HOW I WOULD’VE MADE A NEW STARFOX GAME
The fleet of anthropomorphic fighter pilots are out of retirement (well, 2 never left, preferring to “shine” in another series). They’re jumping into their Arwings to do battle again with another installment of Starfox, being released on the Nintendo Wii U. But of course, due to the previous installments not doing so well. Many people are just anxious for the next time they can do a barrel (aileron) roll on command from a Hare( But on good terms). What could be done on our next-gen consoles that could make the game that more enjoyable? Also what to give it that strong replay-ability, to the point that it’s played until the next one comes out? Well, just like what the stomach acids do to ingested food, let’s break it down.
Now, let’s look at the elements that goes into making a game. This is what makes the body of a game good and healthy (The Witcher 3) or what makes it bad and lazy (ewww, Ride To Hell, I actually bought that game) .First, of course, would be the environment, and how the game looks. The WII U has the power to run games at 1080p, and up to 60fps. This plays into the outward appearance of the game, as the game itself can look very vibrant to the point where it’s awe inspiring. Background involvement helps, since you will be headed to different planets and areas. They should showcase certain effects using the full power of the engine within(system). Whether they decide to showcase a sandstorm on a desert planet that you can fly through, or a cloudy planet that’s plagued with thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes, the engine can be used to complement. To really put fine touches on a masterpiece, granted that it turns out to be that way (knocks on wood, really hard). Also, with the game looking so nice, why keep the game in one Mode? The game should be played in two, instead: One being on Ground mode, when you’re on foot, and the other being arwing mode. where you play while the character is in the Arwing. Both modes have different views from which to look at the game from, whether it’s from the ground, or it’s in the air. Looking at a city from far away on foot can be nice, but looking at a city from high within the air gives you another perspective of how one may look at the outward appearance of a city.
Another piece of the puzzle that can help at making this a great game, has to be to allow a game to be immersive. Oh, you find that weird, to make a game such as this, interactive? Well let me explain, ladies and gents, as it lets the player get involved with other areas not concerned with the prime directive of the game ( Letting the player get immersed in the game). Imagine flying through a beautiful depiction of space as Fox Mccloud. Flying in an open environment and you get a message from someone like Peppy. He tells you that something happened on a nearby planet, which leads you to decide whether or not to go check out the problem or leave it alone. Trading the linear dogfighting stages for an all around open world scenario, similar to the Fable series. This can prolong the life of the game, but also make it where your decision determines the patterns certain NPCs react. This addition could change the outcome of the ending,depending on the pattern you take.
Usually, the game follows one path. As the game follows a straightforward pattern that only goes in one direction. Due to focusing the life of the main character, but we have seen where a game ,where the timeline can differ from the true ending garnering true success. That game is none other than one of my favorite Titles: Chrono Trigger. In that game, you control Crono, the major protagonist of the game. Within that game, you can decide to play the game straight out and unlike a true ending. On the other hand, you can also go different paths and unlock different endings corresponding with the path you took. This game went on to be one of the greatest games on the Super Nintendo, and also (in my opinion) one of the greatest games of all time.
Any title can benefit from this format, and Starfox is no exception, as it already did with Starfox Command. It’ll make the player want to play the game through multiple times to see the different endings, thus increasing the replay-ability of the game. It also gives the developers the chance to cater to the fans, as a lot of us have ideas about how each character should end up. Maybe Slippy becomes a teacher to teach future mechanics of the enterprise. Or maybe Fox make up with Krystal and marries her…or maybe Wolf finds her and steals her away from Fox, before the marriage (Can’t let you marry her, Starfox!). Bringing this format to their next gen consoles, where it may grow even more.
Something that each game so big should always have is Multiplayer. The Multiplayer should be accessible on multiple servers where all of the players can log on to play together and with custom characters that can be created from a variety of animals. The players that join should be allowed to make their own fleet or to join a pre-existing one, allowing for the numbers within the fleet to be at least 50 to 100 players( each fleet). Allowing you a chance to grow to be one of the most dominating fleets in the universe.
Of course, customizability will play a large role in this, as when you grow as a pilot, you should gain access to customize parts that you can place on your ship. since this can also turn into a game where you will be able to jump out of your ship; you should also be able to customize the weapons that your person will have on you at all times. The character should start off with default weapons such as a blaster, a few grenades, and the reflector. As the game go on, you should be allowed to obtain additional and or up gradable weapons, plus perks that fits your play style. Either through buying them with in-game currency, finding them on enemies, or given to you by completing a particular mission.
There should also be the ability to damage each player mid-game. Incorporating something like a bounty system that will allow players the opportunity to either hunt entire groups, or even a singular target. You can be flying to Sector Z in the vacuum of space, and 6 players can randomly show up and target you for a bounty that may have been placed on your head (maybe 3 or 4 days ago). You don’t have to be notified of your bounty, but there can be a bounty board that you can access from the start menu (to see if whether or not if you want to be a hunter, or whether you’re already the hunted). With a universe that’s so big, the game can be filled with a load of content that will leave you running and flying to fro, unlocking content that may be informative and going further into the lore of the universe.
The biggest element that gives a game those big high ratings from reviewers, is none other than something that every game should be focused on first: Gameplay. If someone buys a game that handles so bad, then what’s stopping the person who purchased the game from returning it 30 minutes after walking out the store doors, or throwing it out of the window? A game can look beautiful in appearance, but gamers have been tricked so many times, that we’ve learned to see the signs of these type of games. So what someone makes a good game? Well to explain that to the fullest extent, we would have to look at the two modes that it can be played in: ground mode, and arwing mode.
Attention to detail is something that would benefit this game a great deal. As well as drawing inspiration from other titles such as Mass Effect or Battlefield for the two different gameplays that I mentioned earlier. While in ground mode, the player should be given the ability to take cover, perform rolls, or make a run for it to keep gameplay as fluid as possible. It can lead to a very intuitive shootout, where those who plan out their battles attain the advantage. While those who run and gun with no worries get filled with holes from bullets or lasers. The camera mode should be changeable, whether you can desire to play in the First Person, being up and close to the action, or in third person, similar to the previous installments of Star Wars Battlefront( where you can see all of what’s going on around you). With the game running at 60fps, this would make it even more fluid, as changing between weapons, or even rolling would look perfect. combine that with a button scheme that’s not so complex, and so much fun will be had, that time will fly by instantly.
The other mode, being arwing mode, can draw inspiration from other flight simulation mechanics, such as Ace Combat, or Grand Theft Auto 5, for that matter. They should allow the player to fly with the camera either from within the cockpit, or in a similar third person view, and the controls for the Arwing should be where the plane moves you without feeling so stiff. Also, instead of being able to fly upright only, as with the previous titles, the developers should allow for the person who’s flying the Arwing to be able to angle it in different directions using the right thumb stick, instead of incorporating the use of holding one of the shoulder buttons to keep the Arwing angled. The planes should start off with a singular laser, with the ability to upgrade or fit it with new weapons that may fit the situation that you primarily focus in, whether it’s using the ship mostly for PvE (Player vs Environment), or PvP (Player vs Player). This can impact the game’s dogfighting moments, as every ship can have their ship fitted to do something with an item that the other players may not have. Boosting at very high speeds should be included as well, as it can be you traveling by yourself. you may start to get chase by a group of 5 other players, or you may need to get to another planet within a particular time frame in order to complete a mission. The speeds that someone should be able to reach can be between 600 mph, up to at least 2x speed of sound.
Ace Combat allowed you to reach those speeds way with Ace Combat 6, and even on Nintendo consoles it was done with the F-Zero series. With a more powerful engine in the console, you should be able to reach this height very easily. Also, if in a dogfight while on a planet, you should be given the opportunity to eject from the plane to avoid death, or at least try.
If Nintendo would ever make a Starfox game in this format, I can guarantee that they would see an increase of sales, and hopefully they would get the message. True gamers love Nintendo, but we can’t support keep supporting some of their actions that makes them look bad in the long run. By not catering to the fans who’s been with them since the beginning. The Wii already had the technology to run the perfect Starfox game, but it took them one entire Generation to release one on console. They’ve been showing those who own a DS all the love with two Starfox games. While I may have one (hee-hee), my Wii and Wii U collection feels like it’s missing some incredible titles, such as Starfox, and others like F-Zero, Double Dragon, and Pokemon. Maybe when this game (and Pokken) comes out, those who feel like I do will have some closure. But these games that’s coming back to the consoles and hasn’t had a game in years have to be near perfect games. No cutting corners, or their would be even more fans that’s even more upset than usual.
written by Enerjectik
edited by Rj Knight( As Minimal changes as I can, to try and keep the spirit of what is being said)