Star Fox 2

Star Fox 2
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Super NES (Classic Edition)
Release Date	US/PAL September 29, 2017 JP October 5, 2017
Rating	ESRB: E

Star Fox 2 is an outer space rail shooter game that was originally developed for the Super NES as a sequel for Star Fox. The game was practically completed, but it was ultimately cancelled due to the impending release of Star Fox 64. Years later, ROMs of different protoypes of the game surfaced on the internet, and Star Fox 2 finally received an official release in 2017 when it was among the games included in the Super NES Classic Edition, where it was unlocked by completing the first level of the original Star Fox.

Story

Set after Star Fox, Andross has recovered from his defeat in the first game and launched a new attack on the Lylat System with a new fleet of battleships. General Pepper called upon Team Star Fox to stop them. Star Fox, now with two new pilots, embarks on a new adventure, battling the minions of Andross and a rival group called Star Wolf.

Gameplay

This game features a shift in gameplay from other Star Fox games with the addition of a real-time strategy element. Players can move two ships along a map of the Lylat System to intercept fighters and interplanetary ballistic missiles bound for Corneria. Once a player's ship makes contact with any enemy forces, the ensuing battle shifts into an action perspective similar to the battles fought in the original Star Fox. There are both classic on-rails battles and all-range battles, the latter of which being situations in which the ship can move around freely in a 3-D environment rather than on a fixed path.

The goal is to keep Corneria from reaching 100% damage from Andross's attacks, with his forces steadily advancing across the map even while the player is battling other enemies. General Pepper can aid in the fight with a Satellite Defense Platform that can also shoot down enemies, although it must be defended from harm in order to do so. After all enemy forces on the map have been cleared, the player can advance to Andross's base for the final battle.

This game features six playable characters, out of which the player can choose a main fighter and a wingman. In addition to the original four members of Star Fox (Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare and Slippy Toad), this game introduces two new Star Fox members, a dog named Fay and a tomboyish lynx named Miyu. The game can be played on mutliple difficulty levels which contain Mysterious Medals that are hidden throughout the game's levels. Collecting all of the medals unlocks a Secret Base that contains a number of power-ups which the player can utilize.

Legacy

Though it was not officially released, elements of Star Fox 2 were incorporated into later Star Fox games. Star Fox 64 would use all-range mode and bring back a reworked version of Star Wolf, while Star Fox Command would later utilize strategy elements based on the gameplay of Star Fox 2.

Ports/Remakes

• As mentioned above, its first official release was with the Super NES Classic in 2017.
• In December 2019, it was added to the library of Super NES games that were made available to play on the Nintendo Switch for anyone subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online service. This version included two player and online options.