So, if you have not heard or found out yet, Nintendo has just released new information on their latest Star Fox title to be released for the Wii U near the end of the year. The creation of this game was mentioned at E3 2014, but gameplay and trailers have just officially been released at E3 2015 just days ago.

I'll probably do this review by first explaining what I know about the new game, Star Fox Zero, and then describing my thoughts and opinions about it right afterward, and repeat this process until I am out of stuff to say... So let's get this started.

Here's the first bit: The game basically, at its core, meant to explore the use of the Wii U Game Pad, the console's controller that features its own separate screen. How this works, basically, is the main TV screen used to play the game displays your vehicle from a 3rd person point of view, while the screen on the Game Pad allows you to see the first person view of your ship. The buttons on the Game Pad are used to control your ship, including accelleration/decelleration and maneuvers like U-Turns, etc. The player can then MOVE the Game Pad, acting almost like a "turret," changing your view while having no control of where your vehicle ACTUALLY goes. It's hard to explain, but you might get the idea from my terrible explanation... Either way, the controls are somewhat complicated. I've heard that it only takes 10-20 minutes to somewhat get a hang of it and get comfortable with the game mechanics. The gameplay may at first seem almost frustrating, but if you give it just a little bit of your time, then it will soon become easy and fun to play. Overall: The game is very heavily focused on exploring gameplay options using the Game Pad to its full extent.

So that's what I know. Well, here's what I think about it... Though the controls seem somewhat complicated, it seems like something that people can figure out after spending some time actually playing the game. That's all good and fine, but it seems to have come at a price. Do you all want to know why the game is called Star Fox Zero? (BTW, the Japanese symbol after the word 'Zero' is Japanese for 'Zero,' FYI)

The game is called Star Fox Zero because it is, essentially and bluntly stated, without a plot or storyline whatsoever!!! This isn't just me making up things, I actually heard this in a video with Shigeru Miyamoto, the game's designer and producer at Nintendo. The reason why it is called Star Fox Zero is because its storyline has nothing to do with the canon story of Star Fox at all. Period. It's somewhat of a 'remake' of Star Fox 1, with some elements from Star Fox 64, and some new things of its own (For example, the Arwing can turn into a Walker, something that was done in the unreleased game 'Star Fox 2' for SNES). The game is not Star Fox 4 or 5 (meaning that it takes place after the events of Assault or Command...), but it is not REALLY a remake of Star Fox 1. That, in the words of Miyamoto, is why it is called Star Fox ZERO. ZERO, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A PLACE IN THE STAR FOX CANON STORYLINE...........

So basically what I am saying is that Nintendo went and made one of my fears for the game a reality. They spent so much of their efforts into making the game 'interesting to play' and trying to use the Game Pad so heavily that they didn't even put forth the effort to come up with a good storyline or incorporate this game into the Star Fox series... I am very disappointed in this because the one thing that I care about most in a Star Fox game is the story. I was looking forward to finding out which of the Star Fox Command endings was the "real" one, and finding out what happened to the Star Fox team afterward, but the game has only Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Peppy, with probably no inclusion of Krystal whatsoever. It is basically like going back and starting over with Star Fox 64. This really makes me not want to buy the game at all, if it has no real storyline and seems almost pointless.

Well, there's the first problem I have with the new game. Another, also related to Nintendo's obsession with 'gameplay,' is the game's graphics. Miyamoto said, in the video I watched on IGN, that Star Fox Zero was meant to be very much like the old Star Fox games (1 and 64), and I understand that, but they went too overboard with it. Some of the game levels and even dialogue is the exact same, and the graphics are obviously less than stellar, if you have a chance to see some pictures or videos of the gameplay. I read in other reviews that the game's graphics are more like 'PS2/GameCube Era,' and Nintendo surely did not do a good enough job at maximizing the Wii U's potential. I'm no graphics freak, but I really did expect more from a game made in the year 2015...

I hate to be so overcritical. As a person, I try to always be optimistic even when others remain skeptical, but this game seems to be confirming many of my fears, in terms of the Star Fox series. Nearly 10 years ago, Nintendo left us with a broken story of 9 different endings, and finally, when they make another game, it is even worse (as far as the story is concerned...). It literally has ZERO relevence to the Star Fox storyline. Sure, the game defnitely looks fun to play, and the Wii U seems like an interesting console to play on, but this does not seem like a good direction for the Star Fox Universe in my opinion.

I titled this rant "Miyamoto's Little Toy" for a reason, and that was because that's what I think of the Wii and Wii U consoles. They, in my opinion, are almost more like "Toys" than serious "Gaming Consoles." They are very different from the Playstation 4 or Xbox One, in the fact that the Wii consoles focus on different types of gameplay and Playstation and Xbox focus more on the content of their games. I, for one, prefer exciting and interesting content, which is why I would have much rather seen a new Star Fox title for one of the latter gaming systems (which obviously won't happen, I'm just using this to make a point).

So, that's about it for my little rant... I'm growing tired of typing... I probably didn't tell you absolutely everything I know about the new game, but at least I got some of my initial thoughts out there. Of course there may still be changes, or information that we are missing, and I am only basing my writing on knowledge I've obtained from reading and watching what I could from E3 this year. I'm still concerned and a little let down by the release of this new Star Fox game... I was hoping for something to bring the series up from the ashes that were left by Command, but I'm not sure that this game can even do that. I would still try the game, and would probably find it enjoyable, but it's still not exactly what I hoped it would be. Of course, I'm just one critic and fanatic, but maybe the majority of Star Fox fans will actually like this new game. I'm not sure. I guess we will find out more in the weeks and months to come. I don't own a Wii U, and I would only consider getting one for this game if it REALLY meets my expectations and makes it worth it. I'm not going to spend the money on a whole new console just for one game unless it really is worth the investment.

Thanks everyone for putting up with my little rant, I hope it was somewhat informative and not too depressing. Check out the game for yourself if you want to know or find out more, just google Star Fox Zero and you'll surely find it.

Also, keep posting questions about me or my book Star Fox Eclipse as comments. This is just a random section with my thoughts on the new game since it was just shown at E3.

TheFoxMcCloud