![]() ![]() Easily the best addition to the series brought by this Nintendo 64 iteration is all-range mode. The one underwater stage in particular is probably the worst level in the entire game, but the fact that you’re piloting a submarine is definitely novel. These are more limited in movement and range than the arwing, but they do manage to keep things fresh. On top of the traditional arwing a few of the stages will put you in command of the landmaster tank, and the blue marine submarine. This game even introduces more vehicles to the roster. It’s a really cool feature, and actually has an effect on later areas. Star Fox 64 features three different routes to proceed through the main game, and your path is determined by the stage exit you reach. ![]() The obstacles are well thought out, and no two levels are too similar. The stage designs are diverse, and well designed. Falco is the best pilot of the three and helps out the most, Peppy gives advice and tips, and despite being the weakest Slippy can analyze enemy shields and uses this skill to display their life bar on your screen. All three of your teammates serve different functions. The points you score by the end of a stage directly affect how much of each ally’s life bar is restored. If you aren’t able to save them in time they will be out of commission for the remainder of the current stage as well as the next two. Each features their own life bar, and at some point or another will need your help to get enemy fighters off of their backs. Generally your three allies will give hints about how to proceed or exchange funny banter, but this goes a long way to making it feel like they’re living breathing characters. What sets Star Fox 64 apart from other similar releases is the fact that you have three wingmen, and they play pretty significant roles in basic gameplay. The wings can be restored with a separate power-up, and until you do you can’t upgrade the primary shot. This not only makes the ship more difficult to control, but also resets your weapon power-ups to the basic level. When the arwing takes a specific amount of damage to either side it can lose one of its wings. Fortunately this can be restored with silver rings, and expanded by collecting three gold ones. Your ship’s life bar is located in the upper right section of the screen, and when it runs out you lose a life and must start the stage over. Your shot can be upgraded twice, and there are even bombs which can be used to take out large groups of enemies. Your standard shot is a single laser burst, but enemies and destructible objects often leave behind power-ups. Your ship is also capable of performing the now infamous barrel rolls that block attacks, and loop-de-loops that allow you to dodge or get behind enemies. Your forward movement in each stage is automatic, but you can regulate it by using a boost or the brakes. You guide your ship (known as the arwing) and move up, down, left and right. Star Fox 64 is a fairly traditional 3D on-rails shooter. The art style is a lot less creepy here than it was in the SNES release thanks to the use of polygons. One aspect of this game that has always struck me as odd is the fact that all of the characters are animals it’s not just a naming scheme. Years later the former leader’s son, Fox McCloud, sets out with a new team consisting of Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad to bring and end to Andross once and for all. Corneria later noticed suspicious activity coming from the barren planet, and a recon mission goes haywire when the Star Fox team is betrayed by one of their own members. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his existence on the remote planetary body, called Venom, on the opposite end of the Lylat system. A mad scientist named Andross was banned from the planet of Corneria for developing illegal weapons. Star Fox 64 takes place in the fictional Lylat system composed of several planets and space stations. What’s surprising about this release is the fact that it’s more of a remake of the original than a direct sequel. This is easily one of my favorite on-rails aerial shooters of all time. That’s why I was surprised that this sequel, packaged with Nintendo’s innovative rumble pak, turned out to be one of the best games of that generation. I played the original on the SNES, and while fun it didn’t seem like anything particularly special. To be honest I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from Star Fox 64. Maintaining momentum was left up to Nintendo, and despite being just one company they did an admirable job. ![]() Super Mario 64 was enough to ensure that the console was an immediate success, but third parties weren’t all that stoked on the cartridge based machine. The Nintendo 64 suffered a major shortage of new software following launch. ![]()
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