Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet
First unveiled at E3 2000, Dinosaur Planet was initially planned to become an engaging tale surrounding the adventures of a heroic warrior named Sabre, who was on a quest to save his planet from the sinister General Scales. After missing its deadline in late 2000, the Nintendo 64 project was moved over to Nintendo GameCube, but this didn't really bother Sabre, as it would give his environment a technological boost, not to speak of the inevitable face-lift his female partner Krystal would get.
Little did our hero know about the sly plans of one Fox McCloud of Star Fox fame, whose appetite for beating opponents outside of his Arwing was whet by his role in Super Smash Bros. Behind everyone's back, Fox persuaded his creator to fire Sabre, so he could take over his quest, steal his girlfriend, and hold the spotlight. Thus the game was changed to Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet, now with the classic Nintendo hero in the leading role.
The epic fantasy adventure starts off eight years after the defeat of Andross. Always pressed to preserve the world peace, the Star Fox leader decides to investigate the recent invasion of an ancient and peaceful world known as Dinosaur Planet. The once-unspoiled planet has been taken over by a tyrannous tyrannosaur called General Scales, and taking the role of Fox McCloud, it is your mission to save the prehistoric paradise from the evil lizard and his Sharpclaw troops.
To help Fox on his new adventure are not only established Star Fox personalities such as Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, General Pepper, and Rob the Robot, but also new friends like the Earthwalker Prince Tricky, the CloudRunner Princess Kyte, and the mysterious Krystal, who has been mysteriously abducted by an ancient force only known as Krazoa. Fox's two Star Fox team-mates have taken on new roles, leaving all the action to Fox. Slippy, who now works in the Weapon Tech Development, will supply Fox with gadgets and equipment, while the wise Peppy will guide you through your mission. Rob will give you extra supplies when needed, just like in Star Fox 64. Tricky the triceratops is Fox's trusty sidekick, and will follow any order given by his master, be it to distract enemies, dig up treasures, guard, heel, or even play fetch.
At the beginning of his adventure on Dinosaur Planet, Fox will discover what will become his main weapon throughout the game -- a magical staff. Not only will he be able to beat his foes with his newly-found stick, but it will also allow him to fire long-range magical attacks at them. Futhermore, it holds the power to transform Fox into a lizard, enabling him to walk untroubled among enemies. The staff is also useful for non-violent actions, such as lifting heavy stones and vaulting onto high cliffs.
The controls in Star Fox Adventures are near-identical to the ones found in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The context-sensitive A button is used to perform most of Fox's actions, from talking to characters and picking up items to attacking enemies and giving orders to his smart-mouthed sidekick. Moving the C stick in one of three directions (left, down, or right) maps a dedicated function to the A button. Pressing the X button moves the camera behind Fox. The Y button is used to lock onto enemies and important objects, similar to the Z-targetting system in Ocarina of Time.
The E3 2001 version of Star Fox Adventures let the attendees try out three levels, while an additional battle stage could be unlocked through a secret code. ThornTail Hollow, the first level in the E3 demonstration, was a forest inhabited by nodosaurus-like creatures. The next level, CloudRunner Fortress, was the home of the pterodactyl princess Kyte, who was forced to hand over her ancient temple to General Scales. In the third level, Fox had to fight the gigantic Dark Ice Mines Boss.
While not playable at E3, a feature that will no doubt please fans of the previous Star Fox titles was unveiled in a video reel provided by Rare and Nintendo. Just like in his past games, Fox will be able to once again sit behind the controls of his Arwing and travel through asteroid fields and other outer-space environments.
Even as a Nintendo 64 title, Dinosaur Planet had breathtaking visuals and an impressive soundtrack. With the seemingly unlimited power of Nintendo GameCube at its fingertips, the Rare team has taken the graphics to new heights. Featuring lush environments, realistic water effects, and full weather pattern changes, Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet is bound to impress even the most discriminating customers. Add to that an intuitive Zelda-esque control configuration, and you can see why we are very much looking forward to playing the complete version of this game come GameCube launch.