JUST A HEADS UP
Unlike my past reviews, this one contains major spoilers to the game's rebooted story.
If you do not wish to be spoiled on the game's altered plot, please stop reading now.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Now as I was saying, Star Fox Zero has been completely rebooted and everything in it was re-imagined from scratch. Shigeru Miyamoto has even described it has being neither a sequel or a prequel, so I guess that would be an apt enough description. The game for the most part has the same design as the previous games where you would either fly down a predetermined path and shoot anything that impedes your progress, or have free-range flight where you need to actively hunt down your targets. But an additional level element was added to the game to make it feel a little more cinematic: Target Mode, where the target enemy is always the focus on the TV screen. This is where the game's new control gimmicks come into play.

Unlike Star Fox 64 or Star Fox Assault, Star Fox Zero has a brand new control scheme that tries to take advantage of the Wii U GamePad as much as possible. The GamePad's screen always has a first person view from the cockpit of the Arwing, the radio transmissions from your squad-mates and enemies only come from the GamePad's speakers, and aiming the targeting reticle is primarily done with the GamePad's gyro sensor. In addition to these GamePad gimmicks, the controls were mixed up a bit as well in an attempt to try and emulate the controls of a fighter jet (all steering is on the left stick, thrusters and rolling is on the right stick, and the ship's guns and bombs are on the ZR and R buttons respectively). And if that wasn't enough, there are three vehicles that each have different controls with two of them having the ability to transform which alters their controls even further. With these new controls and gimmicks, it makes the game feel a bit awkward and confusing to play, especially during the Target Mode segments where the camera focuses entirely on the enemy. It all makes it feel not fun...AT FIRST.

You see, this game had a very unusual form of Stockholm Syndrome on me. After I did a few missions in the game (about 2 hours worth) and played through some of the alternate paths, it all suddenly clicked for me and the controls finally started to make sense. From that point on, I was starting to enjoy the game much more than I was previously. The action was fast and exciting, the varied gameplay styles were a nice change of pace, and the environments were creative and colorful. I was even able to finally enjoy the music as well as most of them were remade from Star Fox 64. The amiibo features were also quite fun; playing as the Retro and Black Arwings gave the game a new challenge to it I was hoping for. It's just a shame that after I had gotten used to the controls that there is no multiplayer (local OR online) outside of the local Co-Op Mode (which is basically a Han & Chewie mode where one pilots the ship and the other mans the guns).

Now the story and level progression is where this game takes an unprecedented turn. Unlike Star Fox 64 which is where Zero gets most of its inspiration, the game is mostly linear with branching paths having little to no impact on the ending of the game. This is a rather big oversight as Star Fox 64 had a great reward system where in most stages if you did an unknown additional task during the level such as killing a certain number of enemies before the end or by keeping a certain character alive, you were given the opportunity to take a harder path which would lead to the true final battle and the canon ending of the game. Because that is no longer the case, there is now a lack of motivation to unlock the alternate paths (even though I did it anyway). In addition to this, many of the stages from the original game have been renamed, removed or completely changed to fit the new story. The Nebulae Sectors are now Alpha, Beta, and Gamma instead of X, Y, and Z; Area 6 has been replaced with a new Sector which appears to be a black hole called Sector Omega; Aquas, Katina, Macbeth, and Bolse are completely absent; and the biggest offender, Venom has been reduced to the size of a small moon and remodeled to be a Death Star like device. This last bit right here is why I can safely say that Zero is a reboot and not a re-imagining; it makes the plot of Star Fox Command completely null and void. That being said, I still really liked the level design and I loved the boss fights.

Now the post-game content is probably where a lot of players will get the most enjoyment assuming they stuck around long enough to beat the game. Finishing the main story once will unlock Arcade Mode which is a one sitting play-through of the game with no system map, and only ONE life. You can collect three gold rings to store an extra life for later, but they unfortunately don't stack. That means, one extra life is all you can keep at any one time. This, and the fact that the game keeps track of your high-score and all of the different flight paths you take during a single run is what Miyamoto was talking about when he and Platinum were trying to make the game as replayable as possible. And every time I beat it, I can't help but shed a tear whenever I see that dedication to Iwata in the credits.

All in all, Star Fox Zero is quite fun, but only after you get the hang of the controls. As such, I will not be giving this game a star score like I usually do since it is very much an acquired taste due to the steep learning curve. The remade story completely changed the timeline for the earlier made games, but if Nintendo were to continue the series, I'm sure they could figure out how to reintroduce old characters and worlds. Now the physical version of the game also came with Star Fox Guard as a bonus, but I'll cover that another time. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

Okay so let's start with the number one glaring issue: the controls. I know that Nintendo and Platinum were trying to be intuitive with the Gamepad, but it just winds up being awkward and confusing. I propose going back to the traditional way and just use a standard controller and no motion controls, but if intuitiveness is what Nintendo wants, then I think the picture below says it best.

Inspired partly by Sin & Punishment's controls, this is the simplest and most intuitive control scheme I can think of. It has enough familiarity of the old control styles for anyone to get the hang of quickly and offers a new challenge by needing to control the targeting reticle separate from the vehicle. Oh and while we're on the subject of vehicles, this needs to be addressed. All of the vehicles that can transform NEED to have the ability to do so from the get go. It promotes a greater emphasis on replayability through experimentation. Giving the ability to the player because of plot reasons is sloppy design in a game of this type. In addition, ONE VEHICLE TYPE PER LEVEL PLEASE. Swapping between vehicles in the middle of a mission defeats the purpose of having a stage dedicated to those specific mechanics.

Now onto issue number 2: Pacing. The Arwing and Landmaster stages usually are pretty good when it comes to pacing the action in a stage, but the addition of the Gyrowing in Star Fox Zero kinda flopped. Know why? Because those missions were a play style that COMPLETELY changed the pacing of the game from action to stealth. So if you want to keep its inclusion in the series, here's how to fix it, AKA make it more tolerable: make the Gyrowing faster, and have the enemies be more aware of the vehicle's presence. Or you could of course completely remove it altogether in favor of the Blue Marine, but to be honest I kinda liked those stages. They just weren't meant for fast paced action. While were on the subject of the Blue Marine though, I really think it needs to make a comeback. Instead of giving it the ability to transform, maybe plop the sub in Zoness and have it maneuver through the murky water using a dedicated sonar button? I think it could work quite well if the pacing was done right.

Issue 3: Optional sub missions and branching paths. I think everyone can agree that one of the things that made Star Fox 64 so great was the fact that just about every stage had a hidden secondary mission that, when completed, would change your route and send you on a harder path. This reward system was great. It gave the player incentive to get better at the game and try the harder paths, unlike Star Fox Zero which had a linear path. And if that wasn't incentive enough, Star Fox 64 made it so you could get an extended (and harder) final boss accompanied by a better ending if you always took the harder choice of the two paths given to you. While I'm at it, the short "satellite" missions in Star Fox Zero that were your "reward" for finding the secret path in a stage were boring. This is not how you reward a player for finding secrets.

Number 4: Story. Now I think this might be the hardest thing to do in a sequel to Star Fox Zero as Nintendo hasn't had the best track record when it comes to this series, and because Nintendo completely rebooted the timeline with this game and altered so much (namely the vast change in Venom's size), it might be a bit difficult trying to reintroduce old characters and worlds. But I think I might have a story that could work. Allow me to elaborate. (Keep in mind this treads on Fan-Fiction territory, just bear with me for the moment.)

Set 7-8 years after the events of Star Fox Zero, the few remaining stragglers of Andross's fleet (known as the Venomian Cult) are fleeing from the Cornerian army at the edge of the Lylat System. Believing that Andross is still alive in the alternate dimension he was imprisoned in, Andrew Oikonny (Nephew of Andross and former member of Star Wolf) breaks away from the fleet and researches into an alien artifact called the Warp Stone, an ancient autonomous construct built by the now extinct Krazoa of Sauria, which he believes can open a doorway to that dimension. Some time later, the Star Fox team intercepts a distress signal from Sauria and broadcasts it to Peppy Hare, the new General of the Cornerian Army after Pepper retires. Fearing the worst, Peppy tells them to investigate, but not after having Star Fox enlist two new recruits, Miyu: a lynx; and Fey: a dog (from the cancelled Star Fox 2). After arriving within range of Sauria, the Star Fox team intercepts the being that sent out the distress beacon: A young vixen bounty hunter named Krystal that calls Sauria her home. She explains that a swarm of cybernetic insectoid creatures called Aparoids started pouring out of a portal in the sky shortly after a lone ship landed. Fox and his crew decide to help and thus sets the story in motion.

Now I know this is probably something that might not fit in the new chronology that Nintendo has set up with the reboot of the franchise, but this is just one of many things they could do to reintroduce characters that were erased from the timeline when the canon was reset. They don't have to do this with their next game, I just think this would be a good path they could take. Plus if they did go this route, they could make it so that Andross was assimilated into the Aparoid hive and have the final boss be Andross on the easy path and Andross followed by the Aparoid Queen for the hard path.

Number 5: Game Modes. Hoo boy, this probably made a lot of fans angry when they played Star Fox Zero. The fact that that game had ZERO competitive multiplayer modes, neither local nor online, caused the game's replayability to suffer greatly. This game NEEDS a versus mode in order for it to sustain any kind of life. Here are some examples on how I'd do it.

• Score Attack - First to a specific number of kills wins (Arwing, Gyrowing, Landmaster, up to 16 players when online)
• Dogfight - 3 lives then game over, last pilot alive is the winner (Arwing Only, up to 16 players when online)
• 4v4 - Star Fox VS Star Wolf (Arwing Only, Online Only, must have 8 players to play)
• Warzone - 3 lives then game over, be the last man standing in a 1st-person only tank war (Landmaster Only, up to 16 players when online)
• Ring Race - First to pass through all rings in order wins (Arwing, Gyrowing, Roadmaster, up to 4 players)
• Base Hacker - Whoever has control of the most computer terminals when the timer runs out wins (Gyrowing Only, up to 4 players)
• Bounty Hunters - A handful of enemies spawn hidden on the map and you need to hunt them down, first to a specific score number wins, killing other players penalizes you. (Arwing, Gyrowing, Landmaster, up to 4 players)

These are just a few game styles that could work quite well in the Star Fox series and the fact that Nintendo didn't make a single one for Star Fox Zero is disappointing. Instead, we got some single-player challenge maps. Not bad ones mind you, just underwhelming is all.

Number 6: Bonuses and Extras. If there is one thing that promotes replayability the most, it is usually a bonus of some kind. Star Fox Zero had a couple, but they weren't really all that special. Plus if you had the Fox and/or Falco amiibo, then you didn't even need to attempt to get 100%. In my experience, this is not how you get someone to come back to your game. Yes, Star Fox Zero had an "Arcade Mode" you could unlock where you could go from start to finish in just one go, but that mode should've been the main campaign from the start just like in Star Fox 64. The extras that you get from the two amiibo are nice, but they aren't enough. I think that instead of two new Arwing designs with slightly altered stats, every amiibo should be usable and they should give your vehicles a new paint job based on that figure.

Number 7: Challenges and Collectables. This was by far the most underwhelming portion of Star Fox Zero that I played. Not because they were bad, but because on how they were unlocked. In order to unlock a Challenge Mission, you needed to find and collect medals hidden throughout the stages. Now this is all well and good, but some of these medals were really tedious to collect or were downright unfair. 5 medals per stage is perfectly fine, but there should at least be some consistency on how you find them. Here's what I'd do:

1. Getting a certain number of points by the stage's end (needs to be more fair though, the current system is downright brutal. Remember, this series is played by children too)
2. Keeping all teammates alive
3. Finding 3 specially marked gold rings
4. Beating the stage boss within a specific amount of time
5. Completing the secondary mission to achieve a "Mission Accomplished" at the stage's end

This is consistent, easy to remember, and simple. I didn't really care for finding specific medals that were just hidden throughout the stage. Hide-and-Seek with collectibles does not a good Star Fox game make. You need to earn them.

Final Issue: Something to set it apart from the other games in the series. Besides the Gyrowing (which we already established was implemented poorly), Star Fox Zero really only had one thing going for it, and that was the fact that both the Arwing and the Landmaster could transform into the Walker and the Gravmaster respectively. This is all well and good and I hope to see it again in a future installment of the series, but if Nintendo doesn't take the next game seriously, then I foresee the possible death of this franchise. Now if I remember correctly, each of the past games had something about them to set them apart in the series. The first one was the first console game with full 3D graphics, 64 had the rumble pack, Adventure was an entirely different genre, Assault had a variety of on-foot weapons, and Command was a tactical game. There is one thing that I think might, I repeat MIGHT, be able to shake up the formula enough without completely alienating fans from a true "Star Fox experience" and that is customizable vehicle load-outs. I think giving the player a variety of different laser and bomb types that they can apply to their ship/tank before a mission would bump up the replayability dramatically. It certainly would be a step in the right direction anyway.

Closing Statement

As you can see, there is SO MUCH that can be done to fix this series in the next installment, but unless Nintendo sees this article themselves, the chances of that happening are slim to none. If you agree with the points I made, please share this article as much as you can. Maybe Nintendo will listen if enough people agree with these ideas. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

#1: Inkling (Splatoon)

#2: Porky Minch (EarthBound)

Now for a not so obvious one. Ever since Porky's inclusion as a Subspace Emissary boss in Brawl, it got me thinking on why he wasn't included as a playable character. I get that he would be rather large in that spider mech he rides in Mother 3, but what about the "Heavily Armed" one in EarthBound? It's a fair bit smaller, 'bout the size of Bowser in terms of relative size, and would provide a much needed villain to represent the EarthBound series. Just give him his attacks and devices from EarthBound and Giygas's "Inexplicable Attack" as a final smash and he'd be set.

#3: Takamura (The Mysterious Murasame Castle)

#4: Krystal (Star Fox Adventures)

Probably one of the best characters to be added to the Star Fox series, and it probably helps matters that fans have wanted her in the game since Brawl. We need more varied Star Fox characters in the games. Fox and Falco are far too similar, and Wolf adds to the pile because of him having the same final smash and special moves as the other two. Krystal would bring some much needed originality through her staff skills and the help of her cloudrunner mount. Plus I don't think anyone could handle another Fox clone...

#5: Paper Mario

Think there are too many Mario characters as is? Nonsense! Besides, Paper Mario is different enough that he could be a rather unique character. Compared to regular Mario who is known for jumping, Paper Mario primarily uses a hammer when fighting. Just make Paper Mario's attacks mostly hammer based and make his specials based around the badge attacks and "curses" from The Thousand Year Door and he would be a perfect inclusion to the roster.

#6: Abraham Lincoln (Code Name S.T.E.A.M.)

#7: Captain Syrup (Wario Land)

#8: King K. Rool (Donkey Kong Country)

#9: Vaati (The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap)

#10: Isaac (Golden Sun)

#11: Black Shadow (F-Zero X)

#12: Ridley (Metroid)

This is the last villain, I promise. Now I know the memes that has spawned from Ridley not being in Smash 4, but there IS a way to incorporate him into the roster and still make him big, but not "too big." The way I see it, Ridley wasn't notable because of his size, but because of his ferocity and primal fighting instincts. Give his movement some girth to it and he could feel big while still being around Bowser's size. I've seen hacks and mods of Brawl that have Ridley being playable and they all make him into a beast because of his heavy claw swipes and footsteps. Sakurai could do the same if he had thought of that as well.

#13: Saki (Sin & Punishment)

#14: Zoroark (Pokemon Black/White)

#15: Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Well I would like to say that that's the end of my list, but I've had some issues with how some pre-existing characters play and I believe that a few of them could benefit from some minor modifications. So here is an additional 5 characters that are already playable in the games, but I think could use a little bit of tweaking.

#1: Lucina

She is a clone of Marth in the purest sense and to me, that is EXTREMELY lazy game design. Either get rid of her in the next game, or turn her into an alternate costume for Marth. Either or, this is unacceptable in her current form.

#2: Dark Pit

Yet another clone character, but of Pit this time. A slightly slower and slightly stronger variant of an existing character does not a good fighter make. He had so much potential to be good as he had his own exclusive arsenal in Kid Icarus: Uprising with even a weapon named after him. This needs to be fixed in the next game.

#3: Ganondorf

Now even though Ganondorf is technically a clone of Captain Falcon, he's a special case as he's actually a pretty good clone. But given this fact, he's still a clone. Now with the newest games, I don't understand why he doesn't have his sword now, or why his special moves aren't more like his dark magic from Ocarina of Time or any of the games where he's Ganon. It would make him so much more interesting.

#4: Jigglypuff

To be completely honest with you, I am not a fan of this character in the slightest. She plays weird, her final smash is garbage, and Smash 4 doesn't take her new Fairy-type in to account for new attacks at all. She needs a new moveset that takes advantage of her new type; her final smash especially.

#5: Wario

There isn't much wrong with Wario as of right now, but I do have a few issues with a couple of his special moves. His upward special doesn't gain enough air to be a viable recovery move, so why not move his down special to his up one and make it so you can manually charge it? And to replace his old down special, make it is quake punch from Wario Land: Shake It! While we're at it, bring back his side smash from Brawl as well. It's starting to feel like Sakurai is trying to make people forget that Wario was in a series other than Wario Ware.

Well, that's my list folks, if you disagree with my choices, tell me why in the comments and what you would have chosen instead. But until then, I'll be seeing you.