GameCube
Star Fox Adventures
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
7.85 7.62 7.54 7.62 |
| Votes: | 71 |
| Reviews: | 2 |
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| Reviewer: zpeck | Date: May 4, 2024 |
| The Star Fox game that Star Fox fans love to hate. But in fact it isn't a bad game. It's actually one of the better action-adventure games released for GameCube. So why is it so often looked down upon? Well, basically this wasn't even supposed to be a Star Fox game. It started its development as a stand-alone game called "Dinosaur Planet" for the Nintendo 64 but eventually shifted to release for the GameCube. Somewhere along the line Nintendo pushed for Rare to turn this into a Star Fox game which resulted in a game which feels just like what it is; a stand-alone action-adventure game mostly inspired by Zelda, awkwardly forced into being a Star Fox game.
Graphics: 10 I really do believe this game deserves a 10 in graphics. The world and characters look great, the animations are mostly pretty good, but above all else, the way this game renders fur and hair (and given the type of characters this game uses, it does so often) was revolutionary at the time. It might not stand out today, but for a GC title it looks amazing. Of course I'm not giving it a 10 just because of the furry aspects, the game in general looks pretty fantastic. Sound: 8 The sound is mostly good. Some sound effects sound extremely generic and get repetitive after a while. The music however, is really memorable. Some tunes I still remember vividly to this day. The voice acting is pretty alright. Very "cartoony", but that's not necessarily a bad thing. That said, the made-up language that some characters use does sound quite... silly. And that's putting it mildly. Gameplay: 7 If this game has a weak point, it'd be in the gameplay section. The controls in general do resemble Zelda games a lot, but lacks the depth of Zelda games. It can be a bit stiff and awkward at times. But I do find that you sort of get used to it, and the gameplay in general is still quite enjoyable. As you progress through the story there are a lot of different "mini-games" and unique gameplay sequences, ranging from mazes to racing to puzzle-solving to vicious button-mashing. The boss battles are also mostly quite memorable. Overall: 9 I wouldn't go as far as to call this game a "masterpiece", because it isn't really. But it is an extremely underrated game. Growing up and finding out what other people thought about this game, I was genuinely surprised to find out that some people don't like it. It really was one of my favorite GC titles. But if you're expecting a genuine StarFox game, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for a touching story with depth, you'll also probably be disappointed. If you're looking for an action game with complex fighting dynamics and a steep learning curve... yes, you'll probably be disappointed with that too. But if you're looking for a lengthy adventure game with an intricate world and varying gameplay, with memorable characters and a certain art direction (those of you who'd enjoy the previously mentioned fur-rendering). You'll probably enjoy this title. I wanted to write this review mostly because I feel this game is extremely underrated. If you're one of those who gave this game a chance and didn't like it, I do to some extent understand you. It's not what everyone was expecting when it came out. But if you've never played it and only ever heard people refer to it as bad; PLEASE give it a chance, it's much better than what people give it credit for. |
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| Reviewer: bruh | Date: Nov 21, 2022 |
| This game is actually pretty good. People are just mean. (And projecting too hard that this "isn't a Star Fox game" rather than taking the game for what it is.) It's truly a shame that Rare was pushed by Nintendo to make this a StarFox game, because otherwise I believe that this would be looked at as a flawed but enjoyable gem, like a number of 3D Rare titles already are.
Graphics: 7 I'm going to go somewhere between good and great? I can't clearly remember what standards were for GameCube. The art direction is pretty solid for a fantasy adventure game-- not amazing, fairly standard even, but certainly not bad. Enemies are VERY recycled-- be ready to see a LOT of the same 4 enemies. Locations are highly varied, which makes up a lot for this, imo. Sound: 7 A number of sounds very much sound like they were purchased from a sound library, especially the "hitting" and "firing" sounds. Music is pretty alright. A bit generic at times, but always fitting. The "tribal" vibe the sound track goes for at times isn't really something I go for-- that's when it feels it's most generic. Voice acting vacillates between being pretty solid to wonderfully odd, particularly with some of the dinosaurs. Gameplay: 8 YES THE ARWING SECTIONS ARE TRASH BUT THAT CLEARLY WASN'T THE FOCUS HERE. That aside, the ground combat is also pretty trash-- it's REALLY reminiscent of early 3D Zelda, but minus the additional layer of complexity that items added. HOWEVER, what this game lacks in combat, it makes up for in exploration. The puzzles aren't really head-scratchers, but this is to the game's benefit; the game always feels like its moving along, and urging you along with it. There are a lot of stand-out moments and locations to be found here, from the gorgeous beaches of Cape Claw, to the jail-break/stealth section in the sky, and (my personal favorite) when you need to take back the capital city from a band of roaming T-rexes. This is a (pre-Microsoft) Rare game, and it's a classic collect-a-thon but minus any down time. I really mean that in the best possible way. Overall: 9 This is a game that, at least to me, is really a lot more than the sum of it's parts. There's really a lot here to like. It's an action-adventure game, with the emphasis really being on the adventure with the "action" feeling a lot more like an afterthought. If you're looking for a StarFox game, look elsewhere. If you're looking for really engaging combat, move along. But if you're looking for a solid, story/sequence-driven adventure game with varied locations to keep you from getting bored, this may be the game for you. That said, be aware that the final boss makes you engage in the space flight mechanics, which is pretty objectively a baffling decision, given how little the game makes you use them. Admittedly it brings the game down for me a bit, but it's still a fun ride to get there. Tricky isn't that annoying. Just keep him fed. I sense that this game was an "awakening" for some people in the same way that Sonic and Pokemon was for others. So, uh, just know that going in. |
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