"Starfox has changed... but in a good way?"

Starfox Assault was a game that many people were anticipating. Not only was Fox McCloud making a dire return to the Nintendo Gamecube, but this time Namco was developing the game. Already, Namco has developed some great titles for the gamecube, so it would be assumed that SFA would be just as good. Could Namco's new style of gameplay and idea make Starfox Assault for the better?

Story: Well there is a story for Starfox Assault; it's just its very mediocre. Basically these things called "aparoids" apparently started invading planets and it's up to Star Fox to take them down. Also, Andross's brother makes a short appearance in this game as well but he plays no significant role. The story is sub par really; there is no emphasis and drive to actually know what's going on in the game. It's more of a "figure it out yourself" or "make your own story up" Basically throughout the game u just do missions and then there is a hint that the aparoids are behind it. There are also other indications that some of the evil people may be affiliated with this new syndicate but they really didn't play any role. Its hard to believe that bugs are taking over the galaxy, but whatever it is it seems that only Fox and his team are the only ones who could take down those pesky fiends.

This is the first StarFox game that really didn't have a story. Also, I didn't like the idea when the galaxy is being attacked by aparoids. They really didn't pose a threat like Andross did in the previous games.

5/10

Game play: One thing I liked about this game was definitely the game play. You could fly the Arwing (which is the best) and then walk on feet (which is kind of fun) and then you can also control the land master (which is really annoying.) There are missions given out to you and you must complete them. There are some levels where u can use all 3 modes of transportation in a level which is really fun! All the levels were really great except it's hard to believe that Star Fox is so powerful. There is one instance where Corneria (planet) is in ruins because bugs took over. Then fox McCloud comes to the planet and kills all the bugs........ and no one else could do it.

There are about 10 levels in total which may seem short but they're about 10-25 minutes each and some of them may be difficult. The first level will rekindle the old Starfox fans as you control an Arwing and fly through space and a country, then it gets worse as missions get tedious and redundant. Almost every ground mission requires you to disable some sort of guard and then wait for your team to arrive.

One thing new to Starfox Assault is where Fox McCloud and stand on the Arwing and mow down enemies which is awesome. Also, there are 10 weapons to choose from when on the ground. However, most of the weapons as you can take most enemies out with a generic weapon. But all the weapons are unique. For example, the sniper rifle is used to take out enemies from a far distance. This may sound cool, but I only used the sniper rifle once and that was because I had to. Then there is a machine gun which just shoots so many bullets but does bad damage. And also, when you're fighting an enemy and you keep shooting at it, it'll hit you back to and it'll stop your firing which is annoying. There are also unlockable weapons.

Like in every Starfox game, you have to protect your allies. This is what made the original Starfox's so great, as you really had to protect your AI. However, Starfox Assault puts no emphasis in this as whenever your Ally Retires during a mission, they are good as new in the next mission. Whereas Starfox 64 was when your ally dies, he doesn't come back. Also if your ally retires in Assault, you could easily finish the mission without difficulty as they really don't do anything.

One thing missing was the choice to choose your own path like in the previous Starfox games. This is why Starfox Assault wasn't as good as its previous installments. What made Starfox so great was depending on how you played a level, you go to a different level whereas in Assault, it's linear as you follow 1 path and stick to it.

Multiplayer is a great feature and so far playing it was great. 4 players is fun and there are a lot of maps to choose from. Also there is an indication that playing a lot of multiplayer will unlock new maps and secrets which entices you to play multiplayer more often.

Overall: 7.5/10

Graphics: Star Fox Assault has awesome graphics. It may not be as stunning as Resident Evil 4, but the graphics are bright and very detailed. When your on ground, everything is prefectly rendered and detail. When your in space, it's not as if your driving through a black sheet, because everything is in perfect detail. The cutscenes are plentiful and beautfiul. Also you could also see the players shadow when on the ground which shows how much effort Namco went into in the graphics. All the characters are in detail. The only flaw I did not like was the Map and the radar. Sometimes, using the radar would be impossible as there would be hundreds of dots on it and you could not infer which one is you and where u had to go.

Graphics: 9/10

Music/Sound: I liked the music personally. There were a lot of tracks and all of them were good. The music was more orchestral remix which was unique and enjoying. Also there are some old Starfox songs that were remixed when fighting enemies which will make all starfox fans happy. The sound was fairly good except the voice acting was horrible. Pigma and Slippy had the worst voices by far. In fact, slippy's voice seemed like a 2 year old was crying into the mic. Fox McCloud's voice didn't suit him at all. There was not enough emotion in some scenes as it seemed that the voice actors were just reading from a script without putting any real emphasis on it. Krystal also had an English girl accent which I thought was really pathetic as it didn't suit her at all. Falco and Wolfen had great voices.

Score: 8.5/10

Controls: The controls in this game were hard to get use to as first but they were well done. There is an option where you can change your controls to Inverted and none inverted which is helpful. The only thing I did not like was pressing the D pad to access the map and then pressing it 2 more times to turn off the map. You could also just press the Start button to access the map, but Namco decided to use every button. Also I did not like the C buttons as C up was to loop and C down was to do another type of loop. Usually you would get irritated as you chose the wrong one. Other then that, the controls are well done and it wont take that long to get use to them.

The menus are very easy to understand and use. The layout is well done and easy for your eyes.

Score: 8/10

Replay ability: Sadly, Starfox Assault has little or no replay ability. The game only takes a few hours to beat, and even with the other difficulties there is no point in playing it again. There were no secret levels or different paths like other Starfox games. The game was too linear. Even multiplayer wont make you come back for more. Eventually, you will get bored of it and not many people will play 200 + matches to unlock some content. There is however an extra game called Xevious but even that only limits how much you'll play Star Fox. The game should've been a lot longer.

Score: 6/10

To rent or to buy: Most definitely a rent. The game is too short, and even Starfox fans will get bored after a week or so. It took me 4 hours to beat on my first try.

Lasting Impressions: Starfox could've been so much more. The game looked as if it was half done. A lot of great content that were in the previous games were not found here. As this is Namco's first attempt at Starfox, they didn't fail but they also didn't do an excellent job. There should've been more content in this game. Namco should've played the previous Starfox games to actually get a sense of what to include in Assault, but apparently they chose not to in my opinion. Even with amazing quality graphics, a game has to rely on its game play to really be successful.

Overall 44/60= 73%

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/07/05