| | by SwimmerBoy, June 15, 2007 |
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Star Fox Assault brings back the classic shooter formula that Fox fans have missed during the last two GameCube outsings.
The Star Fox franchise has been littered with horrible sequels for the past few years. The classic Star Fox formula has somehow been lost in sequels like Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox Assault, both for the GameCube system.
I consider myself a Star Fox fan, but even I was nervous how this DS title would turn out, considering the turnout of Adventures and Assault.
The most obvious difference here in Command is the way you control your Arwing ship. The bottom screen doubles as a map and navigation control. As far as navigation goes, this gives you complete, fluid control over your ship. Dare I say, but I prefer it over using a joystick. Using the stylus on the touch screen is all you need to navigate your ship. Need to do a barrel roll? Simply move your stylus back and fourth rapidly. Need to do a U-turn? Then tap the U on the screen.
So then if the game uses the bottom screen to navigate, then how do you attack? Basically touching any other button (A, B, X, Y, L, R, or the D-pad) will enable your offensive attacks. Hold your preferred button to charge your lasers for a lock-on attack. If you want to drop a bomb, touch the Bomb icon on the bottom screen and drop it ANYWHERE on the map grid!
You can begin to see how this game really uses the touch screen in a way that fits the Star Fox gameplay. I will admit, the first time I started controlling Fox in his Arwing, it felt weird and awkward. But there was also a part of me that was really curious to learn more about it. After playing for hours on end, I became addicted, attached to my DS for days on end until I mastered what could very well be the best Star Fox game - well, at least in terms of game control.
As if the control itself doesn't excite you, the game brings fourth a brand new feature - strategy. Before you actually fly your ship, you will use the bottom screen as a plan of attack. You must protect the Great Fox at all times from incoming enemies and missiles. Do this by using the stylus and drawing your path over the map to achieve your offense and defense, ultimately trying to destroy the enemy bases. When you come in contact with enemy ships, that's when the game transitions into the three-dimensional flying mode!
In this game, you must take into consideration your fuel. You can only fly so far during your strategic planning, and only fly for so long during your dog fight battles. Of course you can pick up fuel along the way, but unless you plan out your strategy perfectly, you will loose the stage.
You defeat a stage when all bases, enemies, and missiles are destroyed. But no worries. The game introduces other characters as you progress through the game and its stages. Not only will they help you, but you can also control them during strategy mode, and play as them when they come in contact with enemies.
Graphics-wise, this game is beautiful. It has the best graphics of the system. Experiencing the true beauty of planets like Titania, Corneria, and others is simply jaw-dropping! You'll find it hard to not look at your surroundings as you are fighting in the skies of these alien worlds!
Music and sound effects are, of course, top notch. One of the composers for Star Fox 64 comes back to work on this game, and he lends his talent very well as familiar tunes greet our ears. The music definitely adds to the adventure!
The game is also driven by a character-central plot, in which you make certain decisions that influence the ending. As I've heard, there are nine endings in all, and gamers who are curious to see all nine endings will keep playing until they beat every level to do so.
As each level is completed, you can go back and play that level if you so wish, whether it's to improve your score, strategy, or just for fun.
Another fun aspect of the game is the Wi-Fi multiplayer. SImilar to Star Fox 64's Battle Mode with four players, Wi-Fi pits you against three other pilots from around the world via Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service. This is a fun aspect of the game, adding to Command's overall replay value.
The only flaw I have with this game is the repetitiveness in missions. The main game is basically taking down enemies, bases, and missiles. An occasional boss battle may mix things up, as well as when you near completion of each of the nine stories, but other than that, a great bulk of the game is simply going around and collecting the enemy fighter cores from ships you've shot down during battles. Star Fox and Star Fox 64 had much more variety in its missions, but Command is kept from achieving greatness simply because the missions on each planet are the same.
This is the best Star Fox game since Star Fox 64. True, it's repetitive, but Command has great visuals, solid game play, fast action, addictive multi-player Wi-Fi, and an engaging story. There is no doubt in my mind that a sequel should be made to fix the repetitiveness, but other than that, Star Fox Command returns Fox and his friends to the classic space shooting formula that made the SNES and N64 titles blockbuster hits!
If you have a DS and you like Star Fox, I would strongly recommend this game. I rate it 7.5 / 10. The game isn't for everyone, but hardcore gamers would appreciate the quality gameplay. |
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