is a 2005 third-person shooter game developed by Namco and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the fourth released title in the Star Fox series. The game was released on 15 February 2005 in North America, on 24 February 2005 in Japan, on 29 April 2005 in Europe, and on 16 June 2005 in Australia.
The game is set a year after the events of Star Fox Adventures, and follows Fox McCloud and his crew attempting to save the Lylat System from cybernetic insectoid race known as the Aparoid. It contains orchestral arrangements of music from Star Fox 64 as well as original tracks created specifically for the game.
When Assault was initially announced by Nintendo and Namco, it was also rumored that an arcade game was under development, but it was never officially revealed to the public.
Star Fox: Assault received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its atmosphere, soundtrack and the ability to use both the Arwing and Landmaster at will during ground missions, but criticized its on-foot controls, short length and low lasting impact of the multiplayer mode.
Gameplay
left|thumb|Fox helps destroy the Aparoids that have appeared on Sauria with his Arwing in a similar manner to previous titles.
The gameplay of Star Fox: Assault is divided into three distinctive types. The player can either fly an Arwing spacecraft, drive a Landmaster tank or perform certain tasks on foot. All three play types are available for use in the game's multiplayer mode, though the available gameplay types are restricted based on the chosen map.
Arwing missions are similar to those of the first two games in the series. The player flies in space or close to the ground and shoots down enemies. Some levels are on rails, while others allow full freedom of movement in a relatively small area. As in previous games, main character Fox's wing mates Falco, Slippy and Krystal occasionally call for help when chased by enemies, requiring the player to save them. If their shield gauge is depleted, they will retreat. Against bosses, Slippy can show their health bar by analyzing them, while Krystal can spot their weak points. In Arwing-only missions, if Fox has rescued his teammates, they will return the favour later on. Slippy and Krystal will grant him silver rings to replenish his shield gauge, while Falco will pass him Smart Bombs. Completing a mission without any teammate retreating will grant an ally medal. Additionally, in some levels, the player has the ability to hop in and out of the Arwing at will.
While in the Landmaster, the player has complete freedom to move about the level. They are free to shoot or run over enemies and assist their wing mates when necessary. Playing on foot essentially turns the game into a 3D third-person run 'n' gun shooter; the player starts armed with a standard blaster gun and can acquire a variety of other weapons scattered throughout each stage. In two shooting gallery levels, the player rides on the wing of an Arwing or a Wolfen fighter, shooting enemies on the ground and in the air with a plasma cannon.
The game features a number of weapons, such as the blaster, machine gun, Homing Launcher, sniper rifle and the hand grenade.
Multiplayer
The game supports multiplayer for up to four players simultaneously. This mode starts off very limited, with only a few playable characters, weapons, items, and maps; but many more can be unlocked by either playing a certain number of multiplayer games or achieving certain accomplishments in-game. Players are able to fight on foot or in a vehicle (a Landmaster, Arwing, or Wolfen), though some stages prohibit certain modes of travel. Playable characters include all four members of the Star Fox team, along with unlockable characters Peppy and Wolf.
Multiplayer mode offers several stages for gameplay, including stages from the single-player mode, "Simple Maps" made from blocks in basic geometric shapes, and other new maps. There are also several modes for play available, which can force a certain weapon (sniper, rocket launcher, etc.) or change the style of play (capture the crown, etc.). Players can choose to enable or disable certain options, such as radar, special weapons, and Demon Launchers.
Players can wield all of the items and weapons featured in the single-player mode, along with special unlockable items and weapons. These include jet packs, which allow the characters to hover; the stealth suit, which temporarily makes characters invisible; and the Demon Sniper and Demon Launcher, which can eliminate an opponent or vehicle with one shot.]]
Star Fox: Assault was first informally announced on May 8, 2002, several months before the release of its predecessor, Star Fox Adventures. The initial press release gave the game a tentative release date of April 2003, while also claiming that it was being developed by the same employees who worked on Ace Combat 2 at Namco;
Star Fox: Assault was meant to be a return to the series' roots, after Star Fox Adventures being a notable departure from the series' usual 3D rail shooter gameplay in favor of an action adventure styled title. According to Star Fox series creator Takaya Imamura, Shigeru Miyamoto had requested prior to development that he wanted to see "a Star Fox game that was cooler and slicker than ever before". The game's development, unusually, began with its multiplayer battle mode, as Imamura desired to improve upon the battle mode that was present in Star Fox 64, which was described as being a last-minute bonus. Namco handed Nintendo a handful of planning documents titled "Vehicle-Swapping War Action game", and it was decided that this concept, of being able to change freely between vehicles such as the Arwings and Landmasters, would be the starting point for Assault's development. According to Electronic Gaming Monthly, this particular video was booed by viewers, and EGM itself said the video was "remarkably unimpressive". In the end, the developers felt that fans would want a proper story mode similar to the ones present in previous Star Fox games, so it was then decided to press on and create one; this is reportedly a factor into why the game received multiple delays. It was also decided to forgo the series' tradition of including branching pathways, instead deciding to put effort into including more volume and strategic possibility into a single stage each that would also now include checkpoints, thus, from the perspective of the developers, negating the need for branching paths as seen in Star Fox 64. Assault was then scheduled for a November 2004 release, but was delayed to the beginning of 2005.
Assault notably includes three different controller setups, as Namco faced many issues developing one reliable control scheme, primarily regarding the ground controls. Initially, they attempted to implement dual-stick controls, similar to many shooter games at the time. However, playtesting showed that the dual-stick scheme was difficult for novice players to adjust to, so a control scheme using just one joystick was also developed. Namco also chose to implement an "acceleration-style" control scheme, intended to emulate the controls of Star Fox 64, so returning fans would feel more comfortable with the game.
The game's subtitle, Assault, was suggested by Nintendo of America. However, there were initially legal concerns as Namco had already trademarked that name for their 1988 arcade game of the same name; fortunately, this trademark was said to be only valid within Japan, and Namco, who were already developers for Star Fox: Assault, had granted them permission to use the title. Yoshie Arakawa and Yoshinori Kanemoto provided Assault with a musical score and sound effects with the music performed by the Tokyo New City Orchestra. Most of the score pieces use themes from Star Fox 64, composed by Koji Kondo and Hajime Wakai.
Reception
Star Fox: Assault received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator platform Metacritic. GameRankings gave the game an average score of 71%. Some complaints were aimed at the control scheme during on-foot portions; IGN worded the complaint as "ground missions suffering from sloppy control". GameSpot noted that the multiplayer portion of the game has little lasting value, an annoyance that IGN felt as well. IGN went on to say the design was too simplistic. Kevin Gifford said that "the game is aimed less at the Mario club and more toward the hardcore crowd". EGM also noted that Assault had an epic feel, helped by a great soundtrack.
The game became enough of a commercial success for it to be included in Nintendo's Player's Choice line, which also includes Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Adventures.