After arguably two disappointing entries in the Star Fox franchise, Nintendo is taking the series back to its roots with Star Fox Command, the latest chapter in Fox’s history of galactic adventures. By taking a bit of a left turn with the main Star Fox formula, sporting a fantastic 3D engine, and adding great multiplayer and online (a first for the series) features, Star Fox Command may just be the Star Fox game that every fan has been waiting for ever since the days of the classic Star Fox 64.
Facts and Features:
- Lylat needs help! Fly with Fox McCloud in an advanced Arwing fighter and dogfight through an armada of hostile ships in the depths of space and high over enemy skies.
- Star Fox Command brings a whole new strategic element to the series with a commander’s view of the mission.
- Players use the touch screen to draw the routes their fighter wing will take, then battle any enemies they encounter as they take over bases and strategically advance across the map.
- Players can blow their friends out of the sky! Dogfight with up to five players over local wireless or take on three other players from around the world on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Taking Flight
After successfully restoring the galaxy from Andross’ evil menace, the Star Fox team is no longer the intergalactic force to be reckoned with. Members of the Star Fox team -– now disbanded –- are living their own lives individually. Who will save the solar system from any inevitable threat? That’s a question that Fox McCloud –- former leader of the team –- will try to answer, and more quickly than not he will have to thanks to the Anglar: the galaxy’s newest threat. Star Fox games have never been focused on storytelling, and unsurprisingly, Command features the same type of wacky storyline, with a bit of forced emotional vibe that includes Fox and Krystal’s love story. But when has Star Fox been about storyline? With this franchise, it’s all about the gameplay, and Command gets rid of what most people complained about Adventures and Assault: the on-foot missions. We’re back with the classic, “never leave the ship and shoot everything in sight†design, and we couldn’t be happier.
Star Fox Command is a fairly linear game. You will probably plow through the entire game in a few hours, but thanks to the game’s structure, the replay value in this one is high. For instance, if you want access to the game’s different endings, and all the missions, you have to complete the game at least once. When you start a new file, you will usually get a set of multiple choices after you beat every level. Contact Slippy, or battle through Fichina without him? Every choice you make will affect the storyline, eventually resulting in different endings. It’s an excellent addition to the branching nature of the gameplay, and it will incite gamers into playing it at least once more.
So what’s new for the franchise? First of all, the game is completely controlled with the touch screen. Secondly, the game now has a little strategy design going on, meaning that you cannot just rely on shooting abilities alone. And finally, the game makes use -– as mentioned before –- of Nintendo’s Wi-Fi connection, making it the first Star Fox game to ever have online battles. But let’s break it down in different parts.
Star Fox veterans should know that what makes the franchise fun are the chaotic, action-packed flying sequences. Star Fox Command is a bit different. In this game, you will eventually take control of, not one, but all four pilots at the same time. Each level starts with a map, where you will see where the enemies are, where your ship is, and the terrain as a whole. Next, you will see the number of turns — which consists of “fuel†— you have. Spend all your fuel and it is bye bye for you. In each turn, you will have to draw a path for your aircraft, directing where you want it to go. You see enemies? Good. Draw a path to intercept them, and if you do, you will now enter an arena-style environment (meaning it’s not on-rails, sorry!) where you will have to battle them in the classic, shoot ‘em up style.
Usually, the game’s goal is to protect the Great Fox as you move along the story, so when you finally recruit the whole team, you will have to control every single one of them by yourself. It’s good to have a solid team at your hand, but as the number of allies grows, the enemy’s number grows even more. Each level will sport its own collection of goals, which will include also protect the Great Fox from upcoming missiles in a fun minigame where you have to follow it through an obstacle course.
As we mentioned before, another big change for the franchise is the touch controls. Everything you do in the game (with the exception of shooting) is now controlled directly with your stylus. It’s a bit weird at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll fly through the skies with little problems. During flight sequences, you will use the touch screen to direct your ship’s movements. Go up, down, left, and right (or inverse controls, if you’re like us). Yes, it is as easy as it sounds. What isn’t easy, though, is getting used to the brakes, boost, and the barrel roll, which by now, you should know are Star Fox trademarks. Double tapping on the upper half of the touch screen will give you a speed boost, and double tapping on the lower half will make your ship slow down. It sounds easy, and after a few hours of play, you’ll realize it is, but it isn’t intuitive for beginners, which is why we hope next time they stick to the classic controls (Control Pad+Buttons), or at least give us the option to choose which control setup we prefer. There’s one thing we loved, though, and that’s the “drag and drop†a bomb setup, which feels oh so satisfying every time we use it.
Fly your ship, command the team.
The barrel roll is another story. For it to work, you have to rub the stylus from left to right to left, or right to left to right. Sounds easy, sure, but because you will have to pull off some fast maneuvers most of the time, you will most likely perform a lot of accidental barrel rolls, even though that’s hardly a negative when you realize how needed they are. How do you shoot, though? Well, that’s the only thing you possibly won’t complain about. Every single button on the DS will work as a “fire†button, so I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding which button to push. Locking on to a target is also easy, because you’ll just have to keep your enemy in front of you for a couple of seconds while pressing the shooting button.
Overall, the gameplay is solid even though it may not have on-rail shooting portions, which are a must for Star Fox veterans. Even so, the new formula works. It’s entertaining, it’s easy to understand, and it’s different. We definitely hope for more on-rail action next time around, but with Command, we’re already getting a little nostalgic feeling that we didn’t get with the two previous games.
Commanding the Team
One of our fondest memories from the N64 era is playing Star Fox 64’s multiplayer with our friends. We can safely say that Q-Games has done an excellent job with Command’s multiplayer mode, as it works very similarly to the N64 game. You know, follow your opponents, shoot them, and –- the new addition –- collect the star. In addition to having 6-player battles with just one copy of the game, Star Fox Command has also included a first in the franchise’s history: Online battles. The online mode isn’t very robust, but it at least gets the job done. In a “Free-for-All†battle, you’ll duke out against your other friends, but in addition to defeating your opponents, you will also have to collect a star that will appear in the same spot where you beat them, so that’s two birds you have to kill with a single stone. It sounds simple, and it does because it is. But we don’t mind, it’s fun, it’s easy to pick-up and play, and it’s free. Don’t expect more, because there’s honestly not much to it.
Looking good, fox!
Lookin’ Good, Fox!
Star Fox Command’s greatest strength is its fantastic visual presentation. Graphically, we can safely say that it is one of the most solid looking DS games out there. The graphical engine is strong, and even though the draw distance isn’t as good as we had hoped, we can’t deny that Q-games did a great job with the programming. There are huge environments, each ship now has a different style (awesome!), and it runs at 30 fps, so it’s smooth enough. The sound is also reminiscent of past Star Fox games, with the exception of voice acting -– which this game doesn’t have. It’s all right though, as you will get SNES memories when you listen to the characters’ gibberish language, which is still fun after all these years.
What about the soundtrack? It’s classic Star Fox, that’s for sure. Each theme will remind you of both SNES and N64 prequels, so it’s fair to say that Q-games definitely tried to re-capture that nostalgic feeling, and was successful at it. Q-games also incorporated a fun extra, and that is the “Voice Recording†feature, which allows you to put your own voice in the game by speaking into the microphone, at which the game will “translate†it into the game. Now Fox will have your own voice! It’s a cool, although ultimately unnecessary feature, but we wish more developers start getting inventive with little stuff like this.
Command the Team or Fly Away?
Ultimately, Star Fox Command has enough good points to validate a purchase –- it is fun, easy to pick up and play, and has an addicting multiplayer mode. It may take a bit of a left turn when compared to previous Star Fox games with its strategy-focused portions and touch screen controls; but it at least tries to do something new with a formula that has been tampered with too much for its own good.
No, it’s not as good as Star Fox 64 was back in the day, but its classic design inspired by the original serves as solid foundation for the inevitable sequel, which will hopefully include more of what we love about the franchise: frantic, non-stop, on-rail shooting fun.
You can do it, Nintendo.
— Miguel Yanez
