Written By Shaun McCracken
StarFox Adventures really doesn't have anything to do with the StarFox series
established in the past. Basically, Nintendo must have thought that adding a known
character to an unknown game was a great way to sell copies of the title. While
it's not a bad thing, those expecting an arcade-like shooter like the series has estabilished
in the past will be heavily disappointed. SFA play a lot like the Zelda series,
and luckily it doesn't suffer from botched gameplay mechanics. On the other hand,
the logic side of some things is baffling. SFA was more or less the showpiece the
GCN finally needed, showing off facial animations, expansice levels, lighting effects
and more. It was also a great high note for Rare to leave after it's being acquired
by Microsoft.
Originally dubbed "Dinosaur Planet", StarFox Adventures is pretty much that
same design with StarFox characters. Fox, after many years of retirement, is
asked to go to Dinosaur Planet after recieving a distress signal. Also, pieces
of the planet have broken off and are now orbiting the planet. Fox must go there
and right the wrongs. On your quest to save what's-her-face, you come across every
possible problem each dinosaur has on the planet. You're pretty much asked to do
everything for them other than wipe their own ass. Things such as re-lighting
beacons, saving dinosaurs, looking for roots and so on.
While most things that are asked of you to do are explained, there are some
moments where you could be wandering for an hour of what to do next. If you can
keep with what's going on (or know what to do next), gameplay time would be a lot
shorter. When I finished this game, I had a total time of 24 hours (like Metroid
Prime). I'd say a couple of those hours were result of mindless wandering. If
objectives were better stated, it might have been a bit more enjoyable. It's not
to say I didn't have a good time, I played it through start to finish. But I can
tolerate only so much frustration.
Graphically, SFA is a nice looking package with only one real complaint. The
character facial and body animations are great, adding some real character to the
game. The lighting effects are excellent, including time of day changes. The fur
effect also works really well. Everything looks great except for the texture
quality. While they are good from a distance, up close they look compressed, much
like Metroid Prime. This game could have benefitted from some bump-mapping.
But then if we had that, the smooth framerate would surely drop.
The sound is good. It comes close to great, but some of the music seemed a bit
generic at times. The voices and effects, are great. I especially love that "whap"
sound when you hit Tricky (he has it coming).
The gameplay design is nothing new. It borrows elements from Zelda: Ocarina Of
Time so often, that the game feels like more of a Zelda game than a StarFox game.
I do not like the uninspired fighting desing implemented here. Basically defeating
enemies is a one-trick pony. You pretty much beat everyone out of submission.
Only boss battles shift the design of fighting. This is probably the weaker element
of the game. Luckily, the interaction with everyone saves the game.
StarFox Adventures is not exactally the most orignal title to come out for the
GCN, but it's one of the best looking games so far. There's enough meat on this
game to keep you going for two weeks or longer, but when you're done, you're
done. The game follows a fairly linear model, but it sure does show some lovely
sights along the way. Worth buying for those who love platform action titles or
have a liking towards the Zelda series. It's a great way to show off what this
system can do.
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Star Fox Adventures
