Later this month, on September 23rd for North America, Star Fox Adventures will officially be 10 years old. Can you believe it's truly been that long? I remember the time very well. I was excited for the next Star Fox game after the smash hit of Star Fox 64. I got a pre-order from the now bankrupt Circuit City, where they provided the most amazing pre-order bonuses.

That's right! This is the Star Fox Adventures Survival Kit. It contains a Star Fox-branded Jones Soda, toilet paper with game hints on it, a Fox McCloud air freshener, a door sign, and a box to put it all in. Actually the air freshener was separate. I have two of those, one still hangs in my car's rear-view mirror to this day.

But of course, that's not the most important thing I got out of the release of Star Fox Adventures. Not by a long shot! First, I got to play a quirky, Zelda-style game with Star Fox characters, amazing graphics, and fun gameplay. Even more important, at least to me anyway, was that Star Fox Adventures gave all of us that wonderful, cute, blue vixen. A warrior with a kind heart. So compelling was she, even as a secondary character, that she inspired artists to draw, writers to create works of fiction, modelers and animators to create 3D graphics, and at least two groups to start websites devoted to her (the founders of the Krystal Lovers Association, and yours truly, the creator of the Krystal Archive).

Through the more than 6 years I've had the pleasure of running this site, I've gained so much from Krystal's existence. I've gained friends, learned many technical skills, and been on the receiving end of so much love and support from all of you, my fellow Krystal fans.

So here's to you Star Fox Adventures! The same goes to you, the entire team of engineers, artists, designers, producers, and all the rest responsible for bringing this game into existence. We know that the development was rocky to say the least, but in the end you produced a game with lasting effects and a small, but dedicated, group of dedicated fans.

All this month, the Krystal Archive will be bringing you news and stories specifically devoted to Star Fox Adventures and Dinosaur Planet (the game it originally came from), beginning with the previous post by VranceMovado about the lost Dinosaur Planet footage.

For our friends outside of North America, Wikipedia reports that Star Fox Adventures was released September 27th in Japan, November 15th in Australia, and November 22nd in Europe, all in 2002.