Star Fox has come a long way over the years. The series initially debuted in 1993 on the Super Nintendo system, under the guise of the newcomer developers at Argonaut Software. The game was quite a piece of work, bringing a full 3-D polygonal effort to the system and presenting some beautiful space action as well. Star Fox 2 was ready to go years later, but Nintendo opted instead to cancel it and bring forth Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 64, and it proved to be worth the wait, with the addition of sequences involving a tank called the Landmaster, as well as multiplayer that seemed a bit gimmicky but still managed to click. Then the action shifted to the GameCube, where Rare Ltd. marked their farewell to Nintendo-exclusive development with the release of the oft-delayed Star Fox Adventures, which was initially Dinosaur Planet for the N64 but converted quite nicely into a Star Fox game unlike which we had ever seen.

Now comes Star Fox: Assault, a game that had been promising for quite some time to return to the good ol' Star Fox we knew and loved from the N64 days. It had been under development for quite some time, with the veterans at Namco behind the curtain, trying to craft us a remarkable experience for the heroic Star Fox and his hodgepodge team of whip-smart pilots (with the exception of Slippy). However, while its got a few grand ideas under its helmets and some moments of next-generation brilliance here and there, the product as a whole ends up coming across more like Star Fox: Insult.

The story is generally the same as it's always been- Star Fox and his team are called upon to defend Corneria once again from an imposing alien threat, made up of snotty, ne'er-do-well foes with large spacecrafts and power on the brain. Star Wolf, the rogue team that's vowed to shut down the Star Fox squadron, is also back, and complicate matters by arriving just when the timing is wrong. Each mission brings new challenges and tons of spider-like foes to shut down, only to have a boss encounter every once in a while that has you aiming for weak spots and avoiding some nasty attacks that can shut down your precious energy in a matter of nanoseconds.

The first time you pop in Star Fox: Assault, you'll probably get a glimpse of what Namco had in mind for the series. The first level is absolutely beautiful, moving at a crisp 60 frames per second and putting you right into the mix of a fantastic space battle. You fly through a looming space armada, filled with large ships and enemies that come barreling from each direction. And the sight of seeing a huge vessel crumble with a well-placed charge shot is wonderful, as you can actually fly through the debris, onto your next target. The fun continues on land, where you face off against an ego-laden enemy by the name of Oikanny, who throws his first ship transformation at you with attacks from his robotic hands, and then evolves into a butterfly-like creature with a streaming laser attack that's pretty sweet. Ah, what a great game thus far, right?

Then come the following levels, and, strangely enough, the more the game tries to be a huge space epic, the more it fails to deliver what the first level did. The later levels involve more free-roaming elements, which is a nice change that's more prone to what Star Fox Adventures had in mind than the previous games, and you're able to climb in and out of the Landmaster (the tank) and Arwing (the aerial vehicle) at will during some parts of each mission, courtesy of a tap of the Z button. However, the detail drops down, and the frame rate never returns to the smoothness it was at. Furthermore, some of the level designs are downright frustrating, like when you have to find your way inside a space station to eradicate an alien threat or maneuver your way across a clunky bridge when your tank is prone to slip even on the slightest gap.

Worse yet, the control seems downright tedious when you switch to on-foot or Landmaster sequences. For example, say one of your buddies finds themselves in a bit of peril in mid-air while you're on the ground. Having to look around for them while being bound below is frustrating, as you can't really lock on quick enough. This results in you losing a comrade quicker than you expected, and losing an "ally" medal in the process, which comes in handy for unlocking some content in the game. The fact that your comrades seem kind of worthless in a battle and ask for your help so much is one thing; the fact you find yourself unable to save them just when they need it most is even more grating on the nerves.

Here's another example. Say you're on-foot, free from any sort of vehicle. You're not powerless by any means, as you can pick up a couple of unique weapons like the rocket launcher or the machine gun. The lock-on system that's in use with this isn't so bad, but combining it with the evade maneuvers just doesn't seem to cut it. In the middle of trying to take down enemies, you leave yourself vulnerable to attacks that chomp away at your precious energy, another frustrating measure. In fact, no matter which vehicle you have, be it the Arwing or the Landmaster, avoiding enemy gunfire is more troublesome than it needs to be. It's like finally being granted permission to take a test drive in your dream car and then finding out you're only able to take it within the confines of the showroom.

The game's looks just fail to match up to what it promises in the long run. Like I said, the level design never really takes off of the ground, and the animation is pretty average at best, with the way that Star Fox and his team (Falco, Slippy, and Krystal from Star Fox Adventures, taking over for the aging Peppy) run along the ground or hop into a vehicle. In fact, the whole character design seems a bit off, with an appearance that tries to be anime but strains itself in the process. Only Krystal appears to be looking like her normal self, while everyone else has an unnecessary redesign that isn't right.

And if you think the game's looks may seem off-putting, just wait until you get to sound. Here, Namco performs a misfire so bad you'll be scrounging through your video game music CD collection, looking for the Star Fox 64 promo disc. Star Fox: Assault's collection of music isn't so bad, even though the main theme is probably the only memorable tune in there. However, the sound effects never rise up to the occasion, and the in-game voicework is downright hideous. It just sounds misplaced and delivered without care- even Slippy doesn't sound like Slippy, but rather a frustrated airline employee. That's not the Slippy I remember, the one who mercilessly screamed "FOOOOXXXXXX!" during Star Fox 64's conclusion.

There are a few missions to complete during the game, and the inclusion of a new Might gauge, which shows the shift of power between good and evil, is a nice touch. But it all comes to an end a bit quicker than I would have liked, and the attempts to include extras to keep you playing is a valiant effort, but comes up short.

Once you beat Mission mode, you unlock Survival mode, which lets you thrust into mission modes with reckless abandon and more challenge. However, if you die midway through a stage, you have to start all over again, which brings mounting frustration where it didn't need to. Some space rogues may appreciate the challenge, but, to me, it didn't improve upon the already-flawed game.

Furthermore, the game's multiplayer seems tacked on, with typical Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes on-foot, with Arwings, or with Landmasters that never really become eventful. They can be fun for a little while, but that's about it. It's the game controls that really limit this from being all it can be, ala Star Fox 64.

Finally, Namco tries to add the classic touch by including three coin-op goodies from the past- Xevious, Star Luster, and Battle City. However, only Xevious tends to bring back memories, and the company probably would've been better off including more thrilling space epics, even on-rails titles like Starblade and Galaxian 3- now there's a multiplayer effort, even if it only lasted seven minutes.

I wanted to enjoy Star Fox: Assault. Really, I did. It offers so much in terms of motivation within its first level and promising ideas, but comes up so short in a lot of the others. Even moments of greatness can't shine through the fog of monotony that the game sets into right from the second level. Perhaps next time, on the Revolution, we'll get the space epic we truly deserve, made up of stellar space battles similar to that of Star Fox 64 and including the multiplayer that keeps us coming back. As is, this is just a rental at best, a reminder that excess isn't always the best thing for a formula. Sometimes, keeping it simple, to the basics that the first game was known for, will keep you flying right.