Star Fox: Assault

"It's not safe out here."

Q said those words to Captain Picard in the episode of Star Trek: TNG where the Borg first appeared. The galaxy is always under threat from something, and both Picard and Fox McCloud know it.

This time around the threat is the Aparoids, a race of insect-like creatures spreading through space, corrupting and assimilating both machines and living beings ("I am Pigma of Aparoid. Resistance is futile.") Thankfully, we've got Team Star Fox and a lot of heavy weaponry to deal with them. That's good, because I feel safer with them on the case than I would with Janeway.

The previous Star Fox game, Dinosaur Planet, had a little bit of everything. Action, adventure, and I'd say even a hint of RPG. If the name doesn't give it away, Star Fox: Assault is all action. There are three main modes, all of which mean lots of joyful shootin.' You fly Fox around in his Arwing fighter, blowing bandits out of the sky. He also has a Landmaster assault vehicle for tearing up those ground missions. And finally, Fox can get out on foot and play gunslinger. There are few other slightly different sequences, such as one where you ride someone else's Arwing and play gunner, but for the most part the game is pure dodge-and-gun.

And it's pretty doable dodge-and-gun, drawing you in and keeping you interested. Many sequences allow you to hop in and out of your vehicles during a mission. Some require it, so there's a cool mix of on-foot and behind-the-stick combat. Fox might be inside a space station leading an assault on foot with Slippy, while Krystal and Falco take care of enemy starships outside. But sometimes the forces will be too overwhelming, so Fox will have to jump in his Arwing and help them out. Or he'll have to fight his way to a building in the Landmaster, but will need to get out on foot to navigate the smaller corridors. And so on.

With three different modes that have to switch on the fly, controls need to be tight, and they are for the most part. On foot you have things like the ability to dodge, charge up certain weapons for extra kick, zoom in for sniping, and so on. The Landmaster can roll to dodge, put on a burst of speed, and hover. The Arwing can also dodge, and it can also roll to suddenly get behind someone tailing you. A few controls are a little tricky to master, such as dodging on foot. Since the game doesn't use the two-stick set-up that we see in a lot of console shooters, you have to hit the L shoulder button while yanking the stick in the right direction, which I have never found intuitive or easy. Fortunately, the game isn't very difficult so it's not often an issue.

Star Fox: Assault is meant to be uncomplicated shooting fun, and it usually succeeds at this. Sometimes though I found myself wanting a few extra features that I thought would tie in well with the sort of game it is. For example, there are sequences in the missions where one of your wingmates will get into trouble because he or she can't shake some bad guys. These sequences are not dynamic, but pre-scripted. If you blast the foes in time, it gives you a bonus medal when the mission ends, but doesn't really mean much else. I would have preferred if your wingmates could be given orders. You know, Engage Target, Form Up, Protect Me... these would have been a lot more useful and make wingmates really matter to a mission.

The game comes with a Versus mode where up to four people can skirmish with each other. Nothing too fancy, but like the rest of the game, it will keep you occupied for a little while. Once you beat the game, Survival Mode is unlocked. This requires you to beat the game without saving. You just might be tempted to replay through the game a few times, as it has a lot of unlockables, including Namco's old coin-op classic Xevious.

Like many games that focus on shooting 'em up, Star Fox: Assault also focuses on its looks, and with some nice results. The vehicle designs are wicked. The Arwing looks better and deadlier than a lot of ships that have appeared in the recent Star Wars movies. The alien and space environments are packed with colour and often have lots of activity, so you always have an interesting backdrop to fight against. You'll fly to an alien outpost and dodge and blast lots of asteroids. Fight a battle in a convincing blizzard. And, when you get to the boss fights, be prepared to fight some bizarre giant-ass things. The game can certainly convey a sense of size when it wants to.

Star Fox: Assault will fill a weekend up with lots of button tapping and purty explosions, if that's what you're in the mood for. Don't expect lots of depth, but it is a decent shooter with lots of eye candy. Whereas Dinosaur Planet offered a long gaming haul, Star Fox: Assault keeps it short and sweet and simple.

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