N +

Behold! Once more, I have teamed with CaptainSeagull for another edition of the Retro Review, this time covering the smash hit for the Nintendo 64, Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars in Europe)! Before its release in 1997, gamers were eagerly anticipating the new gameplay elements missing from the SNES version—new vehicles, spoken dialog straight from the cockpits of Slippy Toad, Falco and Peppy, and the much talked about Rumble Feature (which, is SADLY omitted in the Virtual Console version). When the game was finally released, fans were not disappointed as they raced through story mode and duked it out in multiplayer mode. Today, this game remains a classic, making it an obvious choice for any VC library! Enjoy this excerpt from the Nintendo Power Magazine strategy article!

It’s a distress call from General Pepper! Andross is back and he’s bent on crushing Corneria and creating a galaxy of mutated bio-weapons. It’s up to Fox McCloud and his daring team of pilots to rescue the Lylat System. Scramble to your Arwing and charge your G diffuser—you’re on a translight ride to high adventure in Nintendo’s Star Fox 64!

Cinematic Sequences:

Star Fox 64 is packed with breathtaking, cinematic action scenes. Even if you rarely wait around to watch a game’s demo sequence, sit back and preview the opening scene of Star Fox 64. The intro resembles the beginning of a major motion picture more than a video game. You’ll discover other cinematic sequences throughout the main game, all with unique camera angles, character voices and stunning visual effects. These scenes will pump you up before and after each mission as you battle your way across the Lylat System. And don’t worry about re-runs—if you’ve seen the scene before, the game lets you skip over it by pressing the start button.

Light Years Beyond Super NES:
While the original Star Fox included text messages from your team, Star Fox 64 features audio dialogue from more than 20 characters in the game. The N64 version also includes a flight simulator style and All-Range Mode. While the first game had three paths to Andross, you can chart a new course in Star Fox 64 almost every time you complete a mission.

Three Ways to Fight:
Star Fox 64 isn’t all fancy flying. There is a special tank and a submarine waiting for Fox in the hangar bay. The controller configurations of all three vehicles are similar, so you’ll spend less time learning and more time blasting away at Andross’s legions.
Arwing: The Arwing is the Star Fox team’s utility craft. You’ll fly it in 13 of the 16 possible missions in the game. Because the fate of the Lylat System depends on solid flying skills, Star Fox 64’s Training mode focuses on Arwing flight maneuvers and combat.
Landmaster: Space Dynamics Co., Ltd., designed the Landmaster specifically for Fox McCloud’s ground assault missions. You’ll deploy the Landmaster when you reach Titania and Macbeth. This tank is equipped with two vertical jets, so it can hover for short distances over obstacles.
Blue-Marine: The Blue-Marine submarine is a prototype vessel engineered by Space Dynamics Co., Ltd. Slippy Toad is the submarine’s chief architect, and he personally maintains the submarine inside the Great Fox’s hangar. You’ll deploy the Blue-Marine when you explore the murky depths of Aquas.

The World of Star Fox 64:
The 16 levels in Star Fox 64 feature combinations of two 3-D game environments. These environments are called Corridor and All-Range Modes. Even if you’ve never flown a flight simulator style game, or find it hard to figure out 3-D flying, the user-friendly design and elegant play control in Star Fox 64 make the game easy to learn and understand. Both modes feature invisible boundaries, so if you stray too far off the course, your Arwing autopilot will steer you back to the correct heading.

The Lylat System:

1. Corneria: Corneria is home to over 85% of the life forms in the Lylat System, and it’s the starting point in the game. The planet is Andross’s primary target. If you fail to defend Corneria, the entire Lylat System will fall to Venom’s forces.
   
2. Meteo: The Meteo planetoid cluster was the staging point for Andross’s invasion of Corneria. It’s highly probable that the enemy’s supply vessels are hiding here, waiting to ambush any Cornerian transports fleeing from the planet.
   
3. Fortuna: Fortuna was overrun by Andross’s invasion force, but you might have enough time to reclaim the base before it’s demolished. Sensors indicate that the Star Wolf team is lurking in the area, so keep an eye on your six.
   
4. Sector X: There are conflicting reports on the existence of an enemy starbase in the Sector X Nebula. Scanners indicate that megatons of debris are floating around here. Our scientists suggest that this flotsam may have drifted in through a worm hole.
   
5. Titania: Long ago Titania was the home world of a highly advanced civilization. Now huge sandstorms haunt the planet. Titania’s ancient defense network is still active, so it’s doubtful that Venom forces are in this forgotten corner of the system.
   
6. Bolse: Only Venom and Area 6 rival Bolse’s defense network. The starbase generates a gravitational force field that doubles as a shield. You’ll have to disable the field by eliminating six power generators.
   
7. Venom: Depending on how you approach Venom, you’ll either encounter Andross or a robotic simian double. Exercise extreme caution—the robotic decoy is just as dangerous as the diabolical genius. The last mission is at Venom and is the hardest in the game. You’ll battle the Star Wolf Team on the planet surface before taking on Andross. If you’re really good, you might catch a glimpse at Andross’s true form.
   
8. Katina: Throughout the invasion, the Frontline Base at Katina has been a thorn in Andross’s side. This is the last surviving Cornerian outpost in the system. Sensors indicate that an enemy assault craft is approaching the planet—and time is running out.
   
9. Solar: Solar is a searing hot star called a red dwarf. Andross’s ships were spotted in Solar’s orbit, so he may have a bio-weapon here. This matter must be investigated, but we don’t have a ship that can survive the intense heat.
   
10. Macbeth: The weapons factories on Macbeth supply Andross with the military might to carry out his attack on Corneria. A surprise attack here will cripple Venom’s forces.
    
11. Sector Y: Corneria’s battle fleet is limping back home through the Sector Y Nebula. There are scattered reports that the enemy is deploying armored robots to ambush the fleet. These robots carry special shields that deflect everything except direct hits.
    
12. Aquas: The ocean planet of Aquas is usually teeming with various forms of life, but Andross has released a toxic aquatic bio-weapon that is systematically mutating the planet’s ecosystem. Long range sensors cannot locate the bio-weapon, so you’ll have to use the Blue-Marine to find it.
    
13. Zoness: Like Aquas, Zoness is completely covered by ocean, but Andross has industrialized the planet with refineries that produce fuel for his fleets. You can create an energy crisis if you dodge the enemy’s searching-lights and disable the tanker convoys.
    
14. Sector Z: Many years ago the Cornerian Colonial Forces engaged the dreaded space pirates in an epic battle inside the Sector Z Nebula. This area is now strewn with ancient wreckage, and military experts conclude that Andross is either salvaging the old ships here or trying to lure Star Fox into a trap.
    
15. Area 6: Aside from Venom’s defense network, Area 6 is the most heavily fortified region in the Lylat System. It’s rumored that the enemy has a matter displacement device here.
    

Chart Your Course:
Depending on how you fare in individual missions against Andross’s forces, you’ll find a variety of paths leading to Venom. With the exception of hidden warps, all of the criteria for researching the different corners of the Lylat system are outlined in the Star Fox 64 Instruction Manual. Listed below are six potential paths. The top route is the easiest, while the most difficult sequence is shown at the bottom of this page.

• 1-2-3-4-5-6-7

1-11-8-4-5-6-7

1-2-3-4-14-6-7

1-11-8-9-10-15-16

1-11-12-13-14-6-7

1-11-12-13-14-15-16

Nintendo Power reviewed and rated Star Fox 64 in the same issue as this article. They rated it a substantial 4.3 out of 5, remarking that the game has “Excellent Graphics and play control; incredibly immersive; and Rumble Pak raves, while warning against the fact that there was no save stage function." About a third of their review gushes about the sensations that the Rumble Pak generates for players, which of course, is absent for Virtual Console owners. Even without the Rumble Pak, the game is exciting and challenging, and even after you’ve completed all of the stages in every possible way, you can still spend countless hours playing against friends in the multiplayer mode. I highly recommend Star Fox 64!

N+: Offers a ton of fun, variety and replay value, even if you aren't a fan of games that have flight simulation 8/10 (Boo for no Rumble feature!)
Cost: 1000 Wii Points

Source: Nintendo Power Magazine, July 1997, vol. 98