Star Fox Adventures is 15 Years Old Today
Star Fox Adventures released on this day, September 23rd, 15 whole years ago in 2002! America got it first, followed by Japan on the 27th of September, Australia on the 15th of November, and finally Europe on the 22nd of November 2002. I remember it well. I had just gotten my driver's license a few weeks prior, and I was able to drive myself (and my siblings who I was transporting somewhere) to the local Circuit City to pick up my reserved copy along with my amazing pre-order bonus:
On this day, that lovely blue vixen sauntered into our lives, forever changing them in small and sometimes surprising ways. It was the first time that Star Fox was anything beyond a mere on-rails shooter, and introduced a lot more lore and characters than previous entries. The game is perhaps one of the most controversial games in the Star Fox series, but I, for one, and very glad that it happened.
Taking a Break
Those of you in the Krystal Archive Discord Server might have seen today, but I'm feeling a bit burned out. With all of the daily posts and the huge undertaking that was the Miiverse Scrape Project, I'm just feeling tired. My hands and wrists are taking a beating. Thanks to a bit of nerve damage they need time to recover.
Reduced Posts Until SNES Classic Comes Out
Until around September 29th, when the SNES Classic releases, I will not be making many posts here on the Krystal Archive. I'll still monitor news, and if something big or time-sensitive happens, I'll post about it. I will also hang out in the Discord server. However, I won't keep to my daily post schedule and I won't do a lot of responding on Discord. This will give me time to rest, recuperate, and work on bigger projects that I've been kept from thanks to having to post something every day. Hopefully, when I return, I'll have a lot of content ready to go!
Looking for a Dedicated Volunteer
Speaking of content... You know, I could really use a helper. I have tons of content to post and stuff to research, but not enough time to do it. Running the KA is almost like a second job. I really could use a smart, dedicated helper who knows HTML, CSS, and can do basic internet research. Preferably, the helper would have a lot of free time (aka, a college student). If you're interested, please let me know. I'm only looking for one person right now, so if you apply, make sure you know enough to make a webpage from scratch. Also, you must have the dedication to pore through mountains of data in service to our beloved vixen. Email me if you are interested in volunteering.
Krystal Figurine by Golab08 For Sale
Golab08 spent some time over the last couple months sculpting this Krystal figurine from scratch by hand. The sculpture is made from polymer clay and painted with acrylics. The inside is supported with a steel armature for stability. He has put the figurine up for auction on his Furaffinity page.
Bidding starts at $70. Actually, it starts at $80, since I bid already. ;) You can buy it now for $200. The auction will end 10 hours after the last bid, or if someone buys it outright. Shipping included. Golab08 is also looking to do commissioned figurines, if you're interested.
There are some larger photos here and here. Thanks to CommanderD for informing me of this.
Update: Looks like I won the auction!
Miiverse Scrape Progress
Thanks to the heroic efforts of Falemirous, GoldenFox51, and Angel Fox Dreamer, we now have around 1241 Krystal-related posts and replies. Not all of them are images, but most of them are. I'd guess over 900 Krystal related drawings, screenshots, and edits.
We're nearing the end of known artists who post Krystal. We found these to be some of the primary posters of Krystal related posts on the Miiverse. If you know any others, please tell us.
- 4evernintrndo
- 907825
- AdmiralAlfore
- andrescasasbjj
- AngelFox
- AngelLord399
- Aurora-Sparkle
- aw3some
- Beinke
- Dash1138
- foxyvixen94
- GoldenFox51
- gonzarez
- gumiyanumber2
- hamu612
- itsanandito
- Jesse21
- Jordan.K
- Jujuvinyl2
- kaetien_katrine
- Kaphonie
- Luphy9
- Lylatroid
- MaxesDude
- Mr.Ness2.0
- NJFOX_MK1
- Poke-Ina2009
- Richi-Ray
- RustyOwl
- ShadowEspurr
- ShadowMario90
- Shroom32
- Sylveon_Girl100
- TeraSmyte
- toristeele2011
- TwilightWolf9012
- Viacka
- wafflemania
- xNightDreamx
- YUINALU
- zebra10045
As of tonight, I've updated the data file to contain all known posts I've processed. If you find any Krystal Miiverse posts, please check their IDs against the list here first, so you won't submit things we already found.
I have already downloaded the initial 1241 posts and all their associated resources. It amounts to around 160MB of files. Not too bad. What's left is a few hundred more from today to categorize, then I need to find a way to download additional replies when more than a certain number of comments are on a post. After that, we'll keep adding more art as we find it. I will focus on formatting the data for display somewhere, and make it easy for you guys to browse.
Images by Alfore, JujuVinyl2, and Alfore, respectively.
Game Maker’s Toolkit on Star Fox Zero
Everyone has a different opinion on Star Fox Zero. It was a divisive game among both Star Fox fans and Nintendo fans alike. A lot of its criticism comes from its control scheme, there's no denying that. In this video, game designer Mark Brown talks about the decision process and design of Star Fox Zero's controls, where they work, and where they fail. I found it to be a fascinating, and neutral perspective on this controversial game.
Now I just need to beat it!
4K Sargasso Briefing Japanese and Mixed Versions
Here's the Japanese version of the Star Fox Assault Sargasso Briefing scene. Not only are the characters more expressive than in the English version, but the voice acting is really enthusiastic, even if I can't understand what they are saying.
Here we combine the Japanese animation with the English voice acting and text. This time the lipsyncing is bad only about half the time. The other half of the time it's pretty good!
Star Fox Assault Sargasso Briefing Cutscene [4K]
This week's Star Fox Assault cutscene is the Sargasso Space Zone Briefing scene. The story goes like this: After Pigma flees, the Star Fox team believes that they have tracked him down to a Star Wolf controlled hideout. Krystal warns Fox to be careful.
As with all of these, we have beautiful 4K (5K) visuals, improved audio, and the Japanese and mixed versions coming tomorrow.
Nintendo Direct Reminder
The Nintendo Direct today will start in about 1 hour. I hope your body is ready!
Watch the stream with us on Discord!
Krystal Archive Discord Server!
After a lot of requests from you guys, and a bit of research in my part, I've finally created a Krystal Archive server for Discord, a text and audio chat system favored by gamers everywhere. I hinted at this in yesterday's Nintendo Direct post. Tomorrow's Nintendo Direct will be the perfect test of the new system. We'll get to chat in real time about the stream of new game information. But no need to wait until then, the server's up right now!
For now, I've limited this link to the first 25 people. But as more people want to join, I'll add more links so you can sign in. Just click the link, sign in (or register), and you're good to go!
I'd like to use Discord to coordinate projects, such as the Miiverse project from a few days ago. If you'd like to help out with the site, this is also the place to do it.
Update: We hit more than 25 users last night (yay!). So, here's an updated link.
Nintendo Direct Wednesday
Alert! Nintendo has a new Nintendo Direct incoming! It will take place on Wednesday, September 13th, 2017 at 3PM Pacific (6PM Eastern). Confirmed topics include Super Mario Odyssey and games with holiday releases for the Nintendo Switch and 3DS. I don't expect there will be Star Fox, but there might be a few surprises. Probably the most surprising thing they could announce is that they are in active development on Smash Bros for the Switch. (Note: I don't have any knowledge that they are, not even rumors.)
I always enjoy watching these things with you guys. Watching the stream while chatting is a great way to connect. In the past, we used an online chatroom. I'm thinking of something more stable, but also a little crazy. Discordant, if you will. More tomorrow.