Star Fox: Assault

Anyone left with the bitter taste of “Star Fox Adventures” may rejoice in what Namco has to offer come 2005. “Star Fox Adventures”, Rare’s first and only game for the Gamecube, may have been clearly “inspired” by (in other words, they ripped off) the “Legend of Zelda” series, but “Star Fox Assault”, developed by Namco, aims to put the series back to its roots. With improved controls and stellar graphics, it’s hard to imagine a Star Fox fan that isn’t excited to see the Star Fox Armada in its true form!

The story seems to be typical Star Fox fare and takes place many years after the Star Fox Armada saved Dinosaur Planet. The Lylat Central Command has detected a new threat spreading through the galaxy. What starts out as a routine combat mission for the Star Fox team quickly takes a turn for the worst. All of the classic characters are back including Fox McCloud, Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare and Falco Lombardi (who didn’t even bother showing up in “Star Fox Adventures” until the end). To anyone who fell in love with the original “Star Fox” for the SNES and “Star Fox 64” on the Nintendo 64, this modern revival of its storytelling and air combat should fit well with Star Fox enthusiasts.

To the delight of many fans, Fox McCloud’s Arwing now plays a much more proficient part in Star Fox Assault. Although the combat remains virtually the same, the graphics have been vastly improved since the scarce flying missions of “Star Fox Adventures.” Upon viewing the videos, Namco has packed the flying missions with nifty effects that are sure to impress even the most jaded graphic fiend. However, there is so much graphical activity going on screen, one cannot help but be cautious. With the recently released "Mario Power Tennis", the insane particle effects were overdone to the point of being obnoxious, often decreasing the quality of the gameplay. As always, we hope Namco can keep an eye on this.

On foot combat has also been implemented to the gameplay, but contrary to how Star Fox Adventure’s controls resembled an adventure game, the controls have been revamped for an all out action experience. From the video footage, a numerous amount of enemies are packed onto the screen, ensuring there will be plenty of foes to gun down. Originally, the controls were to emulate that of a first person shooter (the left joystick to control Fox, the C stick to aim), but as of late, the controls have been altered to better suit the action. The A button is now used to shoot, the L trigger to strafe, Y to jump, R to stop your character and look around the area freely, B button to use an item and X to use the scope on your sniper rifle (when equipped, of course). The C stick is now used to select your weapons. The graphics for the on foot combat seem to be respectable, without much of a drop in frame rate, but there is some seriously ugly texture work that seems to plague most Gamecube games.

According to Nintendo, the game is 80 percent completed and is set for a February 15th release date. Check back for more details when they emerge.