The solution, it seems, has been to jettison the 'surprise' and jam down the nostalgia throttle for maximum delight.
Watching the surprise Star Fox Direct , the game is framed carefully as a new "cinematic take" but one that follows the original very closely ("stage layouts have been kept the same"). We're not looking at some Capcom-style REmake here; Star Fox is very much on the same rails as the original.
Which, in some ways, is a relief. There's an almost-zero chance of this being a bad video game or controversial like Zero 's previous reimagining. We know this because we've all played SF64 many times, first on N64 and then on 3DS. The updated visuals look decent, the audio sounds almost as peppy (pun, as always, intended) as the original, and the new character designs — while apparently divisive — are at least new.
I love this game, and it's inconceivable that this remake will spoil it given how close they're honing to the OG
I wanted more 'cinema', and that's what we're getting. The prologue with James McCloud, Peppy, and the double-crossing Pigma looked exceptionally slick (did you notice the little analogue-style stick on Pigma's yoke?). And as a crusty '90s gamer whose eyes well up at the first notes of the Thunderbirds theme, just hearing the familiar march as the team calls in before the mission had me grinning.
I love this game, and it's inconceivable that this remake will spoil it given how close they're honing to the OG. I may even buck my personal trend and get this one physical so I can have it on the shelf next to my big-box Lylat Wars, Star Fox 64 3D , and Zero.
However, once again, it feels like we're in a holding pattern with Switch 2. Thankfully, Nintendo isn't leaning on another Switch 2 Edition with bells and whistles added to a Switch 1 release we played to death years ago, but we're still looking at a close reworking of something we've played many times. This game is already on Switch via NSO; I'll be replaying it this weekend, that's for sure - and you should, too. It's still fantastic.
Naturally, I'm here for a quality remake of a quality game. It'll be great seeing a new generation enjoying it for the first time. Plus, the price tag is refreshingly low. It's not just tough to complain, it feels a bit tiresome.
If there is a problem, it's the signal this sends if — and it's still a big IF at this stage — the rumoured Ocarina of Time remake turns out to be real as well. Likewise, I'd be all over that ("Greatest game ever made getting overhauled 30 years on? Nah, you're alright..." ), but such a safe bet feels startlingly unambitious for a company with Nintendo's history and reputation.
Fundamentally, this is Nintendo at its least imaginative, and it's not the killer game to make doubters pull the trigger on a Switch 2, either.
Looking at the past year and the Switch 2 slate for 2026 , there are great games there, but nothing likely to genuinely surprise gamers or the wider industry. It's unrealistic to expect that every generation, perhaps — they can't all be BOTWs — but that's the standard Nintendo should be held to.
A new Smash or other series sequel would be exciting, but the 'new' part is key. When we asked you what you'd want from a new Star Fox, only 5% of you said: "Just a good, straightforward SF64 remake, please." Jim signed off in that article saying, "Brace for Star Fox 64 3D HD ...", and that is what we've got.
There's GameShare, camera, avatar, and online additions , and I'm sure we'll see a brand-new mission or two - there'll be a modicum of 'surprise' buried in there. But there's a creeping sense that the platform holder is stepping into the safe territory that Sony has occupied with its multiple Spidey and TLOU remasters. Fundamentally, this is Nintendo at its least imaginative, and it's not the killer game to make doubters pull the trigger on a Switch 2, either. All us Star Fox sickos got one already.
From a financial 'is Nintendo in trouble?' standpoint, this is all irrelevant, of course. Stock dips and global economic issues aside, Nintendo is doing fine and Switch 2 is selling well. A lack of originality isn't a death knell; Switch 1's best-seller is a retooled Wii U game. A 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + something something something ' could be enormously successful. An Ocarina remake would do numbers.
I'm just jonesing for more 'surprise', still. I'd hoped for a couple of curveballs and a 'HOLY CRAP, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!?!' as Switch 2 Year 2 approaches. The biggest shock here was the Direct dropping unannounced at the end of Golden Week. Star Fox will be satisfying summer filler, but Nintendo's still got something to prove before the year's out.
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