| Game Reviews From a Parental Perspective! | |
|
|
|
| Home | Forums | Review Archive | Columns | Feature Articles |
|
Home >
Review Archive >
Video Games
> Results: Star Fox Assault
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Scroll down for our Kid Factor. 
Fans of the 12-year-old "Star Fox" space combat series will either be very happy or very disappointed with the latest game in the franchise, "Star Fox Assault." This is because despite an improvement in graphics and a few other minor tweaks, nothing much has been added to the game-play. The end result is a good but not stellar "Star Fox" adventure that feels like déjà vu instead of something new.
Once again, the peaceful planet of Cornelia is threatened by an evil force. This time it's a hostile rebellion led by Oikonny, the nephew to the mad scientist, Andross, the villain from past "Star Fox" games. So once again, the Star Fox team is tapped to take on Oikonny's army to protect the planet and preserve the stability of the entire Lylat solar system.  Game-play is divided into dog-fighting against the enemy in space and fighting on planet surfaces in vehicles such as the Landmaster tank, or on foot. In case you've never played one of these games, the Star Fox team consists of a handful of heroic animals, including Fox McCloud (whom the player controls in the single-player game), Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare and a young cat-like woman, Krystal, a new member of the team. The game begins as Fox McCloud takes on an armada of strike fighters in an Arwing. Maneuvering the ship is handled by the game (referred to as being "on rails" by the video game industry) but players must aim primary and secondary weapons at enemy crafts with a targeting cursor. Later on in the game, players will need to take more control over the spacecraft, including moves such as banks and rolls, loops and U-turns, boosting speed and braking.  Space combat is viewed from a first-person perspective, while driving Landmasters or running around on foot is seen from a third-person view. When on planet surfaces, players must fire at enemies on the ground and in the air. The main single-player mode is divided into specific missions, while the challenging Survival mode doesn't let gamers save their progress throughout this adventure. If your character dies, you must start all over from the beginning. The Versus mode lets two, three or four players engage in multiplayer matches on the same television screen by splitting the view into separate windows. Regrettably, Nintendo has not embraced Internet support so there is no way to play "Star Fox Assault" full-screen against other players in the country. A bonus game, the classic "Xevious" arcade game from 1982, can be unlocked and played from the main menu. "Star Fox Assault" is a relatively short game (about seven hours or less). Another beef is that while players have A.I. teammates to help out in skirmishes, most of the time the player will feel as if they're facing the enemy alone. What's more, the game isn't bad looking, but it's odd that it doesn't compare to the visual splendor of LucasArts' "Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader," which debuted on the GameCube console in 2001. "Star Fox Assault" isn't a disaster ﾖ dog-fighting against swarms of enemies around a space station can be a blast ﾖ but those expecting something fresh will likely be disappointed with this slightly above average title. 
Some smart-alec comments, several sorts of blown up aliens, and some very cool space-flying combat. Honestly, I have yet to figure out why they made this one T-rated. It's games like this the E10 rating was made for.
Unfortunately, that's for only three of the 10 levels in the game. The others are ground-pounding in either a tank or on foot in a sort of very brightly colored third-person-shooter. There isn't a lot of splash or carnage, but it does pile on the intensity in spots. Driving the tank and walking around had some control issues which were annoying and made it hard to stay motivated. Also, the game is VERY short, and very easy. If you child played previous StarFox games, they need to be aware this one is sort of a different breed. Kid Factor by Colleen Hannon Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Star Fox Assault |
Read the GamerDad 2007 Holiday Guide!
|
Please Note: GamerDad is not intended to be read by anyone under 18. We stay clean, but be warned! Content Management System developed by Redbird Solutions. |
