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Star Fox: Command

Published: Fri 1 Feb, 2008 | On:

Starfox has had a pretty rough ride over the years, since the first in the series appeared on the SNES, and was followed up by the fantastic Lylat Wars (or Starfox 64 in the U S of A), but since then the series has taken a turn for the worst, and was even on IGNs "series that should be retired" list, not too long ago.

Starfox Command starts to turn things around, putting the team back into the cockpit where they belong, which was the main complaint of critics and fans alike. The main thing that has changed is that it no longer follows rails, like previous games, but the player is free to choose his own path on a map, along with the rest of his team. This brings a strategy element to the game that starts out quite simple, but later on in the game you really have to think.

Another thing People may find annoying about this game is the fact that you have fuel. you run out of fuel - you die. fuel is collected on the map or by defeating enemies. if you think about what youre doing, you will find it hard to run out - but believe me, look forward to retreating from many a boss battle from lack of fuel.

The controls are what sets this game apart, every button on the system (except of course the power button) is shoot. everything else is done via touch screen. This can take some getting used to, but once you finally do adjust to the controls, it really does work - and quite well to.

The graphics are good. the environments look great (if you fly down to see them) and the ships look pretty fine too (dont trust screenshots, for some reason screenshots always make this game look terrible) the only minor problem is the laser can look a bit off sometimes, but this really doesnt matter at all.

As always in a Starfox game, the music is great - with many updates of the scores you know so well, and some new ones too. The voices could get annoying (they speak with those garbled nothings like they did in the original), but there is a fun feature where you can record your own voice to be used by every character in the game.

The story is also set out quite well - with 9 different endings to unlock depending on which choices you make partway through the game. The game also has some 15 different pilots with different stats and ships, which also adds to the strategy of the game. Repition could become a problem, but the game has a way to combat this. once you play a certain stage however many times, it automatically becomes harder. for example, the first stage in the game has changed 3 or 4 times for me, and is now exceptionally difficult compared to what it used to be.

Multiplayer has its ups and downs. 6 player dogfights can be really fun - but you are all in the same type of ship (although i guess this keeps things fair) and the stage is randomly chosen by the game. Wi-fi mode can be quite a hassle when trying to find people to play, and they always drop out to keep their win record, which cancels it and erases any kills you have earned, so i suggest you stick to friend codes. of the scores of wi-fi matches i have played, only 7 have ever played out until the end.

Overall, the game scores well in sound and graphics, the controls work well with a bit of practice, and the strategy element really works. It will last you quite a while, with online multiplayer and 9 endings, some of which are quite hard to reach.

If you are a Starfox fan like myself, or just want to try something new this game is a really good game to add to your collection, and the fact that it is now quite cheap, especially somewhere like Trademe just adds to its appeal.

over all i would have given it a high 7 - mid 8, so 8 it is.