Game Info
Game Name: Star Fox 64 3D
Developer(s): Q-Games/Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Platform(s): 3DS
Genre(s): Action/Adventure/Simulator
Release Date(s): July 14, 2011 (Japan)/September 9, 2011 (US)
ESRB Rating: E10+
Remember when R.O.B. beat the crap out of you?
Andross has been exiled to the planet of Venom, and when James McCloud and his team go to investigate strange activity, the team is betrayed by Pigma Dengar. Now, James’s son Fox McCloud has been called upon to protect the planet, and Andross and his forces are growing!
Star Fox 64 3D is a Nintendo 3DS action-adventure flight simulator game. The game is a remastered version of the Nintendo 64’s Star Fox 64 (released in 1997) and follows Star Fox Command which was released for the DS in 2006. The game was developed by Q-Games and Nintendo EAD and was well received upon its release.
The original Star Fox for the Super NES was a big let down for me. Though many liked it and I was hyped for its release, I can remember renting it, beating it quickly, and thinking that there was little replay value in the game. I never ended up playing Star Fox 64 as a result, but this version of that game does have some nice parts as well as some similar problems.
Tanks for the memories, Nintendo…and tanks for the bad puns
The controls on Star Fox 64 3D are a lot more reflexive. While there were a few times I felt that I was fighting the controls on the open world sequences, I generally felt that it was very intuitive and fun…something that I do like in a flight simulator (and rarely get). A gyroscope based control is also available, but I felt sticking to the original controls was the better option. The fighting was fun (though it was sometimes difficult to keep track of your partners which leads to them scolding you over and over again). Targeting the enemies is slick though sometimes I did feel “stuck” trying to negotiate the 3D nature of the game.
The graphics are quite good. I like the look and style of the game. I sometimes would find myself turning off the 3D to give my eyes a rest since it felt that the 3D effect on this game is a bit more intense than some of the other 3D games. The original Star Fox hasn’t held up well over time and is hard to play (simply because it is hard to see with its blocky style). Here, the planes look like planes instead of a pile of triangles and that by itself is a step up.
Argument: Monkey Andross is creepier than Brain Andross
The “story” is rather quick. The game has you playing through a field of levels to reach Venom. The paths can change and that does change up gameplay (which leads to replay value). You’re encouraged to maximize the battle for the best ranking and score but it is a relatively quick trip to Venom to finish the game…it will take longer to master.
Star Fox 64 3D is a nice addition to the 3DS simply because it fills a niche that it doesn’t feel like many games are trying to fill today. The game also has a multiplayer mode which allows you to battle friends in dogfights…though the big pull is the level by level game. With Star Fox 64 3D being fun, I had high hopes for the Wii U Star Fox…which turned into a disappointing and frustrating game. Bottom line: Stick to Star Fox 64 3D. Star Fox 64 3D was followed by Star Fox Zero and the strategy game Star Fox Guard in 2016.
