GoNintendo 'End of Day' thought - Cort and Tduck's E3 2011 impressions: StarFox 64 3DS

I just had a little cat-nap on the couch, and it came with the weirdest dream. I was in a zombie-filled warehouse that seemed like a video game, but as the dream went on, it was more like real life. I remember having a pistol and a shotgun that fired out teeth. In the last part of the dream, I was climbing up onto a makeshift lookout post while a zombie followed me up. I shot him 5 times in the face and he just kept lurching forward…and then I woke up. Now I’m afraid to go back to sleep! - RMC

Demo included a choice between 3 levels: Corneria, Asteroid Belt, plus one other.
Controls:
- X = Boost
- B = Break
- A = Laster
- Y = Smart Bomb
- You can control your ship using either the circle pad or moving the physical system around.

t27duck’s take

Nintendo did a great job taking Star Fox 64 and upgrading it to a current day platform. All of the textures have been rebuilt from scratch, the frame rate is smooth, and the action is better than ever. If you enjoyed Star Fox 64, you will enjoy this. The original voice cast has been replaced with the Star Fox Assault cast, but the characters don’t lose their original charm one bit.

I personally played through the Corneria stage, which is exactly how I remember it. From having to bail out Slippy 10 seconds into the level, to the arches you fly under to get to the “hidden” boss. Yes, Peppy does say “Do a barrel roll!” at the exact spot as he did in Star Fox 64. One minor note I will point out though: the original N64 script is mostly intact, but I did notice Falco saying (after taking friendly fire), “Hey genius, I’m on your side!” instead of “Hey Einstein, I’m on your side!” Minor or pointless to call out? Yes. But as a fan of the original game, I felt it should be mentioned.

All in all, Star Fox 64 3D is shaping out to be a great game. The use of 3D allow enemies to really pop out from the screen and helps you judge distance so much easier compared to the N64 original. The textures are great, the voice cast is solid, and the original script is in tact (well, mostly).

Some parting advice: Using the gyroscopes to control your ship works pretty well, but if you wish to use it, do not use inverted controls.

cort’s take

Star Fox for me will always represent 3D, since it was one of the first games I can remember while growing up that offered it…on the SNES no less. It seems fitting that the series makes an appearance on Nintendo’s new handheld, in multiple layers of three dimensions (graphics engine plus the screen effect).

I played the N64 version to some extent back in the day, but never kept up with it beyond the ’90s, so a lot of the nuances familiar to the most avid fans go way over my head, unless they achieved meme status on YTMND. That’s why to see the game after a facelift feels so fresh; as if it hasn’t aged a day.

The controls work just fine, although I’m one of those who don’t like inverted sticks, which is how the demo was set up and probably made my flight skills look slightly intoxicated to any onlookers. Using the built-in gyro controls helped quite a bit in that situation versus battling the inverted default, though I imagine most of you will be taking the circle pad all the way to the ending.

Visually, this game has never looked better, and short of a total HD overhaul, this is the definitive package for fans of Star Fox games and especially the beloved N64 iteration. Crisp textures, richer colors, and it’s hard to tell from memory, but I would venture that some of the models’ geometry have been improved as well. Toss in an updated multi-player mode and the depth of the 3DS’ screen and it should be sheer nostalgic (or first-time) bliss.

I definitely want more hands on with this one.