Classic Game of the Month: April 2013

It's been a really long time since I've posted anything OWNAGE specific but that ends this month with a brand new Classic Game of the Month. Just recently I've begun college (which yes, is part of why I haven't updated so much), but it also means that I've had access to more video games than ever. I just got my hands on a copy of Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 64 and played it for the first time. Man oh man had I been missing out all these years. Instantly a top 10 game for me.

Star Fox 64 was released in the United States June 30, 1997 and  was the first game to come bundled with a complimentary Rumble Pack - an accessory that caused the controller to shake allowing the player to feel as if they were in the game.

Story

Starting a new game brings up the image of a damaged space craft floating alone in space. Soon text scrolls up the screen and is narrated telling the history of the Lylat System:
       
"Corneria, fourth planet of the Lylat system. The evil Andross turned this once thriving system into a wasteland of near extinction. Gen. Pepper of the Cornerian Army was successful in exiling this maniacle scientist to the barren, deserted planet Venom. Five years later, Gen. Pepper noticed strange activity coming from Venom. James McCloud, Pigma Dengar, and Peppy Hare of the Star Fox team were sent to investigate. Upon their arrival, Pigma betrayed the team and James and Peppy were captured by Andross. Peppy barely escaped venom and returned home to tell James’ son Fox about his father’s fate. A few years have passed. Andross has again invaded the Lylat system. Gen. Pepper has turned to a new Star Fox team headed by Fox McCloud to save Corneria and to free the Lylat system once again."

The reborn Star Fox team consists of leader Fox McCloud, veteran Peppy Hare, engineer pilot Slippy Toad, and ace pilot Falco Lombardi on a mission to eradicate enemy forces from planets on their journey to the planet Venom, the base of Andross.

Star Fox 64 is very unique among most games. First of all, to play from the first level to the final level, one can "finish" the game in only an hour or so. That's because it's set up "Arcade Style" in that the game records a score at the end of each level and saves the top high scores. When one level it beaten, the next level that the player proceeds to is determined by the player's performance in beating that level. Thus, there are 3 total paths ranging from easy to difficult. Thus, there are 25 possible paths from the first level to the final level each with their own spin on how the story progresses. Quite literally, one of the game's biggest features is it's ultimate replay value.

Game Play

The player takes control of Fox McCloud and navigates his airship, The Arwing, through enemy infested levels in this scrolling shooter. The Arwing is equipped with a blaster that is used to attack enemy ships. The weapon can be charged up and also can lock on to opponents. The first part of most levels have the player going through a level making forward progress. What's awesome about this game is that Fox's 3 team mates are also with you and are attacking enemies as well. Occasionally, however, they may get into a tight situation and may need assistance from the player, shouting "Get this bogie off my tail".

The second mod of game play typically occurs during boss fights in what is called "All-Range Mode". All-Range Mode changes the game play into free roam flying in a closed off square battle ground. Here Fox can do U-turns and make all sorts of maneuvers to get in position to attack the enemy's weak spots.

Speaking of weak spots, the game also features localized damage; that is to say that not only does the Arwing have "health" shields, but doing things like clipping a building with the wing of the ship could cause it to be destroyed. The mechanics implement it making the ship harder to control, handling like it would with only 1 wing.

The game also sports up to 4 person mulitplayer.

Sound

The sound quality of Star Fox 64 is one of it's most memorable features. The game features full voice acting in both story sequences as well as during real time game play (although they do get a little repetitive after a long time playing). Characters are scripted to speak through their radios at various points of the game and are even have scripts for boss interactions. And yes, the ever popular "Do a Barrel Roll" and other such quotes from Peppy Hare stem from this game.

The game also has a great sound track that fits the space battling mood that game creates. The deep space levels feel very tense while the music in Corneria are more upbeat. Sound effects like radios turning on and off and warning sounds that play when too much damage has been taken are also very charming.

Graphics

The graphics in the game were a true test of 3-D space for the N64 and it does it well. Scaling of enemies that are different distances away look good and even in today's world all the fundamentals are there.The explosions are a cheesy by today's standards, but for the time it looks great.

History

Star Fox 64 is the sequel to the highly acclaimed SNES title Star Fox. Originally, this game would have been Star Fox 2 on the SNES, but was moved to the N64 for high power and graphic capabilities. This game detailed the characters full length forms, which would be later seen in the Super Smash Bros. series and later Star Fox games.

This game's success led it to having a remake version for the Nintendo 3DS entitled Star Fox 64 3D, released in 2011. This version has updated graphics, uses the touch screen for some controls and allows for saving between missions.

Reception

I can't say it enough, this game is great. It might be a little on the short side, but it's replay value makes up for hours of fun. The game's difficulty system makes it fun for all ages and abilities. Definitely a much have.


See Also:
http://www.thegeekgeneration.com/2013/03/the-geek-generation-126-do-a-barrel-roll/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Fox_64
http://starfox.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Fox_64