Good
OK, that's a bit harsh, but it's a Simpsons reference, so cut me some slack. The truth is, Assault is a solid game that's good, but could have been much better. Here's a bit of history: the original Star Fox was released in 1993. It was a forward-scrolling "on-rails" shooter where you piloted an Arwing spaceship though a 3D world made possible by the "Super FX Chip."
The space battles are chock full of crazy stuff going on in the background. Stay focused!
Four years later, Star Fox 64 was released for the N64. It played much like the original, but with the addition of a few free-flight areas, the Landmaster tank for the occasional ground-based mission, and a Vs. mode. These new additions actually enhanced the old gameplay, making it a truly worth sequel.
Red Fox, Standing By
Assault starts off on a promising note. Your Arwing (and its pilot, good old Fox McCloud) is tossed smack dab into the middle of a huge space battle. Large capital ships provide massive cover fire while smaller ships swarm around like flies. After dealing with the threat in space, you travel down to a planet's surface where you weave your ship through a lush, green valley. The level ends with two extremely cool (if somewhat simplistic) boss battles. Like the previous games, the other three members of the Star Fox team act as your wingmen, although this typically means that you have to shoot enemies off their tail.
The next level, however, features no vehicles at all. It's just Fox running around an arena-style level, picking up weapons and blasting alien bugs until a scripted part of the level when you acquire a Landmaster tank. The problem is, piloting the Landmaster isn't nearly as fun as flying the Arwing, and running around as Fox isn't nearly as fun as piloting the Landmaster. Unfortunately, it feels like there are a lot more running around bits than there are pure flying stages.
