Star Fox Zero Announced
Nintendo lead with Star Fox, complete with a throwback to the original puppet inspiration for Star Fox. Arwings transform into a walker, Landmasters have a flight form, and the new Gyrowing with its tethered robot will be appearing. This is not a sequel or a remake, this is more prequel, set during the Star Fox 64 era (so no Krystal, but that's understandable). The game's visual style is simple, but complete-looking. Lots of epic large bosses and huge stages. Voice acting returns just like Star Fox 64. No announced release date.
It’s Star Fox Day! Get Hyped!
Today's the day, my fellow Krystal and Star Fox fans! In less than one hour, we'll be seeing our first glimpses of the next Star Fox game (and maybe Krystal too, fingers crossed). Check the live stream (e3.nintendo.com or twitch.tv/nintendo) and join us in the chat for live reactions with your fellow fans.
Thanks to rhyfe2002 for the awesome art! (Original)
Stream Chatroom
Join us as we watch the latest Nintendo announcements at E3.
- Go to the chatroom
- Pick a nickname
- The password is "vixen"
In the unlikely event that the chatroom fills up completely, post a comment below.
E3 Announcements
It's finally time! Nintendo has prepared several big events for us. (All times are in Pacific time zone, use this for timezone conversions.)
First, on Sunday morning at 7:40AM, Nintendo will give a pre-E3 Smash Bros. Direct. Other than details on Lucas, I don't think we know what they'll be talking about. Here's to hoping it's announcements of Krystal (and other suggested character) DLC! Unfortunately, I won't be around to cover this one live, but I will be keeping my eye on the events as they unfold.
Later that day, starting Sunday sometime after 2:20PM, Nintendo will start up their pre-E3 Treehouse Live show. Don't expect many announcements from this one, but they will probably give a big overview of stuff already revealed.
Right after that, at 3PM, the Nintendo World Championships will start. We only know for sure that Splatoon will be playable, and that seven other secret games are on the roster. Since this competition starts before E3, I sadly don't think we can expect to see competitive play of the new Star Fox game.
Finally, the main event! 9AM on Tuesday, Nintendo broadcasts its Digital Event. This will probably where we get our first glimpse of Star Fox for the Wii U. Further announcements and gameplay footage should show up throughout the next two days.
Streams
All streams and video will be posted on Nintendo's official E3 site, e3.nintendo.com. Nintendo's official YouTube channel looks like it will broadcast the events as well.
Hanging Out
If you want to hang out with other Krystal and Star Fox fans, myself included, I have a group chatroom ready to go. I will post it tomorrow. No need to sign up or anything.
Krystal 4 Smash Video Animation
DanSweeto posted a video explaining very quickly the main reasons why we want Krystal in Smash. Of course, everyone here has already voted for Krystal (YOU DID RIGHT?!), but this video is just so well done, I wanted to show you all.
Thanks to Santos for the heads up!
Estelle Ellis Interview!
For the Krystal Archive Podcast Episode 35.5, I proudly present my interview with Estelle Ellis, the original voice of Krystal and several other characters in Star Fox Adventures. She was employed at Rare right before the big transition to Microsoft ownership, so she is able to provide an interesting perspective to the work environment at Rare as it changed.
Sorry this took so long. I recorded the interview in 2012, but editing it took about a week of work, which is why it's taken me so long to get around to it. Some of the information is a bit dated, but still interesting.
Please enjoy!
Game Theorist does Star Fox Moves in Real Plane
As E3 and its Star Fox announcements march ever closer, there's been a lot of Star Fox talk on the web. Here's a fun video of MatPat of Game Theory trying out the Barrel Roll, U-Turn, and Loop from Star Fox games in real life.
Star Fox 2 Interview Dylan Cuthbert
Dylan Cuthbert, a prominent Star Fox creator since the very first game, has just given an interview at Nintendo Life about his work on Star Fox 2 and the direction they were headed. Lots of little tidbits about Star Fox 2 and the Star Fox series were sprinkled throughout. Read the whole article for the full story, but I've summarized the things that I believe constitutes new information.
- Star Fox 2 was 95% complete when it was cancelled, but the team went ahead and finished it, complete with play testing and bug fixes. Nintendo still has it in playable form. They could release it tomorrow, in theory, except for potential legal issues with Argonaut Software.
- The versions of Star Fox 2 that were leaked were very early test versions. Much of the game's unique features are missing or unfinished.
- Mr. Miyamoto was very interested in the 3D platforming sections of Star Fox 2 (the Arwing could transform into a mech), and some of their ideas might have served as key inspiration for ideas eventually seen in Super Mario 64.
- The random, open playfields and levels, and the missile encounters of Star Fox Command were intended for Star Fox 2. But Command's dev focus was on using the two touch screens in unique ways, not reviving Star Fox 2's ideas directly.
- Cuthbert thought that the toned down color scheme of Star Fox 64 was a tragedy, but the cinematic feel, the 60 fps speed, and the voice acting made it an overall superior game to the original Star Fox, all technology capabilities being equal.
- Cuthbert is as interested to see where the next Star Fox game for the Wii U is going as we are. He is primarily concerned with Nintendo getting the controls just right and retaining the cinematic feel of previous games.
Brace Yourselves, E3 is Coming!
Last year, Nintendo cracked the code and made an entertaining and informative E3 experience with their Digital Event and continuous Treehouse Live broadcasts. In a month, they'll be doing it again. This will be epic, like it was last year. Only this time, now that Star Fox is coming out, we can expect AT LEAST two to three HOURS of Star Fox footage (and possibly developer interviews) if they end up showing Star Fox at all. Since Nintendo already confirmed they won't be showing Zelda Wii U at E3, we can reasonably expect Star Fox and a couple other unannounced games to headline instead. Who knows, maybe the new Star Fox game will be part of the World Championships too!
A few weeks ago, I did attempt to get an E3 press pass this year, specifically to cover Star Fox. Alas, this site's popularity is just slightly too low to merit a pass according to the E3 staff. Maybe next year!
Instead, why don't we have a stream watching party? I'll set myself up to be in a chatroom with you guys while we watch the coverage all day(s). What do you say?
Original Star Fox Rock Song “Inside of Me” by MandoPony
An emotional rock tribute to Fox's inner struggles with the loss of his father and becoming a hero in his own right. Excellent work by MandoPony as he works with new fandoms after becoming well known for his brony songs, which are also excellent.
Thanks to Dogman15 for the heads up!