The Worst Things About SuperPhillip Central's Favorite Games III

From its first appearance two summers ago to its most recent earlier this year, this article series of SuperPhillip Central has been detailing the most prominent issues I have with some of my favorite video games of all time. Many of these games I struggle to personally find a glaring fault with, so occasionally a small gripe will have to suffice. Oh, woe is me! Once again, I'm back with a look at another five of my favorite games that aren't quite perfect but still beloved by yours truly. This edition we delve into franchises like The Legend of Zelda, LittleBigPlanet, and Mega Man.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)

I never thought I'd see a 2D Zelda (well, top-down Zelda, but I shouldn't get obnoxiously technical here) that would rival one of my favorite Zelda games of all time, A Link to the Past. Then again, it is rather logical that the game heavily inspired and taking heavy cues from Link to the Past would become one of my favorite games ever. The game I'm talking about is of course the Nintendo 3DS' The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Even the name is a reference to the 1992 classic.

I replayed A Link Between Worlds for a Review Redux on SuperPhillip Central last month, and I came to form a revelation that the 3DS exclusive was a bridge between the Zelda games that stuck with series conventions and the Switch and Wii U's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game that vastly strayed away from series conventions. A Link Between Worlds started this with its item rental system allowing for players to fully explore both kingdoms of Hyrule and Lorule, venturing to any area or dungeon they wanted as long as they had the necessary item on them through the rental (later purchase) system. This glimpse of freedom in this modern Zelda game would greatly expand with Breath of the Wild, opening wide the eyelids of series fans from that small glimpse of freedom to something absolutely, positively much wider.

Nonetheless, while I absolutely did enjoy the new take in A Link Between Worlds to shake up the conventions and formula of the Zelda series, it wasn't without an issue that resulted from said shakeup. Dungeons in A Link Between Worlds, most prominently in Lorule, could be played in almost any order (except the Desert Palace, which could never be played first). This was due to being able to go wherever you wanted as long as you had the correct item on you, rented or purchased from Ravio, the rental shop owner.

Because dungeon order was pretty much up to you, that meant that the developers and designers of the game needed to accommodate this with said rental system. You could get the associated item tied to the dungeon you wanted to go to, but it also meant that that dungeon's challenges were limited. Generally, in a dungeon, if you got stuck on a puzzle, the answer was usually just to use Link's wall merge ability or the item meant for that dungeon. Same goes with defeating most enemies and the boss, of course. Combine this with the regular quest being a tad easy (but not the unlockable Hero Mode), and you have a fair fault with the game. I still can't help but love it, though!

LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

It's truly a shame that Sony Computer Entertainment allowed the LittleBigPlanet franchise to lose its steam relatively quickly. Debuting on the PlayStation 3, the series saw three mainline releases, two portable entries, a kart racing spin-off, and a mobile game before fizzling out. LittleBigPlanet 3 released across two platforms, the PS3 and PS4, and was so borked at launch tech-wise, that it pretty much put the franchise out to pasture.

That notwithstanding, the LittleBigPlanet series has given me some of my most cherished young adult life gaming memories, and my favorite of the series happens to be LittleBigPlanet 2. The game brought with it a new story, grander and more sophisticated levels, more customization options, and an even more improved and updated creation system. This is actually what I consider the weak link in the LittleBigPlanet 2 chain, but hardly because it was a disaster or lacking options.

In fact, it's the total opposite. With all of the new features, modes, options, and gadgets available to aspiring level makers, video game creators, and everyone else alike, LittleBigPlanet 2's creator was a bit too overwhelming in terms of being crammed with all of its features. Of course this meant that the options were many and the possibilities were nearly endless, but it also meant that even the simplest of levels were more complicated to create, especially when the original editor in the very first LittleBigPlanet was so beginner friendly. Sitting through dozens upon dozens of video tutorials, no matter how charming, was hardly a prospect many potential creators wanted to entertain. LittleBigPlanet 3 only further complicated the creation tools with an exponential amount of more options, but at least the devs added interactive tutorials (one of my favorite additions from that game) for players to stay engaged with.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)

The Wii U was an absolute failure for Nintendo, but it did provide not only a way for the company to rework the idea for the very successful Nintendo Switch but also some great games. One such great game was Retro Studios' Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. While Nintendo fans especially flipped that another Donkey Kong Country game was Retro's latest game and not something amazing, Tropical Freeze turned out to be not just "another Donkey Kong Country game" but one of the best in the series and one of the best 2D platformers ever made. With immensely satisfying but tricky platforming that I definitely don't recommend for the easily angered, superb level and environmental design, and some of the best platforming action sequences in the genre, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was a magnificent display from both Nintendo and Retro Studios.

Speaking of the Wii U's failure, though (just so you didn't think I brought it up for no good reason), the system had many reasons why it failed, and one of those was not even Nintendo itself knowing what to do with the Wii U GamePad. This was evident with Tropical Freeze, where the only thing that showed up on the screen during gameplay was.... get ready... pitch blackness. There wasn't even a screen to show HUD elements like KONG letters, puzzle pieces collected, or a measurement of how far the player was in a level or how close they were to checkpoints. I'm talking about something similar to what the Nintendo DS's New Super Mario Bros. had on its bottom screen. The fact that Retro Studios had nothing meant that the defining item of the Wii U had no value in one of Nintendo's own big releases at that time, making it no better than a smaller, more comfortable controller that didn't add a hefty price to the overall system.

Star Fox 64 3D (3DS)

The original Star Fox 64 is pretty much perfect for me when it comes to what it was when it released back in 1997. Of course, I could be petty and pick on the game's technical problems, but I can't keep adding Nintendo 64 games on this article series due to that. Instead, I'd like to focus on Star Fox 64's remake, released early on in the Nintendo 3DS's life. It's not too confusing to see why Nintendo went with Star Fox 64 3D for the title, as the game was rebuilt for the system using the 3DS's then-heavily marketed auto-stereoscopic 3D effect to impress players as they wage war with Andross and his forces.

The solo mode is just as addicting and fun as ever, making you want to perform run after run to get high scores, badges, and go different routes in the Lylat System. While Team Star Fox's galactic adventure is mostly the same, something completely altered is the multiplayer mode. The dogfighting concept is very much the same, but it's been updated with new improvements and vastly different maps. It also uses the Nintendo 3DS's inner-facing camera to show players' faces in-game, overhead their individual Arwings. This meant you could see the reaction of fellow players as you pursued them, pelted them with fire, and had them blown into smithereens.

The joy of Star Fox 64's original multiplayer was pretty much here in the Nintendo 3DS update. However, one crucial element was complicated: playing with other people. Back in 1997, playing some Star Fox 64 on your Nintendo 64 with some buds was easy: you just sat around the TV -- maybe on a couch -- and shared the screen together. Star Fox 64 3D makes this a hard proposition to play with friends by virtue of being on a handheld. Every player obviously needs their own Nintendo 3DS, but every player also needs their own copy of the game as well. Somehow getting a group of four friends with their own 3DSes and copies of the game was a bit of an issue with most players.


The complete absence of online play possibilities meant that few players of the game fully got to enjoy Star Fox 64 3D's multiplayer experience to the highest level. To put things in perspective, this was at a time where a few months before Star Fox 64 3D's release, a launch game for the system already had full online play, a 3DS port of Super Street Fighter IV. Seeing a game from Nintendo with multiplayer functionality this early on released on the Nintendo 3DS without online seemed like such a blown and missed opportunity, and it was remarkably disappointing for players like myself as well who couldn't enjoy the multiplayer otherwise.

Mega Man X4 (PS1, SAT)

Alongside the original Mega Man X on the Super Nintendo, Mega Man X4 on the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn (I played the former version) remains my favorite of the X sub-series of Mega Man games. It was a bigger, badder, bolder Mega Man X game, featuring an obvious jump in graphics and sound, fully voiced anime cutscenes, lots of replayability, and terrific, true blue Mega Man X action. Some critics at the time felt some derision with the game due to X4 not doing much to alter the formula, but if it ain't broken, don't fix it, right? After all, we've seen how Capcom tried to innovate with the series with X6 and X7 later on, and those turned out to be massive misfires. (Though that's not to argue that the series should not ever have experimented, of course.)

It just seemed weird to me that the game was chastised by some for being more of the same when Mega Man X4 finally introduced Zero as a fully 100%-of-the-time playable character. He had the same levels, but the story was different from X's, he had a boss battle separate from X, and he learned new saber techniques as opposed to copying a boss's ability like X would. The shift in hardware also was a huge change on a superficial level, but it further wowed players who had made the jump from the Super Nintendo trilogy.

So if the main point of contention that most critics of the time of Mega Man X4's release was a lack of innovation, what is my bother with the game? Well, it's a really small one, but one which made many of those same critics gripe as well. I'm no doubt talking about the voice acting. However, unlike those critics, I can only complain that the voice acting -- such as the most infamous line of the game, "What am I fighting FOOOOOOOR?!!" -- is so bad that it's good. I'm sure many of you out there who've played the game would agree as well. It's not awful like most of the voice work from Capcom's previous PS1 and Saturn release, Mega Man 8, but it is pretty gnarly... in a hilarious, ironic way.

Rank Up! - Star Fox

Star Fox Zero has been out for over a month now, and with that, there are now six entries in the Star Fox franchise, ranging from traditional action flight games to a Zelda-like action-adventure game. It seems like a perfect time to bring out the old Rank Up machine and start delving into which Star Fox games are the best of the bunch starring Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, and all of the rest. These are the games I'll be ranking from "worst" to best:

Star Fox (SNES)
Star Fox 64 (N64, 3DS)
Star Fox Adventures (GCN)
Star Fox Assault (GCN)
Star Fox Command (DS)
Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

With these games in mind, let's get to ranking them! (Since Star Fox Guard is a total spin-off game of the franchise, not even starring Fox McCloud, it won't be included on this ranking countdown.)

6) Star Fox Command (DS)

Experimenting with the Star Fox series is something Nintendo has seemingly always tried to do to varying degrees of success. Star Fox Command is what I consider the weakest experiment, despite having some really intuitive touch based controls. The mission design has players plotting a course on a map, making sure to engage with the enemy and missiles before either can reach the Great Fox. When actually engaging the enemy, Star Fox Command enters all-range mode, requiring shooting down specific targets. What this all amounts to is a very repetitive Star Fox experience that is greatly missing the on-rails action that so many fans of the franchise adore. And don't even get me started on the soap opera and fan fiction-like story of Command! (Is this a Star Fox game or an episode of Star Fox 90210?!) Yikes!

5) Star Fox Adventures (GCN)

If you're familiar with the development history of Star Fox Adventures, then you not only know that it was the last Rare-developed game for a Nintendo console before the developer's buyout by Microsoft, but it was also never intended to be a Star Fox game to begin with until some Shigeru Miyamoto meddling. That said, this Zelda-inspired adventure with Fox McCloud and new pal Tricky the Triceratops may have too much item collecting, but the actual game isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, some of the trials in the game are a tad annoying, and the showdown with the supposed big bad of the game, General Scales, ends on a whimper instead of a bang, but Star Fox Adventures has interesting world design, fun puzzles to solve, engaging combat, and still looks phenomenal to me in the graphics department. Who knows if a better game would have been made if the Star Fox franchise had not been added to it like Rare originally envisioned, but what GameCube owners got regardless was an inventive expedition of the Dinosaur Planet.

4) Star Fox (SNES)

Perhaps it's my not playing the original Star Fox when it initially released despite being of age to play it back in the day that places Star Fox at the number four position on this edition of Rank Up. Then again, it might also be the incredibly dated visuals and horrid frame-rate of the game that lowers my opinion of it. Still, the original Star Fox is a blisteringly awesome corridor shooter that kicked off this famed franchise in a fantastic way. With three difficulties which spanned across numerous areas and planets-- hard being immensely tough even for a seasoned player like myself (or maybe I'm not as seasoned as I think I am!)-- Star Fox delivers exciting gameplay, a stiff challenge, and lots of nostalgia for gamers of the early 90's. The visuals themselves use the Super FX chip of the Super Nintendo, as most fans are probably already very aware of, offering technological effects that seemed impossible for Nintendo's second home console. At the time, they blew players away, and to this day, though as I said, dated, they remain serviceable.

3) Star Fox Assault (GCN)

After Star Fox Adventures teased players with its few Arwing sections, many Star Fox fans waited with bated breath for the next installment of the series to return more closely to its roots. While Star Fox Assault doesn't completely do that, it does offer intense dogfighting action, added gameplay mechanics and types, and delivers my personal favorite soundtrack of the franchise, played in mostly glorious orchestral sound. Assault not only possesses some fabulous Arwing on-rails action, but it adds on-foot gameplay as well. Depending who you talk to, this is either great or a detriment to the game. For me, I enjoyed moving quickly through levels with Fox's fleet feet, blasting away at foes while keeping my combo amount higher and higher to earn high scores. In addition to the fun single-player campaign, Star Fox Assault contains what I consider the best multiplayer the series has ever seen, allowing up to four players to fly, ride, and blast one another to oblivion through a myriad of well designed maps. My only wish is that the amount of customization and action available in Assault's multiplayer somehow returns to the franchise in a later game.

2) Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

The most polarizing Star Fox game in existence-- at least in my opinion-- is Star Fox Zero. For me, Zero offers the most immersive experience of flying one of the Star Fox series's many vehicles ever seen in a Star Fox game. The ability to use the GamePad to aim at foes while looking at a completely different direction allows for getting high scores and taking down targets that would otherwise be impossible with any other control scheme. Some of my favorite Star Fox missions comes from Star Fox Zero, including an intense dogfight in space in Sector Alpha, where a multitude of space fighters and ships threaten Corneria's forces, and Fox needs to infiltrate the armada's leading ship's shield in order to take it down. The two screen approach offers so much that couldn't be done with a standard controller, but the caveat here is that this control and dual screened system is most definitely not for everyone. While some like myself were able to adapt, many were unable to, unfortunately. Still, Star Fox Zero remains one of my favorite Star Fox games, and if you want further analysis on it, check out SuperPhillip Central's in-depth review.

1) Star Fox 64 (N64, 3DS)

Not the most original pick for the best Star Fox game, but I was resigned to choose Star Fox 64 if only for its impact on the Star Fox franchise-- and just being an absolute blast to play. Star Fox 64 still remains my favorite in the franchise, offering seven levels to play in each play-through, and each run through the game can be a different experience depending on which of the 15+ paths you take from the starting planet Corneria to the evil Andross's home world Venom. Star Fox 64 is pure action all the time, focusing on both popular and exciting on-rails corridor action and the dogfighting fun of all-range mode. The game is also a meme lover's dream with so many quotes that are etched in the memories of players. Practically any quote can be said from the game and still brings back nice nostalgic thoughts of the game. The Nintendo 3DS remaster of the game, Star Fox 64 3D, brings the space drama to the small screen with gorgeous stereoscopic 3D visuals, redone music and voice acting, and some bonus features. Whichever version you decide to play (I prefer the former due to awesome rumble feature, which is still so dynamic and amazing in present day), Star Fox 64 will continue to make you feel like an ace pilot.

Top Ten Star Fox Series Boss Battles

Star Fox Zero released several weeks ago. (Check out SuperPhillip Central's in-depth review on the game here.) After digesting all that game had to offer, I felt the need to take a look back at other games in the Star Fox series. This is where the idea for this top ten list today came from. It's dedicated to the best showdowns, aerial or land-based, in the Star Fox series's illustrious two decade plus history. Since there are spoilers of Star Fox Zero included, take a look at the list after the break.

Play It Again, Sam! - Remarkable Remakes - Part Two

What's old is new again! The first time I looked at remarkable remakes, the news of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire was revealed, remakes of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. While I'm a bit late on the remake bandwagon with the news of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask getting the much desired remake treatment, it's time for once again for a glance at some more terrific remakes of the past! From Metal Gear Solid to Ys, there's sure to be something for everyone on part two of my great remakes series!

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (GCN)

I'm going to start off this list of remarkable remakes with two games that might be considered controversial picks. Well, not controversial in the same category as exposing your man parts while on live broadcast TV, but controversial nonetheless. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was a joint effort by once-heralded Silicon Knights and Nintendo. The remake saw two carryovers from the PS2's Sons of Liberty, the graphics engine and the gameplay elements. The latter of these caused the game to be easier than the PS1 original, as the remake's area design was not retooled to fit the new gameplay mechanics, such as the first-person view for aiming. Nevertheless, the remade visuals, cutscenes (let's face it, MGS is already unbelievable and crazy a series story-wise anyway), and voice-work made for an exciting ride for GameCube owners.

Conker: Live & Reloaded (XBX)

This second "controversial" pick is Conker: Live & Reloaded for the Xbox. Despite having the intention of being wholly uncensored, as the subtitle was once Live & Uncut, the Xbox remake received a ton of censorship. Also, some objectives and tasks in the single-player portion of the game were either removed or heavily altered as well. Regardless of these changes, I was just glad to receive an updated version of Conker's original starring console role with visuals that still amaze to this day (that fur... oh my goodness) and a completely retooled multiplayer component that allowed for awesome online skirmishes via Xbox Live.

Final Fantasy IV (DS)

One of my favorite Final Fantasies just doesn't seem to want to go away. It's been re-released on practically every possible platform under the sun. However, the Nintendo DS version was a total remake, unlike the plenty of ports of the game other platforms had received in the past. As part of Square Enix's celebration of Final Fantasy's 20th anniversary, a 3D remake of the original Final Fantasy IV was put on the Nintendo DS, offering impressive 3D models and areas, voice acting, and some modest but engaging changes that affected the gameplay. Not only was this edition of Final Fantasy IV look like a completely new game, but it gave players a more difficult, and satisfyingly so, RPG adventure to love. I know I certainly was one.

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver (DS)

Now, I must admit my total ignorance towards the Pokemon franchise. After the initial releases back in 1999, when I completely amassed my middle school self in the series, playing the games, collecting the toys, watching the anime, writing and drawing comics, etc., I didn't follow the series anywhere near as closely as I did. In fact, I skipped Pokemon Gold and Silver. It wasn't until later that I wanted to try either game, but the total archaic looks of the games turned me off of doing so. Thus, I jumped at the chance to try out the remakes on the Nintendo DS. Many of the games on this list are included because of major graphical enhancements, and this isn't more true than with Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver. These two titles make their originals look like they were made in the stone age in comparison visually, and the little touches add to make the games more modern added to my love of the titles even further.

Star Fox 64 3D (3DS)

Unlike Pokemon Gold and Silver, Star Fox 64 is still a game that is easily playable, and not too sore on the eyes despite its more ancient visuals. Star Fox 64 3D was an appealing remake to me for a number of reasons. For one, it brought the Star Fox series out of retirement, albeit in remade form. Anything to get the taste out of the nasty fan fiction of Star Fox: Command, right? Secondly, the game did have improved visuals and performance to justify it being remade. Finally, it was just another excuse to play through the game a few dozen more times. (I might be understating how many times I replayed Star Fox 64 3D.) My only major gripe with Star Fox 64 3D is how the multiplayer did not have an online component to it. It would have been so much fun to enjoy dogfighting with someone other than the AI.

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (GBA)

Kirby, Kirby, Kirby, he's the star of the show. Kirby, Kirby, Kirby, it's a name you should know. Well, at least if you're on SuperPhillip Central regularly, as I do bring up the pink puffball on more than a number of occasions. Anyhow, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is a Game Boy Advance remake of the NES game Kirby's Adventure. Obviously the visuals were updated to beautiful standards, but the gameplay was changed, albeit in minor fashion. Added to this upgraded Kirby's Adventure were new mini-games, as well cooperative play for up to four players via the GBA link cable. Nightmare in Dream Land was a less difficult Kirby's Adventure in some regards, but overall it retained the spirit of the original quite well.

Klonoa (Wii)

Unlike Kirby, Namco Bandai's (or is it Bandai Namco? ..Or is it Nandai Bamco? Aw, hell, who cares!) Klonoa doesn't get much love. It's a darn shame, too, as the character is charming and his games are immensely imaginative. The simply-titled Klonoa was released on the Wii in 2008 in Japan and elsewhere the following year. It was a remake of the PS1 cult classic Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, and it plays similarly. The most noticeable change to this remake is its hugely evolved visuals, making for an absolutely beautiful game-- and the original wasn't a bad looker to begin with. Unfortunately, even on a platform with a fan base that loves platformers, the Wii remake of Klonoa sold like it was a remake of Bubsy 3D. That is to say that sales stunk, effectively ending the long-eared lovely's future in gaming for the time being.

Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PSP)

By far the most transformed remake out of any other game on this list is Ys: The Oath in Felghana. It is a total remake of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. Oath in Felgana not only makes some alterations to the original story, but it completely overhauls the Ys III, transforming it from its original roots as a 2D side-scrolling action game to a 3D action-RPG adventure. I have a fond attachment to Ys: The Oath in Felghana, as it was my first introduction to the franchise. I've since played the original Ys III, and it amazes me how greatly Oath in Felghana successfully changed the structure and gameplay to make a much better game.

Even if I've already made mention of them before, what are your favorite remade games? Which do you think didn't do their original games justice? Let the community know in the comments below!

Star Fox 64 3D (3DS) Review

It's been a busy week here on SuperPhillip Central with more blog entries posted in a week than ever before, and we're still not finished. Thank the Nintendo press conference and the Tokyo Game Show for that. What I have in store for original content is a review of Star Fox 64 3D, the latest remake on the Nintendo 3DS. How does it shape up?

The infinitely quotable game takes flight on the Nintendo 3DS

In March of 1993, the original Star Fox soared onto the Super Nintendo with a special chip known as the Super FX chip. This chip allowed for intricate and impressive (for that time) three-dimensional objects such as arches and enemy fighters. Four years later, Star Fox 64 touched down upon the Nintendo 64 with an engrossing story, intense dog-fighting, and a whole Lylat System to explore. Now fast-forward to the present where a remake has been born in Star Fox 64 3D, utilizing the Nintendo 3DS's glasses-less 3D, improved textures, and updated music and voice work. Is all of these new features worth the hefty forty dollar price tag?

Back before the current Team Star Fox of Fox McCloud, Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi, and Slippy Toad were together, the team was compromised of Fox's father, James McCloud, Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dengar. On a mission on Andross's home planet of Venom, Pigma betrayed the team, thus imprisoning James and Peppy. Somehow and someway Peppy escaped and came back to Corneria to inform the good guys the bad news. It's several years later, and now the new team has blossomed. The threat of Andross looms over the Lylat System of planets and stars, and it's up to Team Star Fox to stop the mad scientist from conquering the once peaceful system before it's too late. The highly cinematic style of the game tells the aforementioned tale through a narrative piece and cutscenes. It's your typical space soap opera, but it is effective nonetheless to give the player incentive to play the game.

Star Fox 64 plays in two types of ways. The first is as an on-rails shooter of sorts. You're always moving forward in your vehicle, blasting down opposing Andross fighters and avoiding enemy lasers. The other is all-range mode which allows you to fly your Arwing around in three-hundred and sixty degrees of freedom. When you reach the outer perimeter of the battlefield, you'll automatically be forced to make a U-turn. The game is controlled either by using the circle pad or using the gyro controls. The gyro controls take a lot of getting accustomed to, and they're more of a novelty than anything. My advice is to stick with the traditional controls and only utilize gyro if you're morbidly curious.

And thus an internet meme was reborn.

The Lylat System is compromised of fifteen planets, but there's only seven levels per play-through. Each play-through lasts about an hour depending on the player's skill level. So how does this work then? Players always begin their adventure on the planet Corneria and end on Venom. By completing certain requirements in a given level, the path the player takes switches. For instance, on the first planet of the game you'll have to rescue Falco from enemy pursuers before he retires from battle, and then you must fly through several arches. Then Falco will inform you of a secret path leading to Sector Y. If you fail to rescue Falco or opt not to fly through the arches, you'll travel to the asteroid belt of Meteo instead. Another example is on the toxic wasteland of the once-beautiful planet of Zoness. If you fail to destroy all searchlights and they detect you, you'll be forced to travel to Macbeth as opposed to heading to Sector Z. In order to get the most out of Star Fox 64 3D, you'll need to play through the game at least three or four times to play through all planets.

To further increase the longevity of the game, there's medals to earn through shooting down as many enemy fighters and scoring as many points as possible. There's three modes to earn fifteen medals in each: 3DS, N64, and Expert mode (Expert is unlocked once all fifteen medals are earned either in 3DS or N64 mode). 3DS is essentially easy mode whereas N64 mode is your normal mode where enemies do more damage to Fox and friends. Expert mode gives more enemy fodder for Fox to blast to kingdom-come, and it also gives our ace pilot his father's infamous sunglasses to wear. Obviously, damage given off by enemies is increased even more from N64 mode. In addition to these three difficulty modes, there's an unlockable Score Attack mode which allows players to go through a planet of their choice, aiming for the top score and one of three medals: either bronze, silver, or gold.

Teammates will often give advice to the player.
Heed their words to survive.

Going back to the fifteen planets of the Lylat System, there's a wide variety of missions and objectives to complete as well as themes and backgrounds to explore. The red-hot sun of Solar will slowly drain the shield health of Team Star Fox's Arwings as the heat is simply too much for them to handle. Meanwhile, the arctic planet of Fichina (once called and mistranslated as Fortuna in the original Star Fox 64) has Star Fox attempting to stop a bomb from exploding inside the Cornerian army's base. This is all the while trying to fend off Team Star Wolf, their fierce rivals. The arid desert planet of Titania has Fox piloting the Landmaster which is a powerful tank. As he rides along the ground, Fox must rescue Slippy from the clutches of the planet's boss. Furthermore, on Katina players must shoot down a barrage of enemy fighters in all-range mode as well as destroy the enemy mothership before it can destroy the Cornerian base it hovers over.

There's three different types of vehicles for Fox to pilot. Most of the missions will ask for McCloud to control the ever-graceful Arwing. The Arwing can perform barrel rolls to deflect enemy lasers, somersault, boost, brake, and in all-range mode accomplish incredible U-turns. Somersaults, boosts, brakes, and U-turns require their be some energy in the boost gauge. This gauge eventually refills after a few seconds or so. Two of the fifteen planets of the Lylat System has Fox inside the Landmaster tank. The tank can move its cannon up and down to blast enemies from land, sea, and air. It can also hover over potential dangers. The final vehicle which is only experienced on the ocean planet of Aquas is the Bluemarine. This Team Star Fox patented submarine can launch an unlimited amount of torpedoes to not only blow away enemies but also illuminate the dark and dank depths of the isolated ocean. All vehicles can lock onto enemies. Destroying multiple enemies at once with a lock-on shot gives bonus points. This is the key for earning medals and high scores on planets.

The Bluemarine is only used on the ocean planet of Aquas.

Items are an essential part of Star Fox 64 3D, and there's a decent variety of them. Silver rings bestow Fox with health (think hearts in The Legend of Zelda) while collecting three gold rings will boost Fox's shield gauge. Acquiring another trio of gold rings will give the player an extra life. Gathering smart bombs allows Fox to launch them at enemies as well as detonate them for a huge concussive blast. This is perfect for crowd control. When one of the Arwing's wings are broken off, Fox can collect an item that instantly repairs all wings. Finally, the laser upgrade increases the efficiency of Fox's lasers. The laser can be boosted several-fold from the original green laser to twin lasers to pulsating and powerful blue lasers. If Fox dies in a mission or he loses a wing, the laser goes back to its original state. In certain missions ROB 64 (helpful guide aboard the Great Fox) will drop item boxes to help McCloud out.

We've been broaching about Fox McCloud throughout this review, but we all know there's no "I" in team nor is there any "I" in Team Star Fox. Fox is helped out by his trusty crew of cocky and crude Falco Lombardi, old and experienced Peppy Hare, and always in trouble Slippy Toad. Each hero has his own usefulness. For instance, Falco will oftentimes pinpoint roads to secret paths. Peppy will inform Fox of a boss's weak point while Slippy, when he's not under attack, will identify a boss's health gauge for the player. In fierce firefights Fox will usually have to fend off attackers who go after his teammates. If a teammate takes too much damage, they'll be forced to escape from battle. This means they won't be in the next mission, you won't be able to get a medal on that mission, and their helpfulness won't be available to you. It's a triple whammy of misfortune.

Speaking of bosses, Andross has many tricks in his metaphorical sleeves. Some bosses are as simple as shooting the backside or aiming for a weak point. Others require a bit more finesse. One boss has you shooting the cannons on its shell, then shooting its eye with as much laser fire as possible. This all the while avoiding the immense amount of fodder it spawns from its cannons. Another boss requires the player to launch smart bombs at its two exhaust pipes, then at the vessels that shoot off missiles. When the crane is exposed, this must also be destroyed or else one of the previously mentioned vessels will be revived.

Spyborg's weak point is directly in its eyes.

If playing through the multiple paths (there's over twenty different paths to play through), going for high scores, and kicking Andross's monkey butt isn't enough for you, then try out the multiplayer. Through single cart download play, up to four friends can battle it out for supremacy on one of four maps. A glaring oversight is the lack of any kind of online play or online leaderboards. If Star Fox Command had online play, why can't Star Fox 64 3D? It just reeks of laziness. Regardless, if you can find friends with 3DSs of their own, you can fight against them freely. Though the face-cam that shows players' faces during and after battle is of an extremely low quality. Again, this would make sense to have this feature for online play, but why for people who are in the same room? Those without friends with 3DSs can select to play with very capable bots in one of three modes: Survival (last man standing), Point Battle (player who reaches set point limit wins), and Time Battle (player with most points by time limit is the victor).

Whether with friends or bots,
there's fun to be had in Star Fox 64 3D's multiplayer.

Going from multiplayer to presentation, nearly everything has been reworked in Star Fox 64 3D. From the updated visuals which look absolutely gorgeous (especially Zoness's jaw-dropping water effects) to the remixed music and voice work (which is the same cast of the original), this game is an intriguing package. The slowdown experienced in the previous game is virtually eliminated in this remake. Additionally, pushing the 3D slider all the way up allows for the ability to easily judge distances between objects and Fox's piloted vehicle. It makes shooting down and getting a read on enemies and objects all the more simple. This is a welcomed addition indeed. Throughout missions your shipmates will constantly chatter with some very unique dialogue. A new generation of internet memes can be born.

Overall, Star Fox 64 3D still stands as a terrific title. Those who think that once they reach the credits (which will only take approximately an hour) will be disappointed, but for those of us who aim to acquire every medal, achieve larger high scores, and unlock everything (even though the ultimate unlockable is on the lame side) will have a lot to enjoy. Star Fox 64 3D may not be worth the forty dollars to some, but there's plenty of content here to make a case that it is. Insert your own favorite line from Star Fox 64 here to conclude this review to your liking.

[SuperPhillip Says: 8.5/10]

Star Fox 64 3D (3DS) Corneria Gameplay

Every journey starts somewhere, and every Star Fox 64 playthrough starts with Corneria. This video shows off the first level as well as how to reach the hidden exit to Sector Y. If you don't want to spoil the fun (and if you haven't played the N64 original), then I advise that you simply skip out on this video. As for everyone else, watch the impressive water, listen to the remixed music and voice work, and the player's shoddy skills.

Click here for a direct link.

Star Fox 64 3D (3DS) North American Commercial

After a week off, it's back to business here at SuperPhillip Central. To kick off the week, we have the North American advertisement for Star Fox 64 3D for the Nintendo 3DS which is getting a September 9th release date. This particular commercial shows off the local multiplayer action the game possesses. Unfortunately, and for whatever silly reason, there is no online play.

Do a barrel roll here with the direct link.

Nintendo World - Star Fox 64 3D Trailer

Star Fox 64 is one of my favorite Nintendo 64 games. It was a blast going after medals, taking down groups of bogeys with one shot, and doing barrel rolls to make Peppy Hare happy. This trailer shows off Corneria, Meteo, and Titania. The textures are mondo improved, forgive the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles speak. Nintendo has this title marked down for summer 2011, so us North American gamers will have to wait at least until then to play this highly-anticipated game.

Take flight with a direct link here.