A complete graphical update of the original Star Fox 64 game brings the Nintendo classic into the era of portable 3D fun of Nintendo 3DS
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Two control methods for the player to experience: the original Nintendo 64 Mode and the Gyro Sensor based Nintendo 3DS Mode
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Trusted Fox McCloud wingmen Peppy, Slippy and Falco are along for the ride
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Each mission takes players through a different planet of the Lylat system as they blast enemies, collect power-ups and fight powerful bosses on their way to the final battle
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A new multiplayer option lets up to four players engage in fierce aerial combat via a local wireless connection and only one game cartridge
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40 of 45 found the following review helpful:
A N64 arcade shooter classic gets even betterSep 10, 2011
By Relytia You know, I truly believe that Nintendo should include a warning label on every copy of Star Fox 64, both the original 64 version, and now this new 3DS remake. It would go something like this: "Warning, this game is so incredibly addictive, yes, so absurdly fun that it may, in fact, destroy any stability and desire in you to do anything productive. Relationships, work ethic, and basic personal hygiene may suffer. Play and have a blast at your own risk." Seriously, this game is so fun, it will devour your soul. I don't know anyone who was ever a "casual" player of Star Fox 64, and for good reason, because this was one of the funnest, most classic games on the Nintendo 64. I played it a ton in its original form when I was a kid (ah the memories), and now I am happy (and somewhat nervous, given how addicted I and many others can get with it) to say that this remake is just as great as the original. As a matter of fact, in some ways, Star Fox 64 3D vastly surpasses the original.
Chances are, you already know what you're getting here with Star Fox 64. It's essentially a 3D space shooter with tantalizing arcade appeal, excellent control mechanics, a ground-breaking (for its time) story branching mechanic that allowed roughly 25 different possible paths through the story based on performance, near limitless replayability, a more cinematic feel (at least compared to Star Fox on the SNES), and enough cheese-smothered charm to feed an army of mice. All of these selling points are back and better than ever. It's great, but the enhancements in this remake are amazing and really add to its quality.
In a time when most companies lazily port old games with no update whatsoever (I'm looking solely at you Rayman 2: The Great Esca...er, um... I mean "Rayman 3D"), Nintendo once again shows us how it is done. Star Fox 64 3D retains what was great about the original (the levels, gameplay, and audio) and completely enhances what has perhaps aged quite a bit, namely the visuals, and by adding some new features. The graphics are jaw droppingly gorgeous, especially if you remember the original. Seriously, compare pictures/videos of them side-by-side and you'll be amazed at how far technology has come in 14 years. Bravo, Nintendo EAD and Q-Games, you did great! The 3D is also one of the best implementations I've seen yet on the 3DS. Lasers, meteors, enemies, background vistas (which look fantastic), particle effects, the Arwing, you name it, the 3D really does it all justice and, most importantly, actually enhances the gameplay itself. The audio has been enhanced a bit as well, with rerecorded voice-acting and some of the sounds and music have been remixed or remastered, but overall, it has thankfully remained pretty much untouched. The classic musical score by Koji Kondo and Hajime Wakai is as epic as it ever was, the voice acting is still awesomely cheesy, and yes, Falco is still a hilariously smug jerk, and thank goodness for that. That character alone makes my day. The others are great too though. ;)
They did add some new things other than the obvious visual effect. There is also a scoring mode after you complete the campaign that allows you to go back for medals, adding even more to the appeal for arcade gamers. There's also a save system now,a huge update from the original, thank goodness. There are also two control-modes of play, the classic N64 control scheme that utilizes purely analog stick and button inputs, as well as a new 3DS scheme that takes advantage of the 3DS' gyroscope capabilities. I prefer the N64 controls, but the gyroscope-mode works surprisingly well and is incredibly fun to use, but it usually nullifies the 3D because of position change. So there is a trade-off there.
I'll be honest, I don't care a whole lot for multi-player in Star Fox 64 3D, but it's there. There's no mode for playing against others on the internet, unfortunately, but there is a 4-local multiplayer for you to play with your friends if one of you has this game and all of you have your own 3DS (duh). They did add some power-ups to that mode and overall, it plays fairly nicely, based on my limited experience with it. If you have friends who all own a 3DS to play this with, then you'll love it.
Star Fox 64 was one of my all-time favorite N64 games, right up there with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, and the original Super Smash Bros. If all video game remakes were like this and Ocarina of Time 3D, I'd get every single one (here's hoping for a Majora's Mask remake too). Star Fox 64 is a classic that has been given a really great treatment in this remake. It enhances all the aspects that needed updating, while keeping the core addictive awesomeness of the original Star Fox 64 perfectly preserved. This really is a timeless game, and I give this 3DS version the highest recommendation. Buy it, blast n'splode it, and soar through the galaxy, saving the Lylat system in your iconic, trusty Arwing!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Star Fox 64 3DApr 05, 2012
By Michael King I think I must be the only person who has played this game that really didn't get what all the mass hysteria was about. You would think this was one of the greatest games ever made by reading most reviews.
I played through the main story mode in about 2 hours I think and was kind of scratching my head when I got the credits. Was that it?... I felt that the game was pretty challenging and didn't feel I had done very well overall. The final boss was very difficult, and after spending about an hour of getting sucked into his mouth and not being able to find any way to avoid it, I decided to go on Youtube to see if I could find any tips on defeating him. Only after watching some video walkthroughs, did I finally realize that a lot of people seemed to find this game as insanely difficult and un-intuitive as I did. I also finally figured out what the simple secret was to defeating the end boss. The Youtube videos helped take me from a point of feeling completely incompetent and frustrated at playing this game, to a realization that I actually appeared to be in the norm.
Since then I have been playing the "Scoring Mode" attempting to practice some of the levels to hopefully get better at them. Sadly...my top scores don't even place in the lowest "Bronze Medal" category for most of the missions and the more I play them, oftentimes the worse my final scores are. At this point I'm really not having much fun with this game and find it far more frustrating than enjoyable in most regards.
To be honest, I think the game itself is beautiful, and having seen video of the original, I think they did an amazing job of updating and improving the graphic elements of this game. Many parts truly feel epic and the game has a great soundtrack. On the negative side though, the hit detection feels off in quite a few places, as I continually play levels and specifically focus on certain targets, but somehow never seem to be able to hit them even though I can see my laser shots hitting right in the spot where the enemies are. I also find the other characters in the group very annoying. Some of the voice scripts are very irritating and the other characters constant whining for assistance gets tiring. At a few points I literally had thoughts of shooting my own party out of the sky just to silence their constant whining. Overall, this really feels like you are out to take on an insanely difficult assignment, and instead of a competent team of pilots to help you on your mission, you got stuck with some bratty, selfish and incompetent kids who in the end, do little more than slow you down.
At this point I've concluded that this game must primarily be a fun updated game for people who played the original and have fond memories of playing it. It seems to be less about having a fun but progressively challenging game that you work your way through for 15-20 hours, and is more of a very short game with a very high difficulty level that you re-play over and over and over trying to memorize every subtle nuance and appearance of every enemy so you can try to improve the number of enemies you take down each time.
After about 4-5 hours of gameplay, I think I'm done with this title for now and am going to move on and try to find something more enjoyable. I plan on holding on to the game though and hopefully come back to it later down the road. Hoping to someday figure out where the transition happens from insanely difficult and frustrating game with great graphics to fun and enjoyable masterpeice. All the reviews seem to equate this as the latter, so figuring I just haven't found it yet...
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Sublime.Sep 10, 2011
By David Jackson Even after 14 years, Star Fox 64 is a stellar action title. Every level, every boss fight has something new to show the player about the potential of the simple mechanics at the game's core. Throw in great music and very, very tight controls, and you have a package many modern games can't match. And that's all *before* you take into account the awesome refinements on display in the 3DS version -- improved graphics that somehow maintain every bit of their original charm, surprisingly good rerecorded voice acting, a 3D effect that feels totally natural and complements the game well, and even a stage-by-stage Score Attack mode that the N64 release desperately needed.
Star Fox 64 3D is so good, so incredibly fun and so strangely fresh after all this time, that it puts the rest of the system's library to shame. If you've got a 3DS, this is the game to get -- its only real peer, so far, is Ocarina of Time. If you don't have a 3DS, this is a damned good reason to think about getting one.
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
An Intense Nostalgia TripSep 11, 2011
By Z. Frost I was a huge fan of Starfox 64, and I'd play it all the time. This new remastering of the game takes things to a whole new level, and ever since I picked it up on launch day, I haven't been able to put it back down.
As you would expect from a remastering, this is the same exact Starfox you remember from the N64 days, except its visuals have been improved by leaps and bounds, making each level a visual treat. Unlike Ocarina of Time 3D, however, the audio in Starfox 64 3D has also received an overhaul. The music is refreshed and sounds much better. The voice acting has been revised, and some of the more corny dialogue has been changed (Falco calls Fox "genius" instead of "Einstein" when he's shot by friendly fire). While some may think this lessens the experience, it's nothing to lose a star rating over.
The game lets you play with the new 3DS controls or the old N64 controls, and also features a mode that lets you steer your ship by moving your 3DS around. And with wireless multiplayer increasing the fun even further, its replay value is tremendous, just like its predecessor.
This is Starfox, bigger and better than ever before. Recommended!
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Yay, something sorta-new to play on 3DS!Sep 09, 2011
By Aku 3DS owners have had three options for games for the last month: old DS games, free NES games and maybe two or three above-average 3DS titles. Over the next few months, that horrible dry spell will fade away. Star Fox 64 3D is the starting point.
Unlike the recent Ocarina of Time 3D version that felt a bit light on the graphical overhaul, Star Fox 64 on the 3DS makes serious, awesome adjustments. Those flat, murky water effects are tossed aside for sparkling waves, generic white snow becomes layered sheets of ice and sleet. Virtually all of it runs smoothly in regular and 3D play. The only loss from the N64 version that I can see is the cockpit view, and I have to admit that stings a little. The 3D effect...actually didn't seem as intense as I thought it would with this kind of game, albeit the screen can be too hectic to bother noticing every little thing that flies at you.
The controls can be tweaked enough to satisfy the majority of people. It includes the two sensible weapon/speed button layouts and lets you switch between standard and inverted flying. There are also gyro controls, which I haven't got a chance to try yet, but it can be turned off or even used alongside the buttons.
The story mode has changed very little, it's just been slightly modified. You still go through a string of missions, where alternate paths and hidden bosses can be unlocked by accomplishing certain achievements. The only major change is the ability to choose whether or not you wish to continue with an unlocked path or go the "regular" route. Note that this doesn't mean you can cruise through any mission you want without first unlocking the OPTION to. This is (mildly) offset by the ability to replay the last stage you completed at the expense of a ship/1-up. You can also just play around on individual levels and aim for the best score, but it looks like you have to unlock the stages in each "difficulty," via the story mode. There's two difficulties, but I see no glaring differences between them...it looks like you could stick with one and not miss anything.
The story itself is 100% unchanged, as are the methods to unlocking different routes and defeating the bosses. Dialogue has been completely redone - supposedly by the original actors - and whether or not you enjoy it depends greatly on your tolerance to the cheese factor. And for those who really care about it, prepare for a shock: not every line from the N64 game makes it verbatim. You've been warned. Oh, the music's been tweaked a little as well, but I honestly can't spot the differences off the top of my head, so be aware of that as well.
Now aside from the graphics and audio, the big draw for the game appears to be its multiplayer mode, which allows aerial dogfights between four local players using a single cartridge. While the ability to see less-than-great video feeds of your friends in the game is...different, the total lack of online play really brings down the experience. Keep in mind: the Star Fox on the original DS managed to do this, and even though Nintendo wants to show how much their online enthusiasm has grown, the perfect game to make use of that cobweb-infested friends list goes unused. Not cool. I expect much better interactivity in Mario Kart and Smash Bros.
Even if 3DS owners weren't in this current drought, I would still recommend Star Fox for anyone who can bear the sting of a wasted opportunity for online play. It's still an incredibly fun game, only now it doesn't look ugly and it's in portable form.
based on 65 reviews
( 65 customer reviews )
