Star Fox Adventures

UPC: 045496960063

Platform: Nintendo GameCube

Publisher: Nintendo of America, Inc.

Developer: Rare Ltd.

Category: Action

Style(s): Third-Person 3D Action

Synopsis: For his first title on GameCube, Fox McCloud embarks on an epic adventure taking him away from the cockpit of his Arwing spacecraft. Developer Rare's final game on the Nintendo console finds the ace pilot traveling to the mysterious Dinosaur Planet on a mission to save it from breaking apart. While the game offers a series of shooting stages patterned after the two previous Star Fox games on the Super NES and Nintendo 64, the main focus of play takes place directly on the planet. Players guide Fox from a third-person perspective while battling enemies with a staff. This staff can be twirled around as a melee weapon and upgraded to shoot projectiles such as fire and ice, which are used to defeat enemies as well as to open doors or solve puzzles. The staff can also be used to trigger small earthquakes and disguise Fox as an enemy soldier. In addition, specially marked areas enable the staff to function like a rocket or portal device. Targeting creatures follows a similar system to the one introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Dinosaur Planet is broken down into numerous areas or lands, each offering distinctive terrain, creatures, and landmarks. Since the inhabitants are in dire need of assistance, players must speak with the creatures to learn which quests must be completed in order to advance. Enemies standing in the way include the dreaded SharpClaw soldiers, led by the evil General Scales, who will try to gang up on Fox at every opportunity. Various mini-games are also found throughout the world, including jet bike races, dinosaur rides, and more. In addition to completing quests on behalf of the peaceful dinosaurs, which generally involve retrieving certain objects or a group of items, players will be able to gather currency in the form of scarabs to purchase helpful equipment or to pay off bribes. Fox will also periodically team up with a small Triceratops named Tricky who can dig for secret items buried underground or reveal hidden passageways with his breath. By purchasing a ball from the local shopkeeper, Fox can help evolve Tricky into a more powerful ally. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Precautions Booklet

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

A colorful manual that fully explains the controls, items, story, and characters found in the game. Nice use of screen shots and illustrations. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The best graphics on GameCube to date? Without question. The environments are so appealing you'll wish they were larger and more involved so you could stay longer. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Star Fox Adventures is an interesting game for a number of important reasons. First and foremost, it is developer Rare's final release for a Nintendo console, ending a long and fruitful relationship between the two companies that has produced such memorable titles as Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and Diddy Kong Racing. It is also interesting because it is the first Star Fox game that takes place primarily outside the Arwing. Finally, it is a game that has roots as an original Nintendo 64 title called Dinosaur Planet. Despite Nintendo's push for franchise titles, Star Fox Adventures has almost nothing to do with Star Fox aside from the crew, which could have been replaced by any other group of characters and lost nothing. A fox, frog, and rabbit aren't exactly the stuff legends are made of, and unless there's an upcoming Wind and the Willows game, it's doubtful players will see such characters again. So Rare not only had to shoehorn the Star Fox license into their existing adventure, but help develop a character who has little personality of his own besides the occasional banter between wingmates while blasting legions of Andross fighters. Star Fox Adventures can best be described as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in a prehistoric setting. The world changes from day into night in short, automatic cycles; players engage enemies by swinging a weapon (a staff instead of a sword); the character automatically jumps over chasms; and the world is divided into several themed regions whose inhabitants are in desperate need of assistance. Puzzles are of the sliding block, planting bomb, shooting switch variety, and there are several items to pick up to increase carrying capacity or health, such as bags, containers, seeds, and whatnot. Rare borrows elements from the company's earlier titles as well, making Star Fox Adventures a melting pot of familiar features. From Banjo-Kazooie comes the sidekick, in this case a playful dinosaur named Tricky who can be told to stay on top of switches, dig for hidden items in conveniently marked patches of dirt, and even spit fire. From Donkey Kong 64 are the enemies, essentially the dinosaur equivalent of Kremlings, and the idea of collecting a wide assortment of trinkets. From Conker's Bad Fur Day are context sensitive areas, humorous voice acting, racing segments, and gun turrets. Everything else is Zelda. Unfortunately, Star Fox Adventures never adds up to the sum of its parts. Despite featuring a style closely patterned after Zelda, the game isn't nearly as fun. This is primarily due to the small regions making up the environments, forcing a linear style of progression, and repetitive objectives. In Zelda, each new region seemed to offer limitless possibilities to explore and to have fun, even without touching upon the main quest. Star Fox Adventures features densely packed areas roped off by walls or barriers, discouraging exploration. There are almost no side quests to undertake other than the main goal at the time, which typically involves gathering this or that (more this than that) on behalf of the local residents. Both combat and the puzzles are simplistic, and the story has a disjointed feel. The sense of wonder comes from the presentation, not the gameplay. Rare's last game on GameCube is a visual <i>tour de force</i>, bar none the most impressive looking piece of software to date for any system. The water effects and reflective surfaces are breathtaking, the lighting effects are dazzling, and the textures are so refined you truly feel you are in a foreign world. Little details such as tiniest hairs on Fox McCloud's face are visible in what can only be described as the most realistic use of fur yet seen in a game. Weather effects also abound, including snow and rain, and everything looks razor sharp without a hint of blurriness or fog other than what's used for atmosphere. Players will notice creatures flapping around in the sky, fires crackling from torches, water reflecting on ceilings, and countless other details. Huge dinosaurs roam the lands as well as a massive stone creature viewable from afar that speaks in a thick Scottish accent and warps players to new areas. Traveling to other regions on the planet is accomplished by piloting the Arwing in classic Star Fox segments that are painfully short and ridiculously easy. It's clear these flying stages don't belong in the game, since the only objective is to fly through a specific number of golden rings to power-down some imaginary force field on the planet's surface so you can land. It's a shame more of an emphasis wasn't placed on these stages, because they look every bit as appealing as the main game -- the best looking Star Fox game that doesn't feel like Star Fox at all. Oh well. While the game's scope is less ambitious than previous Rare titles on the Nintendo 64, it's hard to complain when a title looks as good as this. Players who purchase a Rare game know they are getting a polished title, from the control to the music and sound effects to the graphics and animation. As a Star Fox title, it is disappointing, as the flying sequences are little more than filler in between routine planetary adventures. It's also disappointing there aren't multiplayer segments as seen in Donkey Kong 64 and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Yet even Rare's worst effort is miles above what other companies are shoveling out to systems, and Star Fox Adventures is worth the price of admission alone just to see the lush environments and astounding special effects. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

There's not many secrets to be found in this game, since the environments tend to be on the small side and the puzzles are rather obvious. Considering the option to save at any point during the game, expect around 15-20 hours of play. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The voice acting is excellent, with dinosaurs speaking their own language the majority of the time. Fox's teammates are little more than talking heads on a computer display, with Slippy's whiny voice being the most annoying (as usual). Tribal beats and atmospheric sound give life to the worlds. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The game should have focused more on action and interacting with the environment rather than the constant need to fetch specific items. Still, it will hold a player's interest until the end thanks in part to the beautiful visuals and fun boss encounters. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.