"Starfox has seen better days, but overall this game is ok"

Before I begin, let me say that Starfox 64 was a great game with lots of replay value in it. Seriously, you could change paths and pretty much change the story's outcome . That is what made Starfox so unique , so now on to Starfox Assault. No choosing paths, no creating your destiny, and definitely not much replay value. There are good points to this game though, so this game isn't all that bad. The story is bit out of the ordinary, but more on that later on.

Gameplay:

Alright, this is what makes the name a game. The on-rail missions are nice, the Landmaster missions are ok, and the on foot missions are not that bad, but not that good either. Let me start off with the Arwing missions. This is the Starfox we know and love. This is where Starfox belongs, in epic space battles all across the Lylat system. You can learn how to master the Arwing in a couple of minutes and there is a smooth feel to the gameplay.
Now the Landmaster on the other hand, is just too repetitive. You get in a tank, blow up a bunch a stuff, destroy a target, blow up some more stuff, wash, rinse and repeat. The Landmaster feels like you're a soccer mom driving a SUV with a bunch of hungry kids. It's just too realistic, with the boost meter that really doesn't last that long, and why oh why did they not add bombs to your Landmaster? That would've made the levels a whole lot better, and in some some levels (like mission 6) the terrain is not maneuverable, so you end up getting stuck in some way or another. The Landmaster portion of this game could've been improved.
On to the foot missions. You either love them or you hate them. There are some aspects that need some serious attention. First of all, turning. You would think that something as simple as turning would be easy, right? Wrong. It takes a long time to do a 360 turn and in the midst of battle you just don't have that kind of time. Second of all, flinching, this could have been easily improved by making Fox invisible for a short period of time after receiving some damage. If you are in the middle of a battle and there are swarms of enemies surrounding you, expect not to do much damage because every time you flinch something that you are doing (charging a shot, strafing, etc.) becomes disrupted. But not everything on foot is bad. I personally like mission 3 as my favorite level and that has a good deal of on foot action going on. It adds a fun variation to this game and overall it isn't THAT bad.

Controls:

The controls in Starfox Assault depends on which setting you have it on. But there isn't a big deal on controls other than the on foot controls. The Arwing missions can easily be accustomed to in less than 10 minutes. Overall the controls the good.

Story:

Starfox Assault has the most plot twists you'll see in any game anytime soon. The story takes place a year after Starfox Adventures and Andrew Oikinny has taken over Andross's left over army. The Cornerian fllet seems to be losing and out of nowhere the Starfox team comes to the rescue. I don't want to give too much away, but lets just say that Andrew gets owned pretty easy, pretty fast. A new enemy known as an aparoid has appeared and your mission is destroy it by going to the aparoid homeworld and taking out the queen personally. In between the story you meet old time rival Starwolf who for reasons unknown has had a change of heart from evil to good. Don't ask why.
The length is another issue. 10 levels in this game is not enough. To tell a story of this magnitude should take a little longer than 10 levels.

Sound:

Needs improvement. Crashes are not as loud as they should be and sometimes you can't even hear the baddies even though there right in front of you. The music is good, many classic tunes from Starfox 64 are in here but with a touch of remix (Can't forget that Starwolf theme song!). Now on to the bad part, voices. Fox sounds tired and bland, Slippy sounds different (for better or for worse? you tell me) and Oikinny's voice has got to be the most annoying voice I have ever heard in a video game. He sounds like a geek on helium. For the next Starfox game I STRONGLY suggest that the voice actors have a voice that won't hurt my ears.

Graphics:

The graphics in this game are great, especially in the Arwing missions. There are literally tons of enemies on the screen without a bit of slowdown. It looks realistic in a good way. Overall the graphics are nothing to complain about.

Replayability:

There is not a lot of replayibility in this game unless you play multiplayer or want to try to get every medal and S-Flag in the game. If you plan on getting this game without any friends, think again. There are only 10 missions in the game and unless you like doing the same levels over and over again then I wouldn't recommend this game.

Multiplayer:

The best part of this game, there are lots of different modes for multiplayer. Some include Crown capture mode, Booster Pack Brawl Mode and Sure-Shot Scuffle Mode. Many say that this matches up even to SSBM's multiplayer, and that's pretty hard to do. Multiplayer is really good and it should last a couple of months to unlock the 20 or so unlockables. This is where the game really shines.

Overall:

This game is good and I recommend renting it, or least trying it at out at a friend's house or something. Starfox Assault will fit into any gamers collection and is a must have for any true Starfox fans. So if you are ready for a space shooter/Hollywood story game, then this the game for you!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/25/05