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StarFox
Adventures |
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By: DarkWolf
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| Platform |
GameCube |
| Company |
Rare |
| Game Time |
20 hours |
| Completion Time |
21 hours |
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Wow. Really the only word I can think to describe
this, the last game Rare will produce for Nintendo.
The whole Microsoft buyout of Rare has left a bad
taste in my mouth, as I was looking forward to a
few of the new games ... which were going to be
on GameCube. What really pisses me off is I'll be
missing out on the new Conker.
But enough bitching about things I can't change.
On to the review.
The game is absolutely beautiful. Fur, people. Fur,
that moves, individual strands. It's incredible
the amount of detail. Individual blades of grass,
and flowers that are affected by your movements.
Global lighting for the sun and moon, shadows that
are actually affected by the lighting. The in-game
models are also the cut scene models, because the
cut scenes are done in real time. Lip synching that's
top notch, and voice acting that's actually not
bad.
Little details that add flair to the game abound,
the camera focuses depending on the situation. If
you're running around, everything but the most distant
objects are clear and in focus. If you move in to
talk to someone, or you engage in battle, the focus
shifts so that only the things closest to you are
in focus. Leaves fall from trees, and twist and
flip on their way down to the ground. A weather
system that appears to not be locked into a pattern.
Water... oh my, the water is probably the most realistic
I've seen in a video game. Baldur's Gate has some
incredible water wave physics, but all of the water
is dark and murky. In this game, not only are there
wave physics (not as realistic as those in Baldur's
Gate), but the water is in most places crystal clear,
and objects underneath the water are distorted by
the rippling waves just as they are in real life.
The game play is very similar to the N64 Zelda games.
It's kind of frustrating that you can't jump on
your own, but it's probably best, because there's
quite a bit of jumping that's done, and your focus
is entirely on the next jump, not on the timing
needed to make that jump. It's also a bit on the
easy side. When you engage in battle, even in a
group of enemies, only one attacks at a time. When
you fall down an endless pit, you don't lose a life,
and you don't even lose health. It's nearly impossible
to die, as health items are everywhere ... and if
you run out of crates with them, just start hitting
trees, and a few will fall out of various trees.
This is a double edged sword though, because on
the one hand, it's great because it keeps frustration
to a minimum, but on the other hand, it's almost
too easy. The only part that really gave me any
difficulty was the very final boss, and that only
because I wasn't thinking straight, and wasn't utilizing
the full range of abilities. Players looking for
a good challenge most likely won't find it here.
Most of the challenge involved is in solving the
various puzzles ... and yes, some of them can be
head scratchers.
The variety of game play is definitely a plus. It
never really gets boring, or repetitive, as just
when you start to get tired of running around smacking
things with your staff, all of the sudden, you're
riding a giant Brontosaurus, and protecting it from
attacks, or tracking through a blinding blizzard,
on the back of a Woolly Mammoth, or being tied to
a totem pole, and fending off a gang of Raptors.
Locations too, are as varied as the game play You
go from a serene valley, to a fiery volcano, to
ancient temples, to a swamp village, icy mountains,
barren wastelands, and more. Each visually unique,
no reused textures from one location to the other.
The story is plausible. You play (for 99% of the
game) Fox McCloud, famous leader of the StarFox
team. In the 8 years since StarFox 64 ended (game
time, not real time), Falco has decided to venture
out on his own, Peppy has decided to turn in his
pilot wings and has taken up map making, while Slippy
has also traded in his wings to delve into mechanics.
Since Andross's defeat in StarFox 64, the Lylat
system has been pretty peaceful, and Corneria hasn't
had a need for Fox and Co. Full time, so they've
taken to wandering the Lylat system, doing odd jobs
to earn a living. It so happens as they are nearing
Dinosaur Planet on the far reaches of the Lylat
system, that General Pepper sends word they have
a new mission. Seems that Dinosaur Planet is breaking
apart, though why is not yet known. If the planet
explodes, it could disrupt the entire Lylat system.
Your mission is to fly down there, and find out
what's going on, and do what you can to fix it.
You soon find out that the planet is very ancient,
and is full of a magical energy called Dark Matter.
This energy is so powerful that it's constantly
forcing the planet apart, but there are four artifacts
called SpellStones that concentrate and direct the
Dark Matter, and keep the planet together. The SpellStones
have been stolen, and it's up to you to recover
them. There are also 6 spirits scattered about the
lands, called Krazoa spirits. These spirits work
with the SpellStones to control the Dark Matter.
The first spirit you find in the prologue, where
you play as Krystal, who is responding to a distress
signal from Dinosaur Planet.
At times it seems the StarFox aspect of the game
was added at the last minute, while at other times,
it seems that it was intended from the beginning.
Early screen shots of this game (when it was under
it's working title of Dinosaur Planet), were on
the N64, and the main character was a creature that
looked like a fox. Speculation flew that raised
the question of whether or not this was the next
StarFox game ... Which was obviously confirmed in
2001, when the title became StarFox Adventures:
Dinosaur Planet, and development had shifted from
N64, to GameCube. Whether or not it was intended
to be a StarFox game from the beginning, is still
speculation. You travel to the various portions
of the planet that have broken away, by means of
your Arwing, and you must fly through varying amounts
of Gold rings to disable the force fields around
the various pieces. These sequences are reminiscent
of StarFox 64, though much much shorter. And it's
a thorn in my side that you can't switch to first
person perspective for these sequences, but cest
la vie ... maybe the new Namco produced StarFox
game will satisfy that request. The other 90% of
game play is on the ground, exploring, and a majority
of your time is spent on the main planet.
The sound is excellent. Sound effects are accurate,
from footsteps, to waterfalls, to gears, and the
sounds made when you hit various objects, or enemies.
The music too is good, it's long enough to not appear
repetitive in areas that take a long time, and changes
to reflect the mood ... it becomes tense when enemies
are near, or when you engage in battle, or when
you're in danger it becomes fast paced, and frantic.
The game will take an average of about 20 hours.
It took me a little longer because I'm retarded,
and would spend 30 minutes to an hour in a location
trying to figure out what I was supposed to do ...
only to realize how simple the solution was, and
how retarded I am for not thinking of it sooner.
I've started a new game, and I'm going back through
it because I missed a few things the first time
through ... while not crucial to completing the
game, I would like to complete the game with 100%,
not 95%.
Overall, I give StarFox Adventures an A+. Visually,
and aurally it's a masterpiece, and the game play
matches the spectacle of the graphics. |
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