Star Fox Adventures Review

Perhaps I should start this review by explaining just how excited I was about Starfox Adventures. You see, like many Nintendo fans, I was disappointed by the new Zelda look. It appeared that the series would loose the epic feel that it had always had. Sure, I would later eat my words when I saw the game in motion but, at that time, I was looking for something to fill the void left by Zelda’s new art style. That something was Starfox Adventures. It looked to have everything I was hoping for: great graphics; gameplay based off Zelda: Ocarina of Time (the best game ever made); a variety of other gameplay styles such as the shooting levels, and a truly epic quest that spanned several planets. Simply put, I was more excited about Starfox Adventures than I was about any of the other big GameCube titles like Super Mario Sunshine, Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime, and especially Zelda: Wind Waker. It’s painfully ironic then that all those other games turned out to be so phenomenal and Starfox Adventures was such a disappointment.

SFA’s chief flaw is in its gameplay. When I first heard about the game, I was sure that this area would turn out fine. Rare had often been known from copying the gameplay of other titles to the letter and what better game to steal from than Ocarina of Time? Unfortunately, Rare decided to put some of their own trademarks into the mix (such as item hunting) and the result is that they have managed the impossible; they have somehow managed to suck the fun out of the classic Zelda gameplay.

The best way to describe SFA’s gameplay is, “it’s like Zelda, only linear!” Rather than being able to explore a large portion of the world from the start, the player can’t is set on a fairly linear path of where to go and what to get. Getting a new item opens up some new areas but not many. In fact, the only way to open up most of the game’s other areas is to fly to them on your ship. This usually can’t be done until you’ve beaten the previous dungeon. It’s as though they have taken the core gameplay of Zelda but manage to destroy the most important part; the exploration. Speaking of dungeons, they’re a mixed bag as well. Some aren’t bad. They may not have puzzles as deep or complex as those seen in Ocarina of Time or Majora’s mask but they are solid never the less. Unfortunately, other dungeons are nothing more than tedious collection fests (another unfortunate thing that Rare has become known for as of late).

The game’s combat leaves a lot to be desired as well. At first, it seems cool. Players lock on as in the N64 Zelda games and can perform different combos by holding the control stick in different directions while attacking. Unfortunately, it quickly gets tedious. Combos work very mechanically and players must do them over and over to kill even the weakest enemies. About a third of the way into the game, most players will likely start avoiding fights simply because they get so monotonous.

Perhaps the one interesting addition is Tricky, your dinosaur sidekick. Trick can search out usefully items as long as you keep him fed and also has several other skills. If you buy a ball, you can play fetch with him and, if you play with him for long enough, he’ll change color.