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PRE-GAME

The Lylat system is under attack from vicious alien creatures called “Aperoids” and it’s up to the Starfox team to take em down! Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Krystal must take to the skies to defeat this mysterious foe and return peace to the universe once again.

EYE-SPY

THE HOOK: Ever since I played the original Starfox on the SNES, I’ve been a big fan of the series. After all, Starfox 64 was one of the only two reasons (the other being of coarse Mario 64) that I bought the N64. I enjoyed the original, LOVED the N64 game, and was slightly disappointed with Starfox Adventures for drifting from its roots. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Starfox Assault in hopes of finding more of the same aerial gunning action that kept me hooked on the other two.

HOW IT LOOKS AND FEELS: One of the most noticeable things about this title is the look of the redesigned vehicles, a big jump from the decrepit Arwings of Starfox Adventures. Having said that, the graphics in SFA are lively and colorful but pretty average. In general, the linear missions tend to look nicer than those spent roaming around as ground levels tended to offer open environments…and not much else. Aside from enemies and a few breakable boxes, there’s not much interaction or creativity put into these levels.

If you could pilot an Arwing or Landmaster in SF64 you won’t have much trouble getting into the cockpit of SFA. The only major changes are sharp turns/barrel rolls with only the L button and using the c-stick to loop. SFA employs 3 different control schemes for ground combat, all of which feel sloppy. Movement is jerky and feels more like gliding over the ground than running on it. The only configuration that worked well for me was the dual stick which utilizes the control stick to move and the c-stick to look around. The other two made it nearly impossible to aim while in motion, which isn’t something you really want to be worrying about on the battlefront.

The missions in Starfox Assault will have you alternating between straight flying with the Arwing and roaming around on foot or in a Landmaster. While the Arwing missions are full of fast paced shooting and maneuvering, the ground levels didn’t feel as satisfying. Your objectives never vary from “shoot this,” “shoot those’ or “shoot that big thing”. This wouldn’t be as tedious if the AI put up a decent fight, but sadly their strength is found only in their numbers as they’re not very bright. Most of the time they won’t even attack you unless you get too close or attack them first.

HOW IT SOUNDS: The game boasts redone versions of classic songs from Starfox 64 as well as some original tracks. The Starfox series has come a long way from the incoherent gibberish voices in the first Starfox game, but I might have preferred it in comparison to SFA. The voices themselves aren’t bad, but the dialog and the acting aren’t the least bit convincing.

EXTRAS:  By beating the game and collecting all 10 silver badges players can unlock the classic Namco arcade game “Xevious.” You can also unlock different multiplayer modes and characters by beating the game in certain ways or playing enough multiplayer matches.

CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE:  Before each mission, General Pepper will brief Fox in a cut scene outlining the mission at hand. This and the other cinema scenes further what little plot the game has and look as though they could have come right out of the gameplay.

BEST PLAYER: While the main game only lets you play as Fox, the multiplayer mode lets you lock and load as any member of the Starfox team. Each character boasts their own strengths and weaknesses. Once I unlocked him, my personal favorite was Peppy. He’s not the best character, but there’s defiantly something demoralizing about getting your butt kicked by an elderly rabbit who throws his back out celebrating when he wins!

CHEAT CODE YOU NEED: You can fly high and low, but you won’t find any real cheats for this one.

CHEAT CODE YOU WANT: Cheat code? Try extra missions levels!  How about a longer story mode? More secret characters? I don’t feel like cheating as much as I wish there was more to this game than a messily 10 missions!

OH MAN! MOMENT:  While the game’s actual missions aren’t all that challenging, getting the medals for each one can be. The point system is based on how many enemies you obliterate, the time it takes, and any bonuses you get for taking out groups or killing multiple enemies with one shot. Prepare to play the same missions over and over again trying to beat a boss faster or shoot down more enemies if you’re going for the gold.

GLITCH ITCH: It may or may not be a glitch, but I really didn’t care for the collision system in this game. In SF64 whenever you ran into something you flashed red, heard a distinct “thunk” sound, and ricocheted off whatever you hit. In this game however, it is possible to keep flying normally (against the object) and start losing health with little warning aside from your health bar dropping.  

FAN SERVICE:  Starfox fans will enjoy seeing (and fighting) Starwolf and his team once again, as well as the return of other characters from SF64 and Adventures. On the female front, Krystal is the only partial fan service this game has to offer…but hey, anthropomorphic blue fox women just aren’t my bag.

END GAME:

Honestly, I’m pretty disappointed with this one.

Starfox Assault tries to work on many levels, but the truth is that Fox should have just stuck to the skies. The ground combat is difficult to control, the enemies are stupid, and the areas are too open and empty. In general, everything just screams, “I’m mediocre!” at the top of it’s lungs.

Now all of this wouldn’t have pissed me off as much if the game was long enough to make up for it’s many shortcomings. However, SFA only has a mere ten missions in it’s story mode.  Worst of all, these missions aren’t all that challenging either. On Bronze difficulty, the game took a measly 4 hours to beat and the other difficulty levels didn’t take much longer. The Story mode’s only challenge/replay value lies in collecting bonus medals and secret flags, which can actually be challenging.

The multiplayer mode (You know, the one you’d assume would be the core of the game since the Story mode is short and most of it’s missions are set up around being multiplayer maps) follows story mode’s footsteps into a pit of mediocrity. Everything just feels unimpressive, like the game is better than an N64 game…but not quite at the level of a GCN title. The aptly named “simple” maps have to be some of the most half-assed unimpressive things I’ve ever seen in a console game. Wow! A wide-open area full of color coordinated blocks structures! A vertical tower complete with ramps? Stop spoiling me!

So, to some up Starfox Assault in one word, “Meh.” It isn’t a horrible game; it’s just the definition of average and had a lot more potential that what came to the table. It was a good idea in theory to try and pull off flying driving and shooting, but next time stick to what you do best Fox. Fans of the Starfox series or anyone remotely interested should give this one a rent. Chances are it’ll be all you need to fully experence the game, unless you get hooked on the multiplayer.

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