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Breakdown of Star Fox 64's Game Elements:
Graphics:
5 out of 5: The bosses are unbelievably cool (especially Andross). The water reflections and sprayback are the best I've seen in a video game. Some of the cinemas are cool. The lens flares are spectacular. Being able to see each Star Fox team member's head move inside their Arwing is cool too. But...
Overall, the graphics of Super Mario 64 appear higher res, and altogether sharper than Star Fox 64's. Some of the textures are rather poor as well. It's very disappointing to see the Great Fox fly by in the game's intro and see the new Star Fox logo turn unacceptably blocky. Star Fox's cartridge shows its limits as the texture of the letters "SF" is backwards on one side of each Arwing. There's also a lot of odd dithering, giving the game a hazy, low color look at times. The explosions are also kind of strangely colored. Also, while the cinemas are often cool, they're not as cinematic as I was led to believe they would be. Most of the cool ones are take offs on movies such as Star Wars or ID4. The rest just show off the Arwings, and aren't much different (with regard to content) from the original's cut scenes.
Music:
1 out of 5: Believe it or not, the music of the 16-bit Star Fox outshines the music of the 64-bit Star Fox in every way. Instead of producing a high-quality, adrenaline pumping, triumphant soundtrack, Koji Kondo and crew have created a score that's overly hyper at times, overly happy at others, occasionally too quiet, and seldom just right. The quality of the sound is on par with early SNES music, which is very disappointing. Even more disappointing is the fact that the original Star Fox theme is nowhere to be found in Star Fox 64. :-(
Fortunately, there is a sound menu that you can use to turn down the volume of the music. Once your skills improve, the music becomes bearable, and maybe even slightly likable. For beginners, however, I recommend keeping the Music volume at around 2/3 to 3/4.
Sound FX:
4 out of 5: Overall, the sound effects of the original Star Fox have more bass and make a larger impact. The stereo separation of the original is also superior. When your Arwing's shields are at around 50%, Star Fox 64 will begin emitting a constant beep that only gets more annoying as your shields diminish.
The voices (all four Megabytes of them) are a nice addition, and trying to play through the first time without them would be a tough task, as your wingmen offer very helpful advice at times. The voices of Falco, Fox and Peppy are done pretty well, and the dialogue for these characters (especially Falco) has its brighter moments. Unfortunately, the voices of General Pepper, Slippy, and numerous other characters are so cartoony that they take what could be an intense thrill ride, and make it laughably silly. It's hard to keep a straight face as Slippy's seven-year-old voice shouts "Your carcass is mine!" It's also odd that the character that gives you instructions during training mode wasn't given a voice at all.
Play Control:
6 out of 10: Mastering the control of Star Fox 64 is about as difficult as mastering the control of Mario 64. The layout of the buttons makes it easy for beginners to hit the wrong buttons. Aiming is very precise, and a steady, gentle thumb is a must. The Loop and U-turn maneuvers take time to master as well. The different play modes call for different strategies, and it takes time to figure out what works best. If you spend the necessary time with Star Fox 64, the control turns out to be smooth and workable, if not better than average.
Frustration Factor:
10 out of 10 (10 being the worst):
At first, Star Fox 64 may seem extremely overwhelming. Its complexity and learning curve may induce an initial sense of helplessness that fades as more time is spent with the game. The game can also be quite stressful. Flying around with one wing, a pea shooter for a laser and Star Wolf on your tail is no fun. Once the game becomes more familiar, the challenge turns to earning medals. Earning medals requires forethought, skill and luck. It can be easy to mess up, watch Slippy go down, and lose an hour's worth of work. This can be extremely frustrating! When you do earn medals, however, a nice sense of accomplishment is felt. Unfortunately, this sense of accomplishment degrades over time, as tougher stages require more luck than skill. Next to Zelda II, this is the most frustrating Nintendo game I have ever played. After obtaining all 15 medals, Star Fox 64 grants access to the Expert Mode, and 15 more medals must be obtained to totally complete the game. At this stage of the game, gameplay deteriorates into extremely frustrating, and often unfair gameplay. Be warned, Star Fox 64 can easily become more frustrating than fun.
Related Editorial:What's Wrong With Star Fox 64?
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