This was filled by mild curiosity by the complaining done on another thread concerning Starfox Zero, and other people making different references to other games that were to be considered the "Other M" of the Starfox series. (Granted, a few voices also didn't seem to understand why Other M was dogshit, or even realize that it had absolutely nothing to do with Team Ninja, but that's neither here nor there.)
So I decided to make this, and actually put a poll on it, just to see what people think.
Honestly, I'ma say that, having gone back and played every single one before Starfox Zero came out (and having still been playing Starfox Zero), I'd say Adventures was the worst Starfox Games. You can say "It's not/meant to be a Starfox Game" all you like, but even if it was just Dinosaur Planet and a new ip, I'd sell/return my copy if the core gameplay was the same.
The combat is atrociously repetitive and boring, which kinda kills it in most "true adventure" games. Most Zelda games, even the hand-held/old ones that only have top/down, still manage to make it interesting as hell, and thus feel like a challenge/rewarding to be good at. Meanwhile, in Adventures, it's just boring and monotonous. Additionally, while other adventure games have a HUGE ROBUST world in which not only will finding all the main items you need be hard, but you could more than double your play-time by finding all of the secret items, about 95% at least of Starfox Adventure's content is not only required, but put right in your path or in that shop, for the sake of progressing the game. And I'm never a fan of putting "story" above "gameplay", so even if Dinosaur Planet could have had a plot that would have brought tears to my eyes every time I played, having to slog through it to get there would not have been a win for me.
Starfox Original is part of the shell that established the series, and its mild punishing-ness can be forgiven for being from the "coin-op arcade" era of gaming, where such things was intended and bled over into the console market. 64 was the sequel that improved the hell out of everything, and between excellent gameplay and music, a passable story, AND THAT FUCKING FANTASTIC MULTIPLAYER, still remains the best Starfox Game.
Assault... I'd put on the level of the original. It's not bad, but between the utter disappointment that is Adventures and the greatness of 64, it had some big shoes to fill. I don't think it outright filled them, but it does stand okay in its own shoes. The single player's a bit more token, but there's still lifeblood there, and the multiplayer's still fun.
Command. This was a step down. Not to the level of Adventures, but close, considering some sections of the controls made me -actually- need to get my DS repaired for the damage done to the bottom screen. Unlike with Kid Icarus Uprising (which seems to have learned from Command's mistakes), I never did find out if there was a way to fix the controls so they weren't shit. Gameplay's otherwise okay, and the branching story was actually intriguing. Count me among the people sad that the newest game didn't make any use of the plot elements and such offered by Command.
And Zero, the one that inspired this thread. Bare in mind I haven't gotten to the Final Boss yet, so my review's a bit incomplete. From what I've experienced, however... 64's still the golden benchmark that needs to be overcome (and it's more than fair to say that's the core of the series, given how Original, 64, Assault, Command, and Zero share their main gameplay with it, with just some variations here and there in each), and while Zero looks nice and plays well, it's still stuck in 64's shadow.
Honestly, Nintendo's use of the giant black brick is one I'm more or less okay with, for the most part. Innovating at least to try is better in my book than trying to be an inferior PC that has shittier/timed exclusives (cant' wait to see the Steam version of Dark Souls 3 patched a bit so I can continue that series! <3). The gamepad + tv controls actually make achieving perfect play quite difficult, and I consider this a big fat plus. I also consider the "game pad voices" thing to be nothing short of nitpicking.
If anything, there are 2 things that I see holding Starfox Zero back. First, Starfox was known for fucking fan-tastic multiplayer, at least among half its games. 64, Assault, and even Command had it. They could have added a "simple" control scheme for the 4 player multiplayer and let people shoot the fuck out of each other in that way. Player 1 (using the Wiimote+Nunchuck or Pro-Controller) already has basic controls when doing Co-Op with Player 2. No reason to not allow for the return of the fucking amazing 4 player frenzy.
And second, I've heard from nearly everyone who has fully finished it that you shouldn't expect anything out of this story wise but for it to be a remake of 64. And between being one of the -few- non fapping / furry people who likes Krystal, and being someone who enjoyed the lore brought by Command, having Nintendo return to form like this, like with Power Tennis, and like with Mario Maker a bit, honestly makes me sad. For defending them for innovating, and for defending how each game is usually more robust and exciting than the next and not -NEARLY- as repetitive as the detractors like to claim, it's not a very good move.
As a side of redemption, 2 player Co-Op with a co-pilot handling maneuvering is nothing short of crack cocaine the likes of which are provided by Smash Bros. It's frenzied and exciting and enjoyable like hell. Good way to bond with a family member or friend. It's not a -pure- substitute for the loss of true multiplayer, but I wouldn't be being fair if I didn't acknowledge it.
One last nit-pick: I fucking hate Peppy and Slippy's voices. Peppy sounded -great- over the series, so for his new voice to sound like shit jars me. Slippy's... well, Slippy's always been designed to sound annoying, and in 64 a bit girly, but I've been okay with him, just accepting him to be "the load"/"annoying" on purpose, and so tolerated him. So for the new sounds, after having tolerated him throughout each game, to be -worse- just scratches my ear-drums. With plasma knives.
So yeah, in short: What's your least favorite Starfox, mine's Adventures because the gameplay's shit, and I think Zero's passable. Not better than the best, but a good game at best, an okay game at worse.
So I decided to make this, and actually put a poll on it, just to see what people think.
Honestly, I'ma say that, having gone back and played every single one before Starfox Zero came out (and having still been playing Starfox Zero), I'd say Adventures was the worst Starfox Games. You can say "It's not/meant to be a Starfox Game" all you like, but even if it was just Dinosaur Planet and a new ip, I'd sell/return my copy if the core gameplay was the same.
The combat is atrociously repetitive and boring, which kinda kills it in most "true adventure" games. Most Zelda games, even the hand-held/old ones that only have top/down, still manage to make it interesting as hell, and thus feel like a challenge/rewarding to be good at. Meanwhile, in Adventures, it's just boring and monotonous. Additionally, while other adventure games have a HUGE ROBUST world in which not only will finding all the main items you need be hard, but you could more than double your play-time by finding all of the secret items, about 95% at least of Starfox Adventure's content is not only required, but put right in your path or in that shop, for the sake of progressing the game. And I'm never a fan of putting "story" above "gameplay", so even if Dinosaur Planet could have had a plot that would have brought tears to my eyes every time I played, having to slog through it to get there would not have been a win for me.
Starfox Original is part of the shell that established the series, and its mild punishing-ness can be forgiven for being from the "coin-op arcade" era of gaming, where such things was intended and bled over into the console market. 64 was the sequel that improved the hell out of everything, and between excellent gameplay and music, a passable story, AND THAT FUCKING FANTASTIC MULTIPLAYER, still remains the best Starfox Game.
Assault... I'd put on the level of the original. It's not bad, but between the utter disappointment that is Adventures and the greatness of 64, it had some big shoes to fill. I don't think it outright filled them, but it does stand okay in its own shoes. The single player's a bit more token, but there's still lifeblood there, and the multiplayer's still fun.
Command. This was a step down. Not to the level of Adventures, but close, considering some sections of the controls made me -actually- need to get my DS repaired for the damage done to the bottom screen. Unlike with Kid Icarus Uprising (which seems to have learned from Command's mistakes), I never did find out if there was a way to fix the controls so they weren't shit. Gameplay's otherwise okay, and the branching story was actually intriguing. Count me among the people sad that the newest game didn't make any use of the plot elements and such offered by Command.
And Zero, the one that inspired this thread. Bare in mind I haven't gotten to the Final Boss yet, so my review's a bit incomplete. From what I've experienced, however... 64's still the golden benchmark that needs to be overcome (and it's more than fair to say that's the core of the series, given how Original, 64, Assault, Command, and Zero share their main gameplay with it, with just some variations here and there in each), and while Zero looks nice and plays well, it's still stuck in 64's shadow.
Honestly, Nintendo's use of the giant black brick is one I'm more or less okay with, for the most part. Innovating at least to try is better in my book than trying to be an inferior PC that has shittier/timed exclusives (cant' wait to see the Steam version of Dark Souls 3 patched a bit so I can continue that series! <3). The gamepad + tv controls actually make achieving perfect play quite difficult, and I consider this a big fat plus. I also consider the "game pad voices" thing to be nothing short of nitpicking.
If anything, there are 2 things that I see holding Starfox Zero back. First, Starfox was known for fucking fan-tastic multiplayer, at least among half its games. 64, Assault, and even Command had it. They could have added a "simple" control scheme for the 4 player multiplayer and let people shoot the fuck out of each other in that way. Player 1 (using the Wiimote+Nunchuck or Pro-Controller) already has basic controls when doing Co-Op with Player 2. No reason to not allow for the return of the fucking amazing 4 player frenzy.
And second, I've heard from nearly everyone who has fully finished it that you shouldn't expect anything out of this story wise but for it to be a remake of 64. And between being one of the -few- non fapping / furry people who likes Krystal, and being someone who enjoyed the lore brought by Command, having Nintendo return to form like this, like with Power Tennis, and like with Mario Maker a bit, honestly makes me sad. For defending them for innovating, and for defending how each game is usually more robust and exciting than the next and not -NEARLY- as repetitive as the detractors like to claim, it's not a very good move.
As a side of redemption, 2 player Co-Op with a co-pilot handling maneuvering is nothing short of crack cocaine the likes of which are provided by Smash Bros. It's frenzied and exciting and enjoyable like hell. Good way to bond with a family member or friend. It's not a -pure- substitute for the loss of true multiplayer, but I wouldn't be being fair if I didn't acknowledge it.
One last nit-pick: I fucking hate Peppy and Slippy's voices. Peppy sounded -great- over the series, so for his new voice to sound like shit jars me. Slippy's... well, Slippy's always been designed to sound annoying, and in 64 a bit girly, but I've been okay with him, just accepting him to be "the load"/"annoying" on purpose, and so tolerated him. So for the new sounds, after having tolerated him throughout each game, to be -worse- just scratches my ear-drums. With plasma knives.
So yeah, in short: What's your least favorite Starfox, mine's Adventures because the gameplay's shit, and I think Zero's passable. Not better than the best, but a good game at best, an okay game at worse.
