Star Fox: Assault
On the ground or in the air, Fox McCloud can kick your tail
Tags: Star Fox: Assault Categories: Game Cube Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Feb 13th, 2005
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Fox: Assault (title page) | 1 - 4 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
“I heard it sucks.”
“What?”
“Yeah, Fox actually gets out of his Arwing and battles on land in a tank.”
“Don’t you remember Star Fox 64? That had a couple of land-based missions, and you thought that game was great.”
“But that was then. Fox McCloud has no business being on the ground.”
“Then why did you think Star Fox Adventures was a great game?”
I seriously think that many of my peers (mostly at other websites or publications) have selective memories. Many of the arguments that I am hearing against the latest entry in the Star Fox franchise seem contradictory.
 |
 |
I didn’t play Star Fox Adventures, a highly regarded game, not because it had our hero running around on land, but because I loathe having to run back and forth collecting items. It is for this reason that I missed how the newest member of the team (Krystal) joined the group, but it really isn’t much of a big story point to begin with, as the galaxy is in peril and somebody has to save the day.
I did, however, play Star Fox 64 many, many times. That game had a variety of different types of missions with branching paths that all lead up to the same climactic ending. The game was relatively short (about 45 minutes) but that just added to the replay value.
Star Fox Assault takes place a short time after the events in Star Fox Adventures, and the gameplay harkens back to Star Fox 64 with a variety of mission types. Unfortunately, the branching paths are gone in favor of a much more linear story. Mission after mission, the story progresses as Fox and crew attempt to save Corneria, and in turn, the rest of the galaxy.
 |
Star Fox Assault can be finished over a weekend of casual gaming. That’s not to say that’s a bad thing, but the arcade feel of Star Fox 64 is gone, along with the branching mission paths. This seriously hampers the longevity of the title. There are three difficulty levels, and once a mission is cleared, it is possible to go back and try to get a better score, but the only real reason seems to be to unlock the arcade title Xevious – which is a rather nice inclusion, but doesn’t make up for what is missing in the main game. There are things to unlock in multiplayer, but once you get through the story mode that should be it, right?
There are a number of weapons and maps to unlock in the multiplayer portion. A large number of items, however, aren’t available after completing the game. Instead, players have to play multiplayer a number of times to unlock some of the items that makes the mode fun. It’s a kind of backwards thinking.
The fur looks brilliant, but unfortunately that’s the only place where it appears as if the GameCube is being pushed. That’s not to say the graphics are bad. On the contrary, Star Fox Assault looks good – it is just apparent that this game isn’t meeting the graphical envelope that has been pushed by other titles (such as the recent releases of Resident Evil 4 or Metroid Prime 2: Echoes).
 |
 |
The audio is rather good, with the music fitting the scenes and sound effects what one would expect from a title of this type. The voice acting is a bit… Saturday morning cartoonish – that is to say, pandering. There is no room for subtleties here.
If it sounds like I’m complaining a lot (and I know I am a bit) it’s because I expected a bit more space combat, branching paths, and slightly better graphics. However, that’s not to say Star Fox Assault is a bad game, because it isn’t.
 |
The flying missions are on rails – no worrying about getting lost, just fire away at as rapid of a pace as you can. Or charge up your shots and get some better accuracy. The maneuvers available may not be as extensive as other space-borne games, but they are sufficient for what is thrown at the player. There are various upgrades to obtain by flying through them (just like in Star Fox 64) so definitely keep a lookout for those in addition to the numerous enemies (and they are numerous).
 |
On land there are two options, Fox on foot or in the Landmaster (basically a tank). These levels have created much derision amongst reviewers, and I don’t quite understand why. Many claimed to enjoy Star Fox Adventures, whish was almost exclusively on foot. Star Fox 64 had a couple of really great missions that required the use of a Landmaster. Star Fox Aramada is a natural evolution for the series. The emphasis is a bit skewed away from blasting away at enemies with the Arwing, but the gameplay doesn’t sully the Star Fox name as others would have you believe.
The controls can do a good enough job of that.
Flying isn’t an issue at all. It is when Fox is on the ground, whether on foot or in the Landmaster, that things begin to suffer. The default control scheme is horrible for these actions, so switching to the second of three available options is the best bet. This allows players to use the C-stick to aim, rather than having assistance with an auto-aim that doesn’t work. The problem here is that the C-stick is far too sensitive, and the smallest of movements will send it wildly careening from one side of the screen to the other.
Star Fox 64 had a bit of a learning curve, but not quite this steep. It’s unfortunate, as the multiplayer requires players to go through the game in single player several times to get things unlocked, but many may not want to.
 |
 |
The multiplayer is fairly fun, but like nearly every other Nintendo game, the online portion is missing. In a big improvement over the N64 game, multiplayer for Star Fox Assault allows players to make adjustments to the rules such as limiting equipment of giving less experienced players a handicap. Going up against three friends is fun and does extend the life of the game, but an online component would have been… well, a game that allows for vehicular land combat, dogfights, and blasting away at each other on foot would have been enough to make GameCube sales spike.
Star Fox Assault is a title that definitely honors the franchise and one that belongs in nearly every GameCube owner’s library. I would have like to have seen Nintendo develop this title, and it is puzzling why the publisher is increasingly looking to outside sources for game development of first party games. Namco did a fine job harkening back to the gameplay roots of the N64 while evolving the franchise. It is obvious though that they were unable to take full advantage of the hardware.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Return to "classic" Star Fox style gameplay + Good variety in mission types |
8.2 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Controls on the ground - No branching storyline paths - Multiplayer options take too long to unlock - No online play |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Star Fox fans have already picked this game up, and they are on to something. This is a solid entry in the franchise, and hopefully we won't have to wait another 6 years or so before we get another game like this. | |
[ Post the first comment | View related posts ]
Tags: Star Fox: Assault
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Feb 13th, 2005 and is filed under Game Cube Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
