Ranking The Star Fox Series

Today marks the return of a brand new, non-remake Star Fox entry after a 10-year absence. Star Fox Zero may not be quite the return we were hoping for (you can find our review here), but that doesn’t mean we’ve lost our appreciation for the space fox and his spaceship adventures.

Below you will find our ranked list of every game in the Star Fox series.

8. Star Fox Guard (2016, Wii U)
Its inclusion on this list is somewhat up for debate, as it shares little with any of the other Star Fox games in terms of mechanics, but it is called Star Fox and features Star Fox characters. It’s a bonus game included with Star Fox Zero, and can also be purchased on the Wii U’s eShop, and there simply isn’t much there. The game stars Slippy and his uncle Grippy as they play tower defense with a series of turrets connected to security cameras. It’s a relatively shallow experience that can be skipped.

7. Star Fox Assault (2005, GameCube)
Developed by Namco, Assault served as an almost-return-to-form Star Fox sequel after Adventures. The game featured some on-rails Arwing sequences, but was pulled down drastically by its myriad on-foot sequences. Those on-foot sections were hampered by loose controls, bad A.I., and repetitive mission objectives. There was some fun to be found in the multiplayer, but overall, Assault ranks low in the Star Fox series.

6. Star Fox Zero (2016, Wii U)
Star Fox Zero is half remake of Star Fox 64 and half series reboot, but the pieces don’t quite fit together. There are moments where the awkward motion controls come together to create a compelling space-combat experience, but those moments are intermittent and difficult to consistently recreate. But even without the motion-control barrier, Zero often feels dated. It does fly closer to the true classic Star Fox experience fans want, however, than Star Fox Assault’s stab at the franchise.

5. Star Fox Adventures (2002, GameCube)
Star Fox Adventures started its life as a different game before Team Star Fox injected themselves into Rare’s reptilian adventure. The Arwing moments are few and far between, but the Adventures portion of the game is a solid experience that holds up today. It shares some commonalities with the puzzle-solving and exploration of Zelda, and offers the closest look at these characters and their world that the series has ever offered.

For our ranking of the final four Star Fox games, head to page two.

4. Star Fox Command (2006, DS)
Directed by Dylan Cuthbert, who was instrumental in the creation of the original SNES Star Fox and its cancelled sequel, Command is the Star Fox game that many often forget. It’s part strategy game, as you have to map out your Arwings' routes turn-by-turn, and part standard Star Fox shooter, as all the encounters play out like all-range-mode fights of other Star Fox titles. The game features a hefty amount of story, with Slippy preparing to get married, Peppy’s daughter Lucy making an appearance, and a struggling romance between Fox McCloud and Krystal from Star Fox Adventures. The game uses touch-screen controls for the action, which was an understandable barrier for some, but it’s the Star Fox game many skipped that’s worth a look.

3. Star Fox 64 3D (2011, 3DS)
The 2011 3DS game is a remake of Star Fox 64, but it’s a good remake that goes the extra mile to add new elements. The game received a complete visual overhaul, and the on-rails nature of the game made it an excellent showcase of the stereoscopic 3D capabilities of the fairly new-at-the-time 3DS handheld. The game also included the option to use motion controls, but those could thankfully be turned off at any time.

2. Star Fox (1993, SNES)
Seeing the original today may not impress those whose first Star Fox experience is Zero, but at the time of release, Star Fox was a mind-blowing powerhouse. No one knew the Super Nintendo was capable of rendering three-dimensional objects, but here was a whole game dedicated to the surprise technology. Today, the game’s framerate is laughable, often clocking in at the single digits, but it is still a highly playable and impressive game.

1. Star Fox 64 (1997, N64)
After a teased Star Fox 2 that never came to fruition, and rumors of a Star Fox for the doomed Virtual Boy, 1997 finally saw the release of a new Star Fox game four years after the original. The game came about a year after the launch of the Nintendo 64 and proved to be well worth the wait with no reliance on gimmicks (though it did come included with a Rumble Pak), great controls, realized personalities with full voice acting (a rarity for Nintendo 64), and plenty of surprises down each of its assorted paths. The game continues to be fun to replay today as it relies fully on what Star Fox does best.

For a recent opinion from Brian Shea about the assorted gimmicks that have invaded the Star Fox franchise, head here. For our review of Star Fox Zero, head here.