I remember when Starfox came out.  I thought it was the greatest thing ever because of the new technology being thrown in my face.  No other game that I was aware of at the time had that kind of 3D presentation.  I remember when Starfox 64 came out (I got it again on 3DS, too).  Again, the first game I'd played with a rumble Pak and so much voice over.  It was breaking new ground.  It wasn't the flying or the awesome characters that made Starfox awesome.  Replaying Starfox 64 on the 3DS showed me just how limited that game really was.  I just don't see a retail Starfox being able to do this, anymore unless it introduces some kind of new breakthrough technology to showcase.

That's the thing: you can't see what else can be done with a StarFox game, but people who design action games for a living probably could, especially with a franchise that hasn't seen a proper console release in two console generations (three if you count the last SF game that focused soley on its strengths). There is plenty that could be done with StarFox on more powerful hardware: more ships on the map, more sophisticated AI,sending commands/flight patterns to your teammates, bigger bosses, more action overall. Even ship upgrades like different kinds of missiles/bombs, chaff grenades, booster jets, lasers, etc. The possibilities are vast.

NoirSon said:

On rails is limited in that once you've gone through the set pieces several times, it loses its luster. But the fact is several games from the recent Tomb Raider, Last of Us, Call of Duty games and especially several mobile/indie games are based on pushing the player forward in a similar way as Star Fox's on rail missions. The main thing now however that the previous games now lack is the excitement of things happening around the player. A modern Star Fox game will require missions in which they fly through massive interactive levels such as crumbling cities or other destructable environments, epic boss fights and action sequence set pieces that catch players off guard but are still fun when they occur like different Landmaster missions, flying chases and stuff like that to survive or compete with more recent games.

I get for some this type of game play you can grow out of but the truth is that wasn't just cutting edge technology that may the previous Star Fox games classics. People want action, variety and somethings that several recent Star Fox games lacked in the name of trying to do something different... fun and excitement.