I don't tend to do this but, I felt I should throw my hat in the 'review' arena so maybe one person would see value in it. I play a LOT of games and I rarely do any write ups on it, but this game compelled me a lot. As of now, i'm at about 50 medals and will conclude all of them by the end of the week for sure, then i'll start Guard.
To start, i'm a big fan of Star Fox in theory, I adored the Snes and N64 titles and always held the N64 game in a very favorable light, a very replayable and extremely fun game. I even enjoyed Adventure somewhat, though consider it only 'good' with Assault and Command being games I dislike quite a bit. Assault felt like some kind of horrible fan made interpretation of the game and Command while interesting was just too far removed from the concept to be a legitimate mainline entry. A solid spin off if you really like that genre I guess.
With that said, I was out of state working when the news of the forced motion controls came in, and a lot of tepid reviews and such came driving in making me think yeah, Nintendo ruined another game with motion controls. I should also mention I do not like motion controls in almost any game, despite being open minded, my method for any kind of motion controls is simple. If the mechanic can be done more fluidly using a button press then it should be done as such, if the desired action is actually superior using motion and works better, than this is acceptable (so think Wii Sports Resort or Metroid Prime as good examples, where as Skyward Sword is a mixed example of good and extremely bad depending)
I played through the campaign once and indeed did struggle at times, trying to wrap my head around the unusual mechanics, multi tasking and basically trying to figure out what the game is wanting me to do, or the purpose of the mechanics. Upon beating the game one time, I felt it was pretty solid but clunky. Upon going for the medals and really trying to master the controls though, I feel the game is a revelation and is in fact almost wonderful. The cinematic camera used to piss me off, but I adjusted to it and learned how to use it to my favor and alternate the different views, the cockpit view used to be hard to dodge things for me, it is not any longer. All the complexities of switching vehicles and the drastic control changes have mostly worked the kinks out now, and with all of it finally gelling in a good way I can say this is easily the most exhilarating game in the series. The dog fights with Star wolf are intense and incredibly well done, to a point that the fights in 64 look like primitive crap in comparison. The mixture of cinematic touches and legitimate mechanic upgrades make the dog fights the real showcase of what all these new mechanics are best at.
Eventually you start learning the cinematic side views can aid in aiming your secondary view to the side (which is often the point), and while the alternating views and such can be jarring, once you learn the levels and replay it enough, you'll get into the groove and start kicking ass. With all that said, I would say the game despite all its extremely creative use of new mechanics, it comes with some baggage. The barrel roll being mapped to the R stick is not always intuitive and often results in me braking/boosting at the same time. As well, the shortcuts for doing a somersault and such did screw me over a bit by activating when I did not want them to, but maybe some could overcome that flawlessly. As well, while I am very good at controlling the walker, they could have done more to improve the controls on it to be more fluid, even if I understand why they did it as they did. Aside that, the Gyrowing is kind of fun, but really should have been a side mission only kind of thing because it's too slow and plodding to fit into the overall scheme of the game.
Aside that, the framerate goes to hell in some segments, and at times the transitions in controls to fighting can be a bit rough around the edges. Really, this game feels like an extremely creative and well crafted meal that just needed some more smoothing out and polish to really hit home, however, this does not justify the reception it has often got. The mechanics are mostly well done and once learned serve a purpose, leading me to believe that a person who outright hates this game must simply not be good at it. I don't like summarizing a point as 'git gud' as many would say, however I would love to see someone get all 70 medals and then come back and say yep, that game is shit. I feel people are too afraid to experiment and be challenged these days, especially when using an IP that is mostly going to be appealing to older players who are stuck in their ways. If I had to fix ONE thing to make things easier for access, it would be to make the main screen crosshair as accurate as the second screen one, I know that in some ways it would defile some of the games spirit, but it would likely have aided in the games reception and helped softer players manage more enjoyably.
Overall, this is one of the most compelling games on the Wii U in part because of how well it executes its new mechanics, but they are not for average players at all. If you really strive to enjoy this game but can not due to the multi tasking, I advise you to get a co-op buddy. The co-op is extremely fun in that it allows one person to handle all the gyro aiming and cock pit view stuff, while giving the other player a basic gun and full control of movement. If you want a more traditional Star Fox experience and can find a person willing to be your wing man, it is a very good option.
Great game with a lot of rough edges, it's either my first or second favorite of the series, and I hope it doesn't mark the end. If you're a hardcore gamer who loves innovation and being challenged, it's worth a legitimate effort, if you're just looking for something to run through once and know it all from the start, probably not a good game to jump into unless you have a co-op buddy.