Star Fox 64

"An underrated N64 classic"

In 1993, Star Fox was released on the SNES. It was a revolutionary game because of the graphics it featured. Anyone who would see the game nowadays would laugh at the graphics. Everything featured was just polygons. But back in the ancient year of 1993, these polygons looked like the future. According to most people it was a really good game (I haven't played it myself though).

Flash forward about four years. The N64 has been released and so have N64 juggernauts Super Mario 64 and Goldeneye 007. In 1997, Nintendo released Star Fox 64, the long awaited sequel to the SNES classic Star Fox. It actually sold quite well and got many good reviews, but was still crushed between Super Mario 64 and Goldeneye 007.

In fact, Star Fox 64 is quite underrated. It doesn't get as much respect as some of it's brothers, like Super Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, and Zelda: Ocarina of Time . But it is still an excellent game that all N64 owners should have.

Star Fox 64 story begins soon after the events of the original Star Fox. James Mcloud and General Pepper send Andross to Venom for his evil deeds. Five years later, Andross returns and James and his partners, Peppy and Pigma join to fight Andross. Unfortunately, Pigma is a back-stabber and lets James and Peppy get captured. Peppy escapes but James is killed and Peppy tells Fox, James son, about what happened. They then form the new (and a lot more annoying) Star Fox team.

I suppose I should introduce the Star Fox team. You've got Fox Mcloud, the ever so popular wingman you'll be using throughout the course of your adventure. Then you have veteran pilot Peppy. You'll here his constant words of wisdom from the true (Never give up, trust your instincts!), to the infamous (Do a barrel roll!), and other important advice. You then have the arrogant Falco. He is the only one of your wingmen that actually does any grunt work. But sometimes you want to shoot him down after he has insulted you countless times. And then you have Slippy, possibly the most annoying sidekick of all time. He (at least I think it's a he) is always in trouble and always wants you to help him. On top of all that, he (?) has a very girly voice.

Star Fox 64 has a unique way of progressing through the game. Unlike most games that let you save over a long course of the game, Star Fox 64 takes less than an hour to beat. Their are 15 missions in the game, but every time you play it, you can only play 7 missions. You start off on the first planet, Corneria, Depending on what you do on the mission, you can go in separate directions. No matter what path you take, you will always end up in Venom, the final area. But to make things interesting, Nintendo designed Venom where the course would be different. It all depends on what mission you take before Venom. They're 25 different paths through the game which allows a lot of replay value.

All the courses are divided up into two types of levels: corridor and all-range mode. Corridor is when you are constantly going forward avoiding obstacles and shooting down enemies. Think of it as on rails instead of corridor. Then there is all-range mode. In this, you can fly anywhere you want to within a certain area. You usually shoot down enemies until the main event happens. There are very few all-range mode missions, but some of the boss battles are in all-range mode, do it evens it out.

Yeah, you may enjoy the Arwing (main mode of transportation/shooting), but eventually you will tire of it. But thankfully Nintendo added two more vehicles into this game. You have the ever so awesome Landmaster Tank and the Blue Marine (which is a submarine). Unfortunately, there are only two tank missions and only one submarine mission. Just in case you are wondering, there are no all-range mode missions for the tank and submarine.

The controls of this game are very easy to use. Besides left to right, this game has inverted steering (you push up, you go down, vice versa), which some people might have a hard time getting used to. Almost every button has a use. If you press the up C button, you can experience the game in first person!

The graphics in this game are actually quite good. My only gripe is that Katina looks a little weird. The sound is very good in this game too. Laser fire sounds like lasers, explosions sound like explosions and so on. This game also features voice acting. Gone are the "beeps" in the original. You now have real voice acting, and on a cartridge based game at that. If only the music were as good. There is nothing terrible, but nothing spectacular either.

Another gripe I have about this game is that it is way too easy. Whether you've played it for years, or a beginner at it, it isn't really difficult. There is an expert mode, but the only thing is there are a lot more enemies and you're piloting a ship with easily breakable wings.

Pros
+ Good graphics
+ Excellent sound
+ Fluid control
+ Multiple paths
+ Addition of the Landmaster and Blue Marine
+ Lots of replay value
+ Extremely fun and entertaining missions
+ Addicting sidequest of collecting medals
+ Voice acting!

Cons
- Mediocre sountrack
- Too easy
- Not enough missions
- Not so great multiplayer

Star Fox 64 is an excellent game that deserves to be in all N64 collections. This is a game I would recommend to anyone who enjoys space shooters. It is definitely looked down upon when compared to Mario, Goldeneye, and Zelda. But it is still a very fun game that will keep you entertained for a very long time. Just don't play too much of it at one time though..... or you won't enjoy it as much. Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Final Score = 9.3

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/07