'Star Fox' steps out of his starship

The Star Fox crew has landed on the Gamecube in a strange but epic adventure. The emphasis has shifted from pure space fighting to a mixture of several genres, which is both a blessing and a curse.\nThe game's story centers on a planet of dinosaurs threatened by evil warlords, and Fox McCloud must save the day. The game unfolds in a third-person perspective reminiscent of the Zelda games for the N64. "Adventures" is an interesting mix of exploration, puzzle-solving and magical combat, as well as space and racing levels.\nThe visuals are stunning, from the detail of the falling snow to Fox's facial expressions. The musical score is excellent, but the voice-overs for the characters are obnoxious. Slippy the Frog has to be the single most annoying voice in video game history.\nThe controls for the adventure, as well as the space combat portions, are simple and fluid. While the simplicity seems good at first, it seriously hampers the gameplay. Instead of a jump button, you instantly leap from any ledge you walk to, which often causes unintentional death. The ground combat system is the weakest point in the game; once you've mastered the attack and block buttons, defeating any of the basic enemies is simple and repetitive. \nThe game had the potential to be a truly classic game, but the four-year development took its toll on the end product. Originally a N64 game, it received the Star Fox characters and space levels very late in development. The strain between producers Rare and Nintendo is apparent, as the game at times feels sloppily constructed. Having the familiar Star Fox crew is nice, but this is not the Star Fox game fans would have hoped for. \nDespite the mismatched license and simple controls, this adventure is worth checking out. With stunning graphics, a variety of gameplay and a great length, "Star Fox Adventures" is worth at least a rental. This may not be the Star Fox game it could have been, but if you like a solid adventure game, you'll likely end up buying it.