In 1997 Nintendo released Star Fox 64 which was received with major acclaim for its fairly simple and very effective gameplay style of 3D shmup. Ever since, fans have been simply desiring more of it, however it somehow seems to always be too much to ask from Miyamoto's team. In 2015 Star Fox Zero was announced as a back-to-basics release that would take advantage of the Wii U's HDMI output for fancier presentation. All seemed well and good, but alas, it seems that Nintendo SPD just cannot resist not including some kind of unnecessary gimmick that jeopardizes the core experience.

Star Fox Zero's fatal flaw is its usage of the Wii U gamepad's screen as a requirement to play what otherwise could have just been played with the left analog stick and the buttons on the right side. It is perhaps part of Shigeru Miyamoto's signature philosophy to prioritize on showcasing the bells and whistles of the console it is being played on rather than having these on the side. Yes, Star Fox 64 did have the usage of the Rumble Pak as a featured gimmick, but this was entirely optional and never affected those that never had the accessory.

While this game is not completely terrible, it just happens to betray its core design elements to prioritize on unnecessary implementations.

It just could have been far, far, far better.