just completed this last night at the time of posting. Originally beat it on my old wii u, from a copy borrowed from the library. this is the only star fox game i've beaten so far (i dabbled in assault and 64).

i actually like it! it's a fun arcade game. but i do agree with most criticisms of the game. the gamepad/tv screen interplay doesn't add anything to the experience, and the gyro controls drift too much to be good, only fine. i think the game would be better if you remove the gamepad stuff and improved the gyro controls (like in a switch port i guess).

(cohost link with final tally)

controls are weird because we need a gimmick for the video game,

is just starfox 64 again because who cares about story said mr nintendo.

dumb sorry

So I am a huge huge fan of Star Fox 64. One of the pillars of my video game interest as a whole. It does so much right and almost never gets old to me. That being said;
I kinda avoided this game for years.
But I finally played through it.
Aaaannd.. It was ok. Not AS bad as I had heard, but also drops the ball in so many weird ways, that I honestly never hear critiqued.
The controls were the least of my concerns. When it works, it works well. I can see why they don't jive with everyone, myself included. But what they wanted to achieve, is achieved with the controls.
I think the game's level and senerio design is where the real slop is. The stages can feel either too short or too long. Bosses can feel aimless and boring, or super exciting.
Its all over the place.
It retreads 64 so much it basically has no identity of its own. And ultimately just feels like a lesser version of that game as a result.
It's missing so much of juice that made 64 so satisfying to play, taking literally.. Zero, steps forward.
For example; your crew in 64 is cute. They each serve a purpose beyond just being funny dialog. Falco helps you with combat, Peppy gives you tips and Slippy reads the bosses HP.
But it's all pretty miniscule, so KO'ing them never felt too detrimental, even if they were gone for a stage.
But not only does Zero remove the whole, they're out a stage if they KO, the crew serve NO purpose beyond their quirky dialog. (Most of which is lifted straight from 64 anyways)
Having a greater imprtance to your crew on a gameplay level could have been such a great addition to this game, adding a new element of focus and problem solving to each stage.
It feels like a step down, and makes the crew feel even less significant. Which is such a shame, because it's a huge part of the original's charm.
Also the music and visuals were pretty forgettable. Serviceable, but nothing that will stick with me.
I was disappointed, but not in the way I thought I'd be.

In 1997 Nintendo released Star Fox 64 which was received with major acclaim for its fairly simple and very effective gameplay style of 3D shmup. Ever since, fans have been simply desiring more of it, however it somehow seems to always be too much to ask from Miyamoto's team. In 2015 Star Fox Zero was announced as a back-to-basics release that would take advantage of the Wii U's HDMI output for fancier presentation. All seemed well and good, but alas, it seems that Nintendo SPD just cannot resist not including some kind of unnecessary gimmick that jeopardizes the core experience.

Star Fox Zero's fatal flaw is its usage of the Wii U gamepad's screen as a requirement to play what otherwise could have just been played with the left analog stick and the buttons on the right side. It is perhaps part of Shigeru Miyamoto's signature philosophy to prioritize on showcasing the bells and whistles of the console it is being played on rather than having these on the side. Yes, Star Fox 64 did have the usage of the Rumble Pak as a featured gimmick, but this was entirely optional and never affected those that never had the accessory.

While this game is not completely terrible, it just happens to betray its core design elements to prioritize on unnecessary implementations.

It just could have been far, far, far better.

Although the controls require more effort to learn than any other game I've played (and even then, things still feel off), this game is actually pretty fun and I even prefer it to Star Fox 64 in some areas, those being the on-rails and all-ranged sections when you're controlling the Arwing. I also enjoyed how you pick alternate routes by finding hidden paths in levels, rather than branching off in the level select menu.

After returning to it a few times, I can definitely see the PlatinumGames luster that was typical of the era, and I would love to see them make another Star Fox game.

I think what really threw people about this was the combo of the controls absolutely having a huge learning curve combined with Platinum's "the first playthrough is the tutorial" style design, you do both at once and the average player is going to be left with a horrible first impression. That said, even when you get over that hump there isn't a ton here. Moments of greatness with some genuinely fun bosses and setpieces hampered by a lot of middling levels and mechanics that don't feel fully fleshed out. Also the fact that this is ANOTHER Star Fox retelling is extremely lame and yes I will blame Miyamoto for that one

Peppy, how do you expect me to "do a barrel roll" when it controls like ASS?

I'd love this game if it weren't for the fact that I hate it. I've put about 20 hours into it since it launched in 2016 and still haven't seen it's ending. I've "gotten used to" the controls, but just getting used to something is different from liking it. They're just awful. Plus the game doesn't look that impressive visually and the level design is so-so. I have war flashbacks to the spider-mech boss on Fichina. They absolutely BUTCHERED all range mode.

It only gets 2 stars because of the original voice actors and how sometimes, RARELY, you can get into a flow state with looking up and down from the tv to the gamepad.

But my neck still hurts, and so does my heart.

Good riddance Star Fox Zero.

Star Fox Zero is underrated, and I completely understand why. The game is really bad at tutorializing its unique control scheme, leaving a horrible first impression.

I stumbled through my first playthrough pretty frustrated with the controls. It wasn't until after I died half a dozen times on Aquarosa on my second run that the controls finally clicked with me, and I started having a good time.

Prior Star Fox games only allow the player to shoot directly forward. You pepper enemy weak points, before dodging out of the way of return fire. Star Fox Zero, however, is designed around the ability to shoot enemies from several different angles. You're meant to circle around many of the bosses. Trying to attack them head-on as in past Star Fox games will leave you extremely vulnerable to return fire. The game is terrible about communicating the necessity of this new play-style to the player, and so most people will probably assume the game is poorly designed, and drop it within a couple hours.

The real problem with the game is that it's pretty light on content. Alternate routes are half-baked, and all routes culminate with the same three missions, which hurts replayability. I really liked the idea of using wormholes to get a jump on enemy plans, but the alternate missions lack story context, and don't change the ending, which is a big missed opportunity. You can tell they were added at the eleventh hour.

Star Fox Zero is a good game, and its control scheme is actually one of its strengths rather than a hindrance. I think if its alternate routes were more fleshed out (and maybe the gyrowing completely removed), we'd have a game to rival Star Fox 64.