When writing this article for 2022's works, my thought was to help present short furry animations in a way that’d promote organic discussion. I enjoyed doing it, so will try to make it an annual tradition. As I was going through the Ursa Major recommended list, I found these entries had become a bit longer than last year; there were also more of them, so they took more time to review, but for most it was well worth the time.

These are the eleven I felt were most worth a view, plus a bonus, lightly-viewed short not on the Recommended list that I felt worth talking about.

shmuplations.com is, in its own words, "a repository of Japanese game developer translations, covering primarily (but not exclusively) older arcade and console games". Recently, they featured an interview that originally ran in the November 21, 2002 issue of Nintendo Dream with Takaya Imamura; video game character designer for the Star Fox series. The interview was designed to highlight Rare's then-recently-released Star Fox Adventures, but also covers Imamura's early work with the franchise.

For furry fans, this information is interesting, as he discusses the creation of some iconic furry characters, including Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare and Krystal (also, Slippy Toad). Imamura also reveals how Shigeru Miyamoto not only introduced the furry aspects to the series, but also always intended the series to be a bit more "mature" than the average Nintendo game.

Rick May, best known to furries and non-furries alike as the voice of Peppy Hare in the English version of the game Star Fox 64 passed away April 13, 2020 due to COVID-19. May was born September 21, 1940 (with the full name of Richard J. May), meaning he would have turned 80 later this year. May had also recently suffered a stroke in February, making him even more vulnerable to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

May will forever be known as the man who originally uttered the memetic line "Do a barrel roll! (Z or R twice.)" in Star Fox 64, explaining to players how to perform what is technically an aileron roll in order to deflect enemy attacks. May also played the villain of Star Fox 64, Andross. Outside of furry video games, May is probably best known for voicing the Soldier of Team Fortress 2; furries might also recognize his voice behind the villainous Dr. M from the third Sly Cooper game. In addition to voice work for video games, May has had a long history of working both on and for the stage as both a director and actor, beginning with USO shows while stationed in Japan. His part in a Renton, Washington production of Cotton Patch Gospel featured a combination of his voice and stage work, as he used different voices to portray 21 characters in what was reportedly his favorite stage role.

It's time to return to the Lylat System and step into the Arwing cockpit as the latest Star Fox game, Star Fox: Zero comes out for the Wii U system. After a decade absence from the Nintendo console game lineup, will this reboot of the franchise give new hope to the fans, or will disappointment strike it back? Here are my thoughts on the latest adventure of the space faring mercenaries.

Back in August, Nintendo announced that Star Fox Zero would be coming to its Wii U console Friday after next. Then the game got delayed, so don't line up at your nearest game store next Thursday; you'll have to wait until April 22 of next year. In the meantime, enjoy this new trailer.

The announcement didn't note why the game had been delayed, though it has long been a Nintendo policy that "a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."

The latest remake in the Star Fox series of Nintendo games, Star Fox Zero, has a release date. The Wii U game will come out this year as promised, on November 20.

Also on the same day, an Amiibo figure of Star Fox character Falco Lombardi will be released; Star Fox Zero's newly revealed final box art does promise Amiibo connectivity, but it has not yet been revealed exactly how. Falco will be the second Star Fox character to gain an Amiibo figure, after series protagonist Fox McCloud, as well as the final character to gain an Amiibo this year.

Star Fox Zero is meant to be a showcase of the Wii U's signature gimmick, the GamePad, a controller featuring a separate screen. The Star Fox series has frequently been cast as a Star Guinea Pig, the original game being a showcase for the Super FX graphics chip while the remake Star Fox 64 introduced the Rumble Pak and the now standard idea of force feedback controllers.

Update (9/18): And now Star Fox: Zero doesn't have a release date; the game has been delayed until spring 2016.
Update (11/12): And now Star Fox: Zero has a release date again; the game will be released April 22, 2016.

After Nintendo vaguely announced a new Star Fox Wii U game last year, they have finally released a trailer and full name at this year's E3. The newest game will be called Star Fox: Zero.

Apparently, it's yet another remake of the original Star Fox, with some elements of later versions. For those keeping track at home, Star Fox now has the same amount of remakes as it does sequels.

Three years ago, Nintendo announced Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS, the latest in Nintendo's series of fighting games featuring various Nintendo characters. As the game's Japanese version launched this Saturday, the full roster for the game is now known (though it had actually been leaked back in August). The starting roster can be found here. The furry part of the complete roster will be covered after the break, so don't click on Read More if you're worried about spoilers.

The game will be hitting stores everywhere else October 3, with the exception of Germany, which gets it a day early due to a national holiday. Lucky them.

A whopping eight years and an entire console generation since the last original Star Fox game, Star Fox Command (not counting Star Fox 64 3D, a remake of a remake), Nintendo has finally decided to dust off the space-faring furry franchise and give it a brand new game for the Wii U slated for sometime next year.

The game, which doesn't even have an official subtitle yet, was announced at this years Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), though Time magazine (not usually a magazine noted for its video game news scoops) leaked its existence a tad early. Not many details are available at the moment, but the game is being worked on by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto (a.k.a. the guy who had a hand in the creation of almost every Nintendo character you loved as a child).

I wasn’t as proactive as I thought I would be, and I’m pretty sure I missed a couple posted during the first of September, so apologies there. Otherwise, here was last month’s Newsbytes.

One thing I’ve noticed about Nintendo products is that they last a long time. I’m not talking about the timeless aspect of the games, though there is that, too. I’m talking about the products. My old Nintendo 64 still works. So does my copy of Star Fox 64.

Star Fox 64 3D for the Nintendo 3DS is therefore one of the most redundant video game purchases I could possibly make, but is it a worthwhile purchase?

In a nutshell, if you have a working Nintendo 64 with a working Star Fox 64 cartridge, no, actually. If you don’t, though, it might be worth it.

For historical purposes, a collection of links and other tidbits posted to Newsbytes in August.

This fall appears to be setting itself up for a string of new blockbuster video game titles, ranging from Star Fox 64: 3D, to Sly Cooper [4]: Thieves in Time, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, a pair of Tekken games, and even the little-heard-of 3DS title, The Rolling Western.