Star Fox Command (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

Aging Nintendo owners will no doubt remember the original Starfox because it was the title that, arguably, brought 3D gaming to the masses. Also it cost a more because of the 'special' 3D chip needed to run it on the underpowered hardware. This was way back in the early 1980s when several great thinkers of the time promised us not only powerful home computers and mobile phones but even flying cars. Clearly we haven't got the last one (not yet, anyway) but the others are here to stay and seem to get smaller and more powerful each year. The same is true of Starfox on the DS. No longer do we have to have a huge cart and console in order to play Fox McCloud and friends, just a handheld games console. So, technology has moved on but is it still fun to play?

Gameplay

If you've played any of the various Starfox outings in the past you'll find everything present and correct here. You still get to play as the famous Fox McCloud or any of his cohorts. You also get to shoot down all manner of alien craft over a variety of landscapes, not to mention, different planets. Before you do any of this though it's back to mission control in order to plan your means of attack. This is the more strategic element of this latest DS outing and it's up to you to guide each of your ships to intercept and destroy a variety of bases and missiles. Unfortunately you only have a very limited amount of fuel so it's difficult to reach your desired location on the first attempt. Once you do though, it's off to the battle with guns a blazing. This gets more difficult as the game progresses with many planets shrouded in fog and until you can fully see a target, you can't intercept it. This is especially frustrating when a missile pops out of nowhere without warning although a few attempts and a little trial and error generally overcomes this problem.

In addition to the single player mission there are also a couple of multiplayer modes. These can be played either over a LAN with up to six players on one cart or by using Nintendo's own Wi-Fi connection. It may all seem a little basic at first with the only real object being to 'down' your opponent's ship whilst avoiding being shot down yourself. The gameplay takes an unexpected turn though when you realize that the hit isn't complete until you also collect the pilot's 'star', which has been left behind. This brings something of a strategic element to this mode and you can win by simply 'stealing' stars from other players. As with most of the first party Wi-Fi applications, this should not be missed.

Controls

Controlling your ship whilst also dealing with the various strategic issues may have been a little overwhelming for some other publishers but Nintendo have always been successful in making even the most complex of gameplay intuitive. This is achieved via a series of tutorials, which train you how to control your ship and enter into combat. Then there are a series of lessons in the most effective way to attack using the map so by the end of the first mission you should have little problem dealing with the enemy.

Graphics

Visually the game is just about as good as it gets on the DS with a smooth 3D engine and well-modeled ships and enemies. There are some drawbacks although the occasional pop-up is not nearly as frustrating as the minor slow-down when everything gets a bit too hectic on-screen. The rest of the game is a series of static (but well drawn) text filled screens that help to push the story along. The navigation is also incredibly user-friendly thanks to a well-designed front end.

Sound

The soundtrack is both crisp and solid encompassing everything that made the N64 version such a classic thanks to the same composer taking up the musical duties. The sound effects are also well up to scratch but the speech unfortunately is just garbled nonsense which, although it fills the silence, does become a little tiresome.

Dual screen

As with most Nintendo titles the touch screen and stylus are heavily utilized. Everything, from moving your ship around the map to actually controlling it in battle, is done on the bottom screen. This all works very well and as you become more confident you'll find that using 'autopilot' whilst bombing opponents by simply dragging the icon into the map area becomes second nature. There's a great deal more to your little ship though and its functions appear to be endless making the touch screen essential. You do have to wonder how on earth this could have been achieved using traditional controls.

Final comments

Obviously, in this 3D age, what Starfox Command lacks is that initial 'wow' factor, or indeed anything, that re-defines or improves upon the series. What it does deliver though is a solid shooter with enough added strategy elements to give the game extra depth. You could argue that the single player experience is a little too easy with simplistic mission designs but, even it that were true, the multiplayer and on-line elements more than make up for this minor oversight. Overall Starfox Command is a welcome addition to the DS stable of games, which will delight fans of the original, and gamers new to the series.

Pro: Loads of Gameplay Modes, Great Multiplayer.
Con: Single Player a Little Too Easy.
Final score: 8.2

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