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| Preview - Starfox Adventures Massive environments, beautifully detailed enemies, unbelievable fur effects, and a stunningly created character list all completed in the space of 4 years. Could Rare have created this in a shorter time under the guidance of Sony or Microsoft? The answer is surely no, only Nintendo would let Rare develop a game over 4 years. However, this is a game preview, enough about the Rare Saga, more on that later. Forgetting about anything else, immerse yourself in the world of Starfox Adventures, an adventure looking so good it could beat Nintendo at its own game. Story and Characters Starfox Adventures is set in the world of Dinosaur Planet, a land taken over by the evil General Scales, the main bad guy in the game. 8 years after the defeat of Andross in Starfox 64, Fox McCloud arrives to find General Scales corrupting Dinosaur Planet, a huge, unspoilt, ancient world, filled with roaming prehistoric beasts.� When General Scales arrived, he plunged the whole planet into chaos, capturing the pterodactyl princess of the land. Fox teams up with pals Peppy, Slippy, Rob the Robot and new team members, Prince Tricky, Fox's trusty sidekick and Krystal, an unknown character who has been captured by the Krozoa. According to Rare, Falco has apparently gone in search of a solo career, although it's a fair bet that he will turn up in Starfox Adventures, maybe twisting the story up. It's up to Fox and pals to save the beautiful princess and free Dinosaur Planet from its wave of gloom. Not a unique storyline so far, but knowing Rare, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Instead of tackling the mission head on in an Arwing, Fox has his feet planted firmly on the ground for this title. With his sidekick Tricky, and the trusty staff, Fox sets out on foot in search of General Scales, the Arwing only seen when travelling between worlds and some special flying missions. Rare has opted for this approach after careful consideration, deciding that the Starfox franchise needed to be take on a fresh new look. And fresh and striking it is. Graphics Sporting stunning worlds, filled to the brim with enemies of all kinds, fantastic visual treats such as real time weather effects, water reminiscent of Wave Race Blue Storm, and fluid character animation, Starfox Adventures is without a doubt, Gamecube's best looking title. No other game comes close to the visual splendour Rare has provided us with. If you want to see grass swaying in the wind, or see water ripples so realistic its unbelievable, perhaps enemies that actually look like their something from a BBC documentary, then Starfox Adventures is the game to buy. While involving yourself in the gameplay, you will be amazed at the stunning surrounding environments. The lush Dinosaur Planet sports amazing jungle areas, followed up with ancient civilisations, whose living structures have long been vacated, and they're all there for you to explore. There will be many more eye-grabbing worlds, but so far Rare has only released screenshots that reveal 2 different areas. You may have noticed that I'm yet to mention the fur. The fur, on Fox particularly, has garnered much industry interest, simply because it looks completely real. Take a look at Fox in any screenshot. From head to toe he's covered in gloriously animated fur, which reacts to almost everything. It's quite amazing really, and it'll be interesting to see if other characters are decked out in the fur, although so far that's unlikely. No wonder Rare has taken so long to get the game ready, with visuals such as the ones featured in Starfox Adventures, its now understandable why we get games from Rare as frequent as England winning the World Cup. Sound Rare has taken great care in transporting the deeply loved music from Lylat Wars and Starfox on the SNES into Starfox Adventures, trying hard keep that same atmosphere, and also adding tunes of their own that were once used in Dinosaur Planet before the game was reworked. The music is fantastic, and if some of the tracks used in many of the promotional videos are anything to go by, this game - like every other Rare game - will bee exceptional in the sound department. Not forgetting sound effects either, every step Fox makes there are brilliant effects, such as water splashing, mud squishing. Then there are also the cool sounding bursts of sound when Fox fires his staff at enemies. Just be ready with the surround sound system when this game arrives. Control Already a well known aspect of Starfox Adventures is its use of the Z targeting system first showcased in The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This unique type of battle system is going to have major effects on the way Starfox Adventures is played. Don't mistake Starfox Adventures as a Zelda clone, in the words of past Nintendo employee Ken Lobb, "Its not as much of a Zelda game as people think". Why? Because its Rare, and it practically screams originality, imagination and innovation, words usually linked to only Nintendo and Rare games. The main weapon of attack is Fox's magical staff, with which he can perform spells, command his sidekicks, make transformations, use inventory items, and a whole lot more, all with minor effort through the use of the brilliant Nintendo Gamecube controller. Rare has truly outdone itself with the control in Starfox Adventures. Take a look why: A - All actions B - Cancel all, doors, buttons C Stick - Weapons scroll, Sidekick menus, Rotate Map Control Stick - Move character, Aim, Select Level D Pad - Zoom in/out on surroundings, Planet Map zoom in/out X - Camera Control Y - Lock Camera Z - Head Camera L - N/A R - N/A Starfox Adventures borrows a lot of the Zelda style of control. But that's where the similarity ends. And the main point of it being, why not use one of the greatest control schemes ever and improve on it? That's exactly what Rare has done, and it easily pays off, something you will notice immediately upon playing it. Gameplay The majority of the action Fox will be encountering on foot, however there are a few specially designed Arwing missions thrown into the mix. There is a wide variety of levels, ranging from the dinosaur flying levels, to the Pirate Ship, or the terrifying T-rex Attack level playable at E3. Throughout your adventure, you will collect Dinosaur Planet's very own currency, Scarabs, that are littered around the lush landscapes of the game. The question must be asked, what are your actual objectives in the levels. The answer? Interacting with the likes of hundreds of different characters, solving complex and engaging puzzles, and trust me, the puzzles will be require you to use a lot more brain power than a plain old Banjo or Donkey Kong puzzle would. Add to that endless amounts of massive Boss battles, stunningly recreated Arwing missions, and you have one killer game. Dinosaur Planets inhabitants are incredibly lifelike, not just visually, but in the way they have an impact on your game. In accordance with the real-time lighting, the dinosaurs will lie down and fall asleep at night, while in the day; they get up and graze until sunset. Little touches like that make the game such an exciting prospect. To add more to that, Fox, with the help of his staff, can transform into one of these animals, and walk freely within their herd, not being noticed. Another cool little feature appears when you are battling amongst enemies. Once you lock onto an enemy, your vision is solely focused onto the enemy, which means that the background blurs slightly, making the enemy easier to see, and at the same time creating a superbly atmospheric fight simulation. Starfox Adventures is displayed in a 3rd Person perspective mode for the majority of the game. Rare has worked hard to fix camera situations that plagued many of their N64 titles, namely Conker Bad Fur Day, Banjo Kazooie and Tooie, DK64 and Jet Force Gemini. The camera is almost always situated behind Fox, eliminating some camera problems already, and also giving the perspective that you're watching Fox from behind. It all fits together perfectly. Outlook I have a wave of emotion sweep over me when I witness some of the screenshots and movies of Starfox Adventures. Simply put, its looking to be the greatest game ever. Yes, a big statement, but Rare is behind this masterpiece, and they are pulling all stops out to make up for their lack of software in the past year. Its deep, engrossing gameplay, stunning visuals, and excellently driven story, plus Fox McCloud, where can it go wrong? This will certainly be a killer app, Rare's first of many on the Gamecube. And in the words of once Nintendo legend, Ken Lobb,� "Your mouths will drop at some of the levels in the game now," says Ken. "They're incredible". We'll take your word for it Ken. Tim Schaefer |
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| News Editorials Specials Gallery Affiliates About Staff Starfox Adventures Kameo Donkey Kong Racing Sabre Wulf Donkey Kong CC Banjo Kazooie: GR Diddy Kong Pilot |
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| - 23/07/02 - Preview - Tim Schaefer |
| News Information Preview Review Screenshots Renders Characters |