Nintendo x Platinum Games: Starfox Zero

[Brend]

He's back: November 2015

Star Fox Zero(Japanese: スターフォックス ゼロ[2] Hepburn: Sutā Fokkusu Zero?) is the upcoming sixth game in the Star Foxseries, a 3D scrolling shootervideo game themed around aircraft combat being co-developed between Nintendo andPlatinumGames[1] and is published by Nintendo for the Wii U in 2015. It is the sixth installment in the Star Fox series, and is the first original title for the series to be released in nine years.



Despite a less than incredible debut, I am so excited for this game. The core gameplay looks incredible and its about time Fox McCloud got a true adventure! The game will be single-player centric with no online planned, all ships and relevant transformations can be used on any level within the game's campaign.

 

[Wolfe]

@Brend -- So is this a safe place to talk about how awesome this game is without anyone moaning about the controls or proclaiming the death of Nintendo? How are you liking it?

I've just taken a break after my first two-hour session, in which I progressed up to Fortuna. The destined-to-be-maligned Gyrowing mission on Zoness was where I spent much of that time, exploring the map and enjoying the controls. That vehicle is a lot more fun than I expected it to be, with proper helicopter-style controls like I might set up for a gamepad on a PC flight sim. I also had an epic moment in Sector Beta, escaping the Granby ship with barely a split second to spare because I was checking for any secrets before I left.

Overall, Star Fox now feels much more like a flight/vehicle simulator than ever before, and I love that. I've only got a gold trophy on one of the missions so far (silver on the others) so I have room to improve with my aiming and shooting, but it has been a very fun challenge, like playing any new shooter for the first time. Boy, have I missed gameplay like this!

 

[Brend]

@Brend -- So is this a safe place to talk about how awesome this game is without anyone moaning about the controls or proclaiming the death of Nintendo? How are you liking it?

I've just taken a break after my first two-hour session, in which I progressed up to Fortuna. The destined-to-be-maligned Gyrowing mission on Zoness was where I spent much of that time, exploring the map and enjoying the controls. That vehicle is a lot more fun than I expected it to be, with proper helicopter-style controls like I might set up for a gamepad on a PC flight sim. I also had an epic moment in Sector Beta, escaping the Granby ship with barely a split second to spare because I was checking for any secrets before I left.

Overall, Star Fox now feels much more like a flight/vehicle simulator than ever before, and I love that. I've only got a gold trophy on one of the missions so far (silver on the others) so I have room to improve with my aiming and shooting, but it has been a very fun challenge, like playing any new shooter for the first time. Boy, have I missed gameplay like this!

I've still to pick up the game. I am going to order it ASAP, had to cancel my initial preorder as I had some car repairs to pay for but my money ended up evening out.

It sounds like you are really positive about it!

 

[Parker]

Played it for about 30 minutes at a buddies house today and I hated the controls, ruined the game for me. I suppose I could get used to them if I sat down and played for a few hours but for me it just isn't fun which is a shame because with a different control scheme I think I would really enjoy the game.

 

[Wolfe]

I've still to pick up the game. I am going to order it ASAP, had to cancel my initial preorder as I had some car repairs to pay for but my money ended up evening out.

It sounds like you are really positive about it!

It's a contender for my favorite Wii U game. I think fans of the original two Star Fox games who have been waiting for a successor to SF64 and are open-minded about the new gameplay will finally get what they have been waiting for. You could say the game doesn't really deviate from that intention or seek to appeal to anyone else, which is its downfall.

I can tell the mistake a lot of people will make in SFZ is leaving the Arwing "parked" and trying to do all their aiming with the gyro instead of reserving it for angled shots and fine-tuning your aim with the left stick. The other vehicles are all about gyro-aiming and the enemy encounters in those parts of the game (the ones I've played so far) are suited for it, but the Arwing is meant to be controlled more like the other Star Fox games.

Using the cockpit view wisely is also part of the learning process. It isn't necessary for many of the enemies, but helps a lot for aiming at an angle or confirming your trajectory to scoop up powerups or fly through gaps.

 

[Brend]

It's a contender for my favorite Wii U game. I think fans of the original two Star Fox games who have been waiting for a successor to SF64 and are open-minded about the new gameplay will finally get what they have been waiting for. You could say the game doesn't really deviate from that intention or seek to appeal to anyone else, which is its downfall.

I can tell the mistake a lot of people will make in SFZ is leaving the Arwing "parked" and trying to do all their aiming with the gyro instead of reserving it for angled shots and fine-tuning your aim with the left stick. The other vehicles are all about gyro-aiming and the enemy encounters in those parts of the game (the ones I've played so far) are suited for it, but the Arwing is meant to be controlled more like the other Star Fox games.

Using the cockpit view wisely is also part of the learning process. It isn't necessary for many of the enemies, but helps a lot for aiming at an angle or confirming your trajectory to scoop up powerups or fly through gaps.

Right okay I'm buying it tonight.

 

[Brend]

Okay, it took me all of 15 minutes to get a hold of the crazy controls. It still seems like a redundant choice that has hurt the game's rep but still hella fun for me(I loved Splatoon's motion controls). Visually it looks lovely and it's so fast paced, feels like a platinum game for sure.

Played for an hour so far, liking it. 👍

 

[Wolfe]

The fact that the controls have turned other people off (and so vocally) is literally my only regret about them. Hopefully the Wii U's attach rate will come through for the game to secure an NX followup.

I would not mind a totally traditional Star Fox game, but SFZ's gameplay for the boss fights and Star Wolf dogfights are a leap beyond what was possible in SF64, where you could spend a lot of time banking hard left/right until you get a chance to shoot. Unless they opened up the flight model to total pitch/roll/yaw control (which would also stir up a number of complaints), it's good to have this new layer of gameplay.

 

[Brend]

Terrania's boss is a bit vague in terms of there being no hints it's impossible to complete without looking at the gamepad. Not even TW101 threw something like that in.

When this game clicks it feels awesome though.

 

[Wolfe]

On Titania? I found it somewhat frustrating the first time, before I figured out the best way to line myself up for when it opens its primary weak point. I flat out missed the window of opportunity more than once. The Landmaster is pretty poor at maneuvering around and avoiding bosses until you unlock the Gravmaster.

I actually went to Fortuna my first time through, so I had been replaying other stages and was already used to tracking targets out the side window of the cockpit by the time I blundered onto the path to Titania. Don't forget you can swap views with the Minus button, if you prefer.

 

[Brend]

On Titania? I found it somewhat frustrating the first time, before I figured out the best way to line myself up for when it opens its primary weak point. I flat out missed the window of opportunity more than once. The Landmaster is pretty poor at maneuvering around and avoiding bosses until you unlock the Gravmaster.

I actually went to Fortuna my first time through, so I had been replaying other stages and was already used to tracking targets out the side window of the cockpit by the time I blundered onto the path to Titania. Don't forget you can swap views with the Minus button, if you prefer.

Whoops, my auto-correct got in the way of me trying to say 'Titania'.

That's interesting, I will probably go back and do the alternative paths now. I'm back at Corneria with a playing time of 3:36, so I assume I will finish my initial playthrough at the 5 hour mark perhaps.

 

[Wolfe]

Yeah, I agree with the criticism that SFZ should have had more paths between stages, but if you don't cheat with the internet it takes some time to find the different ways around. It's too bad that Miyamoto's initial idea was for independent "episodic" stages, because they still play that way, but I appreciate that they listened to feedback and strung them together. I've been playing for close to 20 hours and still haven't unlocked every path; I'm missing some mini-stages.