When I was a young boy, I thought Star Fox 64 was the best game around. It was just something about anthropomorphic animals in space that peaked my interest longer than necessary. It’s a shame that Nintendo doesn’t pay much attention to Star Fox (or Metroid for that matter). Still, at least Star Fox 64 got a 3DS remake, so anyone can play it within relevance.

The story tells of a scientist named Andross who went rogue and declared war on the Lylat System. James McCloud and his Star Fox team are enlisted to stop him, but were betrayed by fellow teammate Pigma. James is presumed dead and his son, Fox McCloud, forms his own Star Fox team to take the battle to Andross. Their first mission is to save Cornelia from the invading army. From there, it’s a b-line cross-system trip to Andross’ base of operations on Venom.

The gameplay of Star Fox 64 straightforward and linear; you move your ship, the Arwing, around to shoot baddies that are trying to kill you, sometimes even saving your three teammates that are being ganged by enemy ships. You also move your Arwing around to collect repair rings, blaster upgrades or smart bombs. You play up to 10 levels each play-through, and depending on how well you did (such as finding secret pathways), you can choice which planet pathway to travel on, and get one of two endings.

The Star Fox games that followed were different, and not necessarily better. The first Star Fox, from what I’ve read and seen, was similar to this game but with lower graphic and color quality. There were plans for Star Fox 2 were cancelled when the N64 was close to release. The next game in the series, Star Fox Adventures, only had a few shooter segments between travel points (I’ll be sure to explain more of this game in a future review). Possibly the closest to a true update in the traditional Star Fox format was Star Fox Assault, that threw in a few out of cockpit combat for added flair and gameplay options. I’m not even sure what to make of Star Fox Command, but I do recall it having mixed reviews.

Even as a kid, Star Fox 64 was easy, but it was also very fun. There were world maps where you moved in a straight line and have to shoot everything in site. There were a few maps where you fought in an enclosed environment and focus on shooting down the bad guys. There were also a few maps with their own gimmicks, like Solar where your shields kept lowering due to the intense heat, or Macbeth as one of the two only stages you got to ride the Landmaster tank.

Carrying enemies on top of the tank and hovering to the air… MAY not work on a freight train.

Again, this game has an updated 3DS port, with enhanced graphics and everything. The core gameplay and heart is still there, so you can’t go wrong with that. Maybe Nintendo will get around to making that new Star Fox game for the Wii U, and do some good old space ship shooting combat,  maybe with Adventure’s planet exploration on a smaller level, and Assault’s ground combat. As a long time fan, one can always hope.

Besides, I bet you all want to play this game (new or old version) for one thing: