8 Video Game Reboots That Failed TWICE
6. Star Fox
Whilst not one of Nintendo’s A-tier (nor, even, B-tier), nevertheless Fox McCloud and company have been long-term mainstays of the company’s roster. Despite famously pushing the hardware of SNES forward and having a decent presence in the company’s party fighter series Smash Bros, Star Fox is a series that Nintendo has rarely ever known what to do with.
Heck, the game’s first sequel, Star Fox 64, was already a reboot but is at least one of the better-loved games in the series.
The same can’t be said for Star Fox Adventures which, whilst technically continuing the story, was certainly a reboot from the gameplay perspective. Instead of space combat, the game was literally a reskinned adventure title with Fox McCloud dropped into the leading role. As such, the similarities to preceding Star Fox material were limited and the game had more in common with The Legend of Zelda. It had its fans but the caveat with Star Fox Adventures was the dreaded review of “it’s a good game, but not a good Star Fox game”.
After a couple of sequels, series creator Miyamoto was however back again on his reboot fascination when it came time for Star Fox Zero. Despite the name sounding like a prequel, the game set up a new timeline. Unfortunately, it was a timeline that retread all the old ground of the first two games. Being released on the Wii U didn’t help the game’s sales numbers, nor did middling review scores that criticised the game’s finicky GamePad-centric control scheme.
The E3 presentation with Nintendo presidents as puppets transforming into the Star Fox team is perhaps the most memorable thing about the game, which is truly devastating.