Come all ye lovers of ol'! The SNES style Fox McCloud returns in Star Fox Assault! Finally they have remade a classic in true form, with vastly improved graphics and a back-story to boot! Am I excited? Will this be a wonderful review filled with praise and nostalgia back to the "Good old days?" The answer: Sort of. Star Fox Assault makes a huge leap forward compared to the original in many ways, but falls short of the legendary greatness with a single mistake.
So, let's hit the bad, because really, there isn't MUCH that is bad about this game, but what IS bad is… well … bad. What made Star Fox for SNES great? Well, aside from the creative 3D third-person piloting and for the time, awesomely cool graphics, the game was incredibly hard. Star Fox made pilots work, even on easy, to beat the game. It was long, it was arduous, and then you reached the second difficulty level. Star Fox Assault, on the other hand, on easy mode, is easy. On average mode, it is easy. On hard mode it is… well, harder than average. That isn't my problem at all really, though, that is a minor gripe. My gripe is that the classic space "epic" took me a whopping 5 hours to beat. Yep, 5 hours total play time. I wonder how long it would take me to beat the old SNES Star Fox, even on the easiest mode. How many times would I have to restart from the beginning? I suppose if I had started on the hardest setting it would have taken me much longer, but because the levels are the same (if you recall, the original SNES game had different levels for different difficulties) there is no reason for me to go back and attempt to beat it on hard mode. So, I review it based on what the average person would do, start with easy mode and see how it goes.
So, 5 hours later my impression is this. If not for the above mentioned issues with the difficulty and length, this game is in every way an improvement. Enemies are crisp and the graphics are awesome. The ground combat, excepting that Fox McCloud moves like a Sherman Tank, is fun and well done. The weapons are varied, the piloting maneuvers are wonderful, the enemies are … well, laughable, but that is how it was supposed to be. For some reason, Fox McCloud's little fighter is able to wipe out entire armadas of battleships. That's ok, it isn't supposed to be realistic; he's a hero after all! If you loved the original SNES Star Fox you will enjoy this game… all 5 hours of it.
The saving grace, for some, may be multiplayer. Everyone loves fighting each other and this is very well done. However, I would like to point out a personal gripe: When on Earth was the last time you had friends over that were of anywhere NEAR equal skill levels to the person who owns the game? In order for vs. combat mode to be any fun you need A) People to come over. B) People of nearly equal skill levels. When on earth do you actually meet people of equal skill levels that actually do come over, and how often do they do it? If the answer is often then this game gets extra bonus points for you, if not, then there is no replay value, since on harder modes you unlock multiplayer things (mostly).
In conclusion, if you loved the Star Fox series, especially the old SNES one, this game is for you. If you don't mind dishing out a fair quantity of cash (or can find it cheap somewhere) for 5 hours of entertainment this game delivers. In the end, this is a rental, not a purchase. Grab it for 5 bucks or whatever it costs to rent, play it for a weekend, and be done. You'll be glad you did… and be glad you didn't have to trade it in for a new game 3 days after purchase. Again, this is not because the game is bad or not fun, just because you'll have beaten it and be ready for a new adventure.
I am the PR Manager for a successful game company and enjoy writing reviews for non-competing products. I am married to a lovely wife and we have a lovely daughter named Rowan, who is currently two. I am also a professional juggler and swordfighter, which comes in handy in a variety of situations.
