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Star Fox Zero |OT| The Fox Awakens

TheMoon

TheMoon

Member
sfz_ottbsyi.jpg

Developed by: Nintendo EPD & PlatinumGames
Published by: Nintendo
Platform: Wii U
Release Dates: April 21, 2016 (JP) / April 22, 2016 (NA/EU) / April 23, 2016 (AU)
Genre: (On-rails) Shooter
Multiplayer: Yes, asymmetric local co-op (one player steers, one player shoots)
Off-TV Play: ("Officially" = No; but:) Yes, switch between cockpit and outside view by pressing (-)
amiibo support: Yes, Fox amiibo = Retro Arwing/Sound Effects/Corneria Theme / Falco: Black Arwing, extra dmg in/out (both can be unlocked w/o amiibo, too)
Supported controllers: Wii U GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller (co-op only), Wii Remote+Nunchuk (co-op only)
Miiverse Integration: Yes (posts to Miiverse)
eShop download file size: 7514.10 MB (EU eShop [€49.99/£39.99]/NA eShop [US$49.99/CDN$64.99]/JP eShop [¥6,156+tax])
Price/Discounts:
NA: Customers who purchase the digital version of either Star Fox Zero or Star Fox Guard will receive an automatic US$4.99 / CDN$9.99 discount through Nintendo.com or Nintendo eShop upon purchase of the other game.​
EU: €44.99/£36.99 if you downloaded Star Fox Guard​
eManual PDF: Click here

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Star Fox Zero is not a sequel, prequel, remake or remaster. Star Fox Zero is a reimagining of the classic Star Fox story about Fox McCloud avenging his father who was killed by Andross. The story and character developments have been expanded and given a different twist, familiar locations hide new challenges and gameplay possibilities.

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Ravidrums.gif - Motion Controls! Everybody loves them! Right? ... Ummm, guys?

Well, so, deal with it. Motion controls. Star Fox Zero was built around the two-screen concept of having the "cinematic" view decoupled from the combat cockpit view and general shooting. One screen displays a third-person view of your vehicle while the other screen displays a view of the cockpit that allows you to fire in different directions than you're currently flying in. You can switch which view is displayed on the TV or GamePad at any time.
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High scores, branching paths. It's all in here.

You can disable the 3D sound and set the motion controls to only be active when actually shooting at any time by looking at your GamePad and pressing one of the on-screen buttons.
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You can play the entire campaign cooperatively with a partner. One player is controlling the vehicle with a Wii U Pro Controller or a Wii Remote + Nunchuk while the other is using the Wii U GamePad with the combat cockpit view to shoot down the enemies. Communication and coordination is key.
coop-playn8snj.png


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Star Fox Zero brings back some familiar vehicles but also introduces new ones. The classic Arwing can now transform into the Walker while the Landmaster can transform into the Gravmaster. The Gyrowing allows you to send out the Direct-i, a robot unit that performs hacking operations and collects items.

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Links:
Overview Trailer (NA)
Launch Trailer (PAL)

Watch STAR FOX ZERO: The Battle Begins (Animated Short) [Japanese version here]
GameCenter CX Star Fox Zero & Star Fox Guard Special
Treehouse Live (April 2016) with Star Fox Zero & Star Fox Guard
Argue about stupid reviews here: Review Thread

#### STAR FOX GUARD |OT| ####

Special Tips:

Nobody reads manuals anymore. So here's a few helpful bits:
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Click to expand...

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A

arekuso

Member
Great OT :)

I just finished the game. It's not perfect, but as Lylat Wars is a game that I've been playing since my very childhood, it moved me so so so much. I never felt so much nostalgy while playing a game in my gaming life.

The game gets pretty difficult at the end, but the sad thing is that it's mostly due to the unpolished controls :/

+ n64 feeling
+ great level & game design overall
+ replay ability
+ innovative and fesh ideas
+ great soundtrack

- too much all range mode
- unpolished gameplay with alternate vehicles
- framerate issues

Spoilers :
those ending crédits with the tribute to Iwata made me burst into tears...

Nintendo, I love you
 
R

Ridley327

Member
My brother and I are planning to run through this game up and down in co-op. It sounds like they nailed the dynamic of that real well, so we're pumped.
 
T

tenderbrew

Member
Liking the review circuit so far. Some pretty positive vibes from places I respect.

Even the messaging from the places I don't respect pretty much matches my expectations. In my head it's, "Look, they've spent 20 years proving why Star Fox doesn't need all-range mode 100%, a terrible RPG story collect-a-thon, or tons of broken on-foot segments - this is the time they return to what made the series great." I've been searching for a game that made me feel what Star Fox 64 made me feel back then. To be honest, I've found it in a few places: Bayonetta 2, Transformers, and Wonderful 101. So to me, Platinum was a perfect fit to this type of game. A game where you just play the levels to get better, to earn more skills, and to eventually unlock better stuff. I want that arcadey experience.

To not full-homer, I'm still skeptical of the controls, but I guess we'll settle that tomorrow when we all get to try it. All I know is a "short" campaign and score hunt mentality doesn't hurt the game for me.
 
S

SpacePirate Ridley

Member
Excellent OT
Just watched the short right now and im incredibly pumped to play it tomorrow.
Im of the impression that im going to love the game to pieces, just like my favourite wiiU game, W101.
Of course some of my favourite games include Starfox and StarFox 64.
 
E

El Odio

Banned
My copy shipped from Amazon ands set to get in tomorrow. Gonna play a bit of Zero before work then have plans to try out Guard with some friends after.
 
W

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Wondering if any lines in this game will become as iconic as the original---also hoping for a lot of neat sci-fi references like the original had with stuff such as Independence Day and Gundam.

Basically stayed in the dark on this.
 
Revolutionary

Revolutionary

Member
Just pre-ordered it on Wii U. Haven't played a Star Fox game since I was like 8 years old, so I'm really looking forward to it. Not sure if I'm going to bite on Guard, though.
 
T

The12thGripper

Member
I hope my copy arrives tomorrow! Best Buy was a little slow with shipping it out and I got my shipping confirmation today, with no movement on the package as of now either.

I will have faith in Best Buy.

EDIT: They shipped it with Next Day Shipping, we good. :)
 
M

McNum

Member
The game is officially out in Denmark a day early due to Friday being a national holiday, so I've been playing it a bit today. I haven't gotten up to a Landmaster level yet, so I can't comment on that, but I want to share my initial impressions of the game anyway.

I like it. But I can also see why some people might not. This, much like The Wonderful 101, is not a game that clicks instantly. It is very much an acquired taste, for sure. When you fly through the streets of Corneria, you will suck at the game. Badly. Your aim will be all over the place, and you'll have enough trouble to just focus on flying properly. This is normal, do not panic!

For those wanting to be ahead on the controls, I have two tips that I heavily recommend everyone do.
1. Do the Tutorials, and pay attention. (You cannot skip the Arwing Tutorial, though, the game tosses you into it automatically on first boot.)
2. Click the left stick whenever you have a moment and have the gamepad in a comfortable position. Left click is "Reset Calibration".

After getting into the habit of resetting the aim often, I've had no issues aiming at all. In fact, using the cockpit view is pretty much like using a sniper scope in other games, except you're holding it in real life. It's so much more accurate, but you lose some situational awareness. You will be hit on strafing run. Use boost or brake to avoid that.

And speaking of Boost and Brake. Notice how the most prominent UI element after the crosshairs is the boost gauge? Yeah, use it. It's all on the right stick, and once that becomes muscle memory, you will find yourself boosting, tilting the Arwing, turning, and aiming off-axis to perform a diving strafe on a troublesome boss. And that's when the controls all make sense. That's the equivalent of three analog sticks in action at the same time, and it just feels natural. But that's when the real challenge shows up. Focus and situational awareness. This game demands your attention. That thing I said about cockpit aiming lowering your awareness? You have to work on that. When you're bearing down on Andrew in a dogfight, you need to know if Wolf is sneaking up on you from behind. (He is, by the way.) Thankfully, you have an audio warning when you're being tailed. But the game gets crazy with how much attention it demands.

Speaking of audio. The 3D audio is pretty fun. I do wish I could set all audio to come from the TV, though, but I can't deny that Nintendo is getting some magic from using the gamepad speakers for basically what Fox can hear from inside his cockpit. And yes, you get all the audio if you plug in headphones into the gamepad. I just wish the gamepad could play louder.

I do look forward to seeing someone really good at the game play it. I think it has speedrun potential.
 
G

Griss

Member
I think the biggest question I have is:
Does this game deliver voice snippets that will live on in my head for multiple decades and can be recalled in perfect clarity merely by the mildest suggestion of a specific character?

Because that's pretty much what I'm looking for in a Star Fox 64 sequel.
 
B

BakedTanooki

Member
Just finished my first playthrough.
It is a great StarFox Game : )

Good advise: If you do not like switching between TV and GamePad Screen, Press the - Button on the pad, to get the cockpit view on your TV!
Makes it way more easy and comfortable, to get used to the controls.
 
N

Neoleo2143

Member
I...really suck at this game lmao. Could barely hit a damn thing. That being said, the game feel is excellent when I actually do kill stuff, watching stuff explode into literal balls of fire and bounce along the ground is really cathartic for the amount of effort this game demands.
 
V

Vilix

Unconfirmed Member
I'll be getting this. But I'm a little disappointed I won't be able to play it with just the Pro Controller.
 
M

McNum

Member
Griss said:
I think the biggest question I have is:
Does this game deliver voice snippets that will live on in my head for multiple decades and can be recalled in perfect clarity merely by the mildest suggestion of a specific character?

Because that's pretty much what I'm looking for in a Star Fox 64 sequel.
Click to expand...
They are extremely chatty, so we'll have to see. The voice acting is perhaps, paradoxically, a little too professional to go memetic like the Star Fox 64 ones. There are some returning lines, too, like instructions on what happens when you tap the right stick left or right twice.

Fox is a sassy asshole sometimes. At least one of his lines is just downright brutal to one of the bosses. But overall I like all of the Star Fox cast voices in this one. Slippy, too! Falco gets some great lines in from time to time, too, he's the snarky one this time. And Peppy is... Peppy. He may have becomes a little too self-aware of his role in the series, though.
 
M

MutFox

Banned
Platy said:
Glass Cannon is amiibo only ?
Click to expand...

I want to know that too...
If it's unlockable through gameplay, I'm buying the game right away.

If gameplay is locked through cheap plastic toys, I'm skipping the game.

Don't care for Amiibo's at all.
 
W

wild wild rice

Member
This feels like playing a new arcade game for the first time. Videos don't do justice to how chaotic it feels to play with the volume cranked. Very good first impressions. Interested to see how it turns out in the long run.
 
M

McNum

Member
Surfheart said:
This sounds terrible to me.
Click to expand...
Your thumb is right there. I fought a target mode boss with repeated strafing and dodging and only recalibrated a couple of times. Just click it when you have a second and are flying straight.

The main point is, remember that Left Stick Click does that. (Right Stick Click launches a bomb.)
 
Labrynian Rebel

Labrynian Rebel

Member
Excited to play my very first Star Fox game! (I was really on the fence, but strangely enough Guard being included was the straw that broke the camel-skin wallet's back in this case)
 
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