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The Star Fox series (Japanese: スターフォックス) is one of Nintendo's many famous video game franchises. The first game in the series, developed by Argonaut, revolutionized the way Super Famicom and SNES games were made. Utilizing the power of the Super FX Chip, it created the first 3D-esque experience on a home console.

The Super FX Chip was an additional math co-processor that was built into the game pack and helped the Super Famicom and SNES render the game's graphics. The Super FX Chip has been used in other Super Famicom/SNES games as well, some with increased processing speed. It was later released in Europe as Starwing. Its sequel, Star Fox 64, further revolutionized the video game industry by being the first Nintendo 64 game to feature the Rumble Pak. It was later released in Europe as Lylat Wars. The Rumble Pak's concept is still used today, in modern consoles such as the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube.

The original game was a forward-scrolling fixed shooter. Later sequels have added more directional freedom as the series progressed.

Star Fox

The first game in the series, Star Fox (Starwing in Europe), was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. Developed by Argonaut Software, it used the Super FX chip to simulate 3-D graphics when 2-D was the norm. In the world of Star Fox, Fox McCloud and his team take on Andross, who threatens to overthrow the Lylat System.

Star Fox 2

Star Fox 2 was the sequel to Star Fox, again developed by Argonaut. However, the game was never released even though it was completely finished, although many of its new ideas were implemented for the forthcoming Star Fox 64, such as the rival team Star Wolf, All-range-mode and a multiplayer mode.

Star Fox 64

Released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64, Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars in Europe) was the next step in the series. Included in the game was the Rumble Pak as force feedback. It also introduced full spoken dialogue, fully three dimensional graphics, and new vehicles and characters. Star Fox 64 is considered the beginning of the Star Fox canon, and is one of the more popular games in the series.

Star Fox Adventures

The next Star Fox game would not come about until Nintendo's next home console, the GameCube in 2002. Developed by Rare, Star Fox Adventures was a completely different and radical take on the series. Instead of being strictly a shooting game, it was now an adventure game, where Fox was armed with a mystical staff, although a few portions contain limited space shooting. Its roots can be traced to the cancelled video game Dinosaur Planet, which Rare was developing as one of the last Nintendo 64 games. Adventures also introduced new characters, such as Krystal and Prince Tricky. Adventures takes place eight years after the events of Star Fox 64, and was released to generally positive reviews.

Note: Star Fox and Star Fox 64 both had different names in Europe due to the copyright being already held on the name "Star Fox" before the games' releases. However, Nintendo bought the copyright out before the release of Star Fox Adventures so future games could be released worldwide with the same name.

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