With a site named “WingDamage” and a podcast called “Barrel Roll!” it shouldn’t come as any surprise that many here on the site grew up adoring the first couple of Star Fox games. As I’ve written about in the past, the series really hasn’t been able to find a clear direction that works after Star Fox 64. Each game after that point has been a mess of ideas that fail to satisfy the way the core, rail shooting gameplay of the originals did.

Perhaps it’s because of this lack of confidence in the future of Star Fox that I was so eager to revisit the glory days of its past. Star Fox 64 3D may be a remake of a fourteen year old game, but it’s also a remake of the best the series has to offer by a large margin, and one of the greatest gems you’ll find in a genre that barely exists anymore.

You won’t find much in the way of new content. This is largely a prettier version of the same game you played (or didn’t) back in 1997. But there are a few changes. The new 3DS Mode gives you the option of playing the game using the gyro sensor in addition to the standard circle pad. It isn’t a good idea to use it with the 3D effect since you will likely lose focus of the screen. But because it uses slight motions similar to a steering wheel instead of a 1-to-1, Face Raiders style, aiming actually works much better than you’d think and won’t require you to leave as much of your dignity behind. Still, it feels like a novelty at best and doesn’t work any better than the traditional controls.

Multiplayer, while identical in concept, has been given an overhaul. The maps are new, though they’re still small in number, and extra powerups like stealth mines have been added. Unfortunately, there’s no online play, though four player local can be played with a single cartridge through download play. It’s only Arwings this time around, but considering how incredibly unbalanced playing as the Landmaster or on foot was in the original, this is for the best. Even with the new features, multiplayer remains a mildly amusing diversion. The star of the show is still the campaign, just as it always has been.

Score Attack mode is a very welcome addition as it allows you to select any level you’ve previously completed in the campaign. No longer will you have to play through the entire game just to get a shot at earning medals on the last few levels. The feature also really compliments the game’s new portability. You might not have time for the entire campaign on the go, but a single level can be completed rather quickly.

Strangely enough, the voice acting has all been rerecorded. Since Star Fox 64 has some of the most memorable quotes in gaming (causing countless memes to sprout), I was very happy to find that the new voice acting is exactly as cheesy as the original. None of the nostalgia was lost in the new recordings. I also noticed one changed line. No longer does Falco sarcastically refer to you as “Einstein” when you shoot him. The line has been replaced with “Hey Genius! I’m on your side!” Considering this is a world full of animal people flying around in space, this change actually makes a lot more sense than the original.

Of course, the most obvious change is the graphical upgrade. There’s a world of difference between the graphics of the remake and the original. There’s an even larger level of improvement on display than Nintendo’s other recent remake, Ocarina of Time. As a game where you are constantly looking off into the distance, the 3D effect works exceptionally well, and I found myself playing with it on the entire time (except to test 2D and gyro controls). Stages like Venom are especially impressive, as the added level of depth actually gives you a better sense of space between the various obstacles, making the game a bit easier to play.

But all this would be nothing if the game didn’t hold up. Thankfully, Star Fox 64 is still a fantastically designed rail shooter. Stages are packed with plenty to shoot, dodge, and fly through and the controls are as tight as ever. The alternate paths and stage affecting triggers also help to keep multiple campaign runs fresh. Help out a character in one stage and they’ll help you out in another. You’ll fight your rival Star Wolf near the end of the game in Bolse if you don’t take care of them in Fichina, and so on.

I almost forgot how great some of the alternate path triggers were. Sector X in particular has a pivotal moment where Slippy charges toward the stage boss. Destroying the boss before he gets there will take you to Macbeth. Fail to do so and the boss will knock Slippy’s ship away causing it to crash land into the desert planet Titania where you’ll have to go on a rescue mission. It’s touches like these that help the game to stand out, even today.

In some ways I appreciate Star Fox 64 now more than I did in its day. It managed to successfully tell you a story (albeit a cheesy one) while you play it instead of constantly interrupting you; something many games today still struggle with. It also had a great approach to a non-linear campaign within a hyper-linear genre.

You could complain about its short length. It certainly won’t take long to finish. But this is an arcade style game, almost like a shmup, that demands to be played repeatedly. If you’re looking for a lengthy campaign to play once and be done with like so many of today’s disposable games, you’ll be disappointed. This is from an era when games were meant to be played over and over again, trying to achieve that last medal to unlock Expert Mode.

This review is based on a copy of Star Fox 64 3D purchased by the reviewer.

Tags: 3DS, Face Raiders, N64, Nintendo, Q-Games, rail shooter, Star Fox, Star Fox 64, Star Fox 64 3D

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 20th, 2011 at 10:00 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.