Star Fox 2

Infobox VG| title = Star Fox 2


developer = Argonaut Games
Nintendo
publisher =
designer = Katsuya Eguchi
Yoichi Yamada
engine =
released = Cancelled (Planned release 1995 according to ROM Beta)
genre = 3D shooter, Scrolling shooter
modes = Single player, multiplayer
ratings = ESRB: Ecite web | title=Star Fox 2| publisher=Entertainment Software Ratings Board |date=1995-01-01| author=|url=http://www.esrb.org/ratings/search.jsp | accessdate=2006-09-29]
platforms = SNES
media =
requirements =
input =nihongo|"Star Fox 2"|スターフォックス2|Sutā Fokkusu Tsū is an unreleased video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was to be the second of the "Star Fox" series and the direct sequel to "Star Fox". Both Argonaut Games and Nintendo developed the game, with Nintendo planning to publish it. The Japanese version was completely finished except for minor debugging tools that weren't yet removed. It is unknown if there are any complete English versions.

"Star Fox 2" continues the battle against Emperor Andross who seeks to conquer the Lylat system, with the Star Fox team assembled once again to defeat him. The game introduces a new semi-real time game play system, featuring new ship types and two new Star Fox team members. It also features a more advanced 3d game engine thanks a new improved version of the Super FX chip. Many see "Star Fox Command" as a spiritual successor, borrowing several of its innovative elements.

The game was never released due to the impending release of the Nintendo 64 and the desire to use the most advanced system available for a new Star Fox game.cite web | last = G.| first = Evan| title = Starfox2 | work =SNES.net | date = 2006-01-01| url =http://www.arwinglanding.net/articles.php?page=writeups/dylan| accessdate = 2006-09-27 ]

Gameplay

The premise of "Star Fox 2" is very different from the original "Star Fox": Instead of following mostly linear paths inside predefined missions, the player moves a team of two ships freely around a map screen that represents the Lylat system.cite web | author =IGN Editorial Team | title = Top 10 Tuesday: Modern Vaporware | work =IGN | date = 2006-04-11| url =http://psp.ign.com/articles/701/701365p1.html| accessdate = 2006-09-29 ] When the player's ships make contact with enemy forces, the game will go into an action perspective, piloting the Arwing ship directly with controls and game play similar to the first Star Fox. When the player clears the specified objectives in that encounter, destroying all fighters in the vicinity for example, the game will go back into the main map screen, where the player can select a new destination for his craft. [cite web | author=TOTAL! Magazine | title = TOTAL! magazine Star Fox 2 preview scans | month = 1995-03| url =http://www.anthrofox.org/starfox/sf2/index.html | accessdate = 2008-09-10 ]

The objective of the game is to destroy all enemy forces present in the map while defending planet Corneria (located in the lower left corner of the map), preventing its damage level from reaching 100% due to enemy attacks. To protect Corneria the player will have to intercept fighters and incoming missiles, called IPBMs in the game, while also dealing with the sources of these attacks: battleships, which will deploy more fighter squadrons, and planetary bases which will fire more missiles towards Corneria. To assist the player, General Pepper will employ an immobile space station that can shoot down enemies on a limited basis — the player must also defend this installation from special enemy ships called viruses that can take over the satellite, and use its cannon to fire at Corneria.

If a the player's ship make contact in the map screen with a captured planet they will be transported into another action sequence located on the planet's surface. There they will have to open the enemy's base entrance through different means depending on the level (by pressing a switch, defeating a boss, etc.) Once the player has been able to gain access to the base interior, he/she will have to go through a complex and destroy the base's generator at the end. The planet will be then liberated and no more missiles will be fired from it. Starfighters from the Star Wolf mercenary team will be defending some captured planets, and they will have to be fought if the player wants to liberate one of those planets. They will eventually go after the player's Arwings when some time has passed. Bosses will also be dispatched to chase the player's ships at some point in the game.

The game runs in semi-real time — when the player takes an action, time starts counting and enemies will perform actions as well. This occurs whether the player is moving around on the map screen or has engaged an enemy in battle, making it possible for enemies to damage Corneria or new enemies to launch during that time. This forces the player to think tactically and defeat their enemies as quick and efficiently as possible. At times the player may even have to leave a battle to take on other enemies that are getting too close to the planet. In this way, "Star Fox 2" bears considerable similarity to many real-time strategy games.

Once the player has cleared all enemy forces present on the map, his ships will then travel to Andross' base, located on the top right corner of the map, to face one last level and fight Andross himself at the end of it. Once Andross is defeated the player has won the game, and his performance will be scored and ranked in a debriefing screen.

Difficulty levels have a great impact on the game, changing the layout of all levels and presenting stronger and more numerous enemy forces on each successive difficulty level. Each difficulty level also contains its own bonus items called "Pepper Coins", which will be hidden inside the game's levels for the player to find and collect.

Plot and setting

etting and characters

"Star Fox 2" takes place in the Lylat system, the home system of the series' protagonists. During the course of the game, the Star Fox team gradually penetrates the defense of Andross's forces and reaches his floating base, Astropolis.

"Star Fox 2" features six playable characters, the highest number of any game in the series (until "Star Fox Command"). Primary characters include Fox McCloud, a fox who leads the Star Fox team; Falco Lombardi, the cocky expert pilot with a sometimes contentious relationship with Fox; Peppy Hare, mentor to Fox and the wisest member of the team; Slippy Toad, the team technician and childhood friend of Fox; Fay, a white poodle with a pink hair bow who is a new member of the team; and Miyu, a tomboyish lynx who is also a new addition to the team.

Most of the main characters in the game have an intensely positive or negative relationship with Fox McCloud and his team, particularly Andross, the game's main antagonist who has repeatedly organized invasions of Fox's home, the Lylat system. The supporting character Wolf O'Donnell and his Star Wolf team serve as secondary villains throughout the game. Most of these characters have reappeared in later games in the series, such as "Star Fox 64" or "Star Fox Assault", and also in other franchises, such as "Super Smash Bros.".

Plot

After his defeat in the original Star Fox, the game's antagonist, Andross, returns to the Lylat system and launches an all-out attack against Corneria, using his new fleet of battleships and giant missiles launched from hidden bases to destroy the planet. General Pepper again calls upon the Star Fox team for help. Armed with new custom Arwings, a Mothership, and two new recruits (Miyu, a lynx, and Fay, a dog), the Star Fox team sets out to defend Corneria by destroying Andross' forces before they can inflict critical damage on the planet. Along the way, Star Fox must also combat giant boss enemies, bases on planets throughout the Lylat system, members of the Star Wolf team and finally Andross himself.

Development and cancellation

The game was extensively covered by the various gaming magazines of the time, both at its one E3 appearance as well as in the many screenshots provided by Nintendo to generate interest in the sequel. [cite web | last = | first = | title = Neue (alte) Screenshots von Star Fox 2 | work = Die Spiele | date = 2006-01-01| url =http://www.starfoxfans.com/starfox2a.php| accessdate = 2006-09-27 ] Since the leaking of the unfinished beta code, some individuals have managed to take and compile a large variety of screengrabs. [cite web | last = | first = | title = Starfox2 | work =agtp.romhack.net | date = 2006-01-01| url =http://agtp.romhack.net/starfox2.html| accessdate = 2006-09-27 ] These were taken using an emulator. Though it's likely that a promotion video was put together at the time, no copies of it have ever been made public. The lack of media coverage about the compiled beta may be due to a fear of legal action from either NCL or NOA. Early in development, Fara Phoenix from the "Star Fox" comic (called "Lady" in the alpha) and the Andross look-alike "Saru" (Japanese for "monkey") were in place of Miyu and Fay. Fay replaced a sheep character (gender unknown) from the game's early development.

On the Internet, ROM images exist of two very early alpha versions of the game, which were originally shown at trade shows. Another ROM, compiled from the latest known source code before the project was cancelled, can also be found — this version is nearly complete and contains minor bugs, debug code, and unfinished features such as a rudimentary multiplayer mode. These ROMs can be played using a SNES emulator. Additionally, a fan-made patch can be added to the near-final ROM — this fixes most of the bugs, removes the debug code and the unfinished features, and translates the game's dialog into English. When asked about whether or not the game would be released on the Wii's Virtual Console or the Nintendo DS, "Star Fox" designer Takaya Imamura said "Probably not."cite web | title=Star Fox Command Interview | publisher=IGN |date=2006-09-06| author=Craig Harris|url=http://ds.ign.com/articles/731/731088p2.html | accessdate=2006-09-08]

While Nintendo never disclosed the official reason for its cancellation, "Star Fox 2" programmer Dylan Cuthbert shares the reasons for its cancellation:

:"StarFox 2 was fully completed. I was the lead programmer and whilst Giles made Stunt Race FX, myself and the rest of the original Starfox team (ie. Nintendo's artists and designers) expanded Starfox into a full 3D shooting game. The reason for non-release was the then impending Nintendo 64 which of course was intended to be released a lot sooner than it actually was. Miyamoto-san decided he wanted to have a clean break between 3D games on the SNES and 3D games on the new superior 64 bit system. In retrospect, he could have released Star Fox 2 and there would have been over a year and a half before the N64 came out. But hindsight is always 20/20." —

Some have also suggested that high production costs and internal development problems also contributed to its cancellation. ]

According to Dylan Cuthbert, some programming elements done for the game, such as the camera programs, where adapted and reused for the development of "Mario 64". [cite web | author =1up | title = Points 02 'Super FX Documentary' | date = 2007-11-23| url =http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/16333| accessdate = 2008-09-09 ] Shigeru Miyamoto also stated that ideas such as All-Range mode, Multi Player mode, and Star Wolf scenarios came from "Star Fox 2". In fact, he estimated that 30% of "Star Fox 64" came from "Star Fox 2". [cite web | author= Nintendo Power Editors| title =Interview with Miyamoto | work =Nintendo Power | date = 1997-01-01| url =http://corneriahq.hostmatrix.org/Interview64.html| accessdate = 2006-09-27 ] Additionally, several game concepts have been reused in "Star Fox Command" for the Nintendo DS — among these are the map screen gameplay element and the ability to choose from multiple characters, each with their own fighters and statistics.cite web | title=Star Fox Command Interview | publisher=IGN |date=2006-09-06 | author=Craig Harris|url=http://ds.ign.com/articles/731/731088p2.html | accessdate=2006-09-08]

References

External links

* [http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=starfox2 Star Fox 2 English translation patch]
* [http://www.spriters-resource.com/nintendo/starfox/starfox2/ Star Fox 2 graphic resources]
* [http://homepage.mac.com/qubedstudios/StarFoxObjectDecoder.htm StarFox 1 & 2 object viewer]
* [http://snesmusic.org/v2/profile.php?profile=set&selected=2506 Star Fox 2 spc music]