Star Fox 64 (1997)

This game is a standout 3D rail shooter that became one of the defining titles of the Nintendo 64 era. As a reboot of the original Star Fox for the SNES, it builds on the core formula with fully voiced characters, cinematic storytelling, and polished gameplay. The MC is called Fox McCloud and his team as they battle across the Lylat System, piloting the Arwing, military spaceships, through a series of diverse and action-packed missions.

It has amazing tight controls, fast-paced combat, and iconic voice lines like the unforgettable “Do a barrel roll!”, which I finally experienced after knowing about it for several years. Its branching level paths offer multiple routes and endings, greatly increasing its replay value. Ground and tank-based missions add variety, while boss fights are consistently creative and satisfying, there is even an underwater level in which you pilot a submarine.

I played all the 15 available levels and got the secret ending, by going the "hard route", which is the one at the left corner, and it indeed is way harder than the regular one. I highly recommend playing all the levels since they are very satisfying and unique enough that are worth experiencing, even though they are tough as nails if you are not used to rail shooters, even more so because this is a 3D one.

And while I admit that I didn't 100% this title, I still enjoyed the hell out of every minute, so much so that I even added the SNES version to my backlog, which is something I never thought of doing since I am really not a fan of rail shooters. This title is a must play solely because of it's influence and gaming history, and while the campaign is relatively short, its charm, replayability, and tight design make it a beloved classic and one of the N64’s essential titles.

Enemy shield analyzed!

This is a nice rail shooter which is exciting and challenging. I played the easy path as well as the hard path. The game is so captivating so that when I close my eyes after playing the game, I keep seeing the space ships flying around and shooting lasers. I even feel a bit dizzy after playing because it's so immersive.

I like the arcade form of the game with the thrill that I could lose all my arwings (lifes) and have to start from the beginning. In this case it is not a catastrophe because one run of star fox takes about 60 minutes.

Graphics, sound and controls are amazing for a game from 1997. It has aged very well!

It must have been pretty crazy for someone to go from the original Star Fox to this game back in 1997. The art style is clearly inspired by the original game (I got the impression this is the game they would have made in 93 if the hardware allowed it). Given it's focus on style over realism I think it still holds up to this day and is probably one of the better looking games on the n64. This game really showcases the strength of the faster RAM that cartridge based games facilitated.

The controls are smoother than before and they've added a lock-on attack feature which is a welcomed addition. You can now turn around which can be handy in a dog fight but doesn't feel too innovative.This game revises the course selection from the first game. Instead of choosing the course you want to take, your options for planetoids/planets will shift based on certain actions you take while in the level. Given, this only happens for a hand-full of levels, for example, you need to maneuver under all the arches right before the waterfall (In Corneria) to unlock the "hard" track and after that there's a level where you need to get a certain amount of kills to stay on the hard course.

It's pretty neat to reward experimentation like this, though none of these activities really make sense as a means to progress through harder levels. I guess Falco felt self conscious seeing you fly under those arches so he tried to go full alpha by suicidally flying blind into a waterfall?

There's plenty of replay value in the different courses available and in unlocking "Expert" mode. Not to mention multiplayer with friends which I look forward to doing.

I do think the writing is the weakest aspect of the game. While all the main characters are distinct from each other, they're all still pretty 2-dimensional. Peppy is a no nonsense mentor, Falco is a douche, and Slippy is an annoying moron (It was amusing watching Slippy say "I got this" and immediately getting destroyed by the boss and crash landing on a planet). It also felt a little awkward hearing Peppy talk about fond memories with Fox's Dad when they're on Venom... you know where Fox's Dad died.... Fox himself is extremely bland with no real discernible personality.

The only thing really preventing me from rating this higher, excluding the poor writing, is the lack of innovation from the first game. This game is extremely polished and while there are some nice new features, such as multiplayer, lock-on and turning around, none of it feels like a real innovation. This was a very safe remake of the original game. Sure I didn't like Star Fox 2 as much as the first, but I respect the risks it took.

Still what matters most with a video game is gameplay and this delivers.

It's like the original on the nes, except even bettererer, seriously, star fox reached its peak with this game and unfortunately never managed to top the pure space-action fun that is this game.

Weither it's the original N64 or 3ds version, on the go or on the big screen, this game will take you for a spin in an out of this world experience.

4.0 out of 5, would fight for Corneria again.

(Ps : I love it when Fox shoots Andross's big monkey head until there's nothing left but his brains and the guy has the balls to say "So Andross, you show your true form!". Like, what do you mean his true form ? Yeah, i guess everyone's true form is their brain since that's the thing controlling everything, but you're the one you blew his face off with lasers, dude.)

i bought this game because nintendo power sent me a videotape of mario getting squished in a vice by some goons from sega and sony, but said goons were totallyh blown away by the rumble pak. this was a wise choice.

my memories of the n64 at the time all kind of revolve around "oh games arent good any longer. 3d was a mistake. i wish they made super nintendo games forever." and i still sort of believe this, like i dont actively believe it that strongly, i like a lot of 3d games maybe but that kernel took root and as ive said in other reviews i think games have to 'earn their 3d.' in addition , even to this day, a lot of 3d games are either straight up ugly or beautifully rendered but still uncanny and not in a stylistic good way, ergo they are ugly.

anyhow i really like this game. i liked it at the time. i like it now. i have never not liked this game and never been bored by it. every time i pick it up i am glad i picked it up. i got it for the wii. i got it for the wii u. i got it for the 3ds. i didnt get the gamecube sequels because the reviews said that they werent like this one and so i figured why bother. i bought that really bad wii u sequel, jsut total garbage because the reviews that said it was bad said that the problem was that it was too much like the star fox 64 and that kind of review makes me think 'oh its too much like the bsest game ever? well that must be a great game.'

when a review says a game isnt good because its too much like a predecessor game which is nearly perfect, the reviewer has misunderstood what is not good. they did not find the vocabulary to understand why it was not good. games that get that specific complaint in the review are never like the original. they dont have the good aspects. i have been duped before by the games that get 65 average scores with the complaint that its too similar to the perfect original. i pray that i have the wisdom to not get duped again when i see that. this review is my votive.

anyhow the best route is corneria->sector y->aquas->the searchlight planet->macbeth->area 6->venom 2. star wolf fights are not fun. all range mode is not that good, although sector z is fun. the little meteos warp thing is really cool. titania is the worst level in the game and it is your punishment for being a bad player. i love it when the framerate goes down because the explosions are just too much at the end of macbeth (good route). the game rewards you by being more fun when you play well. i like that. ok bye.