Fresh air

[Dermot]

This forum needs a breath of fresh air. :3

Tell me - what do you all particularly like about the Super NES Star Fox games?

[Guest FoXXX]

-It started it all

-A fox flying in 'a metal bird'

-Like the story line

-The characters (Fox, Falco)

[Dermot]

My favorite thing about the original Star Fox is, by far, Hajime Hirasawa's music.  But I also liked the characters, and their old gibberish voices, and the art style, and overall polygonal look of the arwings...  It just had so much charm.

[Guest FoXXX]

Ah yes, the music was awesome as well.

[Mr. Krystal]

It was a technological triumph. I haven't actually played more than one level because the controls were so tricky. I'll play it eventually.

[Dermot]

It was a technological triumph. I haven't actually played more than one level because the controls were so tricky. I'll play it eventually.

Blasphemy!  And you call yourself a Star Fox fan community administrator? XD Well, as if I'm one to talk - I originally faded away in the late 1990s because I couldn't enjoy Star Fox 64. X3 But really, you must fix this.  Play Star Fox.  Play all the way through all three main routes.  And find the Black Hole and the Out Of This Dimension.  And listen to all the wonderful music while you play the game.  It's a cultural experience, make no mistake. And practice makes perfect. :3

[Guest Julius Quasar]

I like love the Out of the Dimension Level, the Black Hole Level, and the general outer space background rendering (especially in Sector Y).

[Dermot]

I like love the Out of the Dimension Level, the Black Hole Level, and the general outer space background rendering (especially in Sector Y).

Sector Y was a gem, especially with the peaceful music and the space-dwelling manta rays. :3

[Sideways]

I Never played the original. The first one that I was introduced to was Starfox 64. I never had an SNES to play it on anyhow. I tried to emulate it on my PSP but it failed.

[Dermot]

I Never played the original. The first one that I was introduced to was Starfox 64. I never had an SNES to play it on anyhow. I tried to emulate it on my PSP but it failed.

Try ZSNES.  And you have to play the original Star Fox - it's blasphemy to be a Star Fox fan and not to. XD XD XD

[Guest DRL]

Try ZSNES.  And you have to play the original Star Fox - it's blasphemy to be a Star Fox fan and not to. XD XD XD

I played the Original one, and I admit I liked

the Characters.

However, I became a 'fan' because of the 64 -

The game had it all:

-StarShips

-Furry characters

-UFOs (Katina Level)

-Maby cool stuff that is too much

for me to 'compress' it to a small list.

However, SF1 was cool, that is undeniable.

And SF2 had a cool gameplay style, althrough

I found the characters there to be quite... Ugly,

the concepts were cool (and became cooler in SF64).

[Guest FoXXX]

I played the Original one, and I admit I liked

the Characters.

However, I became a 'fan' because of the 64 -

The game had it all:

-StarShips

-Furry characters

-UFOs (Katina Level)

-Maby cool stuff that is too much

for me to 'compress' it to a small list.

However, SF1 was cool, that is undeniable.

And SF2 had a cool gameplay style, althrough

I found the characters there to be quite... Ugly,

the concepts were cool (and became cooler in SF64).

I agree, the problem with the characters was the hardware limitation back then.

[Dermot]

I played the Original one, and I admit I liked

the Characters.

However, I became a 'fan' because of the 64 -

The game had it all:

-StarShips

-Furry characters

-UFOs (Katina Level)

-Maby cool stuff that is too much

for me to 'compress' it to a small list.

However, SF1 was cool, that is undeniable.

And SF2 had a cool gameplay style, althrough

I found the characters there to be quite... Ugly,

the concepts were cool (and became cooler in SF64).

Falco, Peppy and Slippy looked better than ever in Star Fox 2! It was also Slippy's last official appearance with his distinctive bead necklace, except in one of the Star Fox Command endings where Slippy's an old man.

[Showtime 1-1]

Aw maaan, I had the chance to own a piece of history, but I passed on it. A few months ago, the local pawn shop had a copy of Starfox SNES for (*facepalm*) TEN DOLLARS. And I didn't buy it. I am a failure of a Starfox fan. Despite the fact that I don't have a SNES, I still would have loved to have owned such a piece of history.

The only thing I can hope for now is that some 10-year-old bought it and is playing through it right now, discovering the magic that is Starfox-brand rail shooting and forgetting all about Halo, GTA and COD.

[Guest DRL]

Falco, Peppy and Slippy looked better than ever in Star Fox 2! It was also Slippy's last official appearance with his distinctive bead necklace, except in one of the Star Fox Command endings where Slippy's an old man.

Falco... Yeah, it was one of the coolest

looks Falco ever had.

Wolf also looked quite cool.

Leon, and Peppy were ok.

Not too great, but not that

bad, either...

However Slippy... and Fox.... Ugh. 

Pigma is the only exeption to this last.

He IS supposed to be ugly, is not he?

[Asper Sarnoff]

I've only played trough it once, and I liked it rather a lot.

Since there isn't a SNES machine withing miles, I had to do it on an emulator, and it didn't really do the game enough justice IMO.

Still sitting on the fence in regards to the unreleased SF2.

Aw maaan, I had the chance to own a piece of history, but I passed on it. A few months ago, the local pawn shop had a copy of Starfox SNES for (*facepalm*) TEN DOLLARS. And I didn't buy it. I am a failure of a Starfox fan. Despite the fact that I don't have a SNES, I still would have loved to have owned such a piece of history.

The only thing I can hope for now is that some 10-year-old bought it and is playing through it right now, discovering the magic that is Starfox-brand rail shooting and forgetting all about Halo, GTA and COD.

Nah, probably just some old nerd like us who wanted to relieve his childhood. The 10-year olds of today will probably never play so old games as this.

Tough, I'm doing my best to show my 11-year old little brother how old games can also be great fun. And so far, it's been working rather well!

[Dermot]

Falco... Yeah, it was one of the coolest

looks Falco ever had.

Wolf also looked quite cool.

Leon, and Peppy were ok.

Not too great, but not that

bad, either...

However Slippy... and Fox.... Ugh. 

Pigma is the only exeption to this last.

He IS supposed to be ugly, is not he?

You kidding?  Peppy was the cutest! And as for Slippy, it's hard to hate the way he looked because that's sorta the way he originally looked. X3 He can be portrayed even cuter these days, but I never really hated the old shape of his face or the old appearance of his eyes, etc.

[Mr. Krystal]

Blasphemy!  And you call yourself a Star Fox fan community administrator? XD Well, as if I'm one to talk - I originally faded away in the late 1990s because I couldn't enjoy Star Fox 64. X3 But really, you must fix this.  Play Star Fox.  Play all the way through all three main routes.  And find the Black Hole and the Out Of This Dimension.  And listen to all the wonderful music while you play the game.  It's a cultural experience, make no mistake. And practice makes perfect. :3

Yeah, I call myself that because that's what I am. SF64 is far superior in my humble opinion to any other Star Fox game, despite my somewhat extreme interests in Krystal. I was never a big fan of the tunes, at least in comparison to the more symphonic tracks of SF64. And as I already said, I will play it eventually, but money and time prevent me from doing so right now. No, I'm not gonna emulate it. That's illegal, silly. Cultural experience? It's a one-player game!

[Dermot]

Yeah, I call myself that because that's what I am. SF64 is far superior in my humble opinion to any other Star Fox game, despite my somewhat extreme interests in Krystal. I was never a big fan of the tunes, at least in comparison to the more symphonic tracks of SF64. And as I already said, I will play it eventually, but money and time prevent me from doing so right now. No, I'm not gonna emulate it. That's illegal, silly. Cultural experience? It's a one-player game!

Oh, emulation itself isn't illegal. I co-programmed an emulator with a friend a decade ago. :3 The issue is in the right to use the ROMs.  If you already bought the game, it's okay to format-shift (as a ROM and as a cartridge).  Consumers must vigorously protect their media use rights, or else those rights are easily trampled. :3

[Mr. Krystal]

Oh, emulation itself isn't illegal. I co-programmed an emulator with a friend a decade ago. :3 The issue is in the right to use the ROMs.  If you already bought the game, it's okay to format-shift (as a ROM and as a cartridge).  Consumers must vigorously protect their media use rights, or else those rights are easily trampled. :3

Emulators are not illegal. Game ROMs are illegal. The DMCA specifically criminalizes circumvention of any form of DRM with some exceptions. Video game companies have, successfully, argued that the use of non-standard formats (cartridges, specialized discs) counted as a form of DRM. Games often have simple DRM on them in addition, such as Earthbound's anti-piracy checksums. The anti-circumvention overrules the backup protections allowed by other laws. There are exceptions, but only if you are doing so far a "library or archive," or are doing the decrypting for the purposes of research. Format shifting is not allowed if you or someone else had to decrypt. Furthermore, the existence of, and potential use of, the Virtual Console completely blows out of the water the argument that "the data is no longer sold or supported, so it can be copied legally."

According to Nintendo's Anti-Piracy FAQ:

Can I Download a Nintendo ROM from the Internet if I Already Own the Authentic Game?

There is a good deal of misinformation on the Internet regarding the backup/archival copy exception. It is not a "second copy" rule and is often mistakenly cited for the proposition that if you have one lawful copy of a copyrighted work, you are entitled to have a second copy of the copyrighted work even if that second copy is an infringing copy. The backup/archival copy exception is a very narrow limitation relating to a copy being made by the rightful owner of an authentic game to ensure he/she has one in the event of damage or destruction of the authentic. Therefore, whether you have an authentic game or not, or whether you have possession of a Nintendo ROM for a limited amount of time, i.e. 24 hours, it is illegal to download and play a Nintendo ROM from the Internet.

I'm not saying I think it's correct to prevent users from doing format-shifts or making backup copies, but nevertheless, it is illegal.

[CrypticQuery]

The Super FX chip support, the graphics, the overall storyline, (the comics if I would've read them at the time, but I have now ), the "voices" (I can't get enough of those!), the BEAUTIFUL music, compositions, and sound effects, and it's an overall great on-rails flying shooter .  I found it to be one of the best SNES games ever made. 

[Dermot]

Eh, whatever. :3 I dispute the DMCA's ultimate constitutionality as against the intent of copyright to allow people to enjoy original publication and the same work's public domain within their reasonable adult lifetimes.  I generally agree that the Constitution's posted limit of 12 years is almost sufficient, and that repeated copyright term extensions violate this spirit.  I'm generally with the Pirate Parties International on this - strictly limited copyright term and decriminalization of reverse engineering and file sharing as inalienable media rights. :3 That doesn't mean I'm going to go and open my own ROM site or something like that - it means I don't feel any respect for copyright terms whose public domain can only be enjoyed long after any grandchildren I might have are already dead, or for additions to law (like the DMCA) that put a far greater burden of proof on the consumer than on the publisher and criminalizes long-protected practices like reverse engineering.  Besides, Nintendo and Sony have been particularly heavy-handed and draconian in their legal interpretations, to the point where I've lost all respect for their legal departments.  (When the content corporations and the MPAA, RIAA and ESA pushed for DMCA, they very carefully reassured Congress, "It's not about control."  But after DMCA was passed, they said, "Oh, by the way, it's about control."  It's long been observed that you can't really put full trust in any for-profit entity to do anything but maximize its bottom line - and if everything else is expendable to reach that end, that's the way a sociopath behaves.  This is why we as consumers must vigorously protect our consumption rights.)  And, if I recall correctly, Dylan Cuthbert and Shigeru Miyamoto are supportive of emulation.  I mean, though the Wii Virtual Console is a kind of emulator, if I already have those old games, I don't think it's fair or necessary I should have to buy a Wii and pay (again) with Wii points just to emulate those games.  That, and not a single SuperFX game thus far has been released on the Virtual Console, right?  In particular, they have no plans to release SNES Star Fox on it.  I'll use whatever emulator works with whatever setup I have, and I'll happily assist anyone by pointing them to "link removed" and to the file archives that have been at "link removed" on "link removed" unmolested in broad daylight for years. :3 I've never really had a lot of patience for a tired tone-deaf corporate mantra that treats all their valued customers as if they're millions of criminals.  It's just rude to people, you know? :3 If I've programmed an emulator, it's pretty easy to tell that these were questions I considered half a lifetime ago, and I've long since moved on. :3

The Super FX chip support, the graphics, the overall storyline, (the comics if I would've read them at the time, but I have now ), the "voices" (I can't get enough of those!), the BEAUTIFUL music, compositions, and sound effects, and it's an overall great on-rails flying shooter .  I found it to be one of the best SNES games ever made.

Oh, totally! :D :D

[Steve]

Dermot, I'm sorry but I had to remove your links to the emulator sites, it goes against the rules to post said links here, again, I apologize for the inconvenient. I'm sure Mr Krystal or DZ will explain this better than me.

[Dermot]

Dermot, I'm sorry but I had to remove your links to the emulator sites, it goes against the rules to post said links here, again, I apologize for the inconvenient. I'm sure Mr Krystal or DZ will explain this better than me.

Oh.  Apologies.  I won't link them here.  I don't mind forum rules - I just don't put any credit in Nintendo's legal FAQ.  Their creative teams can be wonderful, but their legal department is like a voice from hell, you know?

Wait, even the emulators?  I also know links to 100% legal public domain ROM sites, of ROMs made by programmers on the internet and released to the public for free. :3 Even I've programmed a couple of ROMs from scratch.  They call it homebrew. :3 I'd be happy to show you my best homemade work.

Oh, pardon me.  I realized I haven't taken any of my medication today.  I'm much more hyper right now than I should be. X3 It can be perfectly benign, but to be on the safe side, I should go take care of all that right now. :3

I think I've become something of a hyper irrepressible hippie in my age. X3 But, you know, without the weed or the acid.  In some ways, my brain does all that for me.  I don't even need to drink caffeine to be wired! X3

Okay, I've taken my pills.  *rattles his pill bottle* :3 Now I just need to calm down and not be such a manic spaz. X3 I'd started getting those elevated anxiety symptoms too (not an attack, but the sore neck/shoulders sign - that was a sure sign that I need to bring it down a notch).

With all due respect, I don't want to start an argument or a debate. :3 I'm enough of an impassioned copyright reform firebrand even with my medication. X3 But there's a time and a place for everything.

Here and now, let's just go back to talking about classic Star Fox.

[Guest DRL]

Wait, even the emulators?  I also know links to 100% legal public domain ROM sites, of ROMs made by programmers on the internet and released to the public for free. :3 Even I've programmed a couple of ROMs from scratch.  They call it homebrew. :3 I'd be happy to show you my best homemade work.

Well, diferent companies reacted differently

to 'homebrew work'. I know for a fact that

our game companies (as few and small as

they are) actually encourage it as a way

of extending the real-hardware´s populairity,

since often here you usually make it and

port it to a cartridge. However, big companies

such as Nintendo or Microsoft genearlly frown

upon Modding or homebrew.