Originally announced at E3 2000 as the N64-bound Dinosaur Planet, this Rare-developed adventure has seen some pretty major changes in the last year. Throughout recent months, there has been much talk regarding Nintendo changing its target platform from the N64 to the upcoming GameCube. That much and more was indeed confirmed at this year's E3--not only was it revealed that the game is indeed headed for Nintendo's next-gen box, but it was also announced that the game will benefit from the graces of one of Nintendo's stronger properties: the Star Fox franchise.

To those who've followed the Nintendo beat for the last year, the game's new title--Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet--may seem a bit awkward. But in truth, the change couldn't be more fitting. Walking, talking, intelligent animals, like the ones who inhabit the world of Dinosaur Planet, have always been one of the Star Fox series' mainstays. And since fans of the Star Fox series have yet to explore Fox McCloud's world outside of the context of his Arwing starfighter, the fit seems almost perfect. The result should be a welcome one. By nixing Sabre (the game's old protagonist) in favor of Fox, Nintendo has given Rare a strong property to work with, which should result in both a treat to fans and a great many opportunities for the developer to create a compelling adventure using the Star Fox series' themes and rich gameplay heritage.

Effectively, very little of the game has been changed, barring the Sabre-to-Fox model swap. It is still an archetypal Nintendo adventure, in the spirit of Ocarina of Time, featuring equal amounts exploration, combat, and puzzle solving. Rare also promises, though, that there will be a good portion of traditional Star Fox-style spaceship combat--though examples of this have yet to be seen. Setting the tone for all this, of course, is a story that builds on the series' continuing narrative: Eight years after his defeat of the vile Andross, Fox McCloud finds himself en route to Dinosaur Planet to investigate the evil General Scales' recent invasion of the harsh but beautiful world. At the outset of his journey, Fox gains access to a wondrous staff, with a variety of fantastical powers, around which many of the game's mechanics are focused. He also allies himself with many of Dinosaur Planet's native inhabitants, most specifically a young triceratops named Tricky and a mysterious feline-esque young woman named Krystal. Both will play a major role in the gameplay and the game's story. Tricky will constantly trail Fox, and you will be able to control his actions, to a limited degree. And Krystal, it is presumed, will be fully playable during certain sequences. Ultimately, Fox will find himself and his friends foiling the plans of General Scales and his henchmen in an effort to rescue Dinosaur Planet's captured pterodactyl princess and set things right in the green world. Rare will convey this story through super-detailed real-time cinemas, complete with fully voiced, and animated characters, examples of which were shown by Nintendo at E3.

Some old faces will appear as well, though--most of the classic members of the Star Fox team play auxiliary roles in Fox's quest. Slippy the frog will provide Fox with weapon upgrades and the like, while Peppy the rabbit will function as mission control, helping Fox make sense of the lay of the strange alien land. Rob the robot, finally, will pop in from time to time and supply Fox with gear during his quest, just like in the old spaceship days. Falco the falcon--the fourth member of the Star Fox team--is purportedly absent, having decided to pursue his own agenda. That he'll appear in the game at some point, though, is a very good possibility.

The series' established background gives one the impression that Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet is set to emerge as a sufficiently well executed adventure game. We emerged from this year's E3 with some definite impressions of the game. Read on.

Walking around
Shooting a Dinosaur