See my comments about creative bankruptcy and the goal being to extinguish and existing fanbase and design in order to establish something new. In cases like that they're not making 'Star Fox'. They're making a new franchise and shoehorning the Star Fox label into it at the expense of the existing fanbase. It simply doesn't need to be, and is not a requirement to revive either Star Fox nor warrant the associated gameplay changes.
Some people noticed Retro's drastic changes to Metroid with Metroid Prime, and how people feared it being a first person shooter, as an example of doing something drastic with a franchise that people initially see as horrible. What people forget is that Metroid Prime's greatest achievement wasn't that it was a good game by its own merits, or that it validated the design direction, that it was that it did both of these while still being distinctly Metroid in experience, design, and thematics. It was to Metroid as Mario 64 was to Mario, and Ocarina of Time was to Zelda: a magnificent 3D imagining of a previously 2D franchise.
When I talk about rebooting a franchise, I'm talking about a tasteful reboot. Not turning it into something it's not. I don't think making Star Fox's world a little darker (like Majoras Mask/Twilight Princess dark) would hurt the franchise much. I think it would give Star Fox more of an edge that it needs.
The point is, Star Fox needs to evolve.
Mario, Zelda, and Metroid have all evolved successfully. Star Fox has not evolved successfully. And it's killing the franchise really hard.
Star Fox needs a "tasteful" reboot in the way Metroid Prime rebooted the Metroid franchises or Wind Waker rebooted Zelda after people were so use to the Ocarina of Time art style/vibe.
Star Fox needs a reboot that shocks gamers. A reboot that makes gamers go "Whoa...Did not expect this.." Something that stirs up debate. There's this perception that because Metroid: Other M wasn't the greatest game ever, that Nintendo should never experiment with their franchises again. And I find that to be super lame.
It's no wonder that Zelda has grown to be stale because gamers won't allow Nintendo to go beyond the Ocarina of Time formula that Nintendo has been using for 3D Zeldas since Ocarina of Time.
Gamers criticized Nintendo for making Zelda: Wind Waker cel shaded before it released in stores.
Gamers criticized Nintendo for making Metroid first person perspective before it released in stores.
Nintendo was right for doing those super risky decisions. Gamers were wrong.
I was around during Spaceworld 2000. I remember the chaos. I remember gamers calling Nintendo a bunch of idiots who are destroying all of their franchises. Honestly gamers don't always know what is good for them. And quite honestly, I'm tired of people using Metroid Other M and Star Fox Adventures as examples of why Nintendo shouldn't experiment with their franchises.
When crazy risky experiments work, you get Metroid Prime and Zelda: Wind Waker.
When crazy risky experiments don't work, you get Metroid Other M and Star Fox Adventures.
And the risky experiments that didn't work weren't even bad games. Just mediocre games.
Maybe a Star Fox x Metroid mashup is the wrong way to go, but something definately needs to change with Star Fox. And I'm sure you'll be hearing cries of Zelda becoming stale. You already hear people calling the franchise stale after Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword.