Support NeoGAF

[TheMoon]

My question is does Zero not have the U-Turn move that SF64 had when playing in all-range mode stages? If it does, how do I do it?

My question is why you're not reading the manual (a PDF is linked in the OP for your convenience)

Here are the excerpts again because you guys hate reading or even looking at pics ^^:

U-turn = L-stick & R-stick down (or press B)
Somersault = L-stick down & R-stick up (or press X)

Bonus Walker controls, for those with turning problems the quick turn might be helpful...

What the heck, finishing off dead enemies nets points?!

It's in the manual...

 

[InfiniteNine]

Honestly it's similar to how I played 64 on Wii VC with the pro controller so I kinda knew the commands from the get go, haha.

 

[DownGrader]

I like reading manuals

 

[InfiniteNine]

Sadly no actual physical one for Zero. >;

 

[TheMoon]

Sadly no actual physical one for Zero. >;

well of course, Nintendo manuals have been dead since 2012.

 

[InfiniteNine]

well of course, Nintendo manuals have been dead since 2012.

I actually don't buy much for my 3DS or Wii U so I hadn't noticed really, haha.

 

[SmartWaffles]

well of course, Nintendo manuals have been dead since 2012.

Smash Wii U comes with a hefty manual detailing moves of all launch characters, it is awesome.

 

[Kinsei]

What am I missing on area 3 to get a gold? I beat Pigma quickly and get around 80-90 points on phase 1 but on the 2nd phase I just don't know.

Make sure you destroy all of the alpacas and tanks before heading down into the bunker. When you reach the room with the two cylinders shoot out the door you would have come through had you taken the other bunker entrance and work your way back to that entrance killing the enemies along your way. At this point play normally until you activate the Gigarilla and then have it kill all of the enemies because it will give you more points than normal (+6 for the alpacas instead of +3 and +3 for the enemy ships instead of +1).

 

[APZonerunner]

I'm finding a lot of the bosses too long and unfun. I think that's my biggest frustration with the game right now. There's aspects of it I utterly love, though, and when the controls click, man they click.

 

[sfried]

Thanks for the tips, again I'll give it another shot.

If you are stuck with the whole "I need to control my craft like in 64" mentality, then pause the game, and check the top right part of the Gamepad screen. "Gyro only on while Pressing ZR" is your friend.

Once you find yourself getting used to cockpit view, and feel like your aim is being limited by the alternate method, move back to "Always On", play a couple of the tutorial levels again, and give Corneria a shot.

 

[DownGrader]

So, while hacking those laser horses on Area 3 with Arwing, I messed up and ran under one of them as it lowered. I was smashed and died instantly.

 

[AGoodODST]

I don't care about scores, that doesn't equate to being an enjoyable experience. Having to shift my gaze constantly between the two screens is inefficient and cumbersome. When I have to constantly hold the gamepad up and recalibrate instead of having it comfortably in my lap so I can pay attention to the game, something is wrong. Are motion controls necessary to play and enjoy this game? No, they're not, and that's what I'm saying.

Just play with the Pad in your lap and hit Y to calibrate the reticule accordingly. That's how I play. Even when using the GamePad screen, the motion controls only need slight movements so there's no need to really hold the GamePad up and put loads of effort in.

Its definitely worth mastering the controls, as I disagree about them not being necessary to enjoy the game. Being able to speed through levels as fast as possible while chasing high scores is what Star Fox is all about and the new controls honestly deliver that in spades. Blasting through levels using the duel screens and gyro to the full extant is super rewarding.

 

[Blues1990]

Depending on how well the game does, where would you like Nintendo/Platinum Games to go with the series?

I think doing a remake/taking more of the concepts from the cancelled SNES Star Fox 2 would be a good start. A proper co-op mode would be a great addition, as well.

 

[Kinsei]

Depending on how well the game does, where would you like Nintendo/Platinum Games to go with the series?

I think doing a remake/taking more of the concepts from the cancelled SNES Star Fox 2 would be a good start. A proper co-op mode would be a great addition, as well.

Set it in a different dimension. Ending spoilers ahead:

Spoiler

It's clear James isn't dead so Star Fox could use the teleporter on Corneria to travel to a different dimension in order find him. This would be a great excuse for them to use all new planets and go completely crazy with the level design since they wouldn't have any basic themes they would need to adhere to.

I think they've taken enough gameplay wise from 2. The only other things I hope they bring back are Fay and Miyu.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

Just play with the Pad in your lap and hit Y to calibrate the reticule accordingly. That's how I play. Even when using the GamePad screen, the motion controls only need slight movements so there's no need to really hold the GamePad up and put loads of effort in.

Its definitely worth mastering the controls, as I disagree about them not being necessary to enjoy the game. Being able to speed through levels as fast as possible while chasing high scores is what Star Fox is all about and the new controls honestly deliver that in spades. Blasting through levels using the duel screens and gyro to the full extant is super rewarding.

Pretty sure he means motion controls weren't necessary to make a Star Fox game enjoyable, rather than this Star Fox game as it currently is.

I've enjoyed what I've played so far (just finished Zoness and have replayed all available stages/training missions), but I still agree with that sentiment. Rather than being a complement to gameplay or just a control option, the dual screen + gyro controls are simply a barrier to many to get into and enjoy the game. I really can't imagine having much fun with this if the controls hadn't clicked for me so soon. (Arwing controls at least, still find the walker awkward at times in all-range mode, and even when I got used to the gyro copter, that Zoness level was still a slog.)

It's disappointing to know the game will be skipped over or disliked because of the decision to go all-in on these controls, when it could've still been a good Star Fox game with wider appeal. There's only so much a Wii U game can sell at this point, but it would've been nice for Zero to gain a following on the level of Splatoon through having multiplayer and more inviting controls. Of all the features and abilities made possible brought this control scheme, only some are really cool to me, while most others are "take it or leave it, and don't seem worth alienating people, or worth losing development time hat could've gone toward more stages or multiplayer or online modes.

I find the Arwing gameplay rewarding too, but i simply cannot fault fans or newcomers for truly not enjoying them for myriad valid reasons.

Depending on how well the game does, where would you like Nintendo/Platinum Games to go with the series?

I think doing a remake/taking more of the concepts from the cancelled SNES Star Fox 2 would be a good start. A proper co-op mode would be a great addition, as well.

Proper co-op with missions involving all ships (e.g. Gyro wing player has to lift steal cargo out of Macbeth train while others cover them, linear missions where each player gets their own paths that intertwine, etc.)

Multiplayer is a must too — something as close to Assault's as possible.

 

[B_Bech]

So I played co-op mode with a friend yesterday and here are my impressions:

This actually required a ton of communication to pull off. He noticed things that I didn't and vice versa. On the Gamepad you get indicators when enemies are on your tail so I turned into a psuedo Peppy, constantly shouting "DO A SOMERSAULT." When we were getting pounded by laser fire I actually shouted-- not even ironically-- "DO A BARREL ROLL!" We talked to each other about how to complete each objective, and it made things intense. "I'll fly overhead and you do a bombing run!" "Tank the hit and boost!" "I'll land on the missile with the walker, ride it, and you aim for the weak points."

I felt like we were actually crewing the same ship. In lieu of an actual arcade mode, we used a separate Mii with a new NNID. That way when we logged in there was no previous data. We were able to start fresh from Corneria and proceed like a classic run. Pretty decent workaround, but unfortunately, you are a bit limited as to the paths you can take. We backtracked to Cornaria and took down Aquarosa so we could

Spoiler

avoid using the Gyrowing in the Space Colony and Zoness.

All in all, it was a good time. Still lamenting the lack of multiplayer modes though. Assault and 64's multiplayer kept me and my buddies entertained for years.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

I just noticed this from your avatar right above this post...

You know what's weird. Not only is Wolf voiced by Jay Ward from Brawl, but his costume in this game appears to be based on Brawl as well. He has a blue colored open buttoned jacket, with spiky shoulders. Just like in Brawl. With the black collar replaced with a black turtle neck.

Leon and Pigma also appear to have their Assault costumes on. Andrew is an all new costume it looks like.

I wish we had full body art of the Star Wolf. I'm curious what their entire outfits looks like.

 

[TheDinoman]

I like that they gave Wolf his ol' pirate eyepatch back over the stupid sci-fi goggle thing.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

I like that they gave Wolf his ol' pirate eyepatch back over the stupid sci-fi goggle thing.

They also made his snout look like an actual wolf's snout and not a weird pointy fox faced wolf thing he had been in Assault. The character designs are really good in this game, much better than past Star Fox sequels which always kind of looked "off" to me.

 

[TDLink]

They also made his snout look like an actual wolf's snout and not a weird pointy fox faced wolf thing he had been in Assault. The character designs are really good in this game, much better than past Star Fox sequels which always kind of looked "off" to me.

I'm not a big fan that Fox himself has a shorter snout/not really a snout now. Makes him look a lot less Fox-like. This isn't the first game where he's looked like this but I like that older longer snout style you see in 64, Adventures, and Melee.

 

[B_Bech]

I just noticed this from your avatar right above this post...

You know what's weird. Not only is Wolf voiced by Jay Ward from Brawl, but his costume in this game appears to be based on Brawl as well. He has a blue colored open buttoned jacket, with spiky shoulders. Just like in Brawl. With the black collar replaced with a black turtle neck.

Leon and Pigma also appear to have their Assault costumes on. Andrew is an all new costume it looks like.

I wish we had full body art of the Star Wolf. I'm curious what their entire outfits looks like.

Which makes it all the more mystifying they snubbed Wolf O'Donnell for Sm4sh. They took his Brawl design and voice actor, and yet decided against carrying him over. I mean, with Zero here he should have been DLC. Especially since he gets so much screen time this time around.

 

[Theognosis]

As soon as someone says "the motion controls/dual screens aren't necessary," they need to explain another setup that will allow you to still shoot enemies that have already passed you on the TV, or that will allow you to track and dodge something behind you while shooting something offscreen above you. Enemies and obstacles can come at you from every angle now, and you can actually dodge and fight all of them. Also, if this game had conventional controls, the hit count would have to be cut in half on each level to accommodate slow aiming.

Motion controls can be done without a second screen. For on screen action, Nintendo just needs to add a visible laser pointer that displays a circle when the laser hits an object--similar to how it is implemented in Splatoon's sniper rifles. When the laser pointer reaches the end of the TV, the camera should slightly move and follow the target at the edge of the screen up to a certain point (the same limits as the Gamepad's).

Nintendo, consider including this laser pointer as a control option in your next patch.

 

[Shoklot Caek]

Would you recommend this game to someone who has never played a Star Fox game? I've seen a lot of videos for the game and think that it looks like great fun, but my big concern is that I'm just too bad at this game and will be frustrated. What do you guys think?

 

[Kinsei]

Which makes it all the more mystifying they snubbed Wolf O'Donnell for Sm4sh. They took his Brawl design and voice actor, and yet decided against carrying him over. I mean, with Zero here he should have been DLC. Especially since he gets so much screen time this time around.

Yeah. Fingers crossed he gets brought back in the NX version.

Would you recommend this game to someone who has never played a Star Fox game? I've seen a lot of videos for the game and think that it looks like great fun, but my big concern is that I'm just too bad at this game and will be frustrated. What do you guys think?

I think you should. This game is right up there with 64 as the best game in the series IMO. The game has a great tutorial for every vehicle in the tutorial mode on the main menu and I'm sure people here will help you out if you are still having trouble.

 

[SerTapTap]

I'm enjoying this game for the most part but I can certainly see why it got such mixed reviews.

I think the biggest problem is they seem to have sat down and thought "we need to make this "more" than a rail shooter".

The gyrowing, walker, extensive use of All Range mode and the new (TERRIBLE) "Target Camera"/cinematic camera angles really scream "we're not just a rail shooter!"

The problem is Star Fox IS a rail shooter, and the rail shooter controls work the best. The gamepad is GREAT in rail shooter mode because I never have to look down at it unless I want to, I'm never pulling super weird complex manuvers, I know where my ship is going. This is where the game's at it's best.

...but then the game tries its' very hardest to make sure I never stay in rail mode for more than half a level. They even had an All Range Mode section with the Landmaster, where the entire boss fight is simply "can you actually operate the Landmaster at an angle while shooting", which is... a pretty hard boss actually.

It's not a bad game, but it would be much better if they simply embraced the series roots and made the best damn rail shooter they could make instead of cramming in the kitchen sink trying to make it feel like "more". The Gyrowing is just bad, Direct I is worse, and the Walker's only real relevant function is being able to stand still (and walk through a few choice corridors explicitly made to only allow the walker).

AND WHERE ARE AQUAS AND SOLAR

Motion controls can be done without a second screen. For on screen action, Nintendo just needs to add a visible laser pointer that displays a circle when the laser hits an object--similar to how it is implemented in Splatoon's sniper rifles. When the laser pointer reaches the end of the TV, the camera should slightly move and follow the target at the edge of the screen up to a certain point (the same limits as the Gamepad's).

Nintendo, consider including this laser pointer as a control option in your next patch.

Yeah, this was great in Dead Space. The on-TV lens is...straight up WRONG sometimes. It's baffling.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Which makes it all the more mystifying they snubbed Wolf O'Donnell for Sm4sh. They took his Brawl design and voice actor, and yet decided against carrying him over. I mean, with Zero here he should have been DLC. Especially since he gets so much screen time this time around.

Star Fox Zero has renewed my faith he'll be in the rumor Smash 4 NX port, though. There's quite a lot of little nods to Smash Bros in this game.

 

[Codiox]

Played the game for about 1 hour, and im really suprised with the controls. I was huge disappointed when i heard it uses gyrocontrol.

Its really not that bad as it sounds. Im a huge Starfox 64 fan, played the game a ton as a kid and i think the new controls are really fitting for a 2016 game.
I think its a little bit more action packed than 64 , Command or Assault, but im enjoying this.

the only problem what i have with this is the fucking mech and helicopter. The controls really sucks at them. I just wanna fly my Arwing and maybe the tank for 1-2 levels.

Overall i think maybe if this where there at the WiiU release, it would helped the console.

For me, i had bought one then if it came bundled with it. its a pretty solid StarFox game.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Davey Cakes]

I will say that the game improves the more you use the cockpit view. It's preferable in plenty of situations.

 

[Pyrokai]

Overall i think maybe if this where there at the WiiU release, it would helped the console.

For me, i had bought one then if it came bundled with it. its a pretty solid StarFox game.

Just my 2 cents.

I totally agree this should have a been a launch or launch window game. It makes too much sense. It's like 4 years too late. It's like 2.5 years in, they were like "We should probably show-off this GamePad idea we have."

 

[SerTapTap]

Oh, one last thing--where is the ham? SF64 had some of the best hammy voice acting ever. When they redo the same lines it's especially noticable. The much tamer "My emperor, I've failed you!" doesn't hit half as hard.

Spoiler

Fox's line in the alternate boss on Corneria is great, I'll give it that

.

Sometimes overacting is the right amount of acting.

I will say that the game improves the more you use the cockpit view. It's preferable in plenty of situations.

I've never found it useful unless I was required to use it. Piloting the ship feels insanely weird without visual feedback. And aiming with gamepad while looking at the TV works perfectly fine, great even--but only in the on-rails sections.

Played the game for about 1 hour, and im really suprised with the controls. I was huge disappointed when i heard it uses gyrocontrol.

Its really not that bad as it sounds. Im a huge Starfox 64 fan, played the game a ton as a kid and i think the new controls are really fitting for a 2016 game.
I think its a little bit more action packed than 64 , Command or Assault, but im enjoying this.

the only problem what i have with this is the fucking mech and helicopter. The controls really sucks at them. I just wanna fly my Arwing and maybe the tank for 1-2 levels.

Overall i think maybe if this where there at the WiiU release, it would helped the console.

For me, i had bought one then if it came bundled with it. its a pretty solid StarFox game.

Just my 2 cents.

TBH I'm not sure you've played enough. The game starts off with some good rail sections then it's all range mode and gyrowing city for an hour or so. My impression in hour 1 was a lot higher than it is now. The rail parts ARE great, you're not wrong, but there's way too little of them. I'm hoping the last 5 planets are full of it but I'm pretty doubtful.

Please don't make me fight Andross in the gyrowing or something.

 

[jariw]

I totally agree this should have a been a launch or launch window game. It makes too much sense. It's like 4 years too late. It's like 2.5 years in, they were like "We should probably show-off this GamePad idea we have."

The StarFox Zero idea regarding controls is pretty similar to the ideas that already were in Nintendo Land.

 

[Broritos]

*enters thread*

Star Fox Zero is better than Star Fox 64.

*leaves thread*

 

[Codiox]

TBH I'm not sure you've played enough. The game starts off with some good rail sections then it's all range mode and gyrowing city for an hour or so. My impression in hour 1 was a lot higher than it is now. The rail parts ARE great, you're not wrong, but there's way too little of them. I'm hoping the last 5 planets are full of it but I'm pretty doubtful.

Please don't make me fight Andross in the gyrowing or something.

im at the fifth planet or so, after you first encounter

Spoiler

starwolf

and

Spoiler

peppy going down on another planet

i hope for more rail sections. They could make the whole game rail sections, i would love that. best parts of the game.

 

[Kinsei]

TBH I'm not sure you've played enough. The game starts off with some good rail sections then it's all range mode and gyrowing city for an hour or so. My impression in hour 1 was a lot higher than it is now. The rail parts ARE great, you're not wrong, but there's way too little of them. I'm hoping the last 5 planets are full of it but I'm pretty doubtful.

They mostly are. Oh and there are no more gyrowing sections in the game.

Fortuna:

Spoiler

on rails except for the boss

Titania:

Spoiler

on rails except for the boss

Sector Gamma:

Spoiler

entirely all range

Fichina:

Spoiler

entirely all range

Sector Omega:

Spoiler

On rails except for the boss

Corneria 2:

Spoiler

Same on rails to all range ratio as the first visit

Venom:

Spoiler

About 50/50

And there are a couple on rails only secret levels.

 

[georly]

Played and beat it last night. Really looking forward to playing some more and getting all 5 medals on all the stages. A few frustrating moments (locking on to enemies and having to shoot is really tough, I think?) and a few slower-paced stuff (gyro copter, mainly), but otherwise a lot of things that are better than 64. It's my 2nd favorite star fox. Loved it.

 

[Theognosis]

*enters thread*

Star Fox Zero is better than Star Fox 64.

*leaves thread*

Kid Icarus Uprising > Sin & Punishment: Star Successor > Star Fox Zero > Panzer Dragoon Zwei > Star Fox 64

 

[Kor of Memory]

Do you guys ever have your gyro aiming controls just totally stop working?

I was trying to take down the Corneria optional boss, and I kept noticing that my off-screen aiming would just stop working sometimes. Obviously very frustrating when you need to fly parallel to the boss and shoot to your side.

I noticed it was doing it to me during the final boss

Spoiler

when Andross would use that tractor beam hand thing.

I just can't figure out if there is something in the game the enemies are doing that is disabling my aim, or is my gamepad failing.

 

[SerTapTap]

They mostly are. Oh and there are no more gyrowing sections in the game.

And there are a couple on rails only secret levels.

bless

I guess the middle of the game is just a low point then. Weird they'd include the gyrowing for only two missions, especially when one of them has an Arwing version that's way more fun.

 

[Kor of Memory]

bless

I guess the middle of the game is just a low point then. Weird they'd include the gyrowing for only two missions, especially when one of them has an Arwing version that's way more fun.

Meh.

Look at SF64.

Blue Marine only had 1 level.
Landmaster only had 2 levels.
Arwing had 13 levels.

 

[segasonic128]

great game! Played some last night!

Nintendo; where is our Metroid, Fzero, and KidIcarus for Wii U?

I am really happy with KidIcarus 3DS; that has satiated me for another 10 or 20 years.

 

[Neiteio]

So many levels in this game that I just love. Corneria 1, Corneria 2, Sector Alpha, Sector Beta, Sector Gamma, Sector Omega, Fortuna, Titania, Fichina, Aquarosa, Salvadora, Zoness Satellite 1, Area 3 Satellite 1, Venom. That's already more levels I love to play than like the entire campaign of Assault (which to be clear, was a game I also enjoyed).

bless

I guess the middle of the game is just a low point then. Weird they'd include the gyrowing for only two missions, especially when one of them has an Arwing version that's way more fun.

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks

I appreciate the Gyrowing missions. I replay them the least, but they're good for when I want to take things at my own pace. I love Steel Diver and get strong Steel Diver vibes in the gyrowing levels. I like that sort of methodical multitasking. Like Steel Diver, there's a drive to execute each step faster and more smoothly.

On another note, the walker has really grown on me. I keep replaying the second level just because I've become so proficient at blitzing the ship with speed and precision. I really enjoy strafing with ZL while shooting enemies with the pad, and the dash and hover are so satisfying to use.

I'm not 100 percent comfortable with the Landmaster/Gravmaster yet, but they're a lot of fun when I'm not getting mixed up. I have a tendency to dive straight into the earth when switching to the Gravmaster because I still push forward instead of pulling back, lol.

 

[maxcriden]

The color looks like this, though!

I guess I thought you meant the food crème since you said "mmm"

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Beat the first 4 missions and found the controls fit like a glove. I had problems on the Titania boss with the landmaster (killed me once) but Im having a blast apart from that.

The gyrowing mission, didnt found it boring, just a change of pace. The lights touched me 2 times, and i dont know if the end changes based on that like in the original stage.

 

[RomanceDawn]

I just realized that Fox, Falco and Wolf are going to get awesome redesigns in the next Smash! Away with the Command inspired looks!

Though I'd be happiest with the option for both and the Melee look! Though the Melee model just looks way off to me I know a ton of people like that look.

 

[mrmickfran]

Falco's not much of a douche in this game.

I miss that

 

[bumpkin]

My question is why you're not reading the manual (a PDF is linked in the OP for your convenience)

Here are the excerpts again because you guys hate reading or even looking at pics ^^:

Heheh. Thanks for being a good sport and re-posting.

Now if the game came with a nice printed full-color manual in the case, I would have looked at it. But no, it's all digital now. Fucking horse shit, I tell you!

*knocks over magazine rack*

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Falco's not much of a douche in this game.

I miss that

I noticed Falco doesn't even really talk that much in the game at all. He seems to have the least lines of the four main characters.

 

[Prologue]

Anything similar to independence day again?

 

[Neoleo2143]

Falco's not much of a douche in this game.

I miss that

I love banter during the Dodora fight. Legit laughed. KI level humor right there.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Anything similar to independence day again?

Katina isn't even in the game at all, sadly.

The first boss is kind of similar to the Katina mission, I guess.

I love banter during the Dodora fight. Legit laughed. KI level humor right there.

Doesn't Falco keep calling it a stupid bird or something? I remember thinking it was funny Falco of all characters was insulting something for being a giant bird.