NSO Retro: Star Fox 64 (N64)

Star Fox 64 (AKA Lylat Wars) was originally released on the N64 back in 1997 but I never bought or played it back in the day. In fact, my first Star Fox was Star Fox Adventures (2002) on the GameCube which, as a third-person action-adventure, doesn’t play like any of the other games in the series. I can’t say I recall much about it, but maybe I’ll find time to replay it in the future.

Star Fox 64 is apparently a reboot of the original Star Fox but I didn’t know that going in. You play as Fox McCloud, a fox who pilots an ‘Arwing’ space fighter ship. Fox leads the Star Fox team that includes a rabbit, a falcon and a frog. Don’t ask me!

When the evil scientist Andross launches an attack on the Lylat system, General Pepper (a dog?) recruits Fox and his team to help. The game features a seven mission campaign, but the missions and the locations will vary depending upon your progress. There’s a branching level system in which new paths unlock based on certain criteria but it’s not entirely clear what those criteria are – at least it wasn’t to me.

I did enjoy playing through the path I unlocked though – aside from one mission in which I was stuck on the ground in a tank. I didn’t like that one at all. The game is at its best when you’re flying in the Arwing and shooting everything that moves – sorry, Slippy!

You have a rapid fire laser with a lock-on ability (only a single enemy lock – this isn’t Panzer Dragoon) and you can also pick up and fire more powerful bombs. You can manoeuvre the Arwing fairly easily (though the controls take some getting used to on a modern pro controller) with the ability to (famously) ‘do a barrel roll!’ for quick evasion. You can also boost or brake as needed.

Most missions see you fighting through an environment on-rails, but there are times you enter ‘All-Range Mode’ and you can freely fly around a 3D space. It’s those moments that reminded me a lot of the Rogue Squadron games – I really need to replay those too.

In fact, the last few missions are pretty much just Star Wars as Fox leads a fighter assault on the totally not the Death Star. After fighting over its surface, Fox flies into the structure to confront Andross himself . . . who it turns out is a giant robotic Ape head. Don’t ask me!

There’s even a Star Wars medal sequence at the end, although Fox is kind of an a-hole who tells General pepper to shove it.

I ‘finished’ Star Fox 64 in about 45-50 minutes (including the tutorial). I was surprised how short it was but like I said, there is replay value here in the branching level system, and in the ranking system that gives you a target to beat.

Once I’d got the hang of the controls I had quite a bit of fun with it, and I liked the trash talking enemies just as much as I liked the support of the Star Fox team – aside from Slippy who was always asking for my help. Do it yourself, Slippy!