Star Fox is a series that Nintendo seems to always forget exists. In its almost 30 years as a franchise, there have only been seven games. Instead, Fox is best known for being top tier in Super Smash Bros. Melee instead of as a character that actually has his own series — at least he isn’t as forgotten as poor Pit though. Unfortunately, with the reception the most recent game in the series got, it may be quite some time before we see Star Fox return again.
The Star Fox series started on the Super Nintendo where it used the system’s famous Super FX chip to create an impressive pseudo-3D environment. It is typically a rail shooter in which you fly through a variety of areas and are marked on accuracy and keeping your less than reliable friends alive. The series stars four anthropomorphic animals that pilot Arwings as they attempt to protect the Lylat system from the series antagonist Andross. The main protagonist is Fox McCloud who is the leader of the combat team known as Star Fox which consists of Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, and the always charming Falco Lombardi. Rather than allowing Star Fox to be once again forgotten, take some time out of your busy schedule and have a look through every game in the series ranked worst to best.
7 Star Fox: Assault
Star Fox: Assault is the second game in the series to combine the classic rail-shooter gameplay the series is known for with a 3D action platformer and was exclusive to the Nintendo Gamecube. Rather than being developed in-house by Nintendo, they handed the development of Star Fox: Assault over to Namco.
Star Fox: Assault follows Star Fox and Fox McCloud as they attempt to save the Lylat System from insectoid beings known as the Aparoids. The game is split up into three different game modes, the rail-shooting in the Arwing, on foot sections that plays like a platformer where you take out enemies with your laser, and Landmaster sections which are similar to the Arwing sections but you drive around in a tank that is not capable of flying.
6 Star Fox Adventure
Star Fox Adventure, developed by Rare was seen as a drastic departure for the series and was overall not enjoyed by fans because of it. The game focused heavily on 3D platforming sections that played similarly to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You run around 3D worlds as Fox McCloud helps dinosaurs and takes out enemies. Instead of the Andross as the protagonist, an angry General Scale is the main villain who Star Fox must stop.
Star Fox Adventure started off as a Nintendo 64 game that wasn’t related to the Star Fox universe at all but Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto suggested that Rare should change it into a game about Fox McCloud and friends.
5 Star Fox Zero
At the time of writing this Star Fox Zero is the last game in the series to be released. Nintendo handed developed over to PlatinumGames who are known for Bayonetta, Vanquish, and Nier: Automata. Star Fox Zero ditches the 3D platforming gameplay established in the Gamecube exclusive games and focuses fully on Arwing, Landmaster, Walker, Gravmaster, and Gyrowing gameplay.
Star Fox Zero is a Nintendo Wii U exclusive and uses the Wii U tablet to aim and shoot but uses the main screen for flying. The switch between two screens is one of the reasons the game was somewhat negatively received - hopefully Nintendo re-releases the game on the Switch with more traditional controls as it will probably be praised as the rest of the game is very well made.
4 Star Fox Command
Star Fox Command is a Nintendo DS exclusive game that has two modes of play, the classic rail-shooter gameplay, and strategic turn-based strategy gameplay. In the strategic turn-based strategy mode you are overlooking a map that you must send your fighters out on to intercept enemy ships that are approaching. When your ship meets an enemy ship the gameplay goes to classic Star Fox gameplay where you must take out enemies to proceed. All range-mode also returns which allows you to fly in an open space rather than be forced to head in a single direction.
3 Star Fox
The original Star Fox was incredibly popular on its system of origin the Super Nintendo as it was a great showcase of what the console could do. The promotional artwork for the game depicted Fox, Slippy, Peppy, and Falco as animatronics similar to what you would find at Chuck-E-Cheese on in the Five Nights at Freddy’s games.
Star Fox was developed by Nintendo and Argonaut Software and was the first game to use the Super FX chip. It was Nintendo’s first-ever game to use polygonal graphics and there second to use a 3D perspective.
2 Star Fox 2
Star Fox 2 has a complicated history. Originally, it was created for the Super Nintendo as a direct sequel to Star Fox. However, this was very late in the systems life cycle so rather than take away attention from the newly released Nintendo 64, many of the ideas used in Star Fox 2 were used in Star Fox 64. Star Fox 2 was almost entirely finished but development stopped and it was not released until 2017 when the Super Nintendo Mini came out where the game was finally released as a bonus.
1 Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 is the pinnacle of the series and is what every game after it was modeled after. You are given a large overworld that shows off all of the world’s levels in an awesome 3D rendering. While there are many levels, you will only get to play through a few of them on a single playthrough as there are branching paths, however, they all start at Corneria and end with confronting Andross.
Star Fox 64 was bundled with a rumble pack which at this point has become an industry standard for all controllers. The game was also remade for the Nintendo 3DS as Star Fox 64 3D.