Starfox Command (DS) Review [2]
Posted by Chris McCarver on 09.21.2006
Cuddly forest critters flying spacefighters be damned, this is a good game.
Starfox Command
Platform: Nintendo DS (exclusive)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Q-Games
ESRB Rating: E10+
Release Date: August 28, 2006
Review by CHRIS McCARVER
Starfox has long been one of Nintendo's flagship franchises, right next to Samus Aran and that Italian plumber whose name escapes me at the moment. Fuzzy ace starpilot Fox McCloud and his anthropomorphic wingmen have been featured in titles for nearly every Nintendo console, but recent efforts (I'm looking at you, Starfox Assault) have met with lukewarm reception for trying to expand the space-shooter series into areas not so snug a fit. What should prove a snug fit, both for the franchise and for your hands, is the first ever handheld Starfox title, Starfox Command for the Nintendo DS. Developed by Q-Games, a company founded by one of the developers of the original SNES Starfox game, Starfox Command straps gamers into the Arwing space fighter for hours of flying and shooting.
Which, of course, is all you need in a Starfox title.
Graphics
The game's visuals are fairly solid in terms of the flightspace through which players will pilot their Arwings in the defense of the universe, especially when one considers the workable 3-D engine that plays very smoothly on the DS. Each of the game's environments are nicely textured and contain a bit of variety, from forested hills to icy mountains. The Arwings themselves look quite a bit visually upgraded from their previous incarnations on the Nintendo consoles, with a few more mechanical details and a bit less with the flat textureless polygons. Each of the enemy craft on screen are varied in design and in attack styles, and they're introduced in each level with a shaky, grainy camera view that looks like it came from some kind of war correspondent's camcorder.
Between sorties, the DS' touch-screen is home to talking-head dialogue sequences infamous (and admittedly not to my taste) in Japanese role-playing games, but when behind the Arwing control stick, the bottom screen acts as the game's radar screen, wherein players can have a very clear view of the battlefield and all the enemy units being deployed. The bottom screen is much more than your fighter's radar, which we'll discuss in the gameplay section.
Gameplay
Set several years after the last Starfox title, the Starfox team has all gone their separate ways for various reasons, some to start a new life, but some due to emotional turmoil. The team finds themselves with a major need to reunite when an armada from a race called the Anglars begins to raze civilization. Players start off as Fox McCloud as the game's sole playable character at the game's beginning as Fox both battles the Anglars and tries to reunite the Starfox squadron.
Put away any expectations of using the D-pad to steer your Arwing, as directional flight control is actually done with the stylus. In fact, everything short of firing weapons (which can be done with any of the DS' action buttons) is done using the stylus. The stylus works just like a simulator flight-stick and works really smoothly, with a few added wrinkles. Speed-boosts and hard braking is done by double-tapping, respectively, the upper or lower portions of the touch-screen. Barrel rolls are also possible, and essential to pull off since by quickly scribbling horizontally on the touch screen, though this control element is a bit problematic since the game will sometimes mistake a hard horizontal directional change for a barrel-roll command. Also, for those you prefer to steer with the right hand, your only firing option (unless you want to twist your wrists) is the left shoulder button, which can be unwieldy at first but not hard to acclimate.
The touch-screen also acts, as stated before, as the player's top-down radar, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. The game sort of veers into turn-based strategy between actual flight sorties, wherein the goal is to send Fox and his comrades to each swarm of enemies on a large map on the bottom screen. Players direct the fighter's flightpaths by drawing them with the stylus, the length of which is determined by a limited amount of fuel. If the pilots and the enemy groups meet, the game switches to airborne shoot-em-up controls and players have a limited amount of time to not only destroy a set number of enemies but collect the enemy ship's "cores" (which appear on-screen as star-shaped icons after they get taken down).
What adds a bit of challenge to this is that the enemies you need to destroy to move forward may be awash in a sea of other types of enemies that won't count towards your goal, which means a bit of strategic hunting rather than just shooting at anything that moves. Players must also keep in mind that the fighters' mothership is a major target and the goal of each level is not just wiping out the Anglar forces but keeping the mothership safe. Fortunately, on the strategy map, you can trace a flight path through various power-ups, including missiles that the mothership can wipe out enemy squads in one shot, meaning you have one less group of enemies to deal with. If you don't wipe out the enemies in a set number of turns, or one of the enemy groups reach the mothership, game over, man, game over.
My only complaint apart from the barrel-roll issue, and an admittedly minor one, is that placing the flight controls and the radar screen both on the touch-screen can be something of a headache when you're flying your Arwing through a sea of enemy ships and have to pull your stylus away to get an unobstructed view of your radar.
Sound
The game's audio is something of a mixed bag. While the music score is actually pretty serviceable, nuanced for a handheld title, and reminiscent of the earlier entries in the series, the voices could have been better left completely out. While I realize that the character voices, which sound like a cross between R2-D2 and a Speak & Spell on Ritalin, are meant to simulate the vocal chatter from the earlier Starfox titles, the vocal blibbering was just as annoying then as it is now. And since the game's text dialogue sequences are somewhat plentiful, my personal preference would have been that the modulated gibberish were left out entirely, even though the game allows players to record their own voices to be used as the characters' gibberish.
Lasting Appeal
In an era where lasting appeal is largely placed on the shoulders of a game's online capabilities, Q-Games actually made the single-player mode of Starfox Command worth playing through more than once. The game's metaplot contains a number of branching storylines that change the overall path of the story depending on choices made in-game, leading the player to one of nine alternate endings and adding to the game's replay value. While the talking-head dialogue bits may scare off all but the handheld hardcore, the story is actually nicely fleshed out and players will likely find themselves drawn in by its complexity. Also, the game contains many references to other Starfox games, making this very friendly to fans of the franchise.
Not to say that Starfox Command isn't fun to take online, though admittedly the variety isn't quite to the level of the single-player mode. Wi-fi game options are fairly limited to you-vs.-everyone deathmatches with no co-op mode. Fortunately, the online battles employ the element of collecting your opponent's core after shooting him down, which is necessary for the kill to be counted. And yes, that does mean someone can snag your kill right after you spent all that time and energy sending the other guy into fiery death.
Fun Factor
Its control foibles aside, Starfox Command is an absolute blast. The game is retro while still retaining a feel of newness and shows that a game with limited 3-D technology from the cartridge days can still be fun to play. One does not need to have even played a Starfox title to really enjoy this game; if you like space shooters with easy-to-learn controls and endless amounts of action, this title is definitely a must-have for any DS owner. The cuddly characters flying X-Wing knockoffs may be a little jarring for neophytes to Starfox, but the funny-animal trappings are inconsequential and actually a unique touch on a game series that, with this new iteration, has proved its longevity and entertainment value once more.
The 411
Starfox Command is probably one of the best DS titles currently available and a testament to Nintendo's drive for innovation in gaming. The game contains lots of replay value, a story that's worth playing through for the various alternate resolutions, and top-notch gameplay that minor control issues annoying "voices" can't hope to dampen. One can forget the recent wave of half-hearted Starfox Gamecube titles; it took going back to basics and to what made Starfox great back in '93 to bring this franchise back to limelight status and gamers will find Starfox Command a refreshing return to classic gaming.
Graphics
9.0
Awesome 3-D for the DS, detailed environments, smooth framerate
Gameplay
8.5
Solid air shooter, easy learning curve, minor control issues
Sound
7.5
Awesome music reminiscent of the series' history, annoying
Lasting Appeal
8.5
Branching storyline, multiple possible endings, online multiplayer is enjoyable but limited in options
Fun Factor
9.0
Enjoyable for both newbies and fans of the franchise, very pick-up-and-play
