Category Navigation:
Star Fox 64
Text Review
I’ve never met a person who plays Star Fox 64 casually. At no point in the nearly 13 years since its release have I come across someone who thinks Star Fox 64 is “Okay, I guess.”
The only fans I’ve met are the diehards who can play it with their eyes closed.
Easily one of the most underrated games released for the Nintendo 64, Star Fox 64 is a dangerously addictive title capable of killing relationships, classroom acumen, employment opportunities and, as my nose has often detected, hygienic practices. There really should’ve been an advisory on the box—a sticker, a label, something—warning people about Star Fox 64, a simulated highway upon which there is no destination but electronic enslavement.
Consider this the warning Nintendo never provided. Star Fox 64 will entertain you, certainly, but after a couple of days, it will also render you unable and unwilling to do anything else.
Essentially a remake of the seminal 1993 original, Star Fox 64 tells the story of Andross, a wicked scientist exiled to the barren planet of Venom. Without warning, he launches a series of deadly attacks across the Lylat planetary system, leaving the governing planet of Corneria no choice but to respond. The renowned Star Fox team, led by the talented Fox McCloud, is hired to lead Lylat’s counteroffensive, and from within McCloud’s cockpit, players must drive back Venom’s spreading armadas, locate Andross and finally foil the madman for good.
Fans of the first Star Fox should find the premise familiar. Star Fox 64 basically retells the story of the original with much more narrative effort and detail, using real-time dialogue and cinematic sequences to great effect. And the similarities don’t end there—the gameplay also recreates the simple, combat-focused approach of the original, but it makes some significant improvements, as well. The controls have been tightened, enabling far smoother gameplay than possible in the original, and combat can now be carried out with uncanny precision.
Of course, the ability to lock on targets may have something to do with that, too.
Given their repetitive nature, on-rails flight shooters often suffer from a seemingly inherent degree of tedium, but Star Fox 64 takes several strides to prevent monotony from setting in. Paramount in this effort is the game’s elaborate system of branching pathways—perhaps its most compelling feature, there are 25 possible routes players can take through Lylat’s many diverse planets and sectors. Course selection is determined by performance, so any given playthrough of Star Fox 64 could feature different levels and objectives than the last.
Add the prospect of discovering new worlds to the game’s short length, addictive gameplay and medals system, and it’s easy to see why this game can be a scourge to productivity.
Star Fox 64 is far from perfect, but it’s difficult to nitpick about a game so impossible to put down once you begin playing. It may not have secured the distinguished legacy Nintendo 64 games like Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 have, but that’s only because those capable of penning that legacy can’t put down their three-pronged controllers long enough to do so.
I’m no exception. I was supposed to write this last week. Curse you, Star Fox 64.
- Derek Buck
The only fans I’ve met are the diehards who can play it with their eyes closed.
Easily one of the most underrated games released for the Nintendo 64, Star Fox 64 is a dangerously addictive title capable of killing relationships, classroom acumen, employment opportunities and, as my nose has often detected, hygienic practices. There really should’ve been an advisory on the box—a sticker, a label, something—warning people about Star Fox 64, a simulated highway upon which there is no destination but electronic enslavement.
Consider this the warning Nintendo never provided. Star Fox 64 will entertain you, certainly, but after a couple of days, it will also render you unable and unwilling to do anything else.
Essentially a remake of the seminal 1993 original, Star Fox 64 tells the story of Andross, a wicked scientist exiled to the barren planet of Venom. Without warning, he launches a series of deadly attacks across the Lylat planetary system, leaving the governing planet of Corneria no choice but to respond. The renowned Star Fox team, led by the talented Fox McCloud, is hired to lead Lylat’s counteroffensive, and from within McCloud’s cockpit, players must drive back Venom’s spreading armadas, locate Andross and finally foil the madman for good.
Fans of the first Star Fox should find the premise familiar. Star Fox 64 basically retells the story of the original with much more narrative effort and detail, using real-time dialogue and cinematic sequences to great effect. And the similarities don’t end there—the gameplay also recreates the simple, combat-focused approach of the original, but it makes some significant improvements, as well. The controls have been tightened, enabling far smoother gameplay than possible in the original, and combat can now be carried out with uncanny precision.
Of course, the ability to lock on targets may have something to do with that, too.
Given their repetitive nature, on-rails flight shooters often suffer from a seemingly inherent degree of tedium, but Star Fox 64 takes several strides to prevent monotony from setting in. Paramount in this effort is the game’s elaborate system of branching pathways—perhaps its most compelling feature, there are 25 possible routes players can take through Lylat’s many diverse planets and sectors. Course selection is determined by performance, so any given playthrough of Star Fox 64 could feature different levels and objectives than the last.
Add the prospect of discovering new worlds to the game’s short length, addictive gameplay and medals system, and it’s easy to see why this game can be a scourge to productivity.
Star Fox 64 is far from perfect, but it’s difficult to nitpick about a game so impossible to put down once you begin playing. It may not have secured the distinguished legacy Nintendo 64 games like Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 have, but that’s only because those capable of penning that legacy can’t put down their three-pronged controllers long enough to do so.
I’m no exception. I was supposed to write this last week. Curse you, Star Fox 64.
- Derek Buck
So RAD it hurts!
Sign up now! - CGR Forums
Follow CGR on Twitter - TWITTER
Writers! - Click here
eBay links! Help support Classic Game Room by buying your classic games and hardware through eBay links on our site! Every game and accessory is linked to eBay, shop ahoy!