<s>
is	O
a	O
3D	O
scrolling	O
shooter	O
and	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Namco	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
fourth	O
released	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
Adventures	I-Application
,	O
and	O
follows	O
Fox	O
McCloud	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
attempting	O
to	O
save	O
the	O
Lylat	O
System	O
from	O
the	O
enemy	O
insectoid	O
beings	O
called	O
Aparoids	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
contains	O
orchestral	O
arrangements	O
of	O
music	O
from	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
64	I-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
original	O
tracks	O
created	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
is	O
divided	O
into	O
three	O
distinctive	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
no	O
more	O
lives/vehicles	O
and	O
the	O
shield/health	O
meter	O
completely	O
depletes	O
,	O
they	O
will	O
receive	O
a	O
game	B-Application
over	I-Application
and	O
be	O
sent	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
title	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
added	O
bonus	O
,	O
by	O
collecting	O
all	O
silver	O
medals	O
throughout	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
unlock	O
the	O
NES	B-Language
port	O
of	O
the	O
scrolling	O
shooter	O
arcade	O
game	O
Xevious	B-Application
as	O
a	O
bonus	O
minigame	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Japanese	O
version	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
also	O
features	O
the	O
Famicom	O
games	O
Battle	B-Application
City	I-Application
and	O
Star	B-Application
Luster	I-Application
as	O
unlockables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Playable	O
characters	O
include	O
the	O
entire	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
team	O
(	O
including	O
Peppy	O
and	O
Wolf	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
usual	O
rings	O
seen	O
in	O
other	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
games	O
that	O
restore	O
a	O
vehicle	O
's	O
shield	O
are	O
also	O
present	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
stars	O
the	O
members	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
,	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
spacefaring	O
mercenaries	O
:	O
Fox	O
McCloud	O
,	O
Falco	O
Lombardi	O
,	O
Slippy	O
Toad	O
and	O
their	O
newest	O
member	O
Krystal	O
participate	O
in	O
combat	O
missions	O
,	O
while	O
Peppy	O
Hare	O
and	O
ROB	O
64	O
provide	O
tactical	O
support	O
from	O
their	O
mothership	O
,	O
the	O
Great	O
Fox	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
frequently	O
clash	O
with	O
rival	O
mercenary	O
group	O
Star	O
Wolf	O
,	O
made	O
up	O
of	O
Wolf	O
O'Donnell	O
,	O
Leon	O
Powalski	O
and	O
new	O
recruit	O
Panther	O
Caroso	O
;	O
former	O
members	O
Pigma	O
Dengar	O
and	O
Andrew	O
Oikonny	O
have	O
since	O
been	O
kicked	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
team	O
's	O
primary	O
opponents	O
are	O
the	O
Aparoids	O
,	O
a	O
race	O
of	O
cybernetic	O
insectoid	O
creatures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Aparoids	O
operate	O
as	O
a	O
hive	B-General_Concept
mind	I-General_Concept
under	O
the	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
Aparoid	O
Queen	O
,	O
who	O
believes	O
that	O
all	O
things	O
exist	O
for	O
the	O
infestation	O
and	O
seeks	O
to	O
assimilate	O
everything	O
in	O
the	O
universe	O
under	O
her	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assault	O
takes	O
place	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
Adventures	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
once	O
again	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
Lylat	O
System	O
and	O
sees	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
team	O
travelling	O
to	O
many	O
different	O
locations	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
their	O
native	O
planet	O
Corneria	O
,	O
Star	O
Wolf	O
's	O
base	O
the	O
Sargasso	O
Hideout	O
,	O
the	O
prehistoric	O
planet	O
Sauria	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Aparoid	O
Homeworld	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
General	O
Pepper	O
orders	O
an	O
attack	O
on	O
Oikonny	O
's	O
forces	O
,	O
hiring	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
team	O
to	O
assist	O
the	O
Cornerian	O
Army	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
battle	O
,	O
Oikonny	O
's	O
flagship	O
is	O
destroyed	O
by	O
an	O
insectoid	O
creature	O
,	O
which	O
attacks	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fearing	O
an	O
invasion	O
,	O
Beltino	O
asks	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
to	O
recover	O
an	O
undamaged	O
Core	O
Memory	O
so	O
that	O
they	O
might	O
find	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
stop	O
the	O
Aparoids	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lured	O
by	O
a	O
false	O
distress	O
signal	O
,	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
team	O
are	O
deceived	O
by	O
Pigma	O
,	O
who	O
tricks	O
them	O
into	O
destroying	O
a	O
giant	O
Aparoid	O
so	O
he	O
can	O
steal	O
its	O
Core	O
Memory	O
and	O
sell	O
it	O
on	O
the	O
black	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
by	O
the	O
time	O
Team	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
arrive	O
to	O
Pigma	O
's	O
hideaway	O
,	O
he	O
has	O
already	O
been	O
infected	O
by	O
the	O
Aparoids	O
and	O
they	O
are	O
forced	O
to	O
kill	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
prevents	O
an	O
Aparoid	O
assault	O
on	O
Sauria	O
,	O
Corneria	O
is	O
left	O
nearly	O
defenseless	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Aparoids	O
breaching	O
the	O
planet	O
and	O
infecting	O
General	O
Pepper	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
and	O
Star	O
Wolf	O
travel	O
to	O
the	O
Aparoid	O
Homeworld	O
,	O
only	O
to	O
discover	O
the	O
planet	O
's	O
core	O
is	O
blocked	O
by	O
a	O
regenerative	O
shield	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Successfully	O
evacuating	O
,	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
team	O
reunite	O
with	O
Peppy	O
and	O
ROB	O
,	O
who	O
survived	O
the	O
crash	O
via	O
an	O
escape	O
pod	O
and	O
reveal	O
the	O
other	O
infectees	O
have	O
been	O
cured	O
,	O
including	O
General	O
Pepper	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
had	O
a	O
tentative	O
release	O
date	O
of	O
April	O
2003	O
for	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
employees	O
who	O
worked	O
on	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
at	O
Namco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
the	O
working	O
title	O
:	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
Armada	I-Application
,	O
but	O
eventually	O
came	O
to	O
be	O
known	O
as	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
multiplayer-oriented	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ground	O
missions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
a	O
control	O
scheme	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
on-foot	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
in	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
64	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
score	O
pieces	O
use	O
themes	O
from	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
composed	O
by	O
Koji	O
Kondo	O
and	O
Hajime	O
Wakai	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
to	O
positive	O
reception	O
and	O
has	O
an	O
average	O
score	O
of	O
71%	O
on	O
GameRankings	O
and	O
67/100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
became	O
enough	O
of	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
for	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
included	O
in	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Player	O
's	O
Choice	O
line	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
includes	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
64	I-Application
and	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
Adventures	I-Application
.	O
</s>
