Star Fox 64 takes flight once again for your 3DS, and it brought some upgrades with it
The campaign begins telling the backstory of the game; something strange is happening on the planet Venom. General Pepper, the general of the Cornerian Army on the planet Corneria (the governing planet of the Lylat system), sends the Star Fox team, made up of James McCloud, Peppy Hare and Pigma Dengar, to investigate. However, when they arrive at Venom, Pigma betrays the team and Andross captures James and Peppy. Peppy barely escapes but James is left behind. Peppy returned home to Corneria to tell James' son about his father's fate. Years later, Andross launches an attack on the Lylat System and declares war on Corneria. Now, the new Star Fox team (Fox McCloud, Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad and Falco Lombardi) is sent to fly towards Venom and defeat Andross and his army once and for all.
The story keeps it simple as the rest just tells the adventure of Fox and his friends as they complete missions and make their way to the planet Venom to defeat the evil Andross. The dialogue heard throughout the game is cheesy to say the least, but in a good way. You get a good laugh out of the cheesy writing and voice acting (which has a new cast this time around, as well as a few new lines) and it started some memorable quotes such as "Hey Einstein, I'm on your side!" or the infamous "Do a barrel roll!"
There are many levels to choose from on your way to Venom and each planet has two missions that will lead you to either one planet or the other. At the end, this will also determine the real ending or the bad ending depending on which side you attacked Venom from. If you reach a certain kill count in a level, you will win a medal. Collect enough to unlock the tank and "on foot" options for multiplayer and even an expert mode, where put your true skills to the test. There are more enemies and your ship is weaker. The whole game can be beaten within an hour or two with a high score at the end (how many enemies you shot down) but collecting medals, unlocking content like extra multiplayer vehicles and beating high scores makes up just enough replay value.
The port to the 3DS now offers more features besides the new gorgeous visuals and 3D, though it could have used a bit more. First of all, when you start a new game you are given a choice between 3DS and N64. N64 is pretty similar to the original version but the 3DS mode is slightly easier and includes the option to turn on "gyro controls", which lets you use your 3DS to steer the Arwing. Both have their own set of medals and both now include a new save feature. The only other new mode is score attack mode, which finally lets you choose any level you want at any time a try to beat the high score. These new additions are nice, but perhaps it could have used a few more extras to warrant the price.
The multiplayer mode returns too, of course. However, spite the 3DS having online capabilities, there is no online mode here. You can still play locally with up to 3 other friends with only one copy of the game and take them out in all range mode in your Arwings. There are more than two maps this time around and there are more options to customize each match at least. The only other useless feature this mode has is you can see your friends on your screen as you play. Once again, would have been nice to have that online, but why would I need to watch my friends on screen when they're paying right next to me?
While not a perfect remake due to a lack of that many new features to warrant a full price, Star Fox 64 3D is still the same epic adventure that you played 14 years ago and it's still a blast today. The removal of online is disappointing but at least you can enjoy the superb single player mode and save the Lylat System on the go, and choosing your levels separately in score attack was a nice touch. Not to mention the new graphics and 3D are top notch. If you enjoyed the original Star Fox 64 back in the N64 days, you'll have plenty of fun reliving the glory days in this remake.