Star Fox: Assault

"Single-Player Review from an Honest Fan"

Introduction

Back in the day, I was possibly the biggest fan of StarFox 64 that ever lived. I nearly ended up basing my entire life around it; I drew art, wrote fanfiction, played till I wore out several game cartridges and spent a fortune on batteries for the Rumble Pak. The only websites I knew about back then were the ones that had to do with StarFox. Fox McCloud was my idol and hero. Yeah, it was scary just how much I loved that game, and even scarier how I would piss off rabid FFVII fans with my arguments regarding the superiority of SF64.

But, my interest faded eventually, to the point that I didn't even hear about StarFox Adventures until several months after its release. I didn't buy it. A few years later, I heard that Namco had taken over production of the latest SF game. I was pretty interested, that is, until I saw EGM's lackluster take on the demo available at that year's E3. When StarFox Assault eventually came out on February 14th, I ended up not buying that one either.

Then, while cruising through the vids on GameTrailers, I came across the previews for Assault and went through them. The very next day, I bought StarFox Adventures and StarFox Assault. Over the course of the next week, I was on a rampant StarFox binge. After I was done beating both games, I beat them again. Then I dug out my N64 and my copy of SF64 so that I could play through all three of the latest SF games. Having beaten all three games several times over now, I believe I am ready to deliver a review.

Please do note that this review is for SINGLE PLAYER ONLY. I believe that I am not the only one who has trouble dragging three friends over to hunker down on a 'cube and play SF versus when there's Halo 2 online to be had, so I doubt that you're going to buy or rent this title for the multiplayer.

Graphics - How the Game Looks

Having just beaten StarFox Adventures, my expectations for the character models in SFAssault were pretty high. Surprisingly, the only area in which the previous SF game excelled turned out to be the only point at which the current title's graphics suffer in the slightest. Massive, detailed environments are prolific in SFAssault, some so strikingly gorgeous and downright complicated that my eyes started to hurt just taking it all in. The enemies have been designed with such complexity and with so many moving parts that they attain a truly "organic" presence; the last thing I expected to be fighting in an SF game were enemies that genuinely creeped me out. The redesigns of the Arwing, Landmaster, and Great Fox are absolutely amazing to look at (and you can bet that they dominate my desktop now for all to behold). Basically, anything you can think of that is represented by graphics in this game is not only perfectly done, but beautiful as well . . . with the exception of the character models in gameplay. Sure, they look great in the CG cutscenes, but on foot, one can't help but be a bit disappointed. They're nowhere near as detailed as the ones from SFAdventures, but looking back, I guess it couldn't be helped. After all, there are monstrous amounts of moving objects on the screen at any given time, and the maps are usually pretty huge in size and scope. With all that to consider, slightly less detailed character models are nothing at all to complain about.
Score = 9 out of 10

Story - How Much Dialogue There Is & Whether It's Worth Sitting Through

To be honest, I didn't expect much here. After all, SF64 didn't really have much of a story to it (let's beat the inexplicably powerful ape guy in the name of love and peace! Yeah . . .), and SFAdventures had . . . big, big, plothole(s) (Krystal -cough-, Andross back from dead -cough-). And you know what? SFAssault's story isn't all that great either (let's beat the inexplicably powerful cyber-bugs from hell in the name of love and peace! Oh yeah . . .). Despite this total lack of originality, and a completely cheesy delivery, I was actually . . . moved . . .

What is it that makes SFAssault's story worth experiencing? Well, it helps that there's a superb game in the mix, but what will really hook you on the bare-bones plot are two things: presentation and spirit. Regarding the presentation, SFAssault fleshes out the previously obscure world of StarFox in a way that I couldn't have even imagined before playing this game. There are people in the Cornerian government besides General Pepper? Whoa! Corneria actually has a fleet that isn't a bunch of gray, useless blocks? Incredible! Sure, the story might be the same old song and dance, but it brings the world of StarFox that much closer to what it desperately needed - a touch of reality.

As for spirit, you can say this about the story - no matter how cliched a situation might be, or how generic a plot twist might be, the characters and their voice actors are just the right combination to infuse hot-blooded lines that make the whole mess downright exciting! It may sound vague, and that's because it's something that can't be described well - it's part of the experience. Perhaps you too will feel your heart sink when old friends are manipulated into turning against your team, cheer with glee when old villains return to save your butt in the nick of time, or bare your fangs when an old nemesis reappears for an epic showdown. Then again, perhaps you won't. How much you enjoy SFAssault's story depends on two things: how open-minded you are, and how easily you get into things. It won't be for everybody, but for the SF fan especially, it will be more than good enough.
Score = 8 out of 10

Music - Has It Got a Beat? Can You Dance to It?

Allow me to put it simply - the music of SFAssault is brilliant, astounding, and an absolute joy to listen to. And yes, I do mean every bit of it in an "I'm going to get that soundtrack no matter how much it costs!" way. It is that good. Resounding orchestral themes, rousing trumpet crescendos, glorious military marches, and soothing, wind-instrument tunes all combine to create one of the highest-quality soundtracks I've ever heard, bar none. The game is nearly worth buying for the music alone, and you can bet that it makes a huge difference as far as the atmosphere of the game is concerned. This soundtrack makes even the most mundane of tasks seem epic and vital. I can't even remember the last time I had a music-induced high while playing a game (Xenosaga II would count, but it's great music wasn't exactly a part of the gameplay ^^).
Score = 10 out of 10

Sound - Voice Actors, Explosions and Whatnot . . .

As far as atmospheric sounds like gunshots and explosions are concerned, SFAssault does a flawless job. Maybe the sounds don't make as much of a "rumble response" as I'd like (especially considering the way the controller jerked in SF64), they're still spot on as far as what's coming out of your television's speakers.

When it comes to the voice acting in SFAssault, there have been a LOT of complaints, especially regarding Krystal. To simplify this seriously overblown problem, I submit the following evaluation of all the gripes I've read about thus far.

NO - Krystal's voice does not change accent with every line.
NO - Krystal's voice does not sound that much different from SFAdventures.
YES - Many of the character's voices sound as if they're being spoken over a communicator even when they're not.
YES - Slippy's gender is STILL in serious question (especially if you listen to his voice in Japanese O_o).

In summary, if you don't mind Slippy still sounding like a 10-year-old girl, then you shouldn't have any problem with the voice acting. In fact, many of the characters are voiced extremely well, Peppy and Falco especially.
Score = 9 out of 10

Control - Do a Barrel Roll!

There have been some complaints that, though the controls for the Arwing are satisfactory (not perfect), the controls on foot and in the Landmaster are an absolute disaster. Thus, I will break this section up into three sections, one for each control situation (btw, this is for the default controls).

Arwing
When I first played the game, I immediately identified with a review that I had read stating that the controls were good, but not perfect like they were in SF64. Then I went back and played SF64 again. To sum up my re-experience of that game, my memory was playing tricks on me. Seriously, go back and play the old game - the controls back then were NOT better. In fact, they were a bit worse, and a whole lot clunkier. The only thing that's truly changed is the fact that you can't miraculously teleport across the screen with a barrel roll, and this game never requires you to. Other than a slightly slower barrel roll, the controls for the Arwing really are perfect. Some don't like the choice of using only the L Button for barrel rolls (have you noticed that barrel rolls are THE crucial StarFox skill?), but I actually find it convenient, especially considering that there's a whole lot more to consider than a simple roll in this SF game, especially on higher difficulties.

Landmaster
People really love to bash on this machine, calling its control scheme an absolute mess and referring to the vehicle itself as a "big waste of space". To those who consider it thus, where did you encounter this problem? I have played through all three difficulty levels, scored all the medals and flags, and I can honestly say I never had a problem controlling the Landmaster. In fact, I even preferred it both to the Arwing and going on foot in several situations. Really, I don't know what all the fuss is about. It worked just fine for me.

On-Foot
There is a very Halo-esque control scheme that many say works well for gunning-on-foot, but I never personally needed it. The on-foot controls are very reminiscent of the Metroid Prime series, but without the clunky lock-on gimmick, which makes group combat go a lot more smoothly than in the aforementioned game. Once again, I didn't have a problem with the controls in this mode, they always satisfied to a tee.

In summary, if you have problems with the control of this game, go back and play SF64 or SFAssault for a bit. Reliving those experiences cures all ails ^^;.
Score = 9 out of 10

Gameplay - Where's the Beef?

Ah, now this is where SFAssault really shines. There are generally two types of stages - shooting and all-range. In the shooting stages, you'll experience classic SF action that is extremely reminiscent of SF64. You'll experience classic draw-distance frustration (trust me, it's fun ^^) as you barrel roll, shoot, and bomb your way through fleets of ships at the very epitome of shoot 'em up gameplay. The all-range aspect of SF is nothing new, but the ability to actively switch between the Arwing, Landmaster, or on-foot weapons adds a whole new aspect to the SF experience. Missions actually require a bit of strategy and battle planning now, which turns off several series vets but only challenges me all the more to beat them with finesse. It might seem very similar to Halo's concept, and in truth, it kinda is. However, SFAssault neatly tips the balance from Halo's focus on strategic movement and manipulation of the environment to a more StarFox-type focus of shooting the crap out of anything that gets in your way while you jump into a vehicle and shoot the crap out of more things that get in your way. In other words, if you like shooting things, you'll never get your fill of this polished combat. The diversity of the missions is also a definite plus. The individual missions build on your skills in different ways - one mission will have you focus on picking prime targets out of a bunch of lesser targets, the next will have you focus on using that same skill on multiple levels and with more frequent opposition, and the next one after that has you moving amongst an absolutely humongous number of foes attempting to eliminate mission targets faster than your shield meter falls under constant attack! It really is exhilarating and quite challenging, without becoming unbalanced. Be sure to play on at least Silver difficulty to get the full impression of what I mean.
Score = 10 out of 10

Replay Value - I'll Be Back

The replay value of SFAssault is diminished somewhat since the game has only one true weakness - it is very short, topping out at only 10 missions with no event paths like in SF64. While that disappoints slightly, I still play through this regularly. First, it was to get the Special Flags, then it was to gain the Silver and Gold medals for high scores. After that, it has been my simple love of StarFox that has called me back to this game again and again on rainy days and lonely nights. It may take you a while to get all the medals, if you're even interested, so I'd say that the game will basically take you about 5 hours to just beat once through and about 15-20 hours to unlock everything you possibly can. This is a pretty good chunk of gameplay for what is really a space shooter at heart, so I'd have to say that replay value is pretty good overall, and that's even without the multiplayer mode.

Score = 8 out of 10

Overall Score
Graphics = 9
Story = 8
Music = 10
Sound = 9
Control = 9
Gameplay = 10
Replay = 8
Mean Score = 9 out of 10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/12/05