Star Fox 64 3D

Genre: On-Rails Shooter

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Download Supported)

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Review:

The Star Fox series of On-Rails Shooters has a reputation among its fans that states that ever since Star Fox 64’s release on the Nintendo 64 in 1997, every subsequent mainline game in the series has been a remake of that game, trying to recapture the success of what is still widely considered to be the best game in the Star Fox franchise. This is amusing because Star Fox 64 itself is an amalgamation of gameplay and story elements from the original Star Fox and the unreleased (at the time) Star Fox 2.

In any case, regardless of whether or not you subscribe to this particular viewpoint, in 2011 Nintendo brought their history of “remaking” Star Fox 64 to a new level by literally remaking Star Fox 64 on the Nintendo 3DS, bringing improved visuals and a host of other improvements to the game, not the least of which being full stereoscopic 3D support, using the high-flying action of the series to showcase the Nintendo 3DS’s unique technology.

It needs to be said that this release is no mere remaster – Star Fox 64’s graphics have been remade from the ground up, and it shows – improved character models, better textures, improved lighting. Star Fox 64 has never looked as good as it does on the 3DS’s screen. Interestingly, the sound here all seems ripped straight from the original game, which I suppose may be for the best – the voices of these characters would sound odd if it was re-recorded, although it’s a shame that an attempt wasn’t made to remake the excellent soundtrack as well.

In terms of the gameplay, the Nintendo 3DS lacks the rumble feature that Star Fox 64 so famously introduced to the console market with the Nintendo 64 rumble pack, but in its place we have optional gyroscopic motion controls and some minimal use of the touchscreen. For the former, being able to twist and turn your 3DS makes for a great added control option, though players not using a New Nintendo 3DS with its fancy eye-tracking may have to make an either/or choice between gyroscopic motion control and stereoscopic 3D, lest they tilt the Nintendo 3DS in ways that makes the screen look blurry.

Compared to the gyroscopic motion controls, the use of touchscreen is far less impactful here – during gameplay its main use is to respond to calls from R.O.B. offering support power-ups. Honestly, I would have preferred a bit more extensive touchscreen integration here, perhaps offering shortcuts for loop and U-turn maneuvers.

In terms of gameplay changes, another unfortunate change here is the loss of the first-person perspective, something that seems like it would have been a perfect use of the Nintendo 3DS’s stereoscopic 3D. Also, players can optionally spend a life to redo a mission, something they may prefer if they want to take a different route or improve on their score.

However, the main gameplay change here is to the battle mode, which allows 4 players locally to fight head-to-head, or to try to see who can take out the most enemies within a time limit. The version of this mode in Star Fox 64 3DS is completely redone, with different maps, new power-ups, no ability to use the Landmaster tank or to fight on foot as you could in the original version of the game. As a cute little extra, players’ cameras can project video footage of themselves into their fighters for others to see. And while it’s wonderful that this game supports download play, meaning only one player needs to own the game for up to four players to join a session together, Star Fox 64 sadly does not support online play. However, there’s at least a consolation prize here in the form of bots, something I do not recall being present in the original game. So even solo players can enjoy this mode if they like.

In short, some of these changes are more impactful than others, but on the whole I feel that this is a great improvement over the original Nintendo 64 game. I don’t think it’s entirely fair to say that Star Fox 64 3D is the definitive version of this game, but I think it is by far the best version of the game.

So the question that leaves is… is that original game still good? Does it withstand the test of time? And to this I would answer, “absolutely, yes”.

Star Fox 64 is still an absolute joy of an on-rails shooter, with plenty of variety, inventive level design, creative boss design, and overall superb gameplay. The game even occasionally opens up into “All-Range Mode”, allowing players to freely roam a limited area to hunt down enemies, or at times be forced to evade them. And while the game is quite short (one run will only take you a few hours, tops), there’s plenty of replay to be found both in exploring different routes, as well as in the game’s excellent multiplayer mode. While there are still elements that feel like they could do with a bit of improvement (it’s not always quite clear where you’re aiming when your aim is closer to the edges of the screen), overall this is one of the greatest games the genre ever received.

So taken all together, that makes Star Fox 64 3D the best version of the best On-Rails Shooter ever made. It’s not without its flaws – while this version adds a good number of features, there are also a few missing features, as well as a few areas that could still do with improvement. However, the quality of the classic game still shines through, and shines even more brightly with this game’s greatly improved graphics, and most of the new gameplay additions are welcome inclusions as well. This game is a must-own for anyone looking for a truly great space shooter, and a stand-out title on the Nintendo 3DS.

tl;dr – Star Fox 64 3D is a remake of the classic Nintendo 64 On-Rails Shooter that greatly improves the graphics and adds multiple great new gameplay features, all while retaining the same superb gameplay of the original game. There are a few minor features of the original that are missing here, and there are a few places where the game could still do with improvement, but overall this is still the best version of the best game in the Star Fox series, and a must-have on the Nintendo 3DS.

Grade: A

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