Star Fox Command

"Dissapointing but tolerable"

Starfox is and remains one of my favourite series since Starwing appeared. A revolution on the SNES and a great game too. It's sequel on the N64 improved on Starwing in every possible way. In my humble opinion The Lylat Wars is not only one of the best games on the N64, but also one of the best games of all time.

And then came the Gamecube, and with it the decline of the series. Starfox Adventure was somewhat disappointing, in that it had actually very little to do with the traditional gameplay of Starfox. It was still a good Zelda clone in its own right though. It is also still one of the prettiest and most enjoyable games on the Gamecube. Starfox Assault was also disappointing, but in a different way. It returned to the traditional gameplay, but messed it up horribly. Placing the focus on tanks and missions on foot simply took away all the fun. And now the DS also gets its own game in the series, Starfox Command. Does it side with the classics, or with the disappointments?

Graphics
The graphics in general are very impressive. De controllable ships, bosses and some of the bigger enemies look very good. Full with detail and colour. The same goes for the environments, notable examples being the chases set amongst the clouds or a sunset over a lake. Rather remarkable, it also runs surprisingly smooth.

On the downside, it can be said that the graphics can be quite grainy and the game lacks a certain sharpness. But this can be expected from the DS, a machine not particularly known for its 3D capabilities. As such, Starfox Command is a true technical achievement.

Sound
Music and sound-effects are pretty good. The tunes are reminiscent of the other games in the series and sound great. Every character also has its own score which is a nice touch. The sound-effects are also good. One aspect I really appreciate is the speech. Instead of going for fully spoken dialogue, the game harks back to the first game, Starwing. All characters speak with a garbled voice, which works well. The player can even supplant these with his own, automatically messed up voice.

Gameplay
Starfox Command's addition to the franchise are the map sections. These add some strategy to the classic action. Instead of a more or less linear path trough the levels, players can now choose which enemies to engage and where and with which ship. Every level begins with a map and a limited number of turns. Available ships also have a limited movement range in each turn. This requires some planning to complete a level. There is also a general time limit for all controllable ships. Time becomes a valuable resource and something to take into account when flying the missions.

When the player engages an enemy, the game turns into something more recognisable to the fans of the series. No submarines or tanks thankfully, or missions on foot. Command only features flying action, which is a big plus. These missions require the destruction of a specific type of enemy, of which there are a certain amount present. When assaulting a base, this is followed by flying through some markers. This is also required when chasing the missiles which are launched from these bases.

The game is almost entirely controlled by using the touchscreen, even in the flying sections. While this feels natural for the map sections, it works also remarkably well when flying. The only thing not handled by the touchscreen is firing the weapons and accessing the menuscreen.

Another nice feature is the way the story is told, or to be more precise, how the stories are told. By offering the player a choice at certain points in the game, the story can be altered. This can result in nine different endings, which certainly adds to the longevity of the game.

Starfox Command unfortunately has a few flaws, most of which are related to the new features. While the inclusion of the map sections is a refreshing addition, it is not perfect. It would have been nice if the strategic elements where handled a little bit better. As it is, the hostile forces never employ any tactics. They simply fly headlong towards your mothership, not taking any heed of the opposition. Missiles are also not launched according to some plan. It would have made a difference if the enemy for example tried to use some divisionary tactics. As it stands, the maps now only offer some limited strategy. Not a flaw in itself, but more of a missed opportunity.

What is annoying is the general time limit. All ships share the same amount of time. When for example there are 50 seconds left after a mission, the next mission starts with this amount.
When this mission is completed after 20 seconds, the next one starts with 30 seconds on the clock. This amount can be expanded by collecting certain icons. The problem is that this whole system is simply pointless. On the early, easier maps time never really plays a large role. Only at the end of the game does the time limit come into play and then it becomes an incredible annoyance. It is simply frustrating when a mission is failed simply because the player is short of one or two seconds.

The controls also don't help things along. Sure, they work remarkably better then expected. But then again, the controls are certainly not perfect. Especially braking and boosting are a pain to pull off. It is simply too tricky to do a sharp turn, which is incredibly annoying when dogfighting. And when the clock is steadily ticking away, it becomes even more frustrating.
Both these problems also make the game more difficult then it truly is. Especially the time limit seems to have been added simply to expand the difficulty. It is a shame that it doesn't make the game more challenging but instead it ends up adding to the frustration.

Another point is the lack of variation. Like I mentioned earlier, all missions require essentially the same thing. Destroy a certain enemy of which there are a certain amount present. Fly through a few rings to acquire power-ups. And when attacking a base, fly through a few markers. The enemies may vary and so can the environments, but the actual tasks never do. Sure, the action itself is almost always thrilling and the wish to see all the endings also proves to be a great motivation. But ultimately the missions unfortunately soon become something of a chore. Why weren't more different missions included, for example escorting other ships or clearing out a minefield? This could have worked in the context of the more strategic approach.

Final remarks
In the intro I raised the question whether Starfox Command was in the same category as Starwing and The Lylat Wars or if the game was more in line with the Gamecube offerings. The answer has to be that Starfox Command falls somewhere in between.

On the one hand it tries to innovate. Adding a more strategic element to the proceedings leads to a more refreshing experience. Providing essentially nine different storylines is also a great idea and provides a motivation to stick with the game. The graphics are simply wonderful and against all odds, the controls for the most part actually works.

With all these things going for it, it is a shame that Starfox Command is let down by its lack of variation. The game will soon become a chore, simply going through the motions to unlock the next part of the narrative. In other words, Starfox Command becomes to much of a routine. The rather nonsensical time limit also doesn't help things, only adding to the frustration. Controls, while being fine most of the time, could also have been a little bit sharper. It would have been nice if the game offered more control methods, like for example Mario 64 DS did.

So Starfox Command implements several new features which do make the experience feel fresh. But these features also come with problems. They are also not fully exploited. As it stands Starfox Command is probably only really enjoyable for those with a love for the franchise or those with a lot of patience.

Overall: a somewhat disappointing 7.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/24/07

Game Release: Star Fox Command (EU, 01/26/07)