Star Fox: Zero was a curious case. Ten
Years after the last proper Star Fox Game expectations were high, but
the game sadly didn't live up to them. Still it wasn't a truly bad
game. But it was the perfect example of Nintendos torn philosophy
regarding innovation and progress. Star Fox: Zero was hurt by both,
lack of innovation and innovating no matter the cost. While playing
the game again recently I had a really strange experience. It was fun
at a basic level, but because of that I saw the flaws all the more
clearly.
Star Fox: Zero was teased at e3 2014
and finally unveiled at the show the following year. Originally it
was scheduled to release by the end of 2015, but it had to be pushed
back to April 2016. After it's first showing it was widely criticized
for its graphics and overall presentation. And while I didn't think
the graphics looked bad, I can't disagree with those sentiments.
Another point that got a lot of flak was the control scheme, which I
liked honestly. But it really needed a lot of training to get right
and felt quite unintuitive.
All those problems the game had did
come from one of two factors. Either to much or to little innovation.
Yes, Star Fox: Zero is a game torn between progress and standstill,
and today I would like to talk about it.
Time is flat circle:
The story of the game can be told
rather quickly. The mad scientist Andross swears revenge against the
Cornerian Army and launches a full scale attack on the Lylat System.
The leader of the Army, General Pepper, enlists Star Fox for the
fight. Now if this Story sounds a little familiar then because it is
the same one as in Star Fox 64 and the original Star Fox. Yes Star
Fox: Zeor is basically a retelling of the N64 classic, which was
basically a retelling of the original Super Nintendo Game. So Plot
and Story wise it brings nothing new to the table. And that is the
first problem this game has. The Way the Story is structured and
presented is exactly like 20 years ago. Nintendo is often unwilling
to move forward with their Stories. They are still caught in their
glory days were it was enough to give a basic story without much
depths.
I'm not saying that today you
absolutely need a massive and ''epic'' Story to succeed. Mario should
always stay Mario and a stolen Banana Hoard will always work as
motivation for Donkey Kong, but games like Star Fox, Metroid, Zelda
and Co. would certainly benefit from it. A game like Star Fox is the
perfect background for a vast Space Opera style of Story with
intrigues and betrayal waiting around every corner. There could be
done so much more than telling the exactly same story for the third
time.
While it failed in other areas, in that
regard Star Fox: Assault on the Gamecube actually succeeded.
Nintendo is often unwilling to make the
necessary step forward and as a result their Games often feel the
same as their predecessors. And while established cornerstones of a
Franchise have their right to exist, it can help to break them up
from time to time. Pokemon Sun/Moon are a perfect example for this.
They got rid of some of the most basic concepts of a Pokemon Game
(always having 8 Arenas to go through) and as a a result the games
felt fresher than nearly every Pokemon Game since the original
Red/Blue.
What I'm trying to say is that Star
Fox: Zero was clearly held back by a confining story, which was
serviceable 20 years ago, but in todays gaming environment just seems
out of date. After waiting more than 10 years for a true new Star Fox
game the fans not only wanted more of the same, but also something
new. Because while the time may have stood still for Fox McCloud and
Shigeru Miyamoto it moved on for the rest of us.
Forceful Change:
While the game was stagnating in the
Story department, it went into innovation overdrive on the other end.
Over the Wii-Us lifespan one of the loudest criticisms of the system
was that the main feature, the second screen, was hardly ever used
for something worthwhile. Even Nintendo mostly used it as map screen
or for Off-TV Play. Sometimes their own games even turned of the
second screen completely (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze). But
with Star Fox: Zero the aim was to give us a completely new gameplay
experience not being possible on other systems. The team wanted to
fully utilize the potential of the Wii-U Gamepad. And during that
process they lost sight of the things that actually mattered.
They used two screens to simultaneously
show different viewpoints of the action, but didn't realize that
this lead to a contest between two screens. And with that they
sacrificed a good playability for innovation. One one screen you had
a view of your ship from behind, which was perfect for controlling
and maneuvering, while on the GamePad you had a cockpit view, which
was perfect for aiming. So during an intense dogfight you'd have to
use the GamePad view, but this caused you to loose sight of your
surroundings, making it easy to ambush you. This created hectic
situations where you constantly needed to switch between screens
because none of them actually delivered a satisfying experience.
Another thing that amplified that
Problem even further was the use of Motion controls for aiming. The
Wii-U GamePad is no Wii-Mote. And while it's weight is a non issue
during normal play, when you are forced to hold it directly in front
of you to aim, it can tire your arms pretty quickly.
So with all this in mind the standard
way of playing Star Fox Zero was you frantically switching between
two Screens, while also avoiding a cramp in your arms. It was just
not enjoyable. And while stressful situation have their place in
Video Games (especially in Horror Games), you shouldn't have the
feeling that you're constantly fighting with the game itself and not
the enemies inside.
Stuck in the Middle:
Star Fox: Zero truly showed a problem
of the actual Nintendo. The company is often trapped between
Nostalgia and Innovation. Their unwillingness to let some of their
franchises step into the modern age and move beyond their simple
roots, has hindered some great games from gasping their full
potential.
On the other hand they often force
themselves to innovate the gameplay, even if it does more harm than
help. The control scheme of Star Fox: Zero was born out of the
desperation to validate the Wii-U GamePad. It was Innovation for
Innovations sake. And that is never a good idea.
In the end Star Fox: Zero is a strange
cross between being trapped in the Past, while simultaneously forcing
something new (that doesn't fit) onto a perfectly working skeleton.
And while the Game is not bad by any means, it also is a testament to
the importance of balance between new and old, when moving forward in
an established franchise.
And as always
thanks for reading
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