Saturday, February 4, 2012

21. Star Fox 64 (N64)


Star Fox 64 took a fun, but rough around the edges trailblazer, the original Star Fox on Super Nintendo, to new heights. Whereas Star Fox on the SNES could only do so much graphically, being limited to a 2d machine after all, the sequel is just jam-packed with levels that take hold over the imagination with the support of the power of the N64. From Fox’s city home world, Corneria, to the hot furnace of the sun, to the watery planet Aquas, to the bleak and dying planet Venom, Star Fox 64 had level design in spades. The gameplay, as beholden as it is to rail shooter mechanics, is a blast as well. It’s just a joy to shoot down enemy ships, and when you’re in trouble you have plenty of evasive maneuvers to get you out of harm’s way such as the barrel roll. As much as I love flight sims like Wing Commander, Star Fox 64 is just more fun in a simplistic kind of way… sort of like an arcade game. As a pro tip, if you go the “hard route” in the game, you can meet Fox’s dad at the end of the battle with Andross.

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