had a starfox game idea a while back that honestly doesn't even need to be starfox but i like that franchise and i'd really like them to make a starfox 2 for really real and stick to it for once, so, fuck it, i feel like having a thread talking about an imaginary game

i think nintendo's repeated failings with the license is because they don't understand what makes people wanna play starfox. it's arcade mode spaceship shootan first, with adorable furry critters acting out a star wars-like story a very close second.

starfox levels are a lot of fun because they're memorable, memorizable, directed experiences you can scrape for secrets in a tight, confined space. they're not far removed from racing games, in that regard. literally pulling back the speed on F-Zero GX and adding guns is starfox.

but i'll admit: the zero-G segments in 64 and (gasp!) command are also a LOT of fun when done well. they never quite feel as good as they could but MP in 64 was fun for a reason. assault tried HARD to build off of that, and tried to solve the wrong problems by doing A Lot.

so what i would do, given that license, is make an effort to build a bunch of bespoke levels. all-range/zero-g missions should be minimal, or have something akin to a dedicated feel like the main levels rather than the empty, barren feel in Command.

i cannot stress this enough: people love to do loop-de-loops and barrel rolls through buildings and arches and construction and rocky outcrops and stuff. it feels cool. FEELING cool is really important in starfox.

i think having Loadsa Vehicles is a FUN idea, but i prefer Command's approach: there's a base ship, with modifications for each pilot depending on what you favor. more bombs? more health? or more speed/turning? apply it across three diff ship types for land/space, air, and sea.

this next part is key: a hub area. i'm not talkin like starfox adventures.

i'm talkin like starcraft 2, if you could scoot around a little.

just one ship, one place where we can maybe walk around and talk. i think we have this itch to fuck with Falco as often as we can.

being aboard the titular Star Fox should be something to look forward to. have a mission room, an engineering bay. give me a place to tweak my ship, maybe? nothing wild, but being able to do a slightly more intense F-Zero GX modification between speed/acceleration or something

this is more for finetuning to player's personal wants, rather than forcing the player to consider loadout every time they head out. i don't know if I would add tons of gear to collect or upgrade, because SF's strength is its simplicity --

-- you should be exactly as geared tangibly for the last level as you are with the first, and the only thing that can REALLY change is how the stat distribution is laid out, and maybe some cosmetic stuff. (Command had a ton of different LOOKING ships. I love that. I want it.)

i think all three kinds of ships should have all-range modes as well, but they should feel very different. tanks should be able to strafe and weave through tight spaces; arwings should dogfight relentlessly and do bombing runs; --

-- subs are harder, cuz I think visibility is a GREAT mechanic idea, but being underwater, having things feel like it has more resistance might be good for FEEL but bad for PLAY. still, the notion of not having full pitch and yaw underwater could dramatically change fights.

the one pie in the sky that def wouldn't happen but come on we all want it:

let us make and play our own character. give us the ability to make our own starfox character. sonic forces has you beat, LET US PICK OUR BESPOKE PARTNERS/SQUAD

(i also think we should let the old starfox crew make way for a new generation because their story is done to death and we really don't need Starfox 1 remade AGAIN. but that's me being piddly. Command spoiled me on the idea of having Star Fox: The Next Generation.)

but i think having a place to be excited about returning to between missions, and having more bespoke, designed levels which put emphasis on an arcade feel -- few gimmicks and lots of tests of competency with the mechanics and pattern recognition and level memorization -- is key

like, i think the core formula built from the first game works for a reason, and the most successful games in the franchise have followed it pretty stringently. but other games have also brought along a lot of neat ideas that get abandoned cuz their games "failed."

it's a weird child of Nintendo, with a lore that is frequently rewritten and retooled and retconned, where even Metroid has something akin to a consistent overall plot. it's a shame, 'cuz I think Nintendo still has it in them to make a GREAT Starfox game.

but i think they worry so much about making it relevant and fit their platforms that they forget what makes Starfox as a game structure and as a universe so fun and endearing, and second-guess themselves constantly, creating something weak and directionless as a result.

somewhat random aside: i think all-range mode in starfox should let us pitch and yaw. i wanna be able to aim in any direction. i'm not sure if that would work within that structure and would grind my teeth on that for a long time before I'd ever make a hard statement on it.