DF Retro: Dinosaur Planet - Inside Rare's Lost N64 Game + Star Fox Adventures Comparisons!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- Dinosaur Planet is the last Nintendo 64 game developed by Rare and thought lost - the original game having been revamped and repurposed as Star Fox Adventures for Nintendo GameCube. However, advanced development code for the game has recently been discovered, giving us a fascinating glimpse at the game that never was. In a DF Retro special, John Linneman examines the recovered code, stacks it up against Star Fox Adventures on GameCube, and brings us exclusive insight about the game from one of the people that made it!
Table of Contents
0:00 - Introduction
2:12 - Origins
6:09 - Pushing N64
9:37 - Comparing with GameCube
24:07 - Unused Areas
27:06 - Final Thoughts
Logitech Lightspeed Wireless sponsors Digital Foundry. Step up to the pro-grade communications and precision audio you need to win, all with the freedom and mobility of LIGHTSPEED wireless.
Buy the Logitech G915 Lightspeed Wireless keyboard here:
US - g.logi.link/bvtr3
UK - g.logi.link/vjfrz
Subscribe for more Digital Foundry and DF Retro: bit.ly/DFSubscribe
Join the DF Patreon to support the team more directly and to get access to everything we do via pristine quality downloads: bit.ly/3jEGjvx
Want some DF-branded tee-shirts, mugs, hoodies or pullovers? Check out our store: bit.ly/2BqRTt0 - Ігри
In less than 2 years this game went from running in 15fps on the N64 to 60fps on GameCube with graphics that looked like they were 5 years ahead of their time. What a transition.
I remember standing in the hub area with the grass swaying and could barely believe what I saw lol. Also atmosphere was beautiful and immersive. I really loved that game.
@@InjusticeHater Lets also not forget, Starfox Adventures had full 5.1 surround sound. At the time, it sounded on my system using Pro Logic II, just as good as Dolby Digital. If anything it was superior to most other games at the time in just how positional the audio was. I used to stop and spin the camera just to hear things move around me.
Then there's the excellent soundtrack and ambience. This game is still in the top of my list of favourite game of all time, despite the fact I never actually completed it. Its also still one of the hardest titles to run on Dolphin, showing just how optimised it was for the hardware.
I'd pay good money for a HD remaster though it seems unlikely it would ever happen.
And from 192p(or 240p?) to 480p
@@alexatkin yeah, I had my good old Teufel sound system back then, I almost forgot the game had great audio too
There is six years between the hardware though. But yes generational jumps did feel like proper jumps back then. Unlike the incremental jumps today.
"The entire game is voiced. Something we take for granted today but it was a Rare thing on the Nintendo 64" heh
Conker was fully voiced not to mention the graphics animation were so freaking amazing!! Even better resident evil 2 had full motion videos!!
I don't get it, it was a Rare thing, what's the joke?
@@Cade_The_Squirrel It wasn't common (ie it was rare) to find on the N64, and the developers of Dinosaur Planet were a company called Rare.
@@jamesprumos7775Plus conker's bad fur day (also by rare) also had full voice acting
The generational leap between the N64 and the GameCube is insane. Really puts today's technical achievements into perspective.
Same with the PS1 and PS2! The leaps seemed a lot more obvious back then, leading people to believe today's generational leaps aren't as significant but I think I think they are, just in different ways.
I think it's amplified somewhat by the inefficiencies of the n64 hardware.
@@jc_dogen probably, but the PS1-PS2 leap was impressive as well. Even more if you factor in how great Xbox games looked back then.
@@PeugeotRocket Yeah, it's called diminishing returns. The more detail you have, the less you will notice a 2x increase in detail. So a doubling of power nowadays, doesn't look as impressive as a doubling of power did, back in the early days of 3D.
@@detectivescrotes we used to get 16x RAM increase each gen. Now only 2x. PS3 has stronger CPU than PS5 lol. No wonder this gen there is no graphical leap.
When seeing this surprisingly complete version of Dinosaur Planet makes us feel like we're in an alternate dimension.
You just know that somewhere out there exists a universe where this actually did release in a finished form on N64. Somewhere in the multiverse.
@@HueyTheDoctor watched too much star trek?
Now if only Twelve Tales Conker 64 stopped being lost to time too, but I’m sure that happening is next to impossible compared to Dinosaur Planet.
@@Thenumber1yoshi Chris Seavor recently stated Twelve Tales didn't get far and only had a couple of levels that worked properly
If this game had remained on Nintendo 64 with the original idea of Rare with playable Saber and Crystal it could have become a fun classic that pushed Nintendo 64 to its limit, but instead it became a generic Star Fox that many today in days they do not come with good eyes, it gets to be ironic.
I hope that in the future if we see a Nintendo 64 Mini or Nintendo 64 on Switch Online that Nintendo releases the version of Dinosaur Planet the way it should have been (as they did with Star Fox 2), that would be incredible.
The N64 version looks incredible considering the platform it's on. Fantastic concept art as well.
Rare did amazing things with the N64. People forget how advanced these games looked back then. It’s even more impressive when you realise it’s on a 64 MB cartridge 😅😅
thats rare for you! nintendos rare were amazing every game filled you with excitement and they never failed to deliver
@@rare6499 including full voice acting! That's crazy.
@@demantim Very impressive. What can you fit in to 64MB now?!
@@rare6499 I believe they were using the Expansion Pak to have higher resolution textures.
star fox adventures still looks insanely good 19 years later
Easily the best looking GameCube game, even better looking than most Wii titles. Hell I'd say an HD version wouldn't even look that out of place on the Switch tbh.
RIP oldschool Rareware, I hope Playtonic grows enough to replace them
@@protocetid so far Playtonic's games have been mediocre at best and worse than most Rare games released on Xbox systems.
@@kevboard Impossible Lair is a great game, people really don't give it enough credit for its innovative world map. It wasn't the first game to let you tackle the last level so early but it was a neat touch too (and they addressed difficulty concerns).
@@VexAcer pretty crazy it was running at 60fps and looking better than wii games
Man rare was a God tier developer on the n64. Think is no single generation of a console that has ever had this many hits from 1 developer
Rockstar on the PS2 comes to mind.
Well, there's always Nintendo...
@@henkvandommelen3206 Bwa, ha, ha, ha! Not even close!
Konami on the NES and SNES is another developer that had one amazing game after another that are still great to this very day.
@@davidaitken8503 Konomi was better on the MSX :p
As you mentioned, the community is working feverishly to dig up all of this ROM's secrets. I have been tirelessly playing this ROM, using various cheats such as NoClip and codes that fix certain crash points like picking up certain items. Just with what you talked about, I can add the following (lots of info ahead, just to warn you):
- There is a Sharpclaw disguise spell in the game: The Illusion Spell. When used on Fox, he changes into Saber. It turns out Saber's model is still in the ROM and completely intact, and a code can force this model to be used. Eye movements and facial expressions still work when this model is used in cutscenes. Nearly as interesting is when this spell is used on Krystal, where her model textures fade into Sharpclaw-textured versions, complete with a different outfit. This same texture fade-in happens when you end the spell, except it does so from the bottom up. Presumably a similar effect happened with Saber before Fox replaced him, but I don't know if Saber's Sharpclaw textures can be recovered.
- Regarding the Swapstones/Warpstone, both games don't allow you to warp to Warlock Mountain/Krazoa Palace without a Quan Ata Lachu/Krazoa Spirit. I found out from playing the ROM that you also cannot swap characters if you have a Spirit or a Spellstone.
- SFA's Krazoa Palace is a redesigned Warlock Mountain. The original Krazoa Palace in DP was an entirely different area that was cut from the final game. Many other areas were also cut from SFA.
- Warlock Mountain does not have any Krazoa Shrines, whereas SFA's Krazoa Palace has 2. There were originally 8 Krazoa Shrines, 3 of which were cut in SFA. The final game still has 6 Shrines, but the last one is a scripted plot point that finishes off General Scales. The one Shrine Krystal does complete in SFA was originally the 4th Shrine in DP, was located in the Walled City, and was completed by Saber.
- The crystal in the center of SFA's Krazoa Palace is also present in Warlock Mountain, but is much bigger, looks vastly different, and serves a different purpose. It's supposed to reveal the location of DP's Krazoa Palace after returning 6 Quan Ata Lachu Spirits.
- The Ice Mountain hot spring has a cave with 2 warp pads in DP. I haven't yet been able to interact with them, but I suspect at least one of them takes you back to the mountain summit. A warp pad can also be found in the Sharpclaw hideout cave at the summit. Voice clips from previous leaks of this game suggest that you could race the Sharpclaws again to win an item.
- The river in Swapstone/Thorntail Hollow originally fed into some rapids that led to Diamond Bay, another area cut from SFA. Previously leaked voice lines, and a post in the Hollow used as log docking points in other areas, suggest that you are supposed to ride a log into Diamond Bay. A skull-and-crossbones sign at the edge of the river also implies the rapids are fatal if you try to swim through them, but this death mechanic doesn't work. I'm pretty sure you aren't meant to have access to Diamond Bay until you have Saber's first Spellstone from the DarkIce Mines.
- Considering the previous point, and the Northern Wastes guard telling you "Sharpclaw only," implying you need the Illusion Spell, I believe you are meant to swap to Krystal after healing the Queen Earthwalker. From what I can tell, Dinosaur Planet still follows a linear, balanced progression structure with Saber and Krystal, despite the swapping mechanic having potential for uneven character progression.
- In DP's Cape Claw, you free the Lightfoot from a cage to obtain the Shield Spell, which protects you from environmental hazards such as toxic gas or laser beam traps. The waterfall also had a cave behind it with a glowing yellow gem that can't be obtained yet. Kyte, Krystal's sidekick, would press down the nearby lever to dry up the waterfall.
- In SFA, the locked door in Lightfoot Village leads to a cave containing the 3rd Krazoa Shrine. In DP, this same cave has no Shrine, and instead leads to yet another cut area: Blackwater Canyon, a sacred dinosaur burial ground. This area contains Krystal's 2nd Spellstone, and what I believe is the 3rd overall.
- It seems Krystal is meant to get the Cloudrunner Fortress Spellstone before Saber gets the DarkIce Mines Spellstone. This order is inversed in SFA.
- The isolated areas in SFA (DarkIce, Walled City, etc.) were originally connected to the main overworlds. For example, Cloudrunner Fortress is found at the top of Moon Mountain, which is where SFA's Volcano Temple is.
- It's possible to legitimately obtain the Cape Claw Shiny Nugget, but it requires glitching yourself off the log in the alcove entrance, and then using a code fix to prevent the item pickup scene from crashing. It seems the crash from entering the alcove is caused by the log you're riding despawning. To get out, you have to either save and reset or drown in the water.
- With enough attempts at the gas chamber, and pushing the blocks in a certain order, you can open the other door and get past this room. It leads to a Krazoa fortress overlooking the Cape, and it contains Kyte locked in a cell. This is where you finally free her and get Krystal's sidekick. After solving puzzles to get back out, you have to save and reload to prevent the gas chamber from activating again, or just do it again and hope it doesn't crash. Leaving Cape Claw from here leads to Krystal getting captured by the Lightfoot (similar to what happens in SFA), and you eventually opening and reaching Discovery Falls, where the first Krazoa Shrine is found.
- Krystal is supposed to use a Spellstone to get access to the Golden Plains (the desert), but the game doesn't check whether you have one.
- It seems there was a mechanic where the desert heat would slowly drain your health, but this doesn't work, at least not when you're there out-of-sequence. (A lot of things in the game break if they are done or accessed out of the intended order.)
- I believe the dinosaur in the Golden Plains is the Cloudrunner Fortress Spellstone Guardian, who is needed to activate the respective Spellstone.
- The desert upper path where you get blown off leads to the Portal Spell, a power that _did_ make it into SFA.
- The temple at the end of the desert is actually the original Ocean Force Point Temple from SFA, except here, it's desert-themed. Both versions use the same interior maps, except the Desert Temple has an elevator connecting both sections, and the latter section differs somewhat. The Desert Temple is also where a _real_ fight with General Scales is supposed to take place late in the game, but I haven't been able to trigger it yet. The Desert Temple has a really cool design in my opinion, and uses electricity as its force point element.
- The enemy outside the Desert Temple doesn't crash if Kyte is with you, but hitting him once just makes him disappear with no death animation. He's likely supposed to shoot at you if you climb the scaffolding, but he has no active AI. After killing him, you can man the cannon and fire at whatever you like, but it doesn't seem to have any use.
I know this is a ton of information, but I hope you find all of this just as interesting as I do. There's way more I could talk about, such as DP's Dragon Rock, which differs vastly from SFA's trimmed-down version. DP's Dragon Rock is extremely interesting, containing vastly different visuals (it's practically an alien landscape), an entirely different boss battle, and even a full-blown escape sequence.
I know this comment is really old, but I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you typing all this out. This is super interesting stuff!
Man, Rare's work on the N64 brings back so many memories. You guys should do a whole retrospective on Conker's Bad Fur Day, Jet Force Gemini, Banjo Kazooie, etc. What they were doing with the hardware was, and still is to me, so fascinating.
People forget that along with Dinosaur Planet, Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil 0, Kameo and KIND OF Animal Crossing (in NA) were all N64 games that got moved over to the Gamecube. I was so pumped for this game, glad to see the N64 version finally saw the light of day :)
I think it's amazing that not much has changed (besides the graphics, of course) this game is simply gorgeous for the Nintendo 64 standard, the gameplay is very well done and the graphics are exceptional for the platform, RARE really managed to push the console to the limit here, maybe even more than they did with Conker and Jet Set Gemini.
It is a pity that RARE did not follow its original idea, this game could have become the game that would close the Nintendo 64 cycle with a golden key (similar to Majora Mask and Conker Bad Fur Day), it could have become an excellent classic, but in the end it just became a average Star Fox game for the Game Cube that nobody cares about.
PS: Star Fox Adventures is a good game, it just isn't a good Star Fox game.
@@MoonSarito
Jet Force Gemini*
You forgot the most important game of them all, Doshin the Giant!
@@Christopher-md7tf Did that ever make it out of Japan? I know it released on the 64DD, but didn't know of other releases
@@corey2232 The Gamecube re-release did make it to Europe, but not America. I was also just joking, I don't think it's that great of a game, actually 😬
It is still so unreal to me that someone spent that much time creating this world...and then Nintendo said „Jam the Starfox characters in there“ and they had to go along with it.
And we were robbed of something that likely would have been one of the best RPGs of all time.
Yeah, I can see why Rare wanted to work with Microsoft instead. Even though that turned out to be a terrible idea
@@Wockes they got bought out by Microsoft and Nintendo probably didn’t want Dinosaur Island on Xbox so they slapped Star Fox on it.
@@mitchjames9350 No, the game was developed before the sale and Star Fox Adventures ultimately got released the day before Microsoft bought Rare on 23 sep 2002 in the US.
Still wished it stayed as Dinosaur Planet. I like the old design of Krystal better than the one we got, even more when she played a major part in the main game rather than just kicked aside on SF Adventure.
Omg ikr?? I feel EXACTLY the same way!
Yo, that Rare developer loves death note so much that he's got a tattoo.
Respect
That’s Kevin Bayliss
That isn't a death note tattoo it's a cramps tattoo
I believe I recognise the floppy haired fellow (the dev, not Fox).. 😜
StEvEn420BrUlE
I gotta say, it looks more like Ryuk from Death Note than the The Cramps zombie. Maybe it’s both.
@@Schwarzorn Death note poster on the left...
Thank you for taking the time to make a video about Starfox Adventures, such a gem of a game.
It's more of a video about Dinosaur Planet, i would say, but for obvious reasons, SFA comes together on the package
@@Rihcterwilker They were essentially two versions of the same game, just at different points in development.
It's amazing how similar the beta is to Adventures, no loading screens, fully voice acted and fully explorable areas on the N64.
The good news is that patchers had patched the game so you would no longer crash when trying to access the cracked open cave in Cape Claw. We even got Sabre back as a playable model :D
Gosh with everything coming to light now I wonder if someone can find an Eternal Darkness build for N64.
I dunno what you mean, Eternal Darkness was released on N64.
@@Anenome5 I am not sure why you wrote this comment at all, but Eternal Darkness was obviously released on gamecube with an almost complete but lost (at the moment or forever) Nintendo 64 build.
I hope something similar for the N64 version of Resident Evil 0
@@Anenome5 no, gamecube
Would'nt mind a build of Too Human for N64.
The release of GoldenEye Remake and now Dinosaur Planet 64 gives me hope that, maybe one day, Twelve Tales: Conker 64 makes its way to the public.
So glad this was able to be experienced. One of the cancelled games I’ve always wanted to play. Met all my expectations. Really a great project from 90’s Rareware. You can tell the passion and effort put into the game. Hope the eventual decompile will help complete the game as intended. One of the better N64 titles.
Or just play the completed, update remake on GameCube.
Man... how I wish the game had been finished with its original idea and not become a Star Fox... it had a lot more to offer like a new IP that could become an amazing classic to close the Nintendo 64 lifecycle.
This makes me wish we’d get a hd version of Star fox adventures on Switch.
The transition is crazy, but what impressed me most is how incredible the n64 build looks
"the N64's fog-capability"
_laughs in Turok_
Superman would like to have a word with you :P
Nintendo not buying out Rare back in the 2000’s was such a sad thing.
Nintendo didn't buy them because they couldn't secure the talent if they did buy them (among other reasons). Microsoft also couldn't secure the talent, which left shortly after the buyout, and the rest is history. Not much would have changed had Nintendo bought them instead of Microsoft, unless Nintendo buying them would have compelled the talent to stay. But given what that talent did on their own since then, I'd say they were dried up and done with no matter what...
The irony is that around the same time Rare split from Nintendo, Retro Studios would solidify its’ relationship with Nintendo and be seen as the spiritual replacement for Rare.
Amazing how it runs at 60 FPS and still looks as good as it does (especially the character model quality for 2002) before ray-tracing, ambient occlusion, or any post-rendering effects existed.
The fur and grass shading look even better than some modern examples in games today, barring the low resolution of course.
Ambient occlusion is possible even on the N64.
Rare Ware was always putting so much detail into their games and I remember always being mesmerized by the worlds in the BK games.
Beautiful game - have been playing it on a modded Wii U over HDMI and it looks almost current gen!! One of the last Nintendo games to be a genuine technical showcase for the hardware era it released in. Great video
I remember standing in the beach level of Star Fox Adventures, just swinging the camera around in awe.
"The reception wasn't that warm and I'm surprised"
I'll tell you exactly why, as stated from several of my friends at the time: its not a starfox game. You get one tease of a starfox game at the start and everything else felt like a COMPLETE departure (because it was). Kids don't (or didnt) care about a games development roots or the business calls behind them, nor do they appreciate the technical hurdles and back office dealings. They saw starfox on the cover, they wanted and expected a Starfox 64 like game on the GameCube. Instead they got "bamboozled"
Of course there's a tiny community, like us, who can look back at this stuff and super appreciate everything, removed from the schoolyard politics of the time, but back then the average consumer couldn't possibly care less :/
Ya my mom bought me this game as a kid and I remember being disappointed at first because like you said, they tease a gamecube Starfox game, and it quickly turns into an adventure puzzle game with no recognizable characters. I ended up loving the game, but at first I felt bamboozled.
It was compared to Ocarina and Majora's Mask.
The design was nowhere near as varied or as polished as those two. There was a general sense that they were artificially expanding the playtime of the game.
Also, the story was originally built around two perspectives. And with only one perspective left intact, and an annoying prince to babysit on top of it all?
People regarded this as the DKC 64 of Zelda-likes.
And it really did a number on Rare's reputation, that their first X-Box/360 games wouldn't salvage.
I really wish they could've gone through with Dinosaur Planet as it was. Or at least that the Star Fox IP & script changes weren't forced upon them.
Because beyond the graphics, I felt Star Fox Adventures was an utter disappointment on almost everything else, especially the story. Personally, it had nothing to do with it not being a shoot em up.
Nevermind the numerous plotholes (with itself, not just with Star Fox) and how formulaic it is, nevermind how out of character Fox is (and the shoehorned romance... _shudders_ ), nevermind that they've jammed magic into a universe that's completely rooted into sci-fi, the fact that Krystal was downgraded from "2nd protagonist contrasting thematically with the main hero, and being lost siblings" to "random damsel in distress" is a huge loss and it's singlehandedly the biggest waste of potential in this game. Also Andross being the surprise villain is a fantastically terrible choice. Even without knowledge of Dinosaur Planet, the cutbacks and shortcuts taken on the script are pretty obvious.
Gameplay was mostly okay, but never great. The second half of the game in particular felt rather tired and the formula was getting pretty obvious, with the story just... stagnating there. And combat was shockingly bad and monotonous.
Even if I feel the gameplay part is decent, as a Star Fox fan, for me it's instantly shot down for all its story flaws, mischaracterisation, and learning the N64 game's potential just makes it even worse.
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 I must agree.
The vision of dinosaur planet was different and had a different focus which was most stuff ignored / cutted / changed in the gamecube game .
Starfox adventures has signs of a rushed developement too and it is pretty off like there should be much more in this game than what it already got .
Starfox adventures isnt bad but a mediocre game that has missed many opportunities to reach its full potential .
No one got what they wanted, really. Star Fox fans saw Star Fox on the cover and thought it might be a Star Fox 64 sequel and it wasn't. Anyone excited about the N64 Dinosaur Planet had to wait for a new platform for the finished results and Gamecube in terms of sales never touched PS2, a factor that hurt every single game released on the system. There's a good number of games that really show how powerful Gamecube is (it's an elegant, well-designed, well balanced system in terms of under-the-hood features), but they're stuck on Gamecube.
I'm shocked by the highly efficient techniques they used to employ, which are rarely taken advantege of today. That Grass and fur shader for example, it would be ideal to flesh out distant detail instead of it just popping up from nothing. Also, stencil shadows, they work much better than low resolution shadow maps.
The worst part of Star Fox Adventures for me is knowing Dinosaur Planet was going to have Krystal basically be playable at many points throughout the entire game, only for SFA to render her a damsel in distress, which in turn also made her more of a simple fanservice side character than that of a respectable protagonist with an actual personality (which Dinosaur Planet Krystal seems to have)
AMAZING job... awesome video.
Hope someday to be able to do something close to DF Retro.... in PORTUGUESE tho....
Se por acaso você fala português e gosta do conteúdo do DF Retro, se inscreve aí no Rated M.
Estou começando o Retro M agora... mas em breve terá bastante conteúdo de qualidade e em 4K.
@@RealRatedM 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Uia... BRASIL!!! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Caramba, vc poraki Rated?
I remember being really excited for Dinosaur Planet when I read about it in Nintendo Power as a kid. Then I learned it was retooled as Star Fox Adventures, and I completely lost interest, lol. oof. While the Gamecube version looks a lot better from a technical perspective, I really wish they could have kept Krystal and Sabre as main characters you could switch between.
Anyways, thank you for the comparison! It's very interesting to see.
The mood, atmosphere, and color design for much of Dinosaur Planet was superior to SFA. The simpler UI as well. Both are technical achievements for their respective platforms, I just wish we had a complete ver of Dinosaur Planet. Fantastic video DF!!!
You know, back when I played this game as a kid, I always thought the first section on the GameCube felt like it wasn’t a star Fox game at all and was meant to be something else and the opening level really expresses That original direction
I still remember seeing those original screenshots in N64 Magazine and being blown away by how good the game looked. It really felt like Dinosaur Planet was going to be something truly momentous.
David wise' soundtrack on this game....some of his best work! amazing
those "brush things" are called tumbleweed john. lol
Rare truly were the masters of their craft. Dinosaur Planet looks damn amazing for an N64 title, in an era where games had no spoken dialogue, or facial animation. The fact that the characters can actually move their face and it looks pretty good is pretty telling IMO. Just the fact it actually runs and plays, albeit at a low speed and framerate, is amazing to me.
Then the fact they got SFA to run @ a hot 60fps on the GC. Just mind boggling to me. I miss you, Rare.
Star Fox Adventures is an actual underrated game. Not the fake Reddit kind, but actually a great game that got unfair criticism and was overlooked ever since it released.
I agree. It definitely looks, feels and plays like a Rare game. Moon Mountain Pass reminds me of a world you might see in the Banjo Kazooie series.
I was blown away by the quality level on n64, looks better than Bad Fur Day to my eye.
This game has groundbreaking techniques on the Cube. The water effects and lighting is simply amazing.
Is this the interview footage that was teased at the end of the DKC DF Retro episode like 3 years ago? I always wondered what that was about.
Everything about the N64 version just seems more interesting. I really hope these modders can deliver something awesome.
I dig the Oasis concert poster on the Dev's wall. Ah the 1990s. Not the greatest decade but definitely the last great decade.
The gamecube version holds up extremely well.
GameCube was such a beast.
Two words, Twilight Princess on the Gamecube : 🤤
I just recently replayed Pokemon Colosseum via emulator, and it's crazy how much of a leap graphically Star Fox Adventures is over that.
The battle models animations and visual effects look kinda neat on those GC Pokemon games tho
We NEED Dinosaur Planet to come back in a full remake
If this game had remained on Nintendo 64 with the original idea of Rare with playable Saber and Crystal it could have become a fun classic that pushed Nintendo 64 to its limit, but instead it became a generic Star Fox that many today in days they do not come with good eyes, it gets to be ironic.
I hope that in the future if we see a Nintendo 64 Mini or Nintendo 64 on Switch Online that Nintendo releases the version of Dinosaur Planet the way it should have been (as they did with Star Fox 2), that would be incredible.
@@gambiarraswiiu8141 I Wish it will happen
@@gambiarraswiiu8141 Star Fox Adventures is great, it is just not a Star Fox game. As you can see in this video, it is the final version of what was envisioned in the N64, just with great graphics at 60 FPS.
@@gambiarraswiiu8141 Gotta disagree. As stated in the video, Zelda style adventure games were a rarity. Not only did it deliver a fun experience, but an above average story, great graphics and ran at 60 fps. Have great memories playing this as a kid. But i suppose it's all an opinion!
@@gambiarraswiiu8141 There's nothing generic about Star Fox Adventures. Very unique like Star Fox 2.
Damn... finally a full DF Retro episode! Always great stuff.
This is really cool! I really appreciate the effort you put into this John, this is all stuff I'd never see otherwise and you always do a great job showing all the differences and pointing out the neat details. Another great DF Retro.
Crazy how good the GameCube still holds up nearly 20 years later, and also crazy how big of a leap it was from the N64. I grew up with the GameCube as a kid and born a year before it released, so I was pretty unfamiliar with the N64. My older cousins had an N64 though, and whenever I’d play it I honestly thought it was a lot more older than it really is over GameCube, possibly like 15-20 years older lol. The difference was huge in my eyes as a little kid.
Insanely good work right here! Thanks for making this, John.
The 007 remake and this.
Hopefully more of the "lost" builds start coming to light
2021 seems to be the year for that kinda stuff
Star Fox Adventures still looks good to this day, and 60fps as well! Imagine the amazing Gamecube games we could have gotten if they weren't bought by Microsoft
Their purchase was such wasted potential. Nothing they've done on any Xbox was great. Kameo was probably the best but still, nothing amazing.
At least we got Rare Replay I suppose.
DP
Yeah, there just wasn’t an audience for their games on xBox. Such a waste...
I think that actually proves it was a good decision to sell the stock. The main talent at Rare had already left. I was upset for years, but time has proven it to have been the right call.
@Garrus Vakarian that's what I'm saying. Was that not clear??
Probably the same games we got on the Xbox and 360 but on the Gamecube
What a goddamn AMAZING video!! Thanks for making this! AWESOME WORK you guys!! :D
Seeing that ice sledding stage where you first meet tricky brings back nightmares. One of the hardest things to do I remember as a kid
I always felt like Gen 5 to Gen 6 is the last graphical leap I really cared about. Watching this video, I understand why.
Great content (not many go as in-depth as you guys)! It is incredible what the Rare team was capable of on the N64! Looked great for the time. Now, the Gamecube version really surprised me. I actually had not even heard of it (at the time I was more of a PC guy 🤷🏽♂️) Great looking, super fluid seems like a good time! Thanks for taking the time for this one! 💪🏼
I freaking love these series!!!! Thanks John and DF for this.
I don’t think we’ll ever get a generational leap as drastic as N64 to GameCube again
PS4 to PS5
PS2 to PS3.
Absolutely agree. The jump from the N64 to Gamecube was truly insane, though i'd also say that the jump from PS2 to PS3 was a big one as well. That generation got HD resolution, ridiculously high poly models & environments (Basically everything stopped looking blocky or flat) and shaders were finally starting to see more common usage. Then there's the jump from PS3 to PS4 which was basically more of the same, just more detailed, and then the jump from PS4 to PS5 showed us that we were already peaking at graphical fidelity with the PS4. To me the difference is so minimal that i have a hard time finding excuses to get a PS5 besides faster loading and higher framerates.
@@SaItyToad00 you’re clueless
Snes to n64 is the real answer
RIP Rare and their amazing Developmental Wizardry in the early 3D era
Fantastic video John! Congrats to everyone involved!
Brilliant video! Always been fascinated with the development of SFA, it was great you managed to get Kev on for a behind the scenes look! Love these videos! Keep it up! :) Also, it's amazing how well the Gamecube version holds up today! Still looks amazing!
One of the best DF Retro episodes ever. Congratulations for the excellent work.
And thank you.
I truly missed DF retro, it's good to have a new one in these troubled time we are still living. Wonderful video as always, John.
Great work!!!! Was looking forward to this and it's fantastic
I was hoping you'd take a look into this! Great video
Thank you John. I've been waiting for one of these.
The 5th to 6th generation jump was he biggest glow up in gaming.
It was such an increase in graphics fidelity that nintendo used the gamecube architecture for the next 3 generations.
I had Starfox Adventures on Gamecube back in the day but never played it past the beginning as I was pretty much only into Zelda and Metroid on the console. It looked graphically impressive back then, especially the characters, but looking back to the game 20 years later it looks like such a cool game and I kind of regret missing out on it back in the day!
I'm glad Star Fox Adventures seems to get more love these days. Back then people focused too much on what it wasn't, instead of focusing on what it is. A solid adventure game that really shows off what the Gamecube could do!
That doesn't excuse how diminished Krystal’s role had along with the shoehorned joke of a villain that came out of nowhere. I’m talking about Andross.
amazing video thanks so much for the great detail in this!
Have been avoiding footage of Dinosaur Planet until I saw a bit of Star Fox Adventures, so thanks for putting this comparison together!
I feel like if they stuck closer to the original game i'd probably enjoy Star Fox Adventures more, the vision and design for the original game seems more appealing to me.
The explosive barrel object does exist in the N64 version as well. Not in Krazoa Palace/Warlock Mountain, but it's used a few times in Discovery Falls. Minor thing, I know.
Great analysis! I'd love to see a video on Conker as well, which underwent a similar next-gen transition. Maybe whenever Twelve Tales leaks...
Wow this is so cool! Thanks for this awesome episode! Greets from germany
Been waiting for you to cover this. Its super impressive for N64. I did a video of gameplay on my channel & had a nightmare capturing it but your footage looks ace. N64 can look surprisingly nice on a good CRT.
Was always looking forward to Dinosaur Planet & can't can't believe it is finally out there as it seemed to have been lost forever. It's always fascinating to see games that cross generations.
I loved StarFox Adventures back in the day & graphically it was astonishing for the time - still stands up really well however I remember the reception was a little muted for a number of reasons:
1) people felt it was a cynical move to use the StarFox IP as there was a perception that a StarFox game should be an on-rails shooter
2) Fans were disappointed not to be getting the original game
3) The combat was pretty simple as were the puzzles in a lot of cases so the game was dubbed "Zelda Lite" in some quarters.
4) Rare being purchased by Microsoft
Ironically when StarFox Assault came out that then got lashed for not being as graphically impressive as StarFox Adventures although I always really enjoyed that game and loved the fact you could run around on the ground and then leap into an Arwing & take to the skies. Be great to see you cover StarFox Assault some time. Or alternatively a deep dive into the entire series.
Perfect! Had a feeling we'd see this after the Dinosaur Planet release earlier this year!
I loved this game... but it kind of just ends when it feels like it's building up to something bigger.
I am still in awe at the digital wizardry that these guys did on N64 and GC.
I would love to see a version of Eternal Darkness for N64 release to the public since it's one of the major titles that went over to Gamecube.
Fantastic video. I was curious, were the interview portions done at the same time as the DKC video?
Is it finally another episode of classic df retro series? It's been what, a year since the last one? Now, of only John would make a proper prince of persia retrospective with Jordan Mechner interviews, my life will be complete!
Phenomenal video. Thanks, John! 😍
One little correction (2 years late, I know lol) but the "palace" that's first visited in DP actually isn't Krazoa Palace but Warlock Mountain. Krazoa Palace DOES exist however as a separate area and the best way I can describe it is... totally alien. It's so unlike anything else.
I think the reception of Starfox Adventure is due to them tying it in with Star Fox. People were awaiting a proper Starfox game, and instead they got this game. Had this been released after getting a proper Star Fox game first, it could be a very different story. By adding this branding to it, it makes the audience compare it with previous entries and expectations.
I never cared for proper star fox. I also love Zelda games. I still thought SFA was incredibly dull. The only GC game in my collection which I never completed.
The reception for SFA was also down to the game not feeling very fleshed out probably partly due to the rushed development near the end and it was apparently supposed to be nearly twice as long and on two discs. It was apparently finished up how it was because of the impending purchase from Microsoft. The game does feel bare bones in many places and while it's a technical masterpiece for the time it lacks in many other areas for me and for many people who reviewed it at the time.
Great video! Thanks John!
6th generation is the biggest leap in visual quality and performance in console history
I agree although the 7th gen leap was pretty big too. Seems like since then, every generation is just a refinement of the previous one.
Everyone said that back in the day when we switched from 2D to 3D
People tend to forget too fast
5th as well, just compare Snes games with N64 ;)
7th to 8th gen was the smallest jump imo
@@agamaz5650 I’d say the 8th to the 9th is the smallest jump.
This game might as well be considered the Snyder Cut of Starfox Adventures AKA Rare's Dinosaur Planet, make it happen people and get the original team back to make it a rom only exclusive. We can't let this go to waste
I've been wairing for this video for ever!
Star Fox Adventures was the first Zelda i really enjoyed playing.
Thanks for covering Dinosaur Planet. Subbed.
Well done! I LOVE Star Fox Adventures and think it is highly underrated. Although I am sad Dinosaur Planet did not come out for the N64 I think it was a great move to put it on the Gamecube as Star Fox Adventures. Very imprssive what Rare was able to pull off on the N64. WOW! Even on the Gamecube, the game still looks amazing today. I am glad I got it but the good news it that it is still available for reasonable prices right now in 2021. If you want it snatch it up before the prices go crazy.
The English voice acting is so much more pleasant than the shrill fake language in Star Fox Adventures. And the presentation overall is just more appealing. Star Fox Adventures has an identity crisis, while this game tells a good story in the first half hour.
Great video! So many thoughts popped up over the course of it:
1. It's so hard to convey how great that game looks on N64, you had to be a part of that era to really appreciate how hard they were pushing that hardware at the end. Voice acting was always a plus to get on that system - I'd wager to say that Star Fox 64 is the most well known example of it
2. Never gave star fox adventures a shot back in the day but as a few already said it still looks great after all these years
3. The N64 to Gamecube comparison really highlights how big of a jump that generation cycle was graphically, the incremental jumps in power since then have sort of taken away that hype factor that was present in those days
What an awesome start to the day! Man, the gamecube was an absolute powerhouse!
Excellent video! DF Retro greatness
I feel like for the most part water Peaked that generation. Most games today don’t even have water that looks that good
The best looking water I've ever seen in a game is still Wave Race: Blue Storm for the Game Cube. Most games today still don't have 3D water and interactivity of any kind.
That star fox looked really good on gamecube
Tons of these cancelled N64 games existed that eventually got switched to the GC. There is this Dinosaur Planet, Eternal Darkness originally was meant to be released on the GC. Resident Evil 0 was also meant to be on the N64 and footage of that is out in the wild too. Then you have silicon knights other game called Too Human was meant for the N64 then the GC but that also got cancelled and it turned up on the Xbox 360.
This was really cool. I'd like to go back and play this on Game Cube. I remember the reviews not being all that great so I never tried it when new.
Really great stuff. I remember the first time I played Star Fox Adventures and being so impressed by the graphics. Best looking game I'd ever played at that point.