"Basic Star Fox gameplay. You run or fly around blowing up everything that you see."

The Star Fox series is what I would call a series with potential. This could be a really great series, just that nothing has yet to really step up. However, it did have it's moments. The first Star Fox for the SNES was the first to use the Super FX chip, and that game looked great. Then there was Star Fox 64 for the N64, and that was a really fun game. Nothing extremely special about that game, just that it was simply fun. Then came out Star Fox Adventures for the GC. It was a great game, but many people thought that it felt more Zelda like than Star Fox like due to the fact you run around exploring instead of blasting enemies continually. Now there is this game, and many people hoped that this can get the series back on track. Well, now Namco stepped up to try to accomplish that.

Story: 9/10
The game starts of with former Star Wolf pilot Andrew Oikenny, heir of the evil Andross. He gathers up remnants of Andross' crew and begins a rebellion. Though then comes team Star Fox to easily foil his plans. That's your first mission, and this mission as a nice little easy mission, so it's no problem. Though when you take down the Andross wannabe, a new threat arises. Bug-like aliens called aparoids, who can take over both man and machine in order to destroy everything, appear at the Lylat System. You guessed it. They're about to ruin the Lylat System, and team Star Fox is the only thing standing in their path. The story is quite interesting, with some nice cutscenes, including some funny ones and some dramatic ones. You're also going to meet with old foes and work with people you'd expect to fight. Really nice story, and for the first time, Andross isn't the final boss.

The Star Fox Team is a bunch of highly skilled animals. The leader and the person you control is Fox McLoud. There is also Slippy Toad, who believe it or not, is confirmed to be male. He's always the one slipping all over the place if you don't mind the pun. However, he is also the team mechanic. Then there is Falco Lombardi, who left the team for a while, and now returned. He is an ace pilot with a cocky attitude. However, supposedly he has the skills to back it up. Then there is the newest member Krystal, who Fox is in love with, but really doesn't like to mention it. You also have Peppy Hare, who is an old person, especially since he flew back in Fox's father's days. However, he simply can't retire fully from the squad. Now he just sits in the Great Fox, Star Fox's mothership, giving you advice. He does get quite annoying sometimes, but he also can be quite helpful, and not only in giving advice.

Gameplay: 8/10
The game isn't very long. Only 10 missions, some short, some long. You're also required to do different things. Some missions, you just fly in your Airwing and blow up anything that gets in your way. While others, and there's a lot of these, you're required to blow up certain targets. Sometimes you have a time limit. There are some where you simply have to protect the base and survive. Well, there isn't that much of a variety, but at least it's more than in the older Star Fox games (not including Adventures). You also have look out for your teammates. Sometimes they'll get in trouble and need your help. If everybody exits the mission safely, then you'll be getting points. You also get points from blowing up everybody. There are also S Flags that you may find. There are 5 in each level, and they aren't just out in the open. So if you're a perfectionist, you're going to be spending time just simply searching. There is also Mission Mode, where it lets you go back to your favourite levels and play them, or if you want to boost your highscores. In missions, you're required to either fly in your Airwing, run around on foot, or drive around in your Landmaster Tank.

The Airwing missions are always fun, just like in the good old days. You just fly around, blasting everything in your sights, flying through obstacles. This will really remind of those past times, and you old Star Fox fans will absolutely love these missions. There aren't a lot of them unfortunately, though they still are fun. Everything just works so well. You either fly straight (with some 3D effects), or you fly around in full 3D, blasting targets. There are also laser and bomb upgrades to pick up, and there are rings to replenish your health. Well, you won't be needing any of that in your first mission, but you'll be hoping for them later. Really, everything works with the Airwing, good old classic gameplay, and it's a ton easier helping out your partners.

The on foot missions aren't quite as fun as the Airwing missions, but they'll still satisfy you. The controls take a little bit of time to get used to, but once you do, you'll have no problems. There are also different kinds of weapons you can use, even the loved sniper rifle. Though you'll always be starting out with your blaster. Infinite amo, but is useless against some enemies. So when you get like a rocket launcher, don't waste on the weak enemies, cause that thing doesn't have much amo. Also, it's a lot less safe running around on foot. There are hundreds of enemies flying around blasting you with high-tech lasers and bombs, so ofcourse you can die pretty quickly. It might be kind of annoying, but at least it's kind of realistic. I personally didn't find the running missions as bad as people said they were. They are quite fun, but you can die pretty easily. Good thing you can also hop in your Airwing or Landmaster Tank... when they're available that is.

Ah, the Landmaster Tank. Often the hero of your life, cause it aint safe running around when bombs are being thrown at you from everywhere. This thing does blow up, but it at least you don't burn with it, unless if you fall off the ledge that is, since you always need a landing spot. This tank can do some real damage, however, it can't reach every place. It can hover for a little bit, or boost for a second. Though it's still not that easy to control. Regardless, you're going to be needing this thing at times. Those aparoids are everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE!

The difficulty of this game is much higher than I expected. The first mission is very easy, though it's more of an introduction level. Though when you get to the next one, that's when the difficulty rises significantly. There are enemies around every single corner, and a lot of them are those tough guys whom you need a strong weapon to kill, and they just need to hit you to kill you. Also, some obstacles you go through are tough. Really, there are places where you can't just jump into the open, cause that would be automatic suicide. Some targets are hard to find and are heavily guarded. Really, this game is no walk in the park. You can choose the difficulty level. Bronze, silver, or gold. Though even bronze is tough. Then there is silver and gold, which are even tougher. Be sure you got yourself used to all the controls and everything before you jump to the higher difficulty levels. Cause if you don't, have fun failing your missions.

The most annoying thing in this game is the AI of your allies. It seems they can't take care of themselves. They always need you to be getting rid of the enemies on their tails. Like right when you start the first mission, Slippy already gets himself into trouble and needs your help, which is really sad. Another example is in mission three when you're inside a base destroying targets, and you have a time limit. So when you're busy playing seek and destroy with the targets, Falco all of a sudden calls to you from outside the base in space in need of your assistance. What the hell, I'm busy destroying targets here! You're cool and all Falco, but you might as well go die if you're that kind of an "ace pilot." However, if you want those high scores and want to unlock everything, then you gotta go and help out your friends. They can drop you off something in return. Though why can't they blast the enemies when they're tailing you? They are utterly useless, and don't help much with destroying targets. Yes they do destroy enemies every once in a while. Note how I said once in a while. Whenever they do that, they feel like they made a true accomplishment. Cool, I can do that in two seconds, not every 5 minutes. This is by far the most annoying thing about this game.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics of this game are great. No, they're not as good as Star Fox Adventures, but they're still quite nice. The level design is great, everything is nice looking or ugly looking when they should. This game does have good detail, though if you want detail quality like in Adventures, you won't find it in this game. Though that's not saying that it's bad. It's still really nice. The character design is good, though ofcourse, like mentioned, it was better in Adventures (especially for you Krystal lovers). Still, you certainly won't mind the design in this game.

Sound: 10/10
The sound of this game is excellent. The music is orchestrated versions of your classic Star Fox themes, and it sounds amazing. Even as I'm writing this review, music from the game is still ringing in my head. The sound effect are nice. Ah, don't you love the sound effect of blasting your enemies to the next dimension? The voices of the characters are good. Meanwhile there is Slippy, getting is tail burned by enemies, and him screaming and crying will make you wonder if he really is a male. Yep, all the characters sound as they should.

Value: 8/10
As mentioned above, this isn't a very long game on Story Mode. 10 missions, some short, some long. Though if you want those all-time high scores and want to get everything, you'll be playing this game over and over again. Mission Mode is nice, as it lets you choose your favourite missions. There is also Survival Mode, where you try to go through the game without saving. Multiplayer is fun, but there isn't much to it. You just fight it out with your friends. There are weapons, characters, and stages to unlock. Yet, this can keep you playing the game for a while. There is also the classic game by Namco, Xevious, added onto this game as a bonus. This game is old, as it was made way back in 1982. You do however need to unlock this by getting all the silver medals from missions. The value is here for certain people, while for others, this is just a fun little rental. Though who doesn't like blasting things over and over and over again?

Overall: 9/10
This is a fun little game I think everybody should try out, especially if you're a Star Fox fan. The story is a little different, not the most original thing I've seen however. The gameplay mechanics aren't perfect, but once you get used to them, you'll enjoy it a lot. The missions are fun, though there aint a lot. Whether it's Airwing, Landmaster Tank, or on foot, you will still be able to enjoy blasting the brains out of your enemies. However, remember, be ready to protect your allies at any time. The graphics are great. The sound is top class. Meanwhile, the value is great for people who like high scores, like collecting everything, or just really like this game. As for the others, this game is just a nice little fun rental. If you are a major Star Fox fan and love blasting enemies until they blast you, then I certainly recommend this game. However, I highly recommend for anybody to at the very least spend $5 on renting this game. It'll be a good fun rental. If you really enjoy it, then buy it. Overall, this is a very fun game that everybody should try out. As for the old Star Fox fans, this game won't likely disappoint you.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/17/06