Star Fox

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Many of you may think that Nintendo's first 3D games came in 1996, the release of the Nintendo 64. Well, with the development of the Super FX chip, which allowed basic polygonal graphics. The chip was originally designed for the game Star Fox, which I will be reviewing.


Story

"In the distant Lylat star system, imagine yourself at the controls of a futuristic, heavily armed, space fighter - Arwing. Lead the counter-attack on an invasion force of hundreds of alien tanks, fighter ships, laser gun emplacements and super battleships. Maneuver at warp speed through fog-enshrouded canyons, dense asteroid belts and waves of the enemy's best defense. You must use skill and cunning to fight to the enemy's home planet Venom and smash the Core Brain for victory!" - Star Fox instruction book. It doesn't convey that much of a story, but it's basically a bunch of smaller plots presented to you at the start of each level.


Gameplay

This is your basic rail shooter; you use the directional pad to aim at the enemies and then press an assigned button to shoot. Quirky commentary from your allies goes on the bottom of the screen while you progress through the level. At the end of each level, you fight a boss, where you have to shoot it in certain areas while it throws enemies at you. Once you beat the boss, you advance to the next level.


Graphics

Simply put, they're 3D. As far as I know, not even computers at the time could do that. Apart from that, the general graphics are excellent too; the 16-color backgrounds are excellently made. Nintendo also put tons of HDMA effects in. The stars shooting by on the space levels make an excellent effect, too. Only problem is, with the Super FX chip, the game lags a ton, and you can't get any smooth animations out of it.


Sound

When I first bought Star Fox, stuck it in my Super NES, and turned it on, I thought the cartridge wasn't in correctly because the 'Nintendo Presents' wasn't showing up. When it finally did, I adored the music. From an enthusiastic start in Corneria, to a climactic battle in Venom, the music perfectly fits the scene. The sound effects don't cut out the music, either, even with many SFX at once.


Replayability

This game has so many secrets that you always go back to replay it. In fact, it has three different paths to take through the Lylat system, each with varying difficulty. And if you lose all of your lives and continues, you just try again from the start. (I've already managed to get to Venom a few times)



Overall

  • Story: 7/10
  • Gameplay: 8/10
  • Graphics:9/10
  • Sound: 10/10

    (THIS IS COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL.)

  • Replayability: 9/10
  • Overall: 8.5/10