The Aparoids' takeover and apparent eradication of Sauria and its defences in Star Fox: Assault. We know the dinosaurs fought back, we know they lost. However, it is more than just a simple case of inverting Rock Beats Laser. The objective of the mission for Star Fox (or rather Fox and Krystal on the ground) is to destroy the Aparoid Hatchers, which enable them to multiply and spawn more troops. Peppy even directly states that "if we can destroy those Hatchers, we might just have a chance". The mission finishes the moment all the Hatchers on Sauria's surface are destroyed. Star Fox had experience combatting the Aparoids prior, they knew what to look for in order to gain an advantage or victory over their enemies. The dinosaur tribes of Sauria, on the other hand, had no such experience, and were facing an enemy that was technologically superior to them, and was capable of replenishing their troop numbers almost instantly, as opposed to their own numbers. The invasion was already well underway long before the Star Fox team got there. It wasn't a straight-up Curb-Stomp Battle, the Aparoids won through sheer numbers and inexperience on the part of the planet's protectors.
Another major factor besides the hatchers is Air Superiority. Sauria doesn't have a large population capable of handling airborne threats, and what few they do have (the Cloudrunners) aren't able to match either the speed or flight capability of an Aparoid-fighter. So not only could the Aparoid forces win through sheer attrition, but they could also render large sections of the planet deathtraps that the Saurian defenders couldn't even respond to. But once Star Fox arrives with the Arwing air-supsriority fighters, that advantage can be whittled down quickly and efficiently.
This mainly applies to whether one subscribes to the idea that James McCloud was Killed Off for Real prior to the beginning of Star Fox 64. In the definitive climax of the game, Fox is led to safety from Andross's exploding base by what appears to be the "ghost" of James in his Arwing, which disappears as soon as Fox is safe. Now, if James truly was a ghost here, why would he show up on Venom? If the prologue is accurate, then it's because that is where he died. And his last act before passing on to the afterlife is ensuring his son survives and giving him some touching parting words.
Why is it that brain!Andross's cerebellum in Star Fox 64 is its weakpoint? Because the cerebellum regulates motor control and movement. Destroy it and Andross can't move.
Any Star Fox fan worth their salt will tell you that the "Easy" side of Venom (via Bolse) can be one of the hardest levels to complete in Star Fox 64's Expert Mode. In Expert Mode, Fox wears a pair of sunglasses that make him resemble his father, James. And where did James (supposedly) die? Venom. In addition, if you look closely at one of the images that appears alongside the opening crawl, it clearly shows an Arwing (likely James') being ambushed by Venomian fighters on the "Easy" version of Venom.
In 64, any enemies your wingmen kill don't count towards your score. This makes Sector Z a pain in the ass to get the medal on, as the missiles that you have to stop are worth 66 points out of the medal target of 100, and your wingmen are trying to shoot them down for you, their constant fire turning aiming for a medal into a Luck-Based Mission. Considering that you've probably been Kill Stealing from your wingmen throughout the whole game if you're playing for score, you could see your wingmen swiping your valuable points away as payback!
Why does Slippy Toad cause the team so many problems in Star Fox 64? Because his primary talent is in engineering, notpiloting: just because he could build an Arwing better than his comrades, doesn't mean he could handle it as well as them. This then leads to the question of why Fox would allow him to fight on the front lines in the first place, which has its own Fridge Brilliance: whenever an Arwing is shot down, the pilot himself doesn't suffer any consequences of his own, but merely has to wait until a new Arwing is constructed before he can partake in missions again. Therefore, if Slippy slips up, the worst that could happen is a lost Arwing; they will still have their valued mechanic by the end of the game.note Titania, of course, is an exception, as the team had to take a detour to rescue Slippy from the harsh desert planet.
