Unless it’s Mario or Zelda, there seems to be no guarantee that a Nintendo franchise will remain a constant presence in the company’s portfolio. Take it from the heartbroken and frustrated fans of Nintendo properties that have lain dormant for years–decades, even. Until very recently, Star Fox was perhaps the most notable example of this.
The grand return of Fox McCloud and the crew came with little warning, with the reveal of Fox in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and news of the upcoming Switch 2 game blowing up the internet like a Smart Bomb. But while Star Fox devotees celebrate these developments, I’m left contemplating why this series came back–and why others aren’t getting a similar treatment.
I’ve long been under the impression that Nintendo sidelines properties that it simply doesn’t have any new ideas for. That was famously the reason why a Metroid game never materialized on Nintendo 64, with Shigeru Miyamoto saying that developers “couldn’t come up with any concrete ideas or vehicle at that time.” Star Fox itself skipped the Wii era, with Miyamoto recalling that Nintendo “didn’t find an idea that really brought that together for the Wii.”
Besides Star Fox, the Nintendo franchise that most fans of the company are probably most restless over is F-Zero. When retired Nintendo designer Takaya Imamura–who’s responsible for the character designs in Star Fox and F-Zero–was asked about the slumbering racing franchise in 2021, he argued that “without a grand new idea, it’s hard to bring it back.” Miyamoto shared a similar sentiment back in 2013.
As good as the new Star Fox game might look, I don’t see any grand new ideas there.
It’s another remake of Star Fox 64, reintroducing Fox and friends to younger generations of players. There’s really nothing new or inspiring from what Nintendo has shown so far. At most, you can say that the real-ish character designs are the biggest shake-up.
The people yearn for a new F-Zero.
That isn’t to say that Star Fox on Switch 2 isn’t justifying its existence–the game promises to go back to the drawing board and give the series a fresh start, which is noble in itself. But every Star Fox game since 64 had its “thing,” with Adventures and Assault taking Fox out of the Arwing, Command incorporating touch controls and strategy gameplay, and Zero with its nightmarish, attention-dividing GamePad control scheme.
With the next Star Fox offering none of the sort–aside from more detailed cinematics, challenge levels, and optional mouse controls–Nintendo’s rationale of needing new ideas to continue a franchise holds less water. Now I’m left wanting a back-to-basics F-Zero game with 4K visuals, and I’m sure fans of other dusty Nintendo IP like Punch-Out, Golden Sun, Kid Icarus, Chibi-Robo, Earthbound, Pilotwings, Wave Race, Sin and Punishment, Advance Wars, or Elite Beat Agents–just to name a few–would want the same.
A new F-Zero doesn’t have to reinvent Captain Falcon’s wheel–I just want a good F-Zero game.
I admire Nintendo’s devotion to innovation, but I doubt fans will shame the company if it made gimmick-free revivals for these IP, similar to what it’s doing with Star Fox. It could be worthwhile to release modernized, high-quality revamps of old properties to keep them in the current cultural conversation and set them up for brighter futures. The surprise release of F-Zero 99 was a half-step in that regard.
The revival of Star Fox is great, but other Nintendo properties deserve the same chance.
There are some harsh realities to consider, though. Star Fox seems to have the benefit of Miyamoto’s favoritism: a belief that Imamura would echo. And it’s possible that Nintendo simply doesn’t see the aforementioned franchises as potential moneymakers in this day and age.
All of what I’m saying is by no means a disparagement of the Star Fox franchise–I’m a fan of 64, and I’m a huge apologist for the GameCube entries. My fiancé and I are already planning to play the Switch 2 game on day one. But all things considered, it’s hard to accept that Star Fox has the edge over Nintendo’s other “B-list” properties. If Nintendo is going back on precedent and making a new Star Fox game that offers little to no innovation, the desire for other legacy IP to return will only grow stronger, as will the frustration that Nintendo is doing next to nothing with them.
We as players aren’t entitled to anything, and Nintendo is allowed to make whatever it wants. But with this remake, the notion of a grand new idea being necessary is out the window. Here’s hoping that Nintendo is a little more open-minded about reviving forgotten franchises–and that fans who feel forgotten will have reason to celebrate.
