Every Star Fox Preview Says the Same Thing: It Rules

Star Fox has been stuck in a loop for decades. Remakes, reimaginings, and reboots of the same 1997 rail shooter, each one arriving to diminishing enthusiasm and the same tired question: why won't Nintendo just make a new Star Fox? So when the first wave of hands-on previews for the Switch 2 version dropped on June 2nd, I expected the usual mix of polite praise and resigned sighs. Instead, every single outlet came away saying the same thing: this one is great.

That kind of unanimity is rare for any game, let alone one that is, yes, another version of Star Fox 64. Game Informer's preview highlighted the revamped cutscenes and how they give the campaign's missions more narrative weight, calling the mission briefings "much more organic" with "significantly more context about what's happening in the galaxy." Polygon went further, calling it "the best version of a beloved game yet" and singling out the new two-player Pilot and Gunner co-op mode as a potential standout. IGN compared the whole package to "A New Hope" for the franchise. I can't remember the last time a Star Fox announcement generated this kind of energy across the board.

The Elephant in the Arwing

Not everyone is completely sold, and the dissent is telling. TechRadar's preview pointed out what a lot of fans have been thinking for years: with this release, almost half of the series' nine mainline entries will be some version of Star Fox 64. That's a legitimate criticism, and one I share. No matter how polished this remake is the franchise desperately needs a proper new entry. But what's interesting is that even the skeptics aren't calling the game bad. They're calling it unnecessary. There's a difference, and it suggests Nintendo's execution here is strong enough to override the fatigue.

VGC's preview offered a more nuanced take, praising the visual overhaul while noting that the new character portrayals "feel quite at odds" with what longtime fans might remember. New cutscenes look fantastic, but they apparently slow down the arcade-style pacing that made the original so replayable. Whether that trade-off works will depend on the player, but at least it's a deliberate creative choice rather than a lazy one.

Nintendo also confirmed pricing: $49.99 digital, $59.99 physical. The game launches exclusively on Switch 2 on June 25th. New modes include a Campaign that supports online co-op through GameShare, a Challenge Mode for replaying cleared stages with new objectives, and a 4v4 Battle Mode playable online or locally. There's even a USB camera feature that lets you appear in GameChat as Fox McCloud with facial expression tracking, which is either charming or horrifying depending on your tolerance for seeing Slippy Toad mirror your face in real time.

For anyone who wants the Star Fox experience without a Switch 2, there's also Wild Blue Skies, an on-rails shooter built by Chuhai Labs, whose CEO Giles Goddard actually worked on the original Star Fox at Nintendo. It launches on Steam on August 13th and has already crossed 120,000 wishlists. The genre is having a genuine moment right now, and competition from a developer with those credentials can only be a good thing.

What strikes me most about these Star Fox previews is the surprise in the writing. Journalists went in expecting another competent but safe Nintendo remake and came out impressed. That gap between expectation and reality is where excitement lives, and it's something the Star Fox brand hasn't generated since the GameCube era. Nintendo has added 10 tracks from the game to Nintendo Music ahead of launch, and pre-orders are live now on the eShop.