Star Fox Assault

This game was alright. The whole thing is centered around shooting again (whether that be on-foot, in a Landmaster tank, or in an Arwing ship), and while the flight levels aren't as fast-paced or fun as Star Fox 64's, they're a good time. While this game returns the Star Fox series to its roots in terms of making everything about shooting, it also has a lot of on-foot missions. In fact, most of the game's stages have you exiting the cockpit. These levels are reasonably entertaining, but I can't help but feel like there's a good bit of missed potential.

I find it disappointing that you don't really interact with the environments of the levels on foot, you just run around and shoot shit. I guess that's the point, but still, it leaves things feeling a little shallow. Thankfully, there is some variety in how you shoot shit; Mission 2 has you mostly shooting shit in a Landmaster, Missions 3 and 6 have you switching between shooting shit on-foot and occasionally going outside to stop the baddies from overtaking the base from space, and then at the end you dogfight with Star Wolf, Mission 7 has you sniping at flying targets' weakpoints, and Mission 9 (which is too hard and goes on for too long) has you navigating a rather labyrinthine fortress. There are also a couple flying turret sections. But they still could've done more with the on-foot levels, like maybe had a puzzle or two to solve, or some platforming elements (the environments do have some verticality, but not much is done with it). I suppose I sound a bit hypocritical by praising the emphasis on shooting but going on to say I would've liked to do a bit more than shooting, but with so much of the game being on-foot shooting areas, things could've been pushed a bit further.

The on-foot levels are fine, but there really aren't enough on-rails Arwing missions, which is supposed to be the bread and butter of the Star Fox games. Of the game's 10 missions, only three of them are on-rails space shooter levels! To be fair, one of the remaining 7 is entirely an All-Range Arwing mission, and most of the rest of the levels will have you occasionally switching to an Arwing, or at least have the option. I will admit, it is satisfying flying a big ass spaceship on a level intended for on-foot action and just blasting enemies that give you trouble on the ground away in just a couple hits. Overall, switching freely between vehicles is a cool mechanic and brings up the slight monotony of the on-foot levels. But still, I would've liked more classic Star Fox action thrown in here.

That being said, I do have to give the game some credit for trying to establish its own identity rather than trying to be a 64 clone. The game attempts to move the series forward, both with the many non-flying levels and with a continuation of the story after the disappointing Star Fox Adventures. Peppy got too fucking old, so he's now sidelined, helming things from the Great Fox along with ROB-64. In his place in the levels is Krystal, who seems to exist solely as a romantic interest for Fox (and blatant fanservice for furries to slobber over). Peppy is way cooler than Krystal, but he still plays the role of the wise old mentor from the Great Fox, and plays an utterly badass role in a cutscene towards the end of the game. Krystal isn't that interesting, but she's tolerable. Occasionally she says something about her telepathy (which brings to mind those chicks that are way too into Astrology and buy healing crystals) and it's funny when she tells off new Star Wolf guy Panther Caroso.

The other two members of Star Fox are different now too. Slippy has a nasally voice now instead of a lady's voice, which conveys his personality a little better. Poor Falco...he's simply "the cool streetwise guy" in this game, a far cry from Star Fox 64 where he was a (lovable) asshole who would berate you even as you saved his life. It's unfortunate that he lost his edge, but his new actor isn't bad; the slight Italian affect to his new voice suits his character in this, I think. The rest of the voice actors are fine too, really, and while I miss the 64 voices, this new cast does suit this game's less campy and more serious tone. Fox's actor in particular was a good choice, who lends the character some maturity and has some well-acted dramatic scenes near the end of the game. But I don't like Fox's new design, the outfit looks weird and completely unlike any other media's depiction of him. There's no way to unlock his classic outfit either.

Star Fox's changes from Star Fox 64 are understandable, but what happened to Star Wolf? Back in the day, they were some evil sons of bitches, with Pigma in particular being absolute scum. But now they kicked Pigma out for being too shitty and are a three-piece, with Panther replacing Andrew, who goes egomaniacal and tries to replace Andross only to die in the first mission. Star Wolf are just neutered in this game. Wolf sounds grittier, but is sorely lacking his oddly classy demeanor, and deep in his core he's kind of a softie. Leon does not have his awesome British accent anymore, and his sadism is toned down. Panther is a ladies' man with a big head, and that's about it. Having Star Wolf help Fox and friends out on Corneria and the Aparoid homeworld is kinda neat, I guess, but they were really fun bad guys in Star Fox 64 and delivered a lot of memorable lines in their brief appearances. I suppose this is the nature of character development, but nonetheless it feels odd seeing these guys go from badass villains to anti-heroes.

One last thing, the multiplayer in this game is a good addition. Most of the maps are too large for a one-on-one match (and it likely will be one, because who in 2018 and beyond is going to get together and play a match of Star Fox Assault multiplayer?) but they really went all-out, with a lot of unlockables, like weapons, vehicles, characters, and stages. Being able to play as multiple characters on foot, who each have their own stats, makes me wish the single-player campaign worked like that too. Like the main game, some maps are on-foot or vehicle only, but most incorporate all three options for getting around and fighting. This, combined with the variety of weapons on the ground, makes the multiplayer a joy to play. But again, it's best with four players. What keeps Versus Mode from being terrific is that you can't play it against CPU opponents, and the GameCube didn't really do online play. These two factors mean you won't be playing it that often, which makes it feel like yet another wasted opportunity.

A re-release of this game where there are two or three more on-rails levels sprinkled into the single player campaign and the multiplayer portion has online matchmaking would be the bee's tits. But this game's worth your time, even if it is too short. There are just ten levels, with no alternate routes between them, giving much less replay value than Star Fox 64 (which had fast-paced addicting gameplay on top of that). But these ten levels are a decent adventure, and if you can find someone to play the multiplayer with you, you and your compadrés will have a fun time. You can go into this game and expect a decent, if dated, shooter, and despite my criticisms, I have to admit I had a lot of fun with this game when I was a kid, and replaying it recently, the on-foot levels are a little better than I remember. Star Fox Assault is a good game, just don't expect an experience on par with the franchise's terrific first two (three if counting Star Fox 2) entries.