Developer: Nintendo EAD Publisher: Nintendo Released: 06/30/97 Genre: Rail Shooter Platform: Nintendo 64
The early months of the N64 convinced me to never buy a new console near launch ever again. The release schedule wasn’t just bad, it was dire. When you can count the number of new games each month on one hand with extra fingers something is wrong. So why did we put up with it? Because when that one notable release came it was like magic. Many of us played Mario Kart 64 for years. Goldeneye became a multiplayers staple for the entire generation. Star Fox 64 would join that club and is still the best in the series. This is still one of the greatest rail shooters of all time in my opinion.
Technically Star Fox 64 is the third game in the series. Star Fox 2 for the SNES was complete and ready to ship before its cancellation. Although that game has only recently been officially released many of its ideas and features were incorporated in Star Fox 64. While impressive by 16-bit standards Star Fox 2 would have looked dated next to Panzer Dragoon, which was released that same year. Aside from being an awesome game Star Fox 64 also introduces rumble to consoles, a feature that persists today.
Star Fox 64 only adds a few mechanical changes, but they are significant. You can charge shots and lock onto enemies. In addition to the barrel roll you can perform a somersault to collect items and get behind enemies. Aside from being more powerful charged shots will destroy enemies in groups, which awards hit bonuses. The hit counter plays a bigger role this time and gives the game longevity but more on that in a bit. All-range mode levels allow full freedom of movement. These stages are few but some of the most exciting, especially when you must deal with the Star Wolf team. And as a nice change of pace you’ll pilot the landmaster tank and a submarine as well.
In the original your wing mates were simply there in the background. Your only interactions involved accidentally shooting them or occasionally saving them. Now each has a purpose. Peppy provides gameplay advice, Slippy will display the boss’s life bar, and Falco will open secondary routes through each level. Like the previous game if they are shot down you lose them for one level. These might seem like small changes, but they are pretty critical at times. You don’t realize how frustrating it is dealing with a boss when you can’t see their life bar. This time around they’ll shoot down enemies at times in addition to needing help. It goes a long way toward making this feel like a team effort now.
Star Fox 64 abandons the route-based structure of the first game for something different. Your route toward Venom is influenced by a few factors. The most frequent is to reach a specific hit count on each level. At this point you have options as to which route to take. Other levels have secondary factors such as keeping Falco alive to reveal the path or hitting all the switches to unlock a new branch. With fifteen levels in total a single run will last six or seven stages. There is huge incentive to replay the game multiple times to see all it has to offer. Some of the game’s best levels (Titania, Sector Z, Zoness) require skill to reach but are absolutely worth it.
Beyond multiple play throughs Star Fox 64 has more to offer. The game’s multiplayer is more fun than anyone probably expected. The ability to recreate the kinds of dog fights seen only in movies is captivating and extremely fun. The arenas are large enough for four players to maneuver in without feeling cramped yet small enough to force confrontation regularly. The list of modes and battle arenas are small even by 1997 standards but still enough provide hours of entertainment. But even then, there are more options to unlock. Earning gold medals in the solo campaign will unlock the landmaster tank and even the ability to fight on foot in multiplayer. You’ll really have to put in work for those but that only adds to the game’s staying power.
At its release Star Fox 64 was one of the best-looking games on the market. For starters the frame rate was more stable than its Super FX counterpart. In certain levels it nosedives when the action becomes too intense (Aquas and Titania) but otherwise it is great. The scale and creativity of its stages is unmatched. It’s funny, there are certain stages that are clearly remakes from the first game. But here they seem more epic. That is what the removal of technical constraints will do. The game is a little blurrier than I remember but overall really nails the atmosphere it was going for. Especially in certain levels like Katina, which is a brilliant homage to Independence Day.
What probably came as the biggest shock regarding Star Fox 64 is the amount of voiced dialogue. The game forgoes the goofy blip blip dialogue for full speech. There is a considerable amount of voiced dialogue. I get that the SNES game had its charm but I prefer this overall. For all the talk of cartridge limitations Star Fox 64 shows little of it. The music isn’t as impressive; not to say that it is bad but it doesn’t measure up to the excellent soundtrack of its predecessor.
In Closing
Star Fox 64 is one of the best N64 games and rail shooters of all time. An excellent multiplayer mode, branching paths and a load of secrets give Star Fox 64 plenty of replay value and allow it to hold up to this day. I anticipated its release and was not disappointed. I’m also happy to say that it has held up as well. Rail shooters are rare now so take the time to appreciate one of the greats.
