Fox McCloud
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| Fox McCloud | |
|---|---|
| Game series | Star Fox |
| First game | Star Fox (1993) |
| Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto, Takaya Imamura |
| Designed by | Takaya Imamura |
| Voiced by (English) | Dan Owsen (Star Fox) Mike West (Star Fox 64) Shinobu Satouchi (Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee) Steve Malpass (Adventures & Super Smash Bros. Melee)) Jim Walker (Assault and Super Smash Bros. Brawl) |
| Voiced by (Japanese) | Shinobu Satouchi (Star Fox 64, Super Smash Bros., and Super Smash Bros. Melee) Kenji Nojima (Assault and Super Smash Bros. Brawl) |
Fox McCloud (フォックス・マクラウド Fokkusu Makuraudo?) is an anthropomorphic video game character from the Star Fox series. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and designed by Takaya Imamura. As his name implies, he is a red fox and the main player character of the series.
In each game the player controls Fox, either on the ground or in his Arwing. He is the leader of the Star Fox team, and is joined by his wingmates on various missions.
In the English release of Star Fox 64, he was voiced by Mike West. In both the Japanese release of Star Fox 64 and Super Smash Bros. series, Fox's voices were done by Shinobu Satouchi (speaking in English with a Japanese accent for the English version). For English dialogue of Super Smash Bros. Melee and Star Fox Adventures, Fox's voice was done by Rare's Steve Malpass. In Star Fox: Assault, his voice was done by Jim Walker in the English release and by Kenji Nojima in the Japanese release. Nojima reprised his role for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as did Walker for the English version.
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[edit] Concept and creation
In 1992, Argonaut Games and Nintendo collaborated to produce a 3D space shooter for the Super Nintendo, provisionally titled 'SnesGlider'.[1] The development team, led by Shigeru Miyamoto, redesigned what had been a tech demo into a rail shooter, with Nintendo designing the game and Argonaut handling the technical aspects.[2]
However, without a story, it lacked incentives to play beyond flying and shooting. Miyamoto sketched out a fictional universe, but couldn't decide on a natural hero to convey a sense of an epic space battle. Names under consideration included Star Wolf, Star Sheep, Star Fox, Star Sparrow and Star Hawk.[2]
Miyamoto finally settled on having a fox as the main character after visiting Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto, the head shrine of Inari, a Japanese kami associated with foxes. Inari is portrayed as being able to fly, and its shrines, particularly the one in Kyoto, are surrounded by red arches (torii), giving Miyamoto the idea of a fox that could fly through arches.[3][2]
Fox's face was modeled after Inari's, and always wears a red "scarf" around his neck, like the statue, with the exception of his design from Star Fox: Assault. Fox's personality is modeled after Miyamoto's, with the name 'Fox McCloud' being suggested by Dylan Cuthbert, one of the Argonaut team.[2][1]
[edit] Characteristics
In the original Star Fox, Fox wears an orange suit with a flight jacket and metallic boots, along with a communication device on his head. In Star Fox 64, he wears a green suit and his jacket sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. In Super Smash Bros. and its sequel, Melee, Fox appears as he did in Star Fox 64. In Star Fox Adventures, he has a white vest instead of a jacket, his headgear is replaced with a device on his wrist, and wears a knee pad on his left leg. He also wears a large backpack for carrying items, such as Krystal's Staff and the CloudRunner Flute. In Star Fox: Assault, his appearance changes drastically. He wears a green and red jumpsuit, a white vest, pads on his knees and shoulders, and his boots are red and black instead of gray. As in Adventures, his communication device is on his wrist. In Star Fox Command, Fox has gone back to his Star Fox 64 attire, but without his sleeves rolled up. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Fox has a similar appearance of his Star Fox 64 and Command designs. Although Nintendo has not officially cited Fox's height in a game manual, Nintendo Power released a card featuring Fox, which stated his height, during Star Fox 64, to be 5'8", his weight to be 155 lbs, and his age to be 18.[4] If Logic is followed, Fox's age would be 26 in Adventures (as Adventures takes place 8 years after Star Fox 64, according to the game manual), 27 in Assault (the game manual stated 1 year had passed since the conclusion of Adventures), and 29 to 30 in Command.[5]
In the 1993 Nintendo Power Star Fox comic, Fox had a romantic relationship with Fara Phoenix. While slightly ambiguous, it is obvious that they held mutual affections for each other, by the way they flirt and hold each other on several occasions throughout the comics. Still, the comics are considered non-canon, since Star Fox 64 replaced the original SNES Star Fox title. In the official games canon, Fox became romantically involved with Krystal after the events of Star Fox Assault but soon after asked her to leave because he feared for her safety. Star Fox Command has several different endings in which they either get back together or split apart completely. In one of these endings the pair settled down and had a son together named Marcus McCloud.
[edit] Appearances
[edit] Star Fox
In the original SNES game, Fox's father had gone missing in 'The Awesome Black Hole', a result of Andross' experiments. Fox McCloud assembled a new Star Fox team, which includes Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad. They are hired by General Pepper to pilot the experimental Arwing spacefighter and stop the threat of Andross. With a choice of three routes, the player plays as Fox, fighting Andross' forces.[6]
[edit] Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 is a remake of Star Fox on the Nintendo 64, and adds new characters and ideas taken from the cancelled Star Fox 2. Fox McCloud's friendship with Bill Grey is depicted during the game, and he fights Wolf O'Donnell of the rival Star Wolf team. The Black Hole of the SNES game is absent, instead, James McCloud is supposed to have died at the hands of Andross himself. Once Star Fox reaches Venom, they fight through its defensive lines or Star Wolf to Andross's base, depending on which route the player takes. Despite the protests of his team, Fox faces Andross alone. If the player has chosen the hard route, Fox's father James appears to lead his son to safety when Andross' base explodes, disappearing when Fox escapes. Whether this was living James, a ghost or a figment of Fox's imagination is yet to be seen. Fox then leaves victorious as Andross' base explodes behind him. Back on Corneria, General Pepper offers to integrate them into the Cornerian army. Fox declines, saying that they "prefer doing things their own way."[7]
An action figure of Fox McCloud armed with a missile launcher was produced to accompany the game, but never got beyond the prototype stage.[8]
The other similar figures were shown, but never released. http://www.toymania.com/toyfair2000/toysite/marioworld/index.shtml
[edit] Star Fox Adventures
In Star Fox Adventures, a GameCube game set eight years after Star Fox 64, Fox McCloud is hired to stop Dinosaur Planet breaking apart. Fox rescues Prince Tricky, a young dinosaur of the EarthWalker tribe, from the Sharpclaw tribe. The villain of the game, General Scales, plans to conquer the planet piece by piece. The two find four Spell Stones, magical objects that hold the planet together, returning them to their rightful positions, and free Krystal, an imprisoned vixen. Fox then defeats a resurrected Andross, who was the real villain behind the troubles on Dinosaur Planet. McCloud then returns to the Great Fox, and General Pepper pays him for saving the planet. Falco Lombardi, who had been absent for the majority of the game, is reunited with the team.[9]
Star Fox Adventures was originally intended for release on the Nintendo 64 as Dinosaur Planet, an action adventure starring Krystal and a fox character named Sabre. Created by developers Rare, the game was essentially complete, and was ready for release in the fourth quarter of 2000. The game was shown off at the E3 video game trade show in May that year, but cancelled shortly afterwards.[10]
Nintendo had noticed the similarity between Fox McCloud and Sabre, and decided to convert the game into Star Fox Adventures. In an interview with IGN at the 2000 E3, Shigeru Miyamoto commented on the similarity between the two characters, jokingly suggesting he should call the development team about it.[11]
[edit] Star Fox: Assault
A year after the events of Star Fox Adventures, Fox and his team are hired to defeat Andrew Oikonny, the nephew of the late Andross, who has started a rebellion against Corneria with the remnants of Andross's forces. Team Star Fox manages to corner Oikonny on the planet Fortuna, when Oikonny is suddenly shot down by a creature known as an Aparoid; strange, bug-like organisms with the ability to assimilate things living or not. On planet Katina, the team runs into Pigma Dengar, who sent out an S.O.S. signal to lure them. Pigma steals the core memory of a defeated Aparoid, which the team needs in order to locate the homeworld of the race and destroy the Aparoid Queen; the Aparoid leader. Star Fox then encounters and gets into a brief skirmish with the Star Wolf team while searching for Pigma. After defeating Pigma, the stolen core memory is obtained. After freeing planet Sauria from the Aparoids, Fox then learns that Corneria has been heavily assaulted by the enemy. Star Wolf then comes to their aid when saving Corneria. Fox and crew finally reach the Aparoid homeworld, where the Queen is destroyed along with the home planet itself, once again with help from Star Wolf.[12]
[edit] Star Fox Command
Once again, the Lylat System falls under peril in Star Fox Command, this time under attack by a new foe known as the Anglars, who originated from Venom's acidic oceans. It is up to Fox McCloud to save the galaxy once more by slowly liberating invaded territory and arriving at Venom to defeat the Anglar Emperor. This time, he begins the battle with only ROB 64 at his side, as the team has been disbanded for various reasons. Along the way, other characters will join Fox and the team becomes whole again. [13] As Command has nine different outcomes, it is uncertain which is the true path Fox and crew take; but the developers have suggested that any sequel might ignore the endings and pick up the story from the middle.[14]
In this game, Takaya Imamura gave Fox a cartoonish appearance, compared to the more realistic look of Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox Assault. According to Imamura, realistic fur was unpopular with players.[14]
[edit] Super Smash Bros. series
Fox McCloud has appeared in every Super Smash Bros. game to date. He wears his Star Fox 64 outfit in the series. He is a fast, light-weight character, utilizing speed and agility. His special moves include: Blaster, his projectile weapon, the Fire Fox, his recovery move, a fire attack that engulfs him in flames and sends him flying a limited distance in the direction of the analog stick on the controller. The Reflector, also known as the "Shine", or "Deflector"[15] is a blue hexagonal structure that briefly electrocutes foes when first activated, and reflects enemy projectiles. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, he is lighter than previously established, although he falls more quickly. Super Smash Bros. Melee adds a dash attack, called Fox Illusion. His Blaster is also sped up, and has rapid-fire capabilities, but enemies don't flinch at the impacts of its shots. His Fire Fox move also improves by going higher or further than in the original Super Smash Bros which is like an extra boost.
Fox also makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Fox's outfit in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is similar to, though not completely the same as, his Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Command designs. Additions include a holster for his gun, a scouter over his right eye, and his Reflector device is now visibly hung on his belt.[16] His headset's microphone also appears on the right side of his face instead of the left, which was the case for all of its previous appearances. His Final Smash has been revealed to be the Landmaster Tank, which can hover, barrel roll and shoot powerful shots from the cannon, when performing the move he cries 'Landmaster!'. In the Adventure Mode, Fox (in his Arwing) attacks the Halberd, as that is where the Primid come from. His ship is shot down, and he crash lands in the jungle, where he saves Diddy Kong from Rayquaza. Fox then (reluctantly) embarks on a quest with Diddy to find D.K., who had been captured by Bowser. After finding Bowser, he turns Diddy into a trophy. The shadow bugs then makes a giant clone of Diddy using the trophy. Fox, Diddy, and Falco (who just arrived) defeat the fake. Diddy then forces Falco to help them find D.K. After flying Diddy to the ship where D.K. is, Fox and Falco head back to the Halberd, where Fox launches an attack. Unfortunately, Peach is near where he is aiming, so Sheik forces Fox out of his Arwing, causing them to almost fight. Peach quickly ends this, serving them tea. Then Duon attacks them. Teaming up with Lucario, Snake, and Falco, they defeat it, freeing Mr. Game & Watch. After meeting up with the other two groups, they head on to Subspace, where Tabuu turns them into trophies. They are saved by King Dedede, Luigi, Ness, and Kirby. Fox then helps all the others to destroy Tabuu.
[edit] Other appearances
Fox has small cameos in other games, notably Stunt Race FX, where a portrait of him can be found in track-side billboards.[17] In F-Zero X and GX, a character named James McCloud is a playable racer, bearing the name of Fox's father. He has a similar appearance to Fox, with his hair looking like ears, and wears sunglasses as well. In one of the ending in Command, Fox and Falco join a space racing team.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Star Fox Command Interview", N-gamer, Dec 7, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Tech Demo Gone Franchise - The Life of Star Fox", Advanced Media Network, Dec 7, 2007.
- ^ Shigeru Miyamoto. Equinox: Serious Fun [TV Series]. United Kingdom: Channel 4.
- ^ "Fox McCloud card", Nintendo Power, 1997.
- ^ "Star Fox Command Interview", The Hylia, 1/25/07.
- ^ Argonaut Software and Nintendo EAD. Star Fox. Nintendo. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1993-03-01)
- ^ Nintendo EAD. Star Fox 64. Nintendo. Nintendo 64. (in English). (1997-07-01)
- ^ "Star Fox 64 Action Figure Prototype from Toy-Site", Video Game Memorabilia Museum, Dec 9, 2007.
- ^ Rare. Star Fox Adventures. Nintendo. Nintendo GameCube. (in English). (2002-09-23)
- ^ "Tech Demo Gone Franchise - The Life of Star Fox, page 4", Advanced Media Network, Dec 7, 2007.
- ^ "Star Fox Planet?", IGM, Mar 2, 2001.
- ^ Namco and Nintendo EAD. Star Fox: Assault. Nintendo. Nintendo GameCube. (in English). (2005-02-15)
- ^ Q-Games and Nintendo EAD. Star Fox Command. Nintendo. Nintendo DS. (in English). (2006-08-28)
- ^ a b "Star Fox Command Interview", IGN, Dec 12, 2007.
- ^ Smash World Forum Terminology List
- ^ Smash Bros. Invades Japan - New trailer shown at Nintendo World
- ^ Argonaut Software. Stunt Race FX. Nintendo. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1994-10-10)
[edit] External links
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