Star Fox 64 3D – Hands-On Preview (3DS)

In Star Fox 64 3D I got the chance to save the universe once again as Fox McCloud and his Arwing spacecraft in a remake of the classic Star Fox Nintendo 64 game. Everything started off well with a beautifully rendered 3D star map which I used to select the different planets I wanted to visit. This set the tone for the rest of the game as the 3D capabilities of the 3DS were used to great effect as I swooped through buildings trying to escape the enemies on my tail or as I boosted high over massive lava waves whilst avoiding giant fiery snakes with monstrously long bodies.

Unfortunately, also along for the ride are your annoying and utterly useless team members who constantly call for help at the most inopportune moments. Whilst playing Star Fox 64 I had been known to yell at the screen “Can’t you see I’m bloody busy!” when Slippy called for the umpteenth time pleading for help. How on earth Slippy managed to get a spacecraft licence never mind stay alive this long simply beggars belief. Whenever I play the Star Fox games I make a point of never helping Slippy in the vain hope someday he/it will actually die and stop bothering me. I know it’s a bit mean, but he is really quite annoying.

The touch screen served as a team communicator, so unsurprisingly I mostly ignored this screen during the game. Ok, yes, I did help my team on occasion as it technically makes the levels easier to complete. I’m not the only one who thinks that Team McCloud is full of numpties, check out this brilliant puppet Star Fox video.

The Arwing controls were nice a simple with the nub button used for steering, X – boost, A – laser, B – air breaks, Y – nova bomb and the shoulder buttons to perform steep turns/barrel rolls. I could also steer the Arwing by using the inbuilt gyro. This gyro “3DS mode” control was ok but I didn’t think it was as accurate as using the “64 mode” controls. Fortunately the gyro controls were entirely optional.

Gameplay wise, this was classic Star Fox fare. I was happily flying my Arwing through 3D worlds populated with waves of enemies who bombarded me with their lasers. There were massive buildings, asteroids, spaceships and space snakes (probably not their actual name) to avoid. The game was largely on-rails but I had enough space to manoeuvre my Arwing around many of the on-screen obstacles. I often got attacked from behind which necessitated some deft use of my air breaks along with a few acrobatic manoeuvres and a quick taste of death by lasers. These rear attacks along with squeezing through tiny gaps under collapsing buildings really showed off the 3D effects. I felt like I was right there in the cockpit with Fox McCloud.

Summary:

Star Fox 64 3D is a brilliant Star Fox game. The updated visuals and the new 3D effects work really well and enhance the on-screen action. This is an excellent game to show off the capabilities of the 3DS.

Star Fox 64 3D will be available in the UK 9th September. Looking forward to it? Preorder now.

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