Star Fox: Assault

"A much maligned, but ultimately good, game"

After the dismal performance that was Starfox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet, I dreaded what the future held for the Starfox series. The announcement of Starfox Assault, a more traditional Starfox game, gave me renewed hope and I prayed that the sequel would live up to the series' impressive roots. Did it? Well... yes and no. The single player campaign is disappointing, to say the least. I was almost ready to write off the game at that point and move on to something else, but then one day, just for laughs, I loaded up the multiplayer and discovered a gem of a game that most people seem to have overlooked.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics in Starfox Assault are suitably impressive. Though they aren't to the level of, say, the Metroid Prime series, they still hold a certain appeal. Interestingly, the game doesn't have the beauty and “wow” factor that Starfox Adventures did... if there's one thing I liked about Dinosaur Planet, it was the incredibly lush and beautiful graphics. For some reason, Namco chose not to focus as much on graphics this time around. The vehicles look reasonably realistic without seeming out of place, and the background are suitably lush and vibrant. The character models are nicely detailed, though not overly so. All in all, the game's appearance is very well done.

Sound: 7/10

The music from the Starfox series has been sort of a mixed bag to date. Starfox for the SNES featured some incredible tracks that I personally believe are some of the most memorable of the console, while Starfox 64 featured a much more subdued, muted soundtrack that Starfox Adventures seemed to mimic. Starfox Assault largely continues the trend set by its two more recent predecessors with a relatively subdued soundtrack for much of the single player mode. However, the multiplayer tracks are a little closer to the SNES game, being loud, bright and a lot more noticeable than the single-player variants.

I think this was probably a deliberate decision by Namco, and one that I actually kind of like the logic behind. Single player, with its large amount of dialogue, would probably be more weighed down by a more vibrant soundtrack, as it would force you to try and shove the music aside while listening to your teammates, whereas the largely dialogue-free (barring enemy taunting) multiplayer is not weighed down by such constraints and therefore can do with a much more in-your-face soundtrack.

Speaking of the teammates, the voice acting in Starfox Assault is up to the usual Starfox standards: Not bad, but still capable of making you cringe at points. I'm not sure what it is about the series, but regardless of whether it's in the hands of Namco, Rare or Nintendo itself, the voice acting always seems to hit the exact same level of cheesiness that falls somewhere in between good and utterly terrible.

Single Player: 6/10

This is where the game falls flat. Rather than the usual Starfox faire from the previous two “traditional” Starfox games of multiple paths and difficulties, Starfox Assault has only 10 linear levels with the difficulty manually set by the player. The whole single player campaign can be completed comfortably in an hour or two, leaving the game rather short. There are medals in this game, a la Starfox 64, that are awarded for completing a level quickly with a large number of baddies taken out but curiously, little motivation for collecting them, particularly since some of them seem to be damn near impossible to actually get.

Now if there's one thing Starfox Adventures taught us, it's that Fox does not belong outside of a vehicle unless he's busy duking it out with other Nintendo mascots. Unfortunately, Namco decided to disregard that little tidbit of wisdom when making Starfox Assault. The game is composed of an even split of traditional on-rails Starfox flight levels and new free-roaming levels, where Fox is either on the ground gunning down baddies or swapping between ground fighting and vehicle fighting. This could possibly work, were the ground controls and mechanics not so horribly awkward. I've never been a fan of shooters taking the third person view and Starfox Assault doesn't change that opinion of mine even slightly. You can eventually get used to the ground controls after some initial frustration, but the whole thing still seems rather forced. Had the game chosen to simply stick with what works and have Fox permanently glued to his Arwing seat, the game probably would have gotten a much warmer reception, as the on-rails Arwing levels are their usual awesome selves from the previous games.

Overall, the single player game is short, rather dull and extremely disappointing when you consider the amazing experiences found in Starfox and Starfox 64.

Story: 6/10

The story in Starfox Assault isn't really all that deep, but then again, the Starfox series are not known for their gross, engaging storylines. In this instalment, the galaxy is once again under attack, this time by a group of hostile alien lifeforms known as the Aparoids. These strange, extragalactic beings absorb their prey's life-force, making them more or less the Starfox equivalent of the Borg, the Tyranids or the Slivers. Fox and his crew have to head out and subdue this new menace and save the galaxy once again.

The plot is fairly ho-hum, even for a Starfox title. There are the few requisite plot twists, none of which are all that surprising and all of which get resolved fairly quickly. A few familiar faces join the ranks from previous Starfox titles, including Krystal, Starfox Adventure's new addition to the Starfox team, and the Starwolf Squadron. Hardly a powerful story, but it does the job.

Multiplayer: 9/10

Amazingly, however, the multiplayer is a surprisingly entertaining feature that I'd say is the game's strongest point. Starfox, like most of Nintendo's flagship series (Zelda, Metroid and non-spinoff Mario titles come to mind), was not known for its multiplayer and I think that's why so many people who played Starfox Assault skipped over this section. Any multiplayer thrown into a game in any of the aforementioned series was usually a token feature that lacked any real depth. Starfox Assault, on the other hand, actually had an amazingly fun multiplayer and it seems that most of Namco's developer time went here instead of into the single player.

The multiplayer game plays almost identical to the single player game; some levels are Arwing (or ground) only, while others allow you to move smoothly from vehicle combat to ground combat and vie versa. Once you get past the awkward ground controls, you find that Starfox Assault's expanded ground role actually has a huge effect on the multiplayer. While on the ground, Fox and his cohorts have access to a huge arsenal of weaponry from homing missiles to sniper rifles and this makes the game a lot more of an interesting multiplayer affair. Furthermore, each character has strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited by a savvy player to compliment his own play style. Falco, for example, is extremely fast and nimble on the ground and has excellent piloting skills. However, his skills in the landmaster tank are poor and he has very little health, making him a player for those who favour Arwing combat over ground duels.

The game encourages a sort of strategy whereby one playstyle can counter another in a sort of elaborate rock-paper-scissors scheme. Arwings, for example, are excellent against tanks, but can be easily shot down by well-armed (and difficult to target) ground-roaming characters, who, in-turn, can be very quickly wiped out by a rampaging landmaster. This forces players to constantly stay on the move, changing up their playstyles as the situation requires.

The multiplayer has a huge amount of unlockable content in the form of new weapons, stages and even characters that can be added to the starting roster. It's a great game and if you're looking for something fresh to bring to your local Gamecube party other than the traditional Smash Bros./Mario Party/Mariokart faire, consider bringing this little title along and give the multiplayer a whirl.

Overall: 8/10

The game's single redeeming feature is its multiplayer and I really can't recommend the game for any reason other than that. If you're looking for a good single player experience, there are dozens of other Gamecube titles that would better suit the bill. However, the multiplayer is fun and engaging and definitely worth a playthrough. Though the single player campaign won't entertain you for more than a few hours, the multiplayer can chew up a lot more of your time, if you learn the game mechanics. I'd give this one a rent first, just to make sure it's for you, but all in all it's an excellent game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/06/07

Game Release: Star Fox: Assault (US, 02/14/05)