Star Fox Zero (2016)

I bought a Wii U yesterday because my Wii finally broke after 10+ years of hard labour. I already owned this game, and boy was it a mistake making it my introduction to this very strange little console.

The controls are pretty wonky, but I mostly got used to them. They were integrated in a way that felt more suitable for a launch title, rather than something this late in its lifespan.

There is some fun to be had once you get past the learning curve. A couple of the boss fights are neat, and everything occasionally lined up so that the cockpit view became geniunely immersive.

At its core it is just an ok game, that left me longing to replay SF64 rather than attempt another playthrough of this. Also, fuck Andross. I hate that big stupid head and I wish they would make a new villain instead of remaking the same game over and over again, each time slightly worse.

I never understood why Nintendo didn't just get Treasure to make them an SF game.

If anyone has some suggestions for Wii U games that use the gamepad well I would love to hear them.

Ended up conning my brother-in-law to play this with me. Much more tolerate in 2-player mode! I honestly feel the game is unplayable in single-player mode. The way it forces you to focus on points of interest while keeping your ship flying seems like a massive oversight when I regain sight of my ship only to suddenly smash into a wall or ship. The camera panning and changing the controls in a new direction also makes it a frustrating and gruelling experience. I was enjoying it solo years ago but the Titania boss was way too frustrating with its expectations of the player's abilities to avoid enemies, fire and move while switching between two screens. Madness.

We beat a few levels and got up to the stage after Corneria II. I think it'll go back on the backlog until we catch up again.

Star Fox 64 is perfect. Lets get that out of the way.

It is a shame that Zero, which is essentially a remake, does not come close to that legacy.

It is like the Star Wars: The Last Jedi* of video games. It changes everything you like about the original, all the things you've come to expect, and it changes them. Just not in interesting ways.

Kat and Bill deserve better. Falco is now less cool than Revali.

It isn't a complete failure. There is still fun to be had. There is just a far superior version of this game that came out almost 20 years earlier.

*I'd give The Last Jedi a 6.5/10. I liked the bit with Yoda.

5/10

I think that Star Fox Zero may have the worst controls I've ever experienced, at least from a AAA company. I'm sure there are some really shitty games that are so broken that they don't function, but that's not what I'm talking about -- I'm speaking of a game that has tampered with the standard as an artistic choice that resulted in such poor results that it butchers a game. Hell, a good game even... because underneath it all I think there's a 7 or 8 out of 10 here.

I didn't want to be that guy because a) I love Nintendo and b) I'm able to adapt to most things pretty well. I enjoy innovation and I enjoy when artists go out on a limb and bring a new spectacle. But these are games and they have to work properly. There's a reason that so many companies use similar setups in their controls -- because they work.

If you don't know, you are forced to use the gamepad screen for precision aiming. I enjoy the gamepad, but this is a poor use of it. A game like Xenoblade Chronicles X uses it well, or hell, Splatoon. Splatoon is a good comparison because while they are completely different, Splatoon uses motion controls in an effective and simple way. It's a bit of a learning curve but you get used to it and it feels natural eventually. Star Fox Zero never accomplishes that because nobody wanted this or needed it.

When it's just a normal Star Fox on-rail shooter you don't really need to look at the gamepad. Even though it's not as accurate, you can still hit things, and you still feel the sense of speed as you whiz through the levels. This is great stuff and for those brief moments I really enjoy the game. Then you get to the classic all-range mode and all of a sudden you need to focus more on the gamepad while maneuvering your Arwing awkwardly; the aiming reticle disappears and it becomes strange to move the ship around sometimes. So now you're constantly looking up and down, switching between violence and navigation, and the whole thing just seems off. Factor in having to use motion controls, and you're waving your gamepad around to complete tasks that any other game would make easy. I get that they're trying to give you precision and allow you to fly and shoot in different directions, but it failed.

When you're the chicken the problems are compounded. The Gyrowing doesn't really have the problems but the levels that you use it aren't exciting in the least. The tank is really fun to use when you're on-rails, but I came across a boss where I had to dodge a lot and driving was a chore. It was so annoying to turn my tank around while also trying to shoot the boss.

I just don't understand how Nintendo could do this. I mean, I know they wanted to push the gamepad, but it is always best when it has a more supportive role. The aforementioned Xenoblade and Splatoon use it awesomely, and even games like The Wonderful 101 used it decently. I'm sure there are other games that use it well too, but Star Fox Zero does not. It's a shame, really. I'm giving it a 5 because of the fact that I really like some parts and detest others. Painfully mediocre.