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February 20th, 2005, 11:30 Posted By: wraggster
Great news for Gamecube owners from Lik Sang [br][br] Since Team Star Fox first followed the beckoning stars into space opera action on the SNES in the nineties (with the FX chip built-in the cart!), the series has seen many a console's incarnation. For fans, it took perhaps too long after the latest installment, Star Fox Adventures from Rare (now a Microsoft subsidiary), until Namco finally let their take on the popular Nintendo franchise loose. Our stock of Star Fox Assault has been received in Hong Kong from the USA a couple of days ago and preorders have been all cleared by now. We tested this US version for Freeloader compatibility and you'll be happy to hear that it works fine on both Japanese and PAL consoles as well. Preordering folk, rejoice - your copy of Star Fox Assault is on its way to you already. New orders are welcome for only US$ 59.90, all Free Shipping Worldwide of course! The US version is definitely the game of choice right now, since the Japanese one is still some way off release-wise and (for those language conscious ones) perhaps won't prove that import friendly after all.[br][br]Movies etc [br][br]Who has time to enjoy the views when engaged in fierce space combat? Believe us, if you find a moment to take your breath, you'll gape in astonishment at the visuals, before the driving orchestral soundtrack worthy of a sci-fi stint like this will push you further. Ready to open fire yet? Since moving pictures tell more than a nuked blackhole chock-full with screenshots, we serve you eight cool movies and TVCMs below, that let you worship the superb glory of Star Fox Assault in action, before your copy will arrive at your door:[br][br]• Star Fox Assault Intro 1[br]• Star Fox Assault Intro 2[br]• Star Fox Assault Air Footage[br]• Star Fox Assault Ground Footage[br]• Star Fox Assault US TVCM[br]• Star Fox Assault JAP TVCM[br]• Star Fox Assault E3 2004 Trailer[br]• Star Fox Assault E3 2003 Trailer[br][br]Storyline and features[br][br]Fox McCloud, along with his loyal sidekicks, defends the Cornerian fleet once more against the evil Andross' forces, now led by his nephew Oikonny. Read on to find out what's great about this highly anticipated Action-Adventure, plus view a myriad of movies to get a glimpse of an universe struggling with combat, crying out to be saved by a hero like you.[br][br]The near-disaster episode on Dinosaur Planet behind them, classic Star Fox team members Fox McCloud, Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi and General Pepper join forces with some fresh faces to fight a newly emerged threat to the solar system. Lylat Central Command sents the just formed Star Fox Armada in to deal with this enemy, which turns out to be almost more of a menace than they are able to handle.[br][br]New character Rob, an analysis droid, updates you on your mission status during the game, while we see a return of Krystal (from Star Fox Adventures) who takes Peppy's place in the cockpit, the fighter pilot bunny himself acting as an advisor this time around. The game in essence blends traditional on-rail aerial shooter design with third-person perspective, on-foot missions. As expected, players will rely heavily on the trusty Arwing Strikefighter. Planetside though, you will thank the scorched earth for the existence of the Landmaster Tank, as well as a weapon arsenal that delivers good old-fashioned, relentless "if-it-moves-hit-the-trigger" gameplay.[br][br]Available modes include Mission, Survival and Versus. Mission mode will find you entering a story-based experience, where throwing laser and missile salves at targets is on top of your intergalactic To-Do list. Tear trough hostile skies (not to forget space stations and planets) and do your best as the team leader to complete objective-based tasks. Unlocking Survival mode requires you to finish Mission first. The name says it all: survive all of the stages in mission mode without saving your game, a real challenge cut out for those who like a tough ride and are capable of staying in the zone until the rewarding end. [br][br]At the start of each stage, you will see which vehicles will be available to you. If you begin on foot, the Landmaster and Arwing will sometimes be near you, allowing you to use them at will and change between them as needed. Fox's Arwing maneuvers still perfectly and barrel rolls are easily performed using the L button. Need to speed up? Hit the Y button and engage the turbo, while pressing X will cause you to slow down.[br][br]When pounding the pavement, controls are pretty straightforward as well, with the A button firing your gun and the B button responsible for jumping. Holding down the R button lets you aim in any direction, handy for shooting down any flying enemies. Certain foes which you defeat will drop their weapons along the way. Pick these up to use them yourself and switch from one to another with the C stick.[br][br]In the upper right corner of the screen sits a special gauge which tells you the strength of airborne enemy forces. It's time to focus on helping out your fellow pilots whenever this meter fills up. In addition, you'll be kept up-to-date via audible clues on the level of danger present skywise and on ground.[br][br]Assisting your comrades when flying follows a more obvious structure compared to times when you're out of your beloved Arwing fighter. Bad guys use the surroundings for cover, thus getting a clear shot in needs quite some skill. If you actually fail and loose one of your teammates, you won't be awarded a special "Ally Medal" at the end of that particular stage, but this won't affect the mission or make level progression any harder.[br][br]Dodging asteroids and annihilating swarms of enemy fighters feels satisfying as ever, which has become a trademark for the Star Fox line of games. It's brilliantly executed in a true NextGen format now. Boss encounters mean old school favorites and new additions, most of the times calling on you to target specific spots on the opponent's body. All bosses go through several forms, each phase harder than the one before it, but thankfully delivering something original and different regarding gameplay every time.[br][br]If your friends want to join the action, they certainly can: Namco has included two multiplayer modes, versus deathmatch and team deathmatch. You are free to allow only certain weapons and customize which vehicles will be available for a given match. Up to four players choose between several arenas and stages unlocked from the main story mode. Run around on foot or use the Arwing and Landmaster, at your disposal depending on the battleground you're in. [br][br]Lik Sang
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