"Star Fox" is a video game series that has roots dating back to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). To put this into perspective, most game series that are popular now were created just a few years ago. This means that the Intellectual Property (IP) is really new. However, "Star Fox" was created in 1993 by Shigeru Myiamoto. Myiamoto is part of Nintendo, the entertainment company who has created series such as "Metroid," "Donkey Kong" and "The Legend of Zelda." The hard part of having such an influential IP, is knowing how to use it. The "Call of Duty" series is an interesting IP and quite popular, but they release a new game every year. This takes the mystery and the pizzazz away from the series. Nintendo is on the other end of the spectrum, releases a new game in each of their main series only rarely—usually every seven to eight years.
"Star Fox Zero" is the newest entry into the "Star Fox" series, which has six games in the main series. "Star Fox Zero" is similar to both "Star Fox 64" and the original "Star Fox" in terms of gameplay and story, but utilizes the Wii U's gamepad for the majority of the aiming for your ship's guns. This is very exciting for quite a few reasons, but two of the major ones are co-op and actual aiming "control." On the subject of control, using the gamepad as both a traditional controller, as well as a motion assisted aiming device, shows where the future of gaming is going. The step towards more realistic controllers and games is simply a step towards where the entire gaming industry is headed. This can be seen by the laser focus on Virtual Reality (VR) gaming as well as the multitude of motion oriented controllers and games coming out. "Star Fox Zero" blends the new style of gaming into more traditional styles well, despite the challenges of basing a flying game around motion controls.
The other huge boon of "Star Fox Zero" is the co-op gameplay. This couch co-op harkens back to the days of old when multiplayer consisted of sitting beside some of your best friends and slugging it out against the game's AI. While this style of game has become increasingly harder to find, it has by no means gone by the wayside and "Star Fox Zero" proves that. It becomes an entirely different game when you pair up with another person to experience the gameplay. The previously difficult motion controls get split evenly between the two players. Player 1 controls the flying of the ship, while Player 2 controls the guns. The beauty of this gameplay is partially present in its simplicity. Many people argued that they just wanted the option to fly more than one ship while playing with their friends, and while this option has some merit, it cannot build friendships the way the current multiplayer can. The art of placing both players into the same ship allows for a deeper connection more so than simply making the game two player. While playing "Star Fox Zero" with my girlfriend, I frequently take pride from the fact that she becomes my gunner, keeping us alive while I fly the ship. This builds a stronger connection between the two of us and I love the fact that we can share the experience. "Star Fox Zero" allows us both to participate in an activity we love and allows us the unique experience of piloting a ship together. I think that makes a pretty spectacular game and for that reason, I would highly recommend "Star Fox Zero" to anyone who has a bit of spare time or a best friend they would love to share the experience with.
