StarFox is one of Nintendo’s most beloved franchises. Despite its overwhelming popularity, the StarFox series is actually lacking when it comes to titles. Only five games in the series were ever released; StarFox for the SNES, Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 64, Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet and Star Fox: Assault for the Nintendo GameCube, and a remake of the Nintendo 64 version for the 3DS- Star Fox 64 3D. While StarFox 64 3D was one of the Nintendo 3DS’s better-selling games, it’s been almost a decade since the team of anthromorphic pilots have taken to a home console.
As I’m sure you already know, E3 2014 kicked off yesterday morning in Los Angeles, CA. Yesterday’s events included media briefings and stage presentations from Microsoft, Sony, EA and Ubisoft. Nintendo’s presentation was this morning, via pre-recorded digital broadcast. Nintendo gave a traditional stage presentation in 2012, where the gaming giant debuted the Wii U controller- the system itself was shown on a later date. This past E3, Nintendo decided to forgo a media briefing, in exchange for a Nintendo Direct presentation, as it was a more “direct” way of conveying new information to Nintendo fans. Several updates regarding Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS, Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire and others were announced today, along with some surprises that were sure to catch the attention of fans.
Nine years have passed since the release of Star Fox: Assault; today it was announced that the Star Fox series would return to consoles once again, with a future Wii U title. The untitled Star Fox project features a simultaneous 3rd-person and 1st-person view, courtesy of the TV screen and Wii U Gamepad. As shown by Nintendo visionary Shigeru Miyamoto, players will control the Arwing by tilting and turning the Gamepad; a similar feature was found in Star Fox 64 3D, as the game included an option for gyroscopic controls. The Wii U adaptation of Star Fox also contains a nod to the original SNES game, as the Arwing is capable of transforming into a Landmaster on-the-fly. A co-op mode is suggested, as a new helicopter vehicle was shown, which can be piloted by two players.
According to Miyamoto, the untitled Wii U chapter of the saga started as a Star Fox game for the Nintendo Wii. The project had been in-development for roughly six years; it faced continuous delays, as the team couldn’t find a Wii-focused vision for the title. Star Fox for Wii U has no release date, but is projected to release sometime in 2015.
