A friend of mine got a Gamecube for Christmas, along with a copy of Starfox Adventures. We agreed upon a 'borrow trade' where I was to lend him Metroid Prime and Sonic Adventure Battle 2, and he was to lend me SFA. After having beaten SFA, all I can say is, "I want my games back now!"
SFA is an attempt to make Starfox into an epic 'quest' experience something like The Legend of Zelda. For the first couple hours of gameplay, they do a pretty good job of it. You collect 'scarabs' as money which you can find from felled enemies, underneath rocks, etc (whereas on Zelda you found rupees). The main quest and clever puzzles definitely feel like LoZ material. The only thing it doesn't have in common with Zelda is that Fox talks a bit during the cinematic sequences, whereas on Zelda link stayed silent so the player could better relate to him.
The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. All the characters with fur (Fox, Krystal, and that rabbit dude.. I think his name is Peppy) have got this flowing fur effect that's very impressive as far as graphics go. The exotic landscapes are simply breathtaking (check out those cherry blossom trees in the Cloud Runner fortress!) This game has got graphics even better than Metroid Prime, in my opinion.
Here's where the game kills itself. The storyline is done very poorly. There are no significant plot twists until the very end, and by then you're asking yourself "Why did I even play this far in the first place??" Heck, I've seen better plots on Saturday morning kidde cartoon shows. Most of the quest is very bland and uninteresting. Most of the items you get are only used once, and then you might as well get rid of them, if only the game would let you. There are basically NO extra side quests! The voice acting is good, if only it had dialogue to match. Why does everyone sound so happy? (e.g. "Them mean sharp tooth burned out our torches! We be's afraid of the dark, boo-hoo-hoo!") This is supposed to be a T-rated game, so why does it feel like something designed for eight year olds?
All in all, SFA was a failed attempt to recreate a Zelda-like experience that failed simply because it lacked the quality that made Zelda as epic as it was. The puzzles are pretty clever, but the overall experience is very dull and shoddy. Leave this game in the discount bin where it belongs.
SFA is an attempt to make Starfox into an epic 'quest' experience something like The Legend of Zelda. For the first couple hours of gameplay, they do a pretty good job of it. You collect 'scarabs' as money which you can find from felled enemies, underneath rocks, etc (whereas on Zelda you found rupees). The main quest and clever puzzles definitely feel like LoZ material. The only thing it doesn't have in common with Zelda is that Fox talks a bit during the cinematic sequences, whereas on Zelda link stayed silent so the player could better relate to him.
The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. All the characters with fur (Fox, Krystal, and that rabbit dude.. I think his name is Peppy) have got this flowing fur effect that's very impressive as far as graphics go. The exotic landscapes are simply breathtaking (check out those cherry blossom trees in the Cloud Runner fortress!) This game has got graphics even better than Metroid Prime, in my opinion.
Here's where the game kills itself. The storyline is done very poorly. There are no significant plot twists until the very end, and by then you're asking yourself "Why did I even play this far in the first place??" Heck, I've seen better plots on Saturday morning kidde cartoon shows. Most of the quest is very bland and uninteresting. Most of the items you get are only used once, and then you might as well get rid of them, if only the game would let you. There are basically NO extra side quests! The voice acting is good, if only it had dialogue to match. Why does everyone sound so happy? (e.g. "Them mean sharp tooth burned out our torches! We be's afraid of the dark, boo-hoo-hoo!") This is supposed to be a T-rated game, so why does it feel like something designed for eight year olds?
All in all, SFA was a failed attempt to recreate a Zelda-like experience that failed simply because it lacked the quality that made Zelda as epic as it was. The puzzles are pretty clever, but the overall experience is very dull and shoddy. Leave this game in the discount bin where it belongs.