the form of free-form multiplayer packs.
30 years on – but I still think the core design that made Star Fox and its direct successor great works. Star Fox Zero for the Wii U is plagued by horrible controls and some rather dodgy morph-step sequences, but it at least understands not to exceed its popularity, lasting about five hours. But honestly, I think the really good Star Fox could stand even shorter if they wanted to – and for the 64, that might even be the secret to its success.
Star Fox needs to come back. And the first two games of the series need to be the template. We need to admit that short games are okay if designed properly, just like arcade classics. “Simplicity is the soul of wisdom”, all of that, right? OK – I quoted Shakespeare in an article about Star Fox. Now is definitely the time to log off. Nintendo: make a new one, make it better, eh? cheers.