Starfox Adventures Comments by Tom Bramwell

"Link in a fur coat"

That is an absolutely PERFECT description of this game. It sure is pretty, I won't dispute that - but to play, it's very like Legend of Zelda..and no matter how far you try to put it from your mind, Fox looks as camp as Dale Winton in this...!

Peej

have a soft spot for simple, pretty adventures

Well that's a pretty fair description of me so this stays firmly on my shopping list.

Hell, I knew when I read the review you'd quote that, otto, I knew it. I even thought about doing the work for you, but then didn't. :-)

Thing is, I'm getting a bit disillusioned with Ninty's way of just remaking all their old franchises every time they stick out a new piece of hardware. Admittedly they've definitely tried to do something different with the new Zelda...(they've made it look like a National Film Board of Canada cartoon!) but when I see people getting excited about Starfox Adventures and Metroid for the gamecube I just think "WHY?!" - The cube is capable of running very slick and gorgeous games...it's worth so much better an effort than just rehashing all this old crap all the time.

peej

Ah you know me so well UncleLou - shallow casual gamer with graphics slut tendencies, that's me! :)

If I'm honest, calling a game "easy" and "short" are two major plusses for me - one reason why I'm treating all the praise for Metroid Prime with a big pinch of salt. The repetitiveness of the combat is a bit off-putting though...

Sort of agree with pj.

Have there been any New Nintendo games for the GC or is it just the same old franchises?

Pikmin & Eternal Darkness

have a soft spot for simple, pretty adventures sounds more like something Errol would agree too, or is my imagination stretching too far?

so in summery this game is rubbish then, in that everybody was expecting a huge AAA hit - i just hope there Xbox efforts are up to scratch.

Ah you know me so well UncleLou - shallow casual gamer with graphics slut tendencies, that's me! :)

It was just a clever post so you'd reveal your true identity. It worked! I see right through you now. :p

i quite fancied this title, but im not so sure now. been given average ratings across the board really... think i'll have my work cut out with mario and monkeyball anyway :)

I've had the PAL version for a couple of weeks and while flawed I'd at least recommend a look (graphically it is stunning and shows what the Cube is capable of). IMO the reviews a bit harsh but what do I know :)

Oh and the Arwing bit is the weakest part of the game...

Oh well ho hum Rares last foray on a nintendo console a bit on the average side.
Pity really it was another title that I was interested in.
Oh well have to wait for Kameo then, to see if Rare can redeem themselves.

"but when I see people getting excited about Starfox Adventures and Metroid for the gamecube I just think "WHY?!" - The cube is capable of running very slick and gorgeous games...it's worth so much better an effort than just rehashing all this old crap all the time. "

Um, hang on, let's be fair here - both of the above games are very different to the original SNES-era titles they're based on, the only similarity is the name and the characters really, along with some of the fundamental goals of the gameplay.

By all accounts, Starfox Adventures has fallen flat on its face but Metroid Prime is a masterpiece. They didn't play it safe on either game; Starfox dumps pure combat and plays as an, er, adventure (badly, admittedly), while Metroid Prime moves into first-person mode (and is both slick AND gorgeous).

Luigi's Mansion was pretty different as well. Mario Sunshine was roughly more of the same admittedly, but still a great game, and Legend of Zelda looks VERY different indeed.

Nintendo don't necessarily recycle gameplay, but they recycle tried and tested franchises. The very fact that they manage to do that, and to take creative risks by throwing their valuable characters into innovative games, is something that deserves praise, not derision.

But, where are the new Nintendo characters and franchises? Pokemon, Pikmin and ...?

Maybe this suggests why Nintendo were willing to sell Rare. They must have realised that Starfox Adventures could not turn out to be a fantastic game in the time they had left to get it completed. Three and a half years work on one game and all we get is a second-rate Zelda.

Done and dusted, check the news archive.

Recycling a franchies is all well and good when you keep the games fresh and move with the times, which Nintendo have done. They aren't putting out 2d platformer mario games, or top down zelda. However, Pikmin showed that they could create something new and be utterly fabulous. I'd like to see more of that as well as the standard nintendo fodder like Mario Kart and especially the criminally overlooked on the GBC and the N64, why didn't it feature the linkup like it was supposed to, oh why nintendo why? Oh yes, that was Mario Golf by the way. Without a doubt the best game to ever appear on any of the Gameboy systems to date. I still play it on my GBA.

So, make that a rental then.

@Westy: you may be on to something. Have you seen the latest (Xbox) shots of Kameo though? Verrry yummy. Though of course gameplay's king, as this review shows quite clearly.

Oh yes, that was Mario Golf by the way. Without a doubt the best game to ever appear on any of the Gameboy systems to date. I still play it on my GBA.

Never got round to playing Mario golf, but mario tennis GBC was fantastic, and as they were both camelot, should be of the same standards.


I'll probably be waiting for a second hand copy of SFA, judging by the reviews, it should be too long.

It's a shame on the score but I think I will still like to give it a go.

I bought this game about a month and a half ago based on US reviews and have only managed to put in a couple of hours, it's just...not fun I guess. I'm a sucker for Action RPG's but this one just doesn't do it for me. This review is spot on.

Ah, balls. I was really looking forward to this. So it's easy and short (which means I have a chance of completing it before 2003 is out), but spending hours looking for the right switch? Conserving ammo? No thanks. If it doesn't even have the 'wow' factor for the graphics whore in me, I'm not sure that I'll bother.

Maybe this suggests why Nintendo were willing to sell Rare. They must have realised that Starfox Adventures could not turn out to be a fantastic game in the time they had left to get it completed. Three and a half years work on one game and all we get is a second-rate Zelda. Oh do I detect a note of sour grapes Westy. Kameo is looking very tasty indeed.

I disagree. This is a awesome game.

I watched as a friend of mine played this for about an hour... most of that one hour was spent on three "problems", which I'd call stupid level design. The one I can describe easily is a ice cavern, where you have to shoot ice spikes in the ceiling to drop them down... They're of a different colour yeah but it would've never crossed my mind to look up. Oh well.

And the voice acting was somewhat bad imho. I hope I had seen a glimpse of the more shinyhappy levels, though.

My take on this is that it all boils down to luck (which means the design should be better): my first time through the game had me only once wandering around aimlessly and looking for a door one switch had opened.

Although the game lacked the polish of Nintendo's own Eternal Darkness, Mario etc. it still is in my opinion one of the autumns most interesting games.

I was very dissapointed with SFA after all the hype and painfully long wait. It's beautiful, but the gameplay is ultimately shallow and unrewarding. Looks like Nintendo might have got the best deal out of Microsoft giving them an awful lot of money for Rare - but I'll wait until I see what their first Xbox games will be like.

Looks like Nintendo might have got the best deal out of Microsoft giving them an awful lot of money for Rare - but I'll wait until I see what their first Xbox games will be like.
Maybe we will just have to wait and see. Although I think it may work out the other way around. Time will tell.

I hate the automatic lock on feature this game has. It makes combat feel very distant and takes away from the immersion of the game. I also get the feeling the inclusion of the Starfox characters is just tacked on because they were asked to use them. Not that it would have made the actual gameplay any better, but still...

This game also has Rare's trademark "looks over fluidity" rule. Framerate for outdoor areas was worse than for indoor. It's not a big deal (unlike Banjo-Tooie), but the need to include superfluous features like swaying grass piles here and there at the expense of fluidity, is something I could do without.

I'm very keen to see what Rare do on the Xbox now. Something tells me that no matter what they do, their time in the sun has gone. I'm sure their titles will still be quality, but let's see something that's actually quality and fun!

Yes, perhaps it might of seemed a better game if it actually got it's release as Dinosaur Planet in the twilight years of the N64, instead of the odd mix of genres that's been forced onto a different console a few years later - when games, and the gameplay, has moved on a bit.

If I'm honest, calling a game "easy" and "short" are two major plusses for me

It works for me too, generally. Luigi's Mansion was just about right I thought. Lame casual gamer that I am.

v3rtigo - true this game did start off as Dinosaur Planet for the N64 and was never released and eventually became StarFox Adventures and the orignal game was scrapped even after Rare had come up with new caracters and a story. Oh well..

I really need this game.

And while we are on the subject of Rare here's a what have you done for me lately for the Rare/Nintendo combo just in case you had forgotten.

Short Rare softography and what IP Nintendo own from the bunch:
Donkey Kong Country - Nintendo IP (SNES)
Blast Corps - Not Nintendo IP (N64)
Killer Instinct - Not Nintendo IP (N64)
GoldenEye - Not Nintendo IP (N64)
Diddy Kong Racing - Nintendo IP (N64)
Banjo-Kazooie - Not Nintendo IP (N64)
Jet Force Gemini - Not Nintendo IP (N64)
Donkey Kong 64 - Nintendo IP (N64)
Perfect Dark - Not Nintendo IP (N64)
Conkers - Not Nintendo IP (N64)
Dinosaur Planet - Never released (N64)
StarFox Adventures - Nintendo IP (GC)
Kameo - Not Nintendo IP (xbox)

Not a bad list eh...owned most of these games myself.
Should be interesting to see what they do released from the shackles of Nintendo. Oh well the end of an era and all that lark...pity they had to go out on such a bum note.

I dont know, Nintendo's entire strategy just seems so lacklustre. I mean I look at the Cube in terms of shelf space, advertising etc it just seems defeated. It already seems like they are ready to throw in the towel. I realzie they are going for slightly different target market but still, I dont see them trying to grab anyones attention. I still have a bad taste from the N64.

Thier 3rd parry support is pretty terrible, I dont consider Capcom to be a great company any more, their game design seems tired over the years. All the Japanese companies acctually havent really evolved over the past 2 years. Good games are so few and so far apart, every 2 months a good game isnt good enough? Atleast 1 per month, ideally 2.

Namco? Dead to Rights was boring, Tekken was MOTS, Im hoping SC2 will be good.

Sega? Last few games have been terrible, they are having a bumpy transition from 1st party to 3rd party. JSRF was good, Virtua Fighter 2 was good, but TJ&E was bad, Shenmue Xbox was mediocre. Sports games were good, but damn, losing that DC charm.

Konami? Its doing better than the others but nothing on the horizon seems particulary exciting.

Tecmo? Looking good, looking forward to Ninja Gaiden.
But give DOA a break.

Square? FFX and Kingdom Hearts was good but talk about a bad blow from the movies, the days of multiple hits are passes, remember Chrono, Vagrant etc? Now they are relying on old franchise sequels!

It must be the end of the dev cycle and I hope E3 brings good things but right now Im just looking forward to US and EU stuido games more. Deus Ex 2, Doom 3, Thief 3, Rise to Honor, KOTOR, Project Ego etc.

Japanese studios better pull something good from their asses, no wonder they are so a hurtin financially. Arent reading the western markets (where most of the money comes from) right. No more great and immersive world with great chracters and plots. No great new gameplay, its the same old formula with a new face. This is a genral problem with games, but western companies are doing better, GTA, The Getaway, Halo, Neverwinter Nights, NOLF, Warcraft 3, Medal of Honor.

Damn, im rambling.

It depends on your own preferences. In my opinion japanese developers are far ahead: they do not have such an anal obsession on realism and photorealistic depiction of things as western developers do.

Re: tiitiz

I think most Gamecube owners will give it a go regardless of the scores its getting, just to see for themselves.

"Sort of agree with pj."

Steady on Ssuelid! Heh!

IN a bit of a quandary with Nintendo. Am thinkin "What's up and coming to get excited about, therefore worth keeping the cube hanging around for.." - Only thing I can think of would be a really decent next gen version of Mario Karts (not a re-jig of the awful N64 version) - And that ain't really enough reason to justify taking up a scart slot on my telly...

Soooo if anyone wants to buy a cube with 6 games and a memory card for 300 notes you know who to chuck a mail at...

Peej

"the team that brought us Lylat Wars"

Rare didnt do Lylat Wars did they??? thought it was an in-house Nintendo product (back when they did those).

I think most GC owners will give it a go because theres nothing else to buy.

A friend of mine is buying a console for himself and kids for Christmas and was asking my advice.

Not long ago he had said he was not going to buy another, having owned an N64 and DC, and seen them sail off over the horizon.

He's got his eye on the GC, mainly for SMS, but I am loathe to give him the green light, as I definately get the DC feeling about Gamecube. One more bum choice would resign him to his PC forevermore.

I would have normally said go with the PS2 to a casual gamer, for the choice, but as his kids are 4/6, the real gems (GTA stuff) isn't applicable to him.

Xbox I would have recommended to the slightly more hardcore or a Connoisseur of quality.

But I have to say, I think xbox is making up ground with the titles starting to appear and just over the horizon. I think its becoming a very credible option, and I think the DC tag has definately jumped bases to GC.

I am not flaming or baiting, like I have said a gazzilion times I own PS2,GC and XBOX, so I have no vested interest in console knocking, its just my humble opinion.

But I have to say, I think xbox is making up ground with the titles starting to appear and just over the horizon. I think its becoming a very credible option, and I think the DC tag has definately jumped bases to GC.

Starting to get the same feeling myself gizmo. If only MS could sort out the platforming and beat-em-up genres and the kiddy factor, that the GC has in abundance on the xbox, it's future would be looking very rosy indeed. Maybe Rare can sort some of that out.

Yeah its the new DC, only without all the cool games...

I'm with Gizmo on this one...
I've got a GC with 6 games (Resi, SMS, Rogue Leader, Spiderman, Simpsons Road Rage (don't ask!) and Pikmin) but could quite easily have done without any of them...as it is I'm seriously considering selling the thing just to free up a scart slot and some shelf space. If I divided up the time I spend playing PC, PS2, X-Box or GC games I'd say the GC gets about 10% of my time....so if anyone's thinking of getting one, seriously think about what you want from a console - if it's a large varied range of games the GC ain't the one for you...

Oh...and those pissy little 1.2 Gig DVDs don't really help matters either.

Peej

6/10 is pretty generous. Digitiser really laid into it this morning. Cue letters page 'rant-o-thon'. :-)

Well after reading the things said...i`m now not gonna touch a GC with a barge pole and in hindsight i`m pretty glad i went with the xbox..

Digi gave it 2/10!

Blerk,

Keeping with digi for a minute:

Did you notice Biffo now posts regularly on the Edge forums?

We need to get Biffo over here. Someone tell him about us. Besides, I want to congratulate him on the 'almost back to normal' Digi.
:-)

I agree completely!

Our mission for the day then?

Actually that`s Mr. Biffo