An enjoyable game that mixes the gameplay which made the franchise popular with various new elements.
At the core of this revived concept is of course the story mode, which takes you across the Lylat System in 10 chapters. Your goal, this time around, is to save the universe from the Aparoids, an entity from outer space that takes control of both the Lylat System's inhabitants and machines in order to pursue its dark purposes - invasion of the body snatchers in a space suit, so to speak. Practically, this doesn't alter the original gameplay too drastically, as you're still shooting space crafts and freak robots for the most part.
All hope to eliminate this threat once again relies on Fox McCloud and his Star Fox team. He initially returns into his trusted Arwing cockpit, but eventually ends up doing a lot of missions on foot or in the landmaster tank. Frequently missions use a combination of one or more methods of combat, and leave the player with a relative freedom of choosing how he will face the hazards that threaten him.
The Arwing and Landmaster controls will be nothing new to gamers familiar with the series. The old Arwing controls have been transferred perfectly to the Gamecube controller and feel as natural as ever. In Arwing missions, the on-rail element, while still present, is often replaced by a free roaming method of play, where the player has 360* control over his aircraft in a limited area rather than automatically moving along a standard path. This is a great improvement when compared to Lylat Wars, where the 'free roaming' levels were more of an exception than a rule.
The on-foot missions are relatively new. While Star Fox Adventures saw Fox through the game nearly completely on foot, Assault's game mechanics are hardly comparable. Assault has a more arcade-like feel, and is less realistic and precise than what we experienced in Adventures. This can sometimes be frustrating as aiming and dodging enemy attacks can be unnecessarily tricky. However, the controls for the most part suit the fast-paced gameplay, and won't be too much of a nuisance during the heat of battle. Thanks to this, the freedom to choose how to handle these missions tactically, and some great level design make the on-foot missions really worthwhile, and help prevent the Arwing missions and the game as a whole from becoming repetitive. All this is displayed in simplified graphics that are good but don't come near those of Star Fox Adventures, which was released three years earlier.
All these different types of gameplay make for a good experience while playing through the missions, and its variety prevents the game from getting repetitive or boring at any point during them. All this is supported by the terrific sound score that comes with the game. Like in Lylat Wars and Star Fox Adventures, the voice acting is nothing short of superb, and it succeeds in really making the game, and the Star Fox universe as a whole, come to life. During and around missions, you, your teammates, and even enemies will constantly engage in conversation, often revealing disputes and tensions of various sorts between the characters of the game. This has always been one of the series' main strengths and explains why Star Fox is one of the most vivid Nintendo franchises out there.
For those who get sick with the constant blabbering of the characters (which is not unimaginable when Slippy says he has Bogeys on his tail. Again.), there's always the great soundtrack which sheds a new light on many of the famous Star Fox tunes, as the MIDI library has been replaced by an entire orchestra. Yoshie Arakawa and Yoshinori Kanemoto do a great job at reviving many of the classics from Koji Kondo and Hajime Wakai (with the Star Wolf battle and Katina being some of the highlights), and also provide some exciting originals (Aparoid City in VS. mode being the best example of this). This great combination of old and new, all translated perfectly by the Tokyo New City Orchestra, make for one of the greatest soundtracks of any Gamecube game on the market.
Despite all these pros that make it a vivid and epic experience, the story mode is too short and linear, especially considering the mission select option doesn't force you to finish the game in a single run like in Star Wing and Lylat Wars. Also lacking in this game are the secrets and alternative paths that made the story mode of the aforementioned game worth playing again and again. The replay factor is still there, since it will take multiple plays before you earn all medals, find all of the flags, and reach other similar achievements that let you unlock some extra content. The overall experience, however, feels a bit too short, even for a Star Fox game, to keep the story mode interesting for longer periods of time.
Luckily Namco made the VS. Mode much more intriguing than the multiplayer of Lylat Wars. Like in that game, Arwings, Landmasters, and on-foot combat are available (even though you won't have to do ridiculous things to unlock them, fortunately), but there's a much greater choice in levels, weapons, and characters to play with. Most of the levels come directly from the single player, but are still great for battling in with friends. Some of the levels are immense, making the multiplayer experience a thrilling and a tactical one. Levels like Corneria, Sauria, and Aparoid City rank right up there with the most exciting multiplayer levels in any Gamecube game, and the choice of transport only contributes to its overall greatness. The only real downside is that there are no computer-controlled opponents available in VS. mode, forcing you to find a friend to experience it with. Seeing as Star Fox is a relatively obscure franchise (for Nintendo standards anyway) and requires a lot of skill, this can be tricky, and seeing as some of the content won't be unlocked until you play 250 VS. matches, it is downright illogical. If you succeed in finding one or more skilled friends willing to play this with you, however, you've got yourself one of the Gamecube's best multiplayer games.
Overall, Star Fox: Assault potentially is one of the finest games released in the late Gamecube era, depending on what your stance is on the early Star Fox games. Despite Assault's story mode not being as exciting or full of secrets as that of Lylat Wars, it's definitely a more complete game, with level select, an orchestral soundtrack and a pretty deep multiplayer experience. Assault tries to incorporate both elements from Star Fox Adventures and earlier games of the series, but the result is a gaming experience that most resembles that of Lylat Wars, meaning that fans of Star Fox Adventures are not unlikely to be disappointed. However, Star Fox Assault is also more accessible than its N64 predecessor, as solely the inclusion of a level select option is enough to make getting all medals, and even completing the game itself, less tedious, as you aren't obliged to complete the game in one run, even if it does make the story mode a little less exciting altogether.
In conclusion, Star Fox Assault is a good game that will most likely be appreciated gamers who've followed the series since the old SNES or N64 installments. It's now a bit easier for newcomers to step in thanks to the wider variety in modes, but all in all Star Fox Assault is still kind of an obscure game that will be either a hit or a miss, depending on what you're looking for.
Report Card:
+ story mode is as compelling and epic as ever for the most part
+ great mix of Arwing, Landmaster, and on-foot missions
+ terrific sound and music
+ broad and fun multiplayer experience
+ great level design
+/- level select
- story mode is too short
- on-foot controls are a bit on the simple and clunky side
- no bots in multiplayer
Score:
81%