Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Old-school"

Genre: On-rails shooter (On-rails shooters are all about the gameplay. Since there's usually no multiplayer, extending the game in anyway helps it.)
% = emphasis placed
Story – 10%
Design – 25%
Gameplay – 50%
Presentation – 15%
Ah... a return down memory lane is always a great thing. I'm old enough now to know what nostalgia is and feels like. I remember as a kid playing through the levels of StarFox 64 and loving every minute of it. It's a true classic and I'm glad to see it reborn on the 3DS. It's one of the reasons I got a 3DS early. I was planning on waiting until Christmas but hey I'm glad I got it early so I can play this game. A true classic reborn.

Story

The evil scientist Andross has broken out of his exiled planet of Venom and is planning to invade the Lylat System. This has happened before. You play as Fox McCloud and you lead StarFox, a mercenary team. 5 years ago, Fox's father James attempted to stop Andross but was betrayed and killed. Peppy escaped and has rejoined Starfox. That's just about it for the story really. All you get in between is mission debriefings that attempts to tell you of the current situation in the war. It's forgettable but if you pay attention you might be able to decipher what's going on. It's a Nintendo game and they don't put a ton of focus on telling an elaborate tale; it's all about the gameplay when it comes to Nintendo.
Story: 5/10

Design

There are your standard modes when it comes to a shooter; that is to say, not a lot. Story, Training, V.S are the modes here. There's also a sound test and a score attack mode. Multiplayer can't be played over the Internet which is unfortunate because I was hoping to be able to since I could never get my friends or family to play multiplayer with me as a kid. The on-foot option was also removed which I was never able to unlock originally anyway since you had to get all medals in Expert mode. After so many years of playing other games, I couldn't play with the "standard" (down = up, up = down) flight controls. So I converted it to "inverted" (up = up, down = down). After that was done I settled down for some good old fashioned Starfox. I had recently played Starfox Adventures and the whole time I was thinking to myself "Where's the Arwing sequences? This isn't Starfox." So it was a thrill to play through the flight levels again. It took me a couple of runs to remember my old routine but I got it down in time. The great thing about this game is that it encourages multiple playthroughs. As a kid, I must have played through the levels at least 75 times. That's how much I loved the game. And that's how much I love it now.

Design: 8.5/10

Gameplay

Ah... classic on-rails shooter. The game is simple yet complex. That's the way Nintendo did it in the old days. Some can argue they still do it now. Regardless, the classic gameplay returns: you shoot down enemies, you get points. Do all of this while feeling like a total boss. Charged shots are powerful and give you multiple points if they connect with different enemies. Fight your way through 9 stages and shoot for a high score. It's like an arcade game with multiple paths. Your performance in one mission may unlock a new path or you have to fulfill a certain condition to unlock another route. It's your decision to go with what path feels right to you. It is split though; the southern levels are easier while the top ones are harder. Speaking of which, the designs of the levels are also great. From the invasion of Corneria to the assault on Venom , each level is full of great moments of suspense and triumph.

Gameplay 9/10

Presentation

Nintendo has said this what they would have liked the game to look like when they made it on the Nintendo 64. Unfortunately I don't see much difference other than a texture upgrade. Nothing has been completely redone so that is kind of a disappointment. Since Nintendo just wanted to make it look like it should have, it doesn't use the hardware to its full capability. Voice acting took a dip from the N64, not sounding as cool. Of course that might just be because I've heard such great voice acting since then that I see it as so-so now. Music is remixed from the past. I'm big on nostalgia so when things get remixed for the present, it loses its impact on me. I like the blips and bleeps better than the full orchestra.

Presentation 6/10

It's great that Nintendo brought back this classic for me to play now. It still holds up today. While new gamers may not be so impressed with it, for people who have played the original, this is a must-buy. Do a barrel roll!

I'm Sniper-Gamer and I rate Starfox 64 3D: 8 out of 10. I hope you found this review useful!