Gaming's Best Known Fox Is Back Today Launching An Assault On The Nintendo GameCube
29 April 2005 - Intergalactic commander, Fox McCloud, is the most famous woodland animal in gaming history. Since his introduction in 1993, the Star Fox series has gone from strength to strength, attracting a huge international following of fans. Now the Fox is taking to the skies once again as Star Fox Assault launches across Europe for the Nintendo GameCube today - 29th April 2005!
Star Fox Assault, the latest addition to the franchise, sees a return to the intense and exciting space battles which made the series world famous. Star Fox Assault takes place several years after the team successfully averted disaster on Dinosaur planet. Players can choose to compete in head to head combat or in single player mode. In single player mode, Fox McCloud with the help of his colleagues must investigate a new threat to the galaxy where a sinister plot begins to unravel...
Fans of the series will remember the original Star Fox on the Super NES when the first game was launched to huge acclaim back in March 1993. Starwing was one of the first games ever to use three-dimensional graphics for its action-packed gameplay. The series began by following the adventures of the Star Fox team, a group of hot-shot space mercenaries, dedicated to eradicating the universe of evil - for the right price of course! Under the direction of General Pepper, the team fought their way across the Lylat System against the evil forces of Emperor Andross, who had enslaved the galaxy. Gameplay consisted solely of air-based missions, with the player piloting the now legendary Arwing starship.
The next step in the Star Fox franchise was the release of the hugely successful Lylat Wars on the Nintendo 64 in October 1997. Lylat Wars used the basic principles laid down in Starwing but took it to the next level. Once again, Fox McCloud and the team took on the forces of Andross but with a number of groundbreaking additions. Most importantly, Lylat Wars was the first game on any Nintendo system to feature joypad force-feedback. Thanks to the 'Rumble Pak' peripheral that was included with the game, players were able to feel every explosion, hit and bump as they made their way through the game. In addition, players were able to take on enemies on the ground and water in the Landmaster Tank and Bluemarine sub. Finally, rather than being a single player experience, up to four friends could get together and go head-to-head with intense dogfights.
Star Fox fever reached a new height as Fox McCloud made a cameo appearance in both Super Smash Bros titles on the N64 and then later on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002. However, Star Fox first featured on the Nintendo GameCube in November 2002 with the launch of Star Fox Adventures. It was here that the series took a radical departure from the established formula into an adventure game. Fox McCloud left the comfort of his Arwing cockpit so that players could take direct control of their hero. However, numerous sub-stages allowed Fox to jump back into the seat of the Arwing and blast his way through space, in order to travel from location to location.
The new Star Fox Assault gives you an entire galaxy to explore from the comfort of your living room. It launches across Europe only for the Nintendo GameCube on 29th April 2005 and is available at the estimated retail price of around £40.
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For further information please contact Simon Watts or Rebecca Strickland at the Nintendo Press Office on 020 7307 3103 or log onto the Nintendo Extraanet at www.nintendo-europe-media.com.
About Nintendo
Nintendo Co., Ltd. of Kyoto, Japan, is the acknowledged worldwide leader in the creation of interactive entertainment. To date, Nintendo has sold more than 1.9 billion video games worldwide, created such industry icons as Mario® and Donkey Kong and launched franchises like The Legend of Zelda® and Pokémon*. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems, including the Nintendo 64, NINTENDO GAMECUBE, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy - the world's best-selling video game system which has sold over 170 million units. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of Europe, based in Grossostheim, Germany, was established in 1990 and serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in Europe.