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Ranking The Star Fox Series
Somehow Star Fox returned. Yesterday. With the release of Velan Studios' remake of Star Fox 64 for Switch 2. And it's good! It is, expectedly, making us reflect on the larger Star Fox franchise. We originally published this list around the launch of Star Fox Zero back in 2016, but we've updated today with new games and have reconsidered our order.
You can check out our list below.
10
Star Fox Guard
Release Date: April 22, 2016 – Platform: Wii U
Its inclusion on this list is somewhat up for debate, as it shares little in common 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 could 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.
9
Star Fox 2
Release Date: September 29, 2017 – Platform: SNES Classic Edition
Nintendo can be a bizarre company, but the saga of Star Fox 2, its development, and eventual release, is arguably the strangest way Nintendo has ever released a video game. Following the success of the 1993 Star Fox, development on a sequel began fairly quickly. The game was reportedly 95 percent complete and nearly ready for release, but Nintendo decided to shelve the game and focus on the upcoming Star Fox 64. And it lived on that shelf for about 20 years until it was included in the SNES Classic Edition, the miniature Super Nintendo console that included a collection of beloved SNES games. And now the game is also available on Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service.
But how is the actual game, and how does it rank compared to the rest of the Star Fox series? Technically, it's a very impressive game considering it was being created right before the transition into widespread 3D gameplay, but playing it today feels dated even when you put yourself in the headspace of the potential timeframe it would have released. As a point of reference, the PlayStation would have already launched before Star Fox 2 was released. We are glad it was finally released and wasn't cursed to never officially exist.
8
Star Fox Zero
Release Date: April 22, 2016 – Platform: 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 or Adventures’ entries in the franchise.
7
Star Fox: Assault
Release Date: February 15, 2005 – Platform: GameCube
Developed by Namco, Assault served as an almost-return-to-form Star Fox sequel after Star Fox Adventures. The game featured some on-rails Arwing sequences, but was pulled down drastically by its myriad on-foot segments. Those sections were hampered by loose controls, bad AI, 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 Command
Release Date: August 28, 2006 – Platform: DS
Directed by Dylan Cuthbert, who was instrumental in the creation of the original SNES Star Fox and its sort-of-cancelled sequel, Command is the Star Fox game that many often forget. It’s part strategy game, as you have to map out your Arwing's 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.
5
Star Fox Adventures
Release Date: September 23, 2002 – Platform: GameCube
Star Fox Adventures started its life as a different game called Dinosaur Planet 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.
4
Star Fox
Release Date: March 23, 1993 – Platform: Super Nintendo
Seeing the original today may not impress those who didn't grow up with it, 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 surprising 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.
3
Star Fox 64 3D
Release Date: September 9, 2011 – Platform: 3DS
The 2011 3DS game, Star Fox 64 3D, is a remake of Star Fox 64, but it’s a good update that goes the extra mile to add new elements. The game received a complete visual overhaul, and its on-rails nature 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 64
Release Date: June 30, 1997 – Platform: Nintendo 64
After a teased Star Fox 2 that disappeared, 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.
1
Star Fox
Release Date: June 25, 2026 – Platform: Switch 2
Another remake of Star Fox 64 wasn't exactly what we wanted when Nintendo unexpectedly announced it was going to share some Star Fox news earlier this year. We also weren't sure what to do with the new look of the characters. But, we couldn't deny the power of Star Fox 64 when we finally got to play through the whole game.
Star Fox (2026) is a great remake of a great game, and the result is that we're happy to award it the number one spot on our Star Fox ranking list. When the re-orchestrated music kicks in while firing lasers that cast beautiful modern shadows against the giant spaceships that just can’t hit me, and the bad guys complain about how cool and good we are at flying a spaceship right before they blow up, we'd be lying if we said we weren't having a great, nostalgic time.
We're not including it on this ranking because, frankly, it is not a Star Fox game. But Starlink: Battle for Atlas is absolutely worth mentioning when it comes to discussing the Star Fox series. Playing the Switch version of the game contains much more than a Fox McCloud cameo – he is integrated into the game's story in a big way. And, the game also included a physical Arwing toy. It was the most exciting thing we had from Star Fox between the release of Star Fox Zero and the release of Star Fox (2026).
To learn about the assorted gimmicks that have invaded the Star Fox franchise, head here. For our review of Star Fox Zero, head here. For our review of Star Fox (2026), head here.
Game Informer Podcast: Star Fox Remake, Steam Next Fest, And The Adventures Of Elliot
Oh, also, everyone's favorite Star Fox character, Yaru de Pon, is a guest for the duration of the show, but we don't like to talk about it.
The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Friday for chats about video game reviews, news, and exclusive reveals alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry. Support the show by subscribing to our physical video game magazine!
Watch or Listen to The Game Informer Show:
Listen to "Star Fox Remake, Steam Next Fest, And The Adventures Of Elliot" on Spreaker.Follow our hosts online:
- Kyle Hilliard (@kylehilliard.com)
- Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)
- Charles Harte (@chuckduck365)
- Patrick Susmilch (@the_patrick_susmilch)
Jump ahead using these timestamps:
- 00:00 – Intro
- 12:25 – Star Fox Remake
- 40:16 – Next Fest Demos
- 56:30 – The Adventures of Elliot Review
- 01:14:19 – Dark Scrolls
- 01:28:40 – Saros
ConcernedApe Explains Why He's Shown So Little Of Haunted Chocolatier: 'I Would Rather Serve A Fully Baked Bread'
Haunted Chocolatier is the highly, highly anticipated follow-up to Stardew Valley, one of the biggest indie games of all time. But while this chocolate-making spiritual successor was announced way back in 2021, we've seen very little of the project, save for a handful of blog posts on creator ConcernedApe's website. The last update came in late January, and now, just under six months later, developer Eric Barone is checking back in with a new post to reassure fans he's still working on the game and explain why he's shown so little.
First, Barone thanks everyone for their patience, and gives some insight into why his development process is so time-consuming. "Lately, I’ve been revisiting the recipe book for making chocolates," Barone writes. "As with many things in the game, I’ve iterated on this many times, each time bringing it closer to its final form. To me, it’s not a simple task, as I torture myself over every last detail. This is a UI you will be using fairly often, so it has to be perfect."
While this recipe book is one of the core mechanics, he adds that he likes to "fuss over" his whole game this way. Ideally, the game will come out with a level of polish he's satisfied with (like how Stardew Valley is now), but that also means the process will take a long time. On that note, he says that his eye for detail and refinement is also the reason there are so few screenshots or gameplay clips in the wild.
"Side note… please excuse me, but I don’t like to share too many screenshots, or even talk about the systems in too much detail, while the game is in development," Barone's blog reads. "Partly, it feels like I’m serving a half-baked bread. I would rather serve a fully baked bread. Also, I know that many parts of the game will likely evolve and change before release, so if I reveal them early, I risk disappointing players if the final product does not match their expectation."
Haunted Chocolatier currently has no release window. While Barone said he hoped to release the game within five years back in 2025, he has since clarified that this isn't a hard and fast date. "The bottom line is, I don’t want to give a release date," his January update reads. "The game will come out when it’s done."
For more Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley, you can check out guest contributor Ana Diaz's in-depth interview with Barone from issue 378, published online in May. For more on why Haunted Chocolatier is one of our most anticipated games, check out our collection of our Most Anticipated Games of 2026 (And Beyond) from issue 375.
Lizzy Caplan Joins The Cast Of FX's Far Cry Anthology Series
Last November, FX announced that a limited Far Cry anthology series was in production. We already know the series is helmed by executive producers Noah Hawley (creator of FX’s Fargo and Alien: Earth) and Rob Mac (creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the latter of whom will also star in the show, but it's been announced that Lizzy Caplan is joining the cast.
Caplan most recently starred in Netflix’s Zero Day and the FX limited series Fleishman Is In Trouble, earning an Emmy nomination for the latter. The actress’s extensive credits also include Now You See Me 2 and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the Paramount+ series Fatal Attraction, Showtime’s Masters of Sex, and the 2023 horror film Cobweb. Personally, we remember Caplan best as Janis Ian in Mean Girls, but that’s just us.
Far Cry has no premiere date, and it’s unknown if the anthology series, which means each episode features a new setting and cast, will adapt any of the existing games or tell original stories. Far Cry is set to air on FX, Hulu, and internationally on Disney+.
Ubisoft has another live-action series based on one of its IPs in the works. Netflix greenlit an Assassin's Creed series last year, and you can read more about that here.
Everything Announced At The 2026 Capcom Spotlight
Capcom held one of its annual summer Spotlight showcases today. While it was light on major announcements, we did learn more about Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, the reveal of new story DLC for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and smaller updates for Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Resident Evil Requiem. Here's a summary of each notable announcement.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
- Additional Side Story: Rudy DLC is available today for $9.99 (free for Deluxe/Premium edition owners). The narrative explores the origin of Rudy, the Royal Feylne, and his ancestors.
- Players can challenge the powerful elder dragon Nergigante
- Downloading the update with a completed save file lets you challenge a harder version of the final battle. Winning this version of the fight turns all existing monsters into Royal Monsters in the field for stronger battles.
Resident Evil Requiem
- The previously revealed Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy Amiibo have a release date: June 30
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen
- The expansion's story takes place in the new northern region of Norgan and centers on the fallen dragon and a mysterious woman hunting it named Eir.
- Introduces 12 unique dungeons
- Adds an expanded character editor
- Norgan features Relics players can find that can be appraised and forged into weapons/armor, which are stronger and can have special effects/skills
- An August update is planned before Dark Arisen's launch that will add additional save slots, improve performance, adjust the Dragonsplauge condition with more treatment methods, and raise weapon skill slots to six.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- New gameplay footage shows off a battle against a newly revealed Genma, Dohatsu-ten.