Star Fox 64

“Star Fox, we are in your hands. The whole galaxy is counting on you. Andross is at it again!” 

“Hurry, Star Fox!”

“We’re on our way, General.”  

Remember those days? That’s right. They’re the best days of Star Fox 64, one of the most revolutionary N64 games of all time…..

Star Fox 64 had it all : It had action, drama, suspense, sci - fi, storyline, and so much more. It’s like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Nintendo all got rolled into one...and thus came up with Star Fox. I still remember playing this game at the time, being around 15 years old or even younger, then, and thinking Star Fox was the name of the main character, at first (whose name is actually Fox McCloud...silly me). Star Fox is the name of the organization that Fox (McCloud) runs, a four - man (or animal) piloted crew that is out to save the galaxy from the threats placed upon it, time and time again…..it’s the original Star Fox, for the SNES, but a lot better --- this time with 3D graphics, new levels, greater greater controls and action, and overall, more fun for the whole family! Star Fox 64 is and was considered by many to be an actual direct sequel to the first Star Fox game ; others, however, see it as a reboot….and others, still, see it as neither, but a whole new game of its own. Whatever it is, technically speaking, we can all agree on this --- it’s a heck of a game, whether in it’s N64 version, in its 3DS version, in its Wii or Wii-U versions, or however else Nintendo chooses to sell it ; this game still rules! 

The opening cutscene of the game, should you choose not to hit the ‘start’ button and instead let it run first, will show you some great dialogue and action, in those first few critical moments. Here, the montage of the game opens up, and you see and hear what resembles a battleship alarm going off loudly and rapidly, followed up by four crew members each running to man his station, respectively. You also hear General Pepper shouting, “Hurry Star Fox!” and explaining that full command of the galaxies has been claimed by the evil Andross, once more. General Pepper enlists the help of the Star Fox team, once more, to the job….knowing that Star Fox might be the very last, very last hope this galaxy has…..as apparently all other options, to this point, have failed drastically (even the efforts of the current Cornerian army, under General Pepper’s ever - watchful command, which still seem to not be enough).

What’s cool is that, as the cut scene continues, you see Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Peppy O’ Hare, running rapidly, side by side, and each gets into his ship and blasts off into space….then, the Star Fox 64 logo shoots up midscreen, and you are told to “Press Start” to begin the real adventure. True Nintendo fans could never forget an epic cutscene - introduction like this one….very hard to forget. Anyways, moving on…….

In the game, should you choose to use the ‘practice tutorial’ first, which is really as much fun as the game itself, in its story progression, you will learn a lot and get your first feel for that amazing fighter plane Fox runs….getting that perfect ‘drop in’ on everything from a high angle, from the skies. In your fighter Arwing (which is what the air vehicle is called), you get to learn to barrel roll, drop bombs, blast, rapid blast, evade, do somersault flips off of any corner of the screen, do rapid backflips with the entire ship, and so much more. It is truly a shooter’s delight, so to speak, and anyone who loves the basic elements of the best Star Wars movies can get a taste of all of them…..remember when Luke Skywalker had to blow apart that first Death Star in A New Hope? 

Anyways, onto the villain…...Andross, a monkey who looks like a monkey, acts like a monkey (immature and impulsive...trying to rule the galaxy and destroy it), and even smells like a monkey (SPOILER ALERT…...at least up close, which is where you’ll be, at the end of the game….monkey breath, yuck. He even chew you up and spits you out, while you’re flying up in your ship, a couple times…..). He is a true villain original to Nintendo. Few others are like him, and perhaps few others will ever be ; he is true trouble, in every way. Andross is a character! 

But then you have your good guys, in the game, too….such as your main character, Fox McCloud, who apparently follows his dad’s footsteps. And as you play the game, you’ll get to see the backstory on that, just a little more. Next to Fox, we have Falco Lombardi, who is a falcon who talks, Slippy Toad, a toad who does the same, and Peppy O’ Hare, a hare - bunny who knew Fox’s dad back in the day. They make up Team Star Fox!