Star Fox: Assault
=== Setting and characters ===
Star Fox: Assault takes place in the Lylat system where the player visits the rest of all planets in the game, except Venom. It also introduces the Aparoid Homeworld .
The game features the Star Fox team members, including Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi and Krystal, while Peppy Hare and ROB stay at the Great Fox to observe each mission. It also features the return of the Star Wolf team, including leader Wolf O'Donnell, Leon Powalski and Panther Caroso (the new member), with Pigma Dengar and Andrew Oikonny not siding with the team. Slippy Toad's father, Beltino Toad is the scientist.
The game features the Aparoids, villainous insect-like creatures between machine and life form. They are capable of infecting other life forms and machines and transforming them into Aparoids and also known as Aparoidedation. The large ones have a core memory containing instructions and information on contacting the Aparoid Homeworld. The Aparoids, led by the Aparoid Queen (Aparoid Mother in the Japanese version) on their home planet. The Queen believes that all things in the universe exist for the Aparoids to infect, and that becoming an Aparoid is not infection, but rather a form of evolution. All Aparoids are networked together in a hive mind, meaning destroying the Queen would lead to the destruction of the entire species.
=== Story ===
While Andrew assumes the leadership of the Venomian rebellion, Fox, Falco, Krystal and Slippy arrive to help the Cornerian Army. At Fortuna, the team confronts him and his flagship emulating Andross. It is destroyed by a strange insect-like creature, after which Fox destroys it and takes a partial "core memory" for research, just before a large number of identical insects arrive.
Fox learns from Beltino that the enemy creature was an Aparoid, one of the powerful species that destroyed the fleet seventeen years ago. After destroying the giant infected UFO at Katina, Fox discovers Pigma stealing the Core Memory. The team infiltrates the Sargasso Space Zone, a criminal hideout Wolf O'Donnell recruited. However, Wolf informs Fox about Pigma's absence. Fox and his allies head for the asteroid belt, only to discover Pigma's infected ship. As Fox defeats Pigma and retrieves the core memory, General Pepper and the team discover the location of the Aparoid Homeworld. While Fox and Krystal save the dinosaur planet Sauria, the Aparoids appear to invade Corneria. Fox and his team fight back against the Aparoids, until they discover Pepper's infected ship. Fox defeats it, before Peppy saves Pepper by softening the crash. Back in space, Beltino discovers that all Aparoids are vulnerable to apoptosis, a self-destruct program. The team head to defend the large warping Orbital Gate from the Aparoids, while Beltino successfully creates the program. The team reaches the Aparoid Homeworld, only to discover the planet's core blocked by a base and a large shield. They infiltrate the base to disable the shield, but it quickly regenerates. The damaged Great Fox, infected by the Aparoids, destroys the base and opens the shield long enough for the team to get through before it explodes. The shield then regenerates and destroys the Great Fox. While Wolf, Panther and Leon distract the Aparoids, Fox, Falco, Slippy and Krystal enter the core of the planet onward to the Queen's lair. There, the Aparoid Queen uses the voices of Peppy, Pepper, Pigma and James to deceive them into joining her. The team ignores her and Fox shoots the program inside of her. The queen represses it and attempts to escape, but Fox defeats her. The program then destroys the Aparoids and their planet.
Back in space and after Peppy and ROB reunite with the team. Fox mentions the survival possibilities for Wolf's team and Pepper, and thanks his friends.
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