Nintendo's "Star Fox Zero" is setting up for failure as low ratings were incurred due to the poor utilization of the Wii U console as a platform. The new game is continuously being compared to other big and successful Nintendo Wii U versions of the popular "Mario Kart" and "Donkey Kong" saga.
"Star Fox Zero" is one of the distinctive released from Nintendo with a dynamic cartoon hero in a superb galactic setting, as per the LA Times review. However, the glaring downside is that it's not very playable. With the GamePad as the controller of choice, "Star Fox Zero" as a whole was described as confusing and a dizzying 'juggling' of tasks as there are a lot of point of views to check on.
The split-screen and awkward motion controls is the flaw of this rather great game, according to Forbes. Complaints of "Star Fox Zero" mostly revolved around the unsettling choice of controls and unpleasant shifts in gaming point-of-view. The lesser-known "Star Fox Zero" game release could have had the potential to become a very viable marketing opportunity for Nintendo.
The frustration over "Star Fox Zero" poor gameplay and overall point-of-view experience were further illustrated when it was compared to 'Mario Kart 8' and how it used Wii U better as a platform. Forbes further stated that luckily 'Mario Kart 8' used the Wii U hardware in a different manner. It limits the use of the gamepad and instead, focused on the amazing tracks and easy gameplay controls.
In summary, Kotaku summarized that the problem of "Star Fox Zero" is deeply rooted on its weak level design and flawed controls set-up. The game design unsually seem uninspired and overshadowed by an overt attempt to showcase Wii U more as a console rather than an iconic gaming experience.