The Star Fox series has had quite in interesting past. Originally starting back in 1992, Fox McCloud and his fellow furry friends took flight on the SNES. The big kicker about that game was that it tapped into technology that no previous developer even dared to make use of, the FX Chip. This cartridge-based chip allowed for a better 3D gaming environment through the use of polygonal figures and exogenous processing power. The game instantly became a hit and the Star Fox team earned a spot next to the rest of the Nintendo greats such as Mario, Zelda, and Metroid.
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Unfortunately, this game’s direct sequel never made it to US shores and remained a Japanese exclusive. US gamers would have to wait years before they could assume the role of Fox McCloud again in Star Fox 64. Just like the first SNES version, the N64 version of Star Fox also contained a video game first, the use of the Rumble Feature via Nintendo’s Rumble Pak. Beside the use a of this new and important technology, Star Fox 64 was also heralded as having a solid single player adventure with some of the system’s best multiplayer capabilities. On certain levels, players were given the option of playing in a tank or a submarine while the battle mode even had players running around on foot.
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Not soon after the GameCube’s launch, Star Fox Adventures was released but was more like Zelda than Star Fox. With minimal Arwing fighting, the main focus of the game was hand-to-hand weapon based combat. Fox McCloud’s on foot adventure wasn’t exactly what fans were looking for, but it did give the developers a chance to introduce a few new characters to the story mode such as Krystal, the blue female fox. A couple years later, Star Fox Assault found a home on the GameCube and tried to meld the aerial flight of Star Fox 64 with the hand-to-hand combat of Adventures. Instead of it being the killer Star Fox app that mixed the best of both worlds, it wound up resulting in an awkward mess. Again, this sequel was something slightly new, but it wasn’t the true sequels fans had hoped for.
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After a decade and a half, all the sequels, gaming firsts, and new directions, this DS version is still not the Star Fox that it should be. While the game strictly stays in the sky (no awkward on foot levels), the overall feel is marred by repetitive missions, a few bad 3D effects, and a very unbalanced multiplayer mode.
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Star Fox Command will only put players in an Arwing, which is a good thing. Levels, however, are arranged a little differently compared to previous Star Fox games. Instead of flying straight into the screen as if on “train rails” like in the original game, Command will only have players flying through stages like Star Fox 64’s “all range mode.” The game boasts truer 3D environment using this style of play. The player will fly around in a square stage, but when the Arwing gets close to the virtual boarder that edges the screen, the computer will automatically turn it around.
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The game has been designed with a great sense of structure and takes on a more narrative role. The story line now plays a bigger role that the games of the past, which has potential to branch out in several different ways. In fact, the game contains nearly 10 different endings, each of which harbors new missions, new characters, and planets to wage war on. Unlocking each ending is a decent way to increase replay value, especially since unlocking new characters gives the player a new way to play, as each character has strengths and weaknesses. For example, Fox McCloud has a single cannon with a single lock-on while Slippy’s ship uses a plasma cannon but cannot lock-on. Fans will be pleased to see old character’s returning, such as the Star Wolf clan, as they will joined with all new characters like Slippy’s finance and Peppy’s daughter.
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New to the Star Fox series is Command’s “tactics” style of gameplay. From an overhead map on the bottom touch screen, the player must guide each playable unit in order to stop incoming forces, missiles, and to take over hostel enemy bases. Just like strategy games like Advance Wars or Vandal Hearts, movement is decided by “turns.” Using the touch screen, the player will stab and drag the playable character’s icon across the map, leading them to battle. However, boundaries and Fog of War can get in the way, so looking ahead a turn or two is a must. Each character can only move so far each turn, and only so much fog of war can be cleared away (by using the stylus to erase it). This strategy element is a nice addition to the Star Fox series, but the tutorial does not explain this screen at all. Only after experimenting for a few turns will the player fully understand the overhead map.
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This overhead tactics style of gameplay brings unnecessary elements to this game. Players now have to complete each stage before a timer runs out, or must complete each mission with a specific number of moves. The question is: why? Why do I have to rush and beat the level as soon as possible when I want to spend time admiring the full detail and space of each stage? What difference does it make that I destroy all incoming forces within three turns as long as the Great Fox and my wingmen remain unharmed? Adding a timer and a certain number of turns is entirely too restricting and does not belong anywhere in the Star Fox universe.
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Unlike the Star Foxes of the past, this version is controlled entirely with the stylus. Yes, this does sound intimidating and gimmicky, but after about an hour, you will realize that the stylus allows for accurate control that an analog stick could never provide. Basic vertical and horizontal movement is simply controlled by sliding the stylus across the screen in the corresponding direction. The U-Turn is performed by tapping the icon on the bottom touch screen (which also houses a radar displaying items and bad guys), but can only be performed if there is enough juice in your Boost Gauge. The signature barrel roll also uses the Boost Gauge but is performed by rubbing the stylus left-right-left, or right-left-right quickly. Barrel rolling now acts as a form of attack as well as deflecting incoming fire. Speed can be controlled by double tapping screen. Double tap the top half of the screen to speed up or double the bottom half to speed down. Every button on the DS system then acts as the Fire button. Even the D-pad fires. Tap the fire button to shoot rapidly, or hold it down to lock-on. This control scheme works very well, and because every button controls your ship’s lasers, your hand will never cramp like when playing Metroid Prime Hunters.
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While the control takes some time to get used to, it will be most welcomed. Unfortunately, despite having a solid control scheme, the game suffers from cheap kills and repetitive mission objectives. All combat missions will revolve around the same mission objectives. How many Motherships can I blow up and how many stars can I collect before boredom sets in? While these mission objects are suitable for a flying game, they are hindered from a great unbalance. The biggest problem with the game takes place in the “shoot down the missile” or “blow up the Mothership” stages. In order to shoot down these nuisances, the player must travel through a series of red 2D boxes. The thing is, when you fly through one of these red boxes, your Arwing automatically speeds up controllably. However, because the player must travel through several of them in a row, these boxes overlap on screen, causing confusion as to which box to aim for next and if you miss one, you automatically die. I perished more than any man should during these routine missions. Because of this horrible 3D effect, I not only lost lives, but entire missions. During one level, I managed to flawlessly blow up every enemy craft, in which I spent a solid forty plus minutes. The one missile that was heading toward the Great Fox was the last objective that needed to be fulfilled. Unfortunately, my Arwing was shot down because I could not judge the bad “2D boxes in the 3D world” effect, allowing the missile to blow up the Great Fox, sending me to the Game Over screen. Forty minutes, and my patience, wasted because designers decided to use a poor Virtual Boy style of 2D boxes in a 3D world.
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The game supports up to 6 players to compete via local wireless link with only one game pak as well as supporting up to 4 players via Nintendo WiFi Connection. While competing in aerial dogfights is a killer way to blast your buddies, the versus mode promotes cherry picking as opposed to skill. Multiplayer mode is not judged by how many kills or deaths you had, but by how many stars you collected. You see, after you blow an opponent out of the sky, he will leave behind a star. Whoever collects the most stars by the end of the match is declared the winner. But just because you killed your opponent, does not mean that you will collect that star. It is very common place for other opponents to fly right in and snipe stars right from in front of you. Essentially, it is very possible to play an entire Vs match, not fire a single bullet, and win. This horrible unbalanced multiplayer mode will only enhance frustration levels instead of the fun factor. Also, there are no other multiplayer options. Why would I play a death match mode where a complete newbie could totally out match a veteran? Where is the justice in that?
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Using the Arwing’s bomb can also be used unfairly. Because all action take takes place on the top screen while the bottom touch screen displays all enemies and their movement, the player can always keep track of everything that is going on. In order to use one of the Arwing’s bombs, the player will stab the bomb icon from the right side of the screen, and release it as to where they want it to blow up. This means that you can have a bomb drop on you from no matter where you are within the stage. This is another feature that is remarkably unbalanced. What is the point of retreating when you can still be blasted out of the sky even if your opponent is not facing you? And when using the bombs in the single player story mode, the computer A.I. always seems to magically move just out of the bomb’s blast radius every time.
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The game’s graphics are rather smooth and I never experienced slow down, even when playing against three other players online. The cut scenes are detailed as well, but there is one question that I would like to ask? Why is it that when I am playing on Aquas, the water planet, my Arwing can swim around underwater as if flying through space? Shouldn’t my ship at least utilize some type of transformation sequence? I didn’t know Arwings can also act as underwater cruisers.
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All the music is what you would expect for a flying game. All tempos are upbeat and contribute to the rest of the game’s action atmosphere. Unlike Star Fox 64, all the game’s characters speak Animalese like the townspeople of Animal Crossing. However, one of the coolest, and most unique features about this game, is the fact that you can record your own voice for the jibba-jabba that all the characters will use. In the Options menu, the game will ask the player a set of basic questions like “what did you eat for dinner” and “when is your birthday.” Speaking into the DS’s mic, the game will then take your answers, and morph them into the Animalese that each character speaks. While this feature does not really enhance gameplay in anyway, it is really cool that the developers took the time to create this unique function. Now if I can just get my friends to stop swearing into their system….
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The bottom line is simple; is Star Fox Command the sequel that long time fans will want? No. But is Star Fox Command still a decent game? Yes. If you can look past the remarkably unbalanced multiplayer mode and the “put on some type of 3D glasses to fully understand the visually appalling 2D red Virtual Boy boxes” that the player must fly through in order to complete every other mission, the Star Fox Command will bring a smile to your face. The all-stylus control takes some time to get used to, but turns out to be a wonderfully accurate tool. And it just would not be right if this game did not have Rumble Pak support, as Star Fox 64 was the first console game to contain this feature.
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When it is all said and done, why can’t fans be given what we want instead of new and awkward gameplay elements? Instead of on foot levels, give us more “on the rail” stages. Instead of a stupid “collect the stars” multiplayer mode, give us more options (CTF, Team Death Match) with a detailed stat tracking system. Get rid of the ridiculous timer and add more Arwings or wingmen. And since most levels have wingmen, give us some WiFi co-op story mode stages. Elements like this might produce a more entertaining Star Fox experience.