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Developed by: Rareware | Published by: Nintendo
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High polycount with some of the most advanced real-time computer animation and graphics, as expected from Rare.
Lots of different characters all with their own enjoyable personalities. Listening to the quirks of these people talking is one of the most enjoyable features of the game.
Very well-balanced controls for smooth control. There are very few times when the player has to manually adjust the camera. The game play continually varies throughout the game with it's activites and it's environments. Every area filled with tunnels that lead to different types of areas - underground, open field, blue, red, green, etc.
Very good level design with putting some story elements into gameplay. Your triceritops gets lost and then you go to find him, then you hear him calling out for help so you get a key to unlock him from his cage.
Good help system.
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The game had some interesting story elements at the very beginning and at the very end, but everything in between was a complete sidetrack and was really boring. At the beginning Krystal was searching for answers to the death of her parents, followed a distress signal, became imprisioned, and then we never heard from her again until the very end of the game when Fox freed her and then she thanked Fox and the credits rolled. Also at the end of the game, a new character called Falco (probably introduced in an earlier game) showed up to help Fox during the final battle and rejoined the Star Fox team. It was never explained why Falco was rejoining (he must have left in an earlier game). Fox was also very attracted to Krystal, and that avenue of story development was never explored at all, or even mentioned until the very end. During most of the game you just go around doing puzzles and challenges that seem to have nothing to do with the plot, they're just there for you to do, and interacting with Dinosaur Planet people that have nothing to do with the beginning or ending of the game. The whole game is basically one huge plot gap.
The high-spirited personalities of the characters and the serious RPG story don't work together well. In an exaggerated silly voice they will say things like, "The lord dragon stole the spirit stones and enslaved my people! Only the one with the courage to stand up to him can save us!", all while some upbeat happy music is playing in the background.
Not enough story development. There are good characters, but the story's basically just like going to one area, solving some puzzles, fighting some baddies, collecting some stuff, going to the next area, solving some puzzles, fighting some baddies, collecting some stuff... and so on and so on and so on. It doesn't involve the player emotionally. You only interact with the characters once every ten rooms or so.
In the beginning when you are playing as Krystal, the characters talked in gibberish and it was all confusing, and it didn't draw the player in very much until you started playing as Fox.
Simplistic and unemotional sound effects. It sounds almost the same as Rare's Nintendo 64 games.