Starfox Adventures on GameCube (2002)

Brief synopsis of Starfox Adventures

What an eventful history this game has had. Originally an N64 game by the name of Dinosaur Planet, it eventually got scrapped due to the moribund state of the host machine and was reborn as an exciting new prospect for the GameCube. Soon later, the game acquired the Starfox license and subsequently resurfaced as Starfox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet, only to lose the Dinosaur Planet bit a little further down the line. So now we have Starfox Adventures - essentially Dinosaur Planet, but not really.

Set eight years after the defeat of Andross in the previous Starfox 64 - Lylat Wars to all you Brits - the plot sees the Starfox team discover a beautiful prehistoric planet (can you guess its name?). A sinister tyrant known as General Scales rules over this planet, so Fox McCloud and his buddies embark on a quest to free the inhabitants from Scales' evil clutches and restore peace to the primal paradise.

Taking control of team leader Fox, players explore vast, 3D worlds lush in forestry, animals, puzzles and adventure. Either that or it's in to the faithful Arwing space ship for some typical Starfox space battles.

A strong Zelda influence is evident throughout, what with the game's third person perspective, puzzle-based objectives and Z-target-style, lock-on combat system. The latter element in this case utilises a mystical staff, which is used for weapon combat and also possesses some magical capabilities, allowing Fox to cast spells.

Anyone who has taken a glimpse of the screenshots will have noticed that there's a fair bit of eye candy throughout the game. A great looking fur-rendering technique brings life to the characters as they explore the environments - they themselves full of lavish effects, such as shimmering water, real-time lighting and depth-of-field blurring.

As the GameCube continues to be drip-fed with great games, Starfox Adventures represents November 2002's 'one we've been waiting for'. It's a triple-A license, a deep and immersive adventure and, being Rare's last GameCube game, helps the celebrated developers go out with a bang.