At one point in time, you could always trust Rare to dish out guaranteed mega hits, just look at its track record. However that time has passed and so has its greatness. I was hoping to enjoy Starfox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet as much as Conkers or Donkey Kong 64, but I came away disappointed. It seems Rare just slapped on the Starfox name on the game to get more sales (and sales they have plenty), but the main characters suffer as a result. All the elements in the game don't jive properly and as a result, this game is not up to par with other Rare games.
Plot: You are Fox Mcloud, a dangerous fox that heads the Starfox team, a group of hired bounty hunters (good guys no doubt), inside the Lylat System. However, after Fox destroyed Andross, the Lylat System is peaceful once more. As a result, the Starfox team have suffered without any money and one of the original four members (Falco) has left the team in search of a more rewarding occupation (he is replaced by Rob the Robot). Just when things can't seem to get any worse, General Pepper contacts the Fox team and informs them that one of the planets (creatively called Dinosaur Planet) is splitting apart! Fox must investigate and is promised a large bounty.
Style: As I have mentioned, some elements in this game just don't jive, style being one of them. While on the planet you have a wonderfully detailed Fox and some of his environments. However some NPC look like they are from N64, being very outdated. Also when doing the flying missions, they look straight out of the N64 game, being rather bland and unimaginative. As well the colours don't match as if this was one large cohesive world. Instead you go from a blue themed area to a lush green one, then a murky green one, and then a grey one, you get the point. If they paid more attention to the final product, there may have been more substance.
Gameplay: Starfox Adventures plays like a meld of Rare games gone wrong. It tries to incorporate the excellent features of its best games, but fails to make it feel cohesive and whole. After playing Krystal for a brief intro, you get to play Fox, the hero of the game. Fox himself doesn't have too many functions he can do without his staff (no blasters) and usually performs tasks if you merely walk up to the desired position (like jumping, climbing and so forth). One you finally acquire a staff, you learn a few moves, but you are still limited to only a few options. I believe Rare tried to make a simple, approachable game, but made it too simple. If you are roaming around trying to save the world, you should have more abilities than to just jump, walk, climb, swing staff, shoot. Shooting also becomes a pain as it is hard to aim your staff and you need precision for certain events.
As this game is simple, you will find it getting repetitive quite early on. I felt for the first hour, that Rare still had its touch and the reviewers were idiots. However, further playing reveals another story. Fighting the enemy AI becomes extremely repetitive. Here is a description of fighting for 90% of the game: lock on to enemy, hit A 10 times, enemy falls on ground, hit A 10 more times, enemy dead. No skill, no reward, no change= repetitive. As well, Rare's once "clever" puzzle design has also become repetitive. Push the box into place, kill all enemies, carry object to a specific location, and a few small puzzles that become repetitive as well.
The R-Wing missions also are repetitive as they are all the same only some extended for 30 seconds. In total you go through 15 R-Wing missions that basically consist of floating a purple area for 2 minutes doing nothing (it is less exciting then it sounds). There are only four boss battles and each are extremely easy to figure out. The bosses are huge and really show the capabilities of the Gamecube.
Another complaint is the voice acting and cinematic sequences. The voice acting is done well in some parts and poorly in others. Your sidekick "Tricky" (very uh creative name) sounds like a young girl, even though he is a teenage dinosaur. He really puts a damper on the dramatic feeling Rare has tried in this game.
Besides these complaints, the game is relatively interesting. The shop idea is pretty neat and innovative and provides a reason for money. As well the dungeons are done well (not Zelda calibur but still solid). A hint to gamers frustrated with this title: if you play to the end you will get a really cool secret that is well worth your time.
Sound: The best music in the game are remixes of old Starfox tunes. The new music is upbeat and interesting, but not catchy. The voice work is interesting and half decent, if for some out of place dialogue. Slippy is as annoying as ever and Peppy, sounds constipated. Still the music is still Rare style and that is always a bonus.
Graphics: Some of the graphics were the best for its time (fur effects and textures) but some look straight out of the N64 (the R-Wing missions). The bosses look interesting and provide a sense of size comparison in the game. The blades of grass and the wind blowing softly are noticeable touches. Lighting has also been done quite well (except for the lamp you get, which is nearly useless).
Replay: Once you beat the game, there is nothing else to do. You see the ending cinematic and it is done. The only bonus is trying to change the colour of Tricky ( I don't know what the effect is, but change away!). There are a few racing levels you can replay, but nothing special.
Summary: Starfox tries to be an amazing all in one game, but fails. The gameplay is repetitive, the graphics are mixed, and there is hardly any replay value. Look away unless you can stand a dumbed down version of Banjo-Kazooie meets Conker (minus the good parts).
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