Star Fox Adventures

By JON MINIFIE

(Herald rating: * * * * * )

Veteran pilot Fox McCloud bids farewell to his famous Arwing Fighter as the franchise goes through an improbable metamorphosis from flying shooter to action/adventure title.

Star Fox Adventure is the newest addition to the long-

running Nintendo series and will apparently be the last. Renowned developers Rare were recently bought by Microsoft and will now be creating Xbox exclusives.

The gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag, made up mostly of Zelda-like 3D adventuring and the endless exploration of Dinosaur Planet.

Fox has been dispatched there by General Pepper to investigate reports of strange goings on among the reptilian inhabitants.

Dinosaur Planet has been brought to life with phenomenal detail. The outdoor levels are teeming with life: plants can be seen swaying in the breeze and the water effects are second to none.

The indoor levels of Star Fox Adventure are less impressive but still manage to show off some more subtle visual

effects.

On landing on the planet, Fox finds a magic staff that later comes in handy for clubbing enemies and with its numerous power-ups, it becomes a formidable weapon that will take out most of the bad guys.

When it comes to solving the game's various quests, usually you'll need to gather a number of items or scarabs (these bugs are currency on Dinosaur Planet) to forge ahead.

The huge, prehistoric world has its own time zone (similar to the Zelda titles), including night and day, that cycle giving the game a distinct atmosphere and show off the full range of lighting effects.

Star Fox Adventures stretches the Gamecube's graphics capabilities to their limits: it is easily the best-looking game so far on the Gamecube.

Along with fellow Gamecube exclusive Super Mario Sunshine, Star Fox Adventures is up with the very best adventure games released this year on any console.

Gamecube

$129.95

jon@tenthplanet.co.nz