Available both as a freebie with Star Fox Zero or as a downloadable title on the eShop, Guard’s take on dual-screen gameplay may actually be the more successful of the Star Fox titles releasing this month. The same goes for Gyrowing’s rather charming remote-controlled hacking robot.
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Star Fox Zero, like its predecessors, features a very simple story.
Fox McCloud has had a bit of a hard run. He and his merry band of pilots are hired by the Cornerian Government to fight off the evil Andross’ invasion, along with their rivals, the vicious Star Wolf gang. While the player’s ship will still be contained in a general area by invisible barriers, the All-Range phases really allow the different battlefields to bloom, and they work in ideal tandem with some of the huge boss encounters that are lying in wait in the farthest throes of space.
Jeff Cork of Gameinformer awarded Fox with a 6.75 and said “Star Fox Zero isn’t ever bad, but it’s generally uninspired”.
One of the common positives for Star Fox Zero is its similarities to Star Fox 64. The jamming signal from the Dishrupter, a walking radar dish that could easily be mistaken for a kid’s toy, scrambles video feeds and temporarily blinds you, and Pausemo is a nagging deceiver that latches onto a camera and loops fake footage to help enemies sneak in. For the most part, you do not need to use the GamePad screen at all, but it does provide a first-person view of the action, juxtaposed to a traditional third-person view of your vehicle on the TV screen. With a click of the left stick you’ll recenter your reticule back to where your ship is facing.
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To Nintendo’s and co-developer Platinum Games’ credit, a tremendous amount of effort has been made to ensure Star Fox’s Wii U debut is as diverse as possible. The old guard will likely dig its more on-rails segments and its throwback dialog while those with more modern tastes can find a lot to love in its branching paths and free-flight dogfights. Maneuvering land vehicles in particular feels like unbridled chaotic flailing (and not in a good way), and for a series that typically values precision under fire, this is a problem. Here’s a look at the game’s launch trailer. And although the banter between the cast is fun, the story and characters are basically the same as Star Fox 64. As to be expected, particle effects and explosions are another highlight – there are times where the entire screen will be covered in pyrotechnics. Star Fox Zero delivers a mildly entertaining romp through space with some exceptional highs that come crashing down all too frequently. The gameplay is intense, exciting, and knows when to invoke the past, while adding plenty of fresh ideas and changes of pace to ensure that each playthrough is well-paced and full of surprises. The blame can’t be placed exclusively on those motion controls, either: as it juts about, the focus and nuance that’s defined Platinum’s finest work feels absent, in its place a slightly lumpy brand of novelty. Throw in that there’s a bronze, silver and gold score system tied to each mission, and Star Fox has you covered. The original games were fun because you could pick up a controller and instantly understand how to play – Star Fox Zero, on the other hand, sacrifices all of that in the name of poorly-executed GamePad gimmicks. Understandably, most fans gave up hope long ago. Are you going to get this game? A mini-game that’s deliberately meant to be a short and sweet experience, you’re tasked with jumping between numerous cameras in order to shoot anything that moves.
