Star Fox: Assault

 GameCube
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 140 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 108 out of 140
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 140
  3. Negative: 8 out of 140
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  1. MIDP
    Aug 10, 2013
    7
    I do not understand why people complain so much about this game.
    This is a great Star Fox game, I have only played the 64 remake on 3DS along with the SNES one.
    It is by far better than the 64 one. The combat on foot is a lot of fun, and multiplayer is GREAT!

    7 out of 10, since it could be longer.
  2. AndrewC.
    Feb 20, 2007
    5
    I absolutely love Star Fox and Star Fox 64. I absolutely hate this game. What went wrong? Well let's see here...Star Fox is supposed to be a SPACE SHOOTER, not some half-baked third-person shooter. The only redeeming quality in this game is the flight stages, but even those don't live up to the SF name. A truly disappointing effort in almost every way.
  3. oblivion2011
    Jul 3, 2011
    5
    I've lost all respect for Star Fox when they released this game. I wanted to feel the old school Star Fox while i played this game, but the bulky mechanics and downgraded vehicles was a sad panda. And once again, the romance between the two foxes were very distracting to the game itself. I hope to see Star Fox 64 material soon...
  4. meyeah
    Apr 5, 2007
    7
    This game was ok but it should have been in first-person and they should have gotten rid of teh lock on with evrey gun.
  5. NintendoPSBox
    Feb 6, 2005
    7
    It's a decent game, but not as impressive or good as Metroid Prime 2 or Ratchet and Clank 3.
  6. BenG.
    May 28, 2005
    6
    Honestly, this game is just above average. It has good flying missions, mediocre on-foot missions, mediocre multiplayer, and a retarded story. Not nearly as great as the epic Starfox: 64. Just buy something better that Nintendo has to offer, like Resident Evil 4 or Metroid Prime.
  7. Guy!
    May 24, 2007
    7
    This game has the best sci-fi concept since star wars. The special affects threw me and the game was almost too exciting. The third person shooting on foot is a good idea, but the weapons on foot are almost as stupid as the gadgets on spy kids. Also, the lame anime junk has got to go. On the whole, definently worth playing.
  8. Puffy
    Nov 22, 2005
    6
    star fox assut is more like the n64 n super nintendo versions of the game .. its ok .... but really not as good as star fox adventure...the mutlyplyer aspect is pretty fun... but it is easy to get lost... the missons are ok... lot of the ground missons remind me of star wars... the sounds n all.....u can tell it even the look of star fox reminds u of star wars on the ground ....i like star fox assut is more like the n64 n super nintendo versions of the game .. its ok .... but really not as good as star fox adventure...the mutlyplyer aspect is pretty fun... but it is easy to get lost... the missons are ok... lot of the ground missons remind me of star wars... the sounds n all.....u can tell it even the look of star fox reminds u of star wars on the ground ....i like star fox adventrue better...but if ur lookin for a flyin game like the n64 n super nintendo one this one has it ......but ito me i really didnt like it .... i rent this first if i were u ......i boarrowed from a friend for few days ....its just a average game.. nothin speaial.… Expand
  9. luisflopez
    Apr 17, 2017
    6
    Star Fox Assault brings the Star Fox franchise back to it's original formula, after the deviation that was Star Fox Adventures. Sadly, it is very far from being a grand return to what made Star Fox 64 so special. Assault is, overall, a mediocre game with many flaws.

    For starters, the game is completely linear and has no map like its predecessor. Which means that optional routes and    Star Fox Assault brings the Star Fox franchise back to it's original formula, after the deviation that was Star Fox Adventures. Sadly, it is very far from being a grand return to what made Star Fox 64 so special. Assault is, overall, a mediocre game with many flaws.

    For starters, the game is completely linear and has no map like its predecessor. Which means that optional routes and secret ways to finish missions are gone. This wouldn't be much of a problem if the game had a decent lenght, but sadly, it is pretty short. The main thing to do outside the main story is local multiplayer, but I never tried it, so I'm not commenting on that.

    The Arwing gameplay is great, and it is the only aspect where Assault feels like an evolution of SF64 (aside from graphics, obviously). The classic on-rails shooting missions are clearly the best parts of the game. But then comes Assault's big novelty: the ground missions, where you control Fox and play like in a third-person shooter. Sounds like a good idea, I mean, gunfights seem totally fitting for the Star Fox universe. But sadly, the controls are terrible, aiming is a pain, and it gets really repetitive after some missions. And ground missions are like half of the game.

    One thing that I really enjoyed about SF64 are the characters. They were all memorable and extremely likeable. The cheesy dialogues in that game were pure gold. Assault's characters feel like a cheap imitation of their former selves. Not only are the dialogues completely forgettable, but the voice actors are pretty unfitting in my opinion. Fox's voice actor in particular.

    At least the game has a nice soundtrack. Most of it consists of remastered SF64 songs, but with a full orchestra, and man are they epic. The new compositions are great as well. Visually, the game looks nice for the most part. The arwing sections are the coolest looking ones.

    For those looking for a classic Star Fox experience, If you can look past the lack of content, the mediocre ground missions, and the poor representations of the Star Fox characters, you might find some satisfaction in playing this game. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend this game at all.

    Score: 6.5    … Expand
  10. Noblecookie
    Jan 31, 2018
    7
    So I'll start by saying that this game is good and nothing really more than that, in fact, it's in my opinion a tad lower than nintendo's usual quality with their IP's, though that is of course a high bar to hit according to most people. That all being said, I think this game is underrated to a certain degree.

    Gameplay wise, this game does a lot more to be faithful to the N64 experience    So I'll start by saying that this game is good and nothing really more than that, in fact, it's in my opinion a tad lower than nintendo's usual quality with their IP's, though that is of course a high bar to hit according to most people. That all being said, I think this game is underrated to a certain degree.

    Gameplay wise, this game does a lot more to be faithful to the N64 experience than the likes of command or adventures; ESPECIALLY adventures. But given how simple SF64 was that's not too hard really, all you really need is on rail shooting segments with the occasional all range mode mission in which you're confined to a box instead of a line. Unlike 64 however, assault has far more all range segments than on rail ones, and while the latter is relatively unchanged from 64, the former has received a massive expansion in the form of an interchangeable combat system. On most missions, the player has the option between piloting an arwing, a landmaster or for the first time ever on foot in a third person shooter system. Some people have grumbled about how this was done instead of focusing on the on-rail sections but in my opinion, there's not really much you can do, they're just too simple to be expanded upon. Another large point of contention with this new system is the allegedly clunky control scheme, most notably the method of aiming your weapon when in the landmaster or on foot. Personally I had no issues with the controls, they were easy in fact and not too different from the control scheme in the metroid prime series (which I've yet to see anyone criticize) on top of this, there is an alternate control scheme that apparently fixes the issue for some people so really you'll just have to see. One issue i do have with the aiming is how flimsy the auto lock-on system is. when you're trying to shoot down aerial enemies in the landmaster it's just goes on and off regardless of your distance from the target. The progression of the game is very linear, with you simply going from mission to mission like many 1st person shooters and the length is quite short, you could probably beat the game in one sitting if you played it all afternoon, this is a significant downgrade from star fox 64 which although it had even shorter playthroughs and missions, it also had a multiple choice progression system in which you could undertake missions provided certain conditions were met, some skill based, others being secrets, the end reward based on this progression was a much more climatic final boss as well as just having new content for later playthroughs. This is were assault falls short, although 64 is shorter, it has more content.

    Moving on to the story, first of all, it actually has one that extends beyond the opening cutscene so it's already an improvement over 64 and it's nowhere near as insufferably cheesy as adventures, more coherent too. The story itself can range from meh to entertaining to surprisingly dark and emotional moments. The new enemies introduced in this game aren't anything to write home about, the aparoids as they're called are basically just the borg mixed with the arachnids from starship troopers and beyond about 3 snippets of dialouge, they never really go in depth on them. The characters in this game are great however. They all have far more personality now and have great interactions with one another during missions, particularly the star fox team's interactions with their rivals star wolf. My only complaints lie with Fox and Krystal's characterization and the ending. Fox is just a blank slate, with two brief exceptions. Krystal's character is basically entirely defined by her romantic interest to fox which is just really boring and repetitive. Now the ending, oh god those final cutscenes. Suddenly the dialogue just takes a nose dive and really dumb plot holes begin to arise.

    ending this review on the music and aesthetics. These are both actually the some of the best things about the game. The original soundtracks from 64 have been remade by a full orchestra and the boss battle themes are truly intense, perhaps the most memorable in the series.

    If you enjoyed the 64 title, despite a few grievances and clear downgrades and as long as you don't have nostalgia goggles on, I imagine you'll find some enjoyment out of this game.    … Expand
  11. LylatAce
    Dec 21, 2018
    5
    I believe Star Fox Assault has good qualities about its design. Some of these ideas did transfer to Star Fox Zero, and it did contribute to the Star Fox formula. However, the design of this game is not well thought out. It commits a huge design flaw that most people will never talk about. It combines single player gameplay with multiplayer gameplay. Those 2 forms of gameplay are radicallyI believe Star Fox Assault has good qualities about its design. Some of these ideas did transfer to Star Fox Zero, and it did contribute to the Star Fox formula. However, the design of this game is not well thought out. It commits a huge design flaw that most people will never talk about. It combines single player gameplay with multiplayer gameplay. Those 2 forms of gameplay are radically different and it throws off game balancing. For example: the rocket launcher makes sense in multiplayer, but it gives you no advantge in single player. No strategic value. It’s a half hearted attempt for diverse gameplay. While the rocket launcher is 1 example, it’s the reoccurring theme with every level. Everything is unbalanced. Sometimes people will claim Star Fox Assault is in an entirely different direction from 64, but I’d say that’s objectively false. They just don’t know how Star Fox gameplay works. This is a lot like 64s formula, it’s just the gameplay choices are different. Same formula. The good things about Assault is the half hearted attempt in unique gameplay. Star Fox Zero took this concept, but instead made it cohesive. The gyrowing is different, but it’s balanced for Star Fox gameplay. As was the walker depending on your style of play. That is a by-product of Assault. But none-the-less, this is a very poor game. Even if you master the gameplay. Your growth as a pilot ends too quickly and it begs for more.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

47
#47 Best GameCube Game of 2005
4
#4 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2005
5
#5 Most Shared GameCube Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 59
  3. Negative: 3 out of 59
  1. Weekly Famitsu
    78
    8 / 8 / 7 / 8 - silver [Vol. 846]
  2. Thunderbolt
    90
    While certainly not perfect – the game is short and could have benefited greatly from LAN or online multiplayer support – there really isn't a more versatile arcade-style shooter for the GameCube system.
    Read full review
  3. DarkStation
    70
    Undone by the clunky and unpolished on-foot missions. Star Fox: Assault is a missed opportunity for the developers to resurrect the series, which means you probably should give this a miss too.
    Read full review
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