Star Fox: Assault (Hands On) (GameCube) Preview

The demo we played featured just two levels, one in the air and one on the ground. We will be looking at both in detail, and you should be able to see what we are talking about too with an extensive range of screenshots.

The Arwing level was stunning. Those of you that have enjoyed titles in the series before will know basically what to expect. The flying is basically 'on the rails' which is ever so slightly disappointing, we would have loved to see loads of freedom and the ability to go about how you like, rather than being guided through the game on a lead. The shooting is superb fun though, there are some lovely effects and the game moves along at a fantastic pace. The only problem is just shooting at enemies as they whiz past is no fun at all, being able to chase them would have been much better...

All the Star Fox team are here, and they are just as annoying and camp as ever. Toad, Slippy, Falco Lombardi, ROB and Krystal. There is also an appearance from Pippy, who sends you down information and help as part of the games extensive interface system that makes it feel like a real battle experience.

The land-based mission we took part in was far from completion. The Landmaster tank wasn't there, but the Nintendo assistant reassured us it would appear in the final game, as we panicked about its presence, or lack of it. We took part in a battle solely on foot, and boy was it good fun! Your basic weapon is a laser cannon, with unlimited ammunition, holding down the shoot button charges up a shot that can cause extra damage. Other weapons include machine guns and other big and brash weaponry.

When this game was shown at last year's E3 it was a very bland looking title, with no colour, no life and very little interest, whilst it has come quite some way it still lacks quite a bit. There are a lot more colours, more detailed environments and suchlike, but animation is a little off and everything is rather blocky. There is certainly still work to do.

The land-level we played on was very smartly mapped. It is clear that this game is certainly not about stealth, it is about blowing up anything that moves and running about like a headless chicken, enemies pop up all over the place, all you have to do is stay alive!