The chaos of last week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles is behind us, but we still have a major duty to fulfill: the non-awards!
You see, while most publications will focus on mentioning the games with the best graphics or interesting gameplay, we like to give shout-outs for the sort of stuff that no one else is really bothering with. Some of our non-awards recognize cool moments, some focus on awkward gaffes, and some even complain about donuts.
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I really want a new Star Fox game, but I think this new one might stink.
After teasing the game at the E3 2014, we finally got to go fully hands on with the rebooted shooter, which is now known as Star Fox Zero. And my first impressions are … well, I don’t love it.
The new game has a few glaring problems, but my biggest problem was with the controls. I played a remixed take on Corneria, the first level from Star Fox 64, and it took me a bit of the stage to even understand what was happening. The thing is that Star Fox Zero combines stick control for flying and the GamePad’s gyro sensors for aiming. If that sounds like a nightmare, that’s because it is.
Don’t believe me? Jump ahead to about two minutes into the video below where even Nintendo of America’s “ace” Star Fox pilot struggles with the controls:
Now, Nintendo has since come out to say that you can turn off the gyro controls, and that’s good. But Nintendo and its development partner Platinum Games are definitely designing the levels with the motion controls in mind. For example, certain enemies at the end of the Corneria level have targets only on the top of their heads, so you need to soar over them and aim down by looking at your GamePad.
I’m sure players will figure out ways around all these weird motion-control barriers, but it’s just disappointing that whipping the GamePad around your head like a fool is the standout feature in Star Fox Zero.
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But hey, I think I’m still probably going to buy it. I’ve loved Star Fox for a long time now, and maybe that’ll be enough to get me through it.