Star Fox - February 23, 2005

The Daily Cardinal

"Star Fox" for the Super Nintendo was a revolution of video game design. Back then a 16-bit machine pushing polygons like that had never been seen.

The Nintendo 64 version of the game was essentially a polished version of the original. The game was fun, fast-paced, and even offered a functional multiplayer mode.

The concepts inherent to "Star Fox" did not change-they were just fine tuned.

Nintendo has finally released a new "Star Fox" that stays true to the original, and therein lies the problem. "Star Fox: Assault" is not much different from any other game in the series.

From its onset the game feels dated, and it begins with the graphics. The cartoon-like visuals are well rendered and lines are clean and smooth, but recent releases like "Resident Evil 4" and "Metroid Prime: Echoes" prove that the GameCube is capable of so much more than "Star Fox."

If you can get past the visuals you have to deal with the same team of flying animals from previous games, and not much has changed with them either. They still launch amusing comments during battle and a new female fox named Krystal was added for variety.

However, they still do not do little in the way of being wingmen. If you were expecting them to handle their share of the enemies during epic aerial dogfights, think again. Not only are they useless, but they will need you to save them from a rogue enemy on their tail every once in a while, which is more bothersome than fun.

If this does not act as a deterrent, be prepared to face the same level design and story type from the previous games.

Fox McCloud has been commissioned to save something from aliens of some sort. Not that it matters, because most of the game is spent flying through levels with a predetermined course shooting everything that moves.

Some forks in the road give the illusion of options, but this is not anything other than a simple on-rails shooter.

Some areas allow for exploration and battles taking place on all sides, but with games today giving players free-roaming areas and a lot of choices as to how they wish to complete objectives "Assault" feels even more limited. Not that there is not a place for games like this, but it is definitely a genre past its prime.

It would be wrong to assume everything is wrong with this game, though. This is one of the few Nintendo franchises to use voice acting-good voice acting, in fact. Another new mechanic is the ability to leave your vehicle and enter another in some levels. This idea isn't exploited to its fullest, but it's a good try to add a little bit of variety to an otherwise dull game. The multiplayer returns, too, and functions in about the same way. It's passable, but it's no "Halo."

At its heart "Assault" is a functional game. It is fun to an extent, but there isn't any new ground broken-it's probably best suited for a younger audience. "Assault" might warrant a rental to fans of the franchise, but definitely not a purchase. The single player story is short enough to complete in a weekend, and the multiplayer will quickly tire.

Perhaps next time Fox and the crew come around, they'll have some new tricks up their sleeves and will deliver a truly great and original game, like the first one. Until then updated versions of the original will have to suffice.