Let this be a lesson to you all: don't try to be different or else everyone will criticize you. Indeed, I've always been puzzled by the lukewarm-at-best reception that this game has received over six years after its release. Some argue that it's nothing but a pretty Zelda clone. Yet one can find consistent inspirations from other franchises in nearly every major Rare title: Donkey Kong Country (Super Mario Bros.), Diddy Kong Racing (Mario Kart), Banjo-Kazooie (Super Mario 64), Killer Instinct (Mortal Kombat / Street Fighter II). This is not to say that these games are imitators; rather, that they have always kept a finger to the pulse of their colleagues.
Personally, I'm under the impression that Star Fox Adventures gets a very unfair wrap. The most common complaint is that it strayed too far from the shooting / piloting elements of previous iterations. This seems unfair. Can we honestly criticize a game for what it is not? One could argue that it's not a great game in the series, but can one honestly detract respect for something simply because it doesn't meet his or her own demands?
