A game that will be remembered fondly for years to come, and with good reason. (Single player review only.)
Graphics: This part of the game doesn't hold up terribly well; it is very, very blocky. However, there are some pretty smooth animations, which does make up for it. Also, the artistic design is very, very strong. Everything looks very cool in a sci- fi kind of way, and the levels have a lot of variety to them. There is also a lot going on onscreen at pretty much all times. Despite that, the framerate manages to remain pretty steady, although there are some exceptions to that. All in all, this is a very good looking old game. 9/ 10
Sound: The sound is phenomenal. From your first time hearing Peppy say "Do a barrel roll!" to the final credits theme, this game sounds amazing the whole way through. First, let's talk about the sound effects.
They are pretty good, with loud, satisfying explosions and some cool damage sound effects. That's one of the reasons I love this game so much. The sound gives every laser shot, every bomb a very powerful feeling to it. Honestly, I thought Starfox Assault didn't sound as good as this game.
The voice acting, believe it or not, is also pretty good. While it's not anything like Metal Gear quality, it does its job well. Some of it is also quite funny, unintentionally, mainly Peppy's yells to you to do something or Slippy whining.
The music, as is the series standard, is fantastic. Every tune is a standout, from the Asteroid Belt to the Main theme. You will find yourself humming along to the beautiful score. And if you don't then I have no idea what is wrong with you.
This game sounds absolutely amazing. 10/ 10
Story: Andross, a mad scientist who is a monkey and somehow made himself a giant floating head with hands, is threatening the Lylat System with total domination. So, in order to aid the fight against the evil genius, General Pepper hires team Starfox to come in and basically save the day. It's nothing special, although you will meet some great characters along the way. However, you will stop caring about it quickly, so I'm not going to count it.
Gameplay: This game is, essentially, an on rails shooter. You pilot one of 3 different vehicles (a futuristic fighter jet, a futuristic tank, and, in one level, a futuristic submarine.) and blast your way through levels, reaching for a high score and trying to survive. And, believe me, the game does its job well.
The mechanics themselves are pretty simple; you go forward automatically as you shoot things and move out of the way of danger. You can pull off different moves, like a barrel roll, somersaults or breaking. As you go through levels, if you're lucky, you will find upgrades to your laser that will increase the damage you give as well as repair damaged vehicle parts. You can also find Rings, which, if they are silver will restore health or, if they are gold, will increase your maximum health for the current level. (Or if it has already been increased, you will get another life.) And, finally, you may also find bombs, which can take out large groups of enemies when used properly. These are very helpful for scoring extra points, because there are many times in levels where there is a huge group of enemies that can score you major points, but can be tough to take down without bombs.
So, how are the levels? For the most part, fantastic. The reason I say for the most part is because there is one level that feels like it drags on too long. Other than that, they are all winners. Each one is a different planet/ place in space, and they all have a unique boss at the end. Also, depending on how you complete certain missions, you can get access to different levels on multiple playthroughs. This adds a lot to the replay value.
Each level that has a branching path has some sort of requirement to be filled in order to reach said new path. One of them requires you to fly underneath archways made out of stone, or defeat a certain number of enemies within the level. However, there are some much more creative objectives than those. For instance, in one level you must defeat a boss before it hit Slippy, sending him down to a planet below, and, in my favorite level, you must shoot 8 hidden switches in order to make a boss (that's a train) crash into an enemy base. The epicness of this level cannot be understated. I have replayed the game for the sole purpose of replaying this level. (Unfortunately, there is no level select option.) It is just so cool how the enemy train is used to blow up the enemy base. The concept of that explosion is awesome.
Very quickly, you may be saying "concept of the explosion? What's that supposed to mean?" This is a personal thing I have about explosions in movies and games and things like that. Basically, it's not just how spectacular the explosion is, but how the explosion occurred. And, to me, the train crashing head on into the base was amazing.
Anyways, it is definitely worth it to try and achieve the hidden objectives after multiple playthroughs, because they often lead to a different boss, and always lead to a different level.
And the boss battles are quite spectacular in this game. They all follow a very specific pattern (well most do, with a few exceptions) that you must learn if you hope to survive. Without learning it, you will be creamed by the bosses. However, it doesn't usually take too long to figure out what to do, and once you do, the bosses are very satisfying to beat. Also, let me say that there are 2 versions of the final boss: an easy- moderately difficult one, and a super tough one. Obviously, the super tough one is a lot more satisfying, and it ends in an epic chase scene reminiscent of the Death Star scene at the end of Return of the Jedi.
So, anyways, you keep hearing me talk about multiple playthroughs. Why is this? Well, the game is really short. On my first try, I beat it in about an hour and 15 minutes, and now I can blow through it in about 30 minutes. However, like I said, there is a ton of replay value to be had, what with getting high scores and just seeing every level in the game. Plus, it's just a ton of fun to play through.
If there is one thing I could fin to complain about this game, it's that the ally AI is more of an annoyance than anything. They will occasionally take down enemies, but there are times where they are being chased and comment about how they can't shake their enemy. Then you think, "Peppy, how about taking your own advice and doing a barrel roll?!" However, this really isn't a big deal, because they stay out of your way (although it does raise the question about how Fox basically took down Andross's empire singlehandedly) and the game is tons of fun. 9.5/10
Starfox 64 is one of the most fun games I have ever played. Blasting bad guys is just immensely satisfying, and it has tons of replay value. It is disappointing that there isn't a level select function, and ally AI is brain dead at best, but the rest of it more than makes up for it. If you haven't played this game, I urge you to. Even if you're not a fan of shooters, this might just make one of you. So long and thanks for reading.