Star Fox Zero

Yes I'm late to the party and yes I know that there are many things that would need to be covered, but for now let's talk about Star Fox Zero, it delay and what it means for the game.

Like you probably already know Star Fox has been moved from it's original release date of November 20^th to first quarter of 2016. This robs them of their big holiday title, altough they still have a pretty good line up with Project Zero 5, Mario Tennis and Xenoblade Chronicles. Still it also proves a chance to improve some of the criticisms of the game.

First let's talk about what they can (and should improve), before later talking about some of my gripes with the game and some Nintendo games in general.

When Star Fox was first shown at this years E3 it got a lot of flak for it's lackluster graphics. And while I didn't think that the game looked bad, I did notice the lack of detail. Just look at the Corneria gameplay. It all looks very sterile and devoid of life. Still the game looks like a lot of fun, so not everything is bad about it. But I hope they polish the graphics and breath more life into the scenery. This is one of the things they should tackle in the extra time they got. And looking at Super Mario 3D World, I'm pretty hopeful.

The other thing I hope they work on is an online Multiplayer. When Miyamoto announced that there isn't any online feature planned for Star Fox I couldn't help but sigh. This was, sadly, very Miyamoto like. But I hope that the success of Splatoon has helped change his mind. Of course they can't develop an entire mode in such a short time, but a similar model to Splatoon seems possible. The game launches with only a handful of maps, but through steady updates (Free!) you increase the content and keep the game fresh. A 4 on 4 squad battle mode would be a huge draw for the game I bet.

Well this are the two thins they hopefully add to the game, but honestly I only think that Number One is likely. Still I expect them to use the extra time to provide us the Nintendo experience we expect and make Star Fox a truly great game.

But now let's talk about my gripes with the game. Especially the ones they aren't going to fix.

First off I'm not all too happy about the Game Pad integration. The dual screen is obviously perfect for presenting the action from two different angles, but is it really necessary? Couldn't the same be achieved by a simple button press two switch the perspective on the main screen? While playing you will only look at one screen anyway. This isn't a good integration of the GamePad, because the two screens are competing with each other. A good integration should complement the main screen. Let's take a look at one of the best integrations for the Game Pad. Zombi U. Here the Game Pad screen didn't contend with the TV, but enhance the horror experience. By forcing the player to look away from the actual screen the developers enhanced the feel of horror and threat. You could never feel safe. In Star Fox you will probably look on one screen most of the time, because there is no incentive to switch.

The other thing I'm not to happy about is that Star Fox Zero, at least for me, shows that Nintendo lacks ambition with their titles. Now let me explain. From the previews and interviews it looks, and sounds, like Star Fox will be just a retelling of Lylat Wars, which was practically a retelling of the original Star Fox. For all the talk that they first need a good ideat that justifies a new entry (I'm looking at you F-Zero) they barely showed anything that validated Star Fox Zero. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that they make this game, but it could have been so much more. I'm not saying the game will be bad. It will be a lot of fun probably, but it really shows that Nintendo likes to play it safe with their IPs. I just hope that the success of Splatoon may change that view in the near future. They should take some risks, also with established series. Like they did with Metroid Prime during the Gamecube era.

I'm still looking forward to Star Fox and the delay didn't hurt me in the slightest. Gives me more time to enjoy Xenoblade Chronicles X. But what are your thoughts about the delay and the game in general?

And as always

thanks for reading

Source of all pictures: Nintendo