Star Fox 64 – The Landmaster
Even though it technically wasn’t the first Star Fox title to be released, Star Fox 64 was certainly one of the most popular entries in the franchise. Especially considering how it helped the Nintendo 64 make an excellent first impression when it initially launched. In addition to some stellar ship-based combat, Star Fox 64 also mixed things up a little by having protagonist Fox McCloud trade out his Arwing ship for the Landmaster tank.
Despite being limited by the effects of gravity, the Landmaster tank had many of the same capabilities as the Arwing (charged laser shots, homing bombs, evasive roll maneuvers, etc.) and the Landmaster’s ability to temporarily hover off the ground introduced new gameplay dynamics where the player had to use the hover ability to avoid obstacles and/or enemy fire. In short, the presence of the Landmaster was enough to prove that Nintendo wasn’t afraid to think outside the box when it came to revitalizing the Star Fox franchise.