Star Fox Zero (2016)

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.