00:09Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 things you may not have
00:15known about Star Fox 64.
00:19Hey Einstein, I'm on your side!
00:22Before we begin, we publish new videos all week long, so be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays and ring
00:27the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
00:30The game was a reboot, not a direct sequel.
00:35We need your help, Star Fox! Andros has declared war!
00:40Most fans assume Star Fox 64 picked up right where the original 1993 game left off, but the reality is
00:48far more interesting.
00:49Development actually began as a reimagining, with Nintendo pulling inspiration from the 1993 Super Nintendo Classic and incorporating ideas shelved
00:59from the cancelled Star Fox 2.
01:08The Nintendo 64's hardware muscle gave developers the freedom to rebuild the Star Fox universe from the ground up with
01:15more detailed, polygonal environments and smoother gameplay mechanics.
01:20Rather than continuing an existing story, the team seized the opportunity to retell Fox McCloud's origins with greater depth, ambition,
01:28and technical flair than the Super NES could have ever allowed.
01:32I'll do my best. Andros won't have his way with me.
01:35Why is Aquus the only underwater level?
01:46Aquus stands out as one of Star Fox 64's most visually distinct stages, swapping the Arwing for the Blue Marine
01:54in a slow, eerie, deep-sea environment.
01:57But there were other stages planned like this.
02:00I'm gonna check out the bioweapon.
02:06The development team originally planned multiple underwater stages throughout the game.
02:11However, playtesting revealed a serious problem.
02:14The underwater sections dramatically disrupted the game's overall pacing, dragging momentum to a crawl between the faster, high-energy aerial
02:22missions.
02:23And so, most of the underwater levels got axed.
02:26Aqua survived the cut precisely because its uniqueness made it feel like a welcome detour, rather than a repetitive drag.
02:35We're preparing to dock.
02:38The puppet mouth animations.
02:42Clippy, watch out! Bogey on your tail!
02:47Whoa!
02:48Thanks, Fox!
02:49One of Star Fox 64's most charming and oddly iconic visual quirks is the way characters communicate, mouths flapping open
02:58and shut with a rigid, almost mechanical rhythm.
03:01That distinctive style wasn't accidental.
03:04Quit up and take it to him!
03:07Producer Shigeru Miyamoto and the development team drew direct inspiration from the classic British television series, Thunderbirds.
03:15The 1960s puppet show that featured similarly rigid-mouth animations.
03:20Rather than animate fully expressive faces, the team embraced that stiff, puppet-like quality as an intentional aesthetic choice.
03:28And it ended up giving Star Fox 64 even more personality than one may think it would on paper.
03:34All aircraft report!
03:37I'm fine, I'm fine!
03:40The training mode was more than a throwaway extra.
03:44Welcome to training mode!
03:49Let's practice the basics!
03:51A lot of games treat their tutorial modes as glorified instruction manuals, something you click through once and immediately forget.
03:59Star Fox 64 had other ideas.
04:02The training mode dropped players into a surprisingly intricate obstacle course filled with rings, enemies for target practice, and narrow
04:09pathways designed to genuinely test your piloting skills.
04:21Completing it wasn't just about learning the basics, mastering the course demanded real precision and control.
04:27For a mode that could have been an afterthought, it packed a remarkable amount of substance.
04:36The Forgotten Character
04:46As some players may know, Yaru Dippon is only ever seen during the training mode for Star Fox 64.
04:53Despite being a memorable enough presence during gameplay, Nintendo seemingly left him behind when the series moved forward.
05:00No cameos, no references, no acknowledgments, he just simply vanished after this.
05:06If the boost meter is red, no techniques will work.
05:11Whether his absence reflects a deliberate creative decision, or just an oversight lost to time remains unclear.
05:17Either way, Yaru Dippon holds the peculiar distinction of being the only Star Fox 64 character who has never appeared
05:25in another game in the franchise.
05:27Not counting Andross' thousands of dead cronies, of course.
05:31Continue practicing all-range mode as long as you like.
05:37Large character cast, small voice cast.
05:41Reports indicate that Andross is working on some secret weapon.
05:46I'll check it out.
05:47Star Fox 64 is packed with memorable, personality-driven characters, from cocky wingmen to menacing bosses, and remarkably, only seven
05:56voice actors brought all of them to life.
05:58That small ensemble was responsible for voicing a total of 23 distinct characters across the entire game.
06:12The range required from each performer was genuinely impressive,
06:16with several actors jumping between wildly different personalities and vocal registers.
06:22Jaw Green, for example, voiced the most characters, having performed as Leon Pawulski and four of the game's boss characters.
06:31Mike West got the fewest roles, but they were the big ones, arguably.
06:35Fox McCloud and his father, James McCloud.
06:39Sorry to jet, but I'm in a hurry.
06:44The original voice cast.
06:46Things are starting to heat up.
06:50Quit dinking around.
06:53We're heading into the asteroid.
06:55Early on in development, the staff were originally planning to voice the characters themselves,
07:00with lead artist Takaya Imamura voicing Fox McCloud himself.
07:04This was not uncommon back in the 90s and early 2000s, as it was a way to save money during
07:09development.
07:10However, more often than not, this resulted in terrible performances that ruined games for many players overseas.
07:18Whoa! Can you make it?
07:21Use the brace!
07:23Star Fox 64 almost suffered the same fate until the team made the call to bring in professional voice actors,
07:29recognizing that polished, dedicated performances would elevate the final product.
07:34Imagine how differently history might have unfolded otherwise.
07:41Star Vox
07:50Nintendo had a naming problem on their hands when Star Fox 64 was preparing for its European release.
07:56A German company called Star Vox, with a V, held trademark rights that clashed closely enough
08:02with the Star Fox name to raise serious legal concerns.
08:07Rather than fight a prolonged legal battle, Nintendo opted to rebrand the game entirely for European markets,
08:13releasing it under the title, Lylat Wars.
08:24It's a fascinating case of a legal wrinkle quietly reshaping how an entire region experienced the game.
08:30Many European players of a certain age still know it exclusively as Lylat Wars to this day.
08:36This can't be happening!
08:39You'll be seeing your dad soon, Fox.
08:43The Nintendo Power promo video.
08:54Before social media campaigns and YouTube trailers, Nintendo found creative ways to generate hype for
09:00its games. One of these methods was by sending special promo tapes out to Nintendo Power Magazine
09:05subscribers. The promo video for Star Fox 64 showcased gameplay footage, highlighted key features like the
09:12Rumble Pak accessory, and much more.
09:14The Fox team includes Fox McCloud and his wingmen.
09:19Peppy Hair, Slippy Toad, and Falco Lombardi.
09:25It also featured a bizarre plot where representatives from Sony and Sega interrogate a man in a Star Fox 64
09:33themed pilot suit. Yeah, it was probably one of the weirdest of the promo videos out there.
09:38For kids waiting anxiously for the game's launch, though, receiving that tape felt like getting a
09:43backstage pass, even with the strange antics. Probably doesn't help that one of the royalty-free
09:48songs used in the tape is among the songs heavily associated with SpongeBob SquarePants.
09:54It teaches you everything you need to know about the game.
09:57Let me see that.
09:58You can buy it at the store.
10:01Takaya Imamura's Involvement
10:03Split up and take it to him.
10:08Most people know Takaya Imamura as the creative mind behind Star Fox's iconic character designs,
10:14but his contributions to Star Fox 64 ran far deeper than that. Beyond crafting the visual identities of Fox,
10:21Falco, and the rest of the crew, Imamura also played a significant role in shaping the game's
10:25overall art direction, helping define the distinct visual tone that sets Star Fox 64 apart from its
10:32predecessor.
10:39His fingerprints are on everything from the environmental aesthetics to the enemy designs
10:44that populate each stage. He even had a hand in the game's music composition, writing the story,
10:50and even designing some of the core mechanics. Imamura's holistic involvement helped transform
10:55Star Fox 64 from a simple reboot into a fully realized cohesive universe, and that legacy endures
11:02every time a new generation picks up the game.
11:06What's wrong, Fox?
11:12Did any of these facts surprise you? Let us know down in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe to
11:17MojoPlays!
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