Tech: Star Fox (2026 remake)

I've written before about how the original Star Fox was one of my favorite SNES games, but the N64 installment (unimaginatively titled Star Fox 64) was great, too.  While it largely retold/rebooted the story of the first game, it introduced both the "Rumble Pak" force-feedback accessory and a surprisingly fun 4-player split-screen competitive multiplayer mode.  Since Star Fox 64, though, the series has been in a bit of a rut, bouncing between so-so sequels, spinoffs (anyone remember Star Fox Adventures?), and re-releases/remakes of the N64 game. 

Well, buckle up, Star Fox fans - they've remade Star Fox 64 again for the Nintendo Switch 2:

As far as remakes go, developer Velan Studios did a fantastic job, faithfully preserving the gameplay and level layouts of the 1997 classic, but totally re-doing the graphics and sound to the levels of a modern game. While you lose some of the now-classic cheesy voice-acting that the original had, you gain an amazing graphical overhaul that sometimes drastically changes the look and feel of a level, almost always for the better (the first level, for instance, depicts a war-torn city much better than the antiseptic, LEGO-like polygons of the N64 version).

Disappointingly, however, with the exception of the multiplayer maps, this is the exact same game you played almost 30 years ago, and it would've been nice to have some new levels and enemies to go along with the fresh coat of paint.  There's a very small amount of replay value in the form of special challenges that unlock entries for the in-game encyclopedia (in addition to the original game's medals and Expert Mode difficulty), but here's hoping Nintendo gives Velan Studios a crack at a true sequel.

Rating: 84/100