I got Star Fox 64 3d a few weeks ago, like the Zelda Ocarina of time remake I was interested in how well it turn out and if it improved the game play experience. Star Fox 64 is a good game and Star Fox 64 3d is a good remake but it's not quite has good has the Zelda remake. If you don't know what Star Fox 64 was it was a big hit on the N64 14 years ago (dang I feel old) and it also the first to feature something common in games today, but neither this remake nor the Wii's VC port of it have, force feedback.  The rumble pack was this games big seller but even without it Star Fox 64 is a fun game.

Story.
The Lylat system was peaceful until an evil scientist named Andross appeared, General Pepper banish Andross to the remote planet Venom however several years later he notice unusual activity coming from Venom. He sent James Mcloud, Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dangar of the star fox team to investigate. However Pigma betrayed the team and James was killed; Peppy was barely able to escape. A new Star Fox team has formed with James son Fox McCloud has its leader to take down Andross once and for all.

Graphics.
Like Zelda the graphics have been much improved things that used to be generic looking brown stones that light up, now look they have lights and wire. Ships have slicker look and fewer edges to them. The characters that appear on the intercom are better animated. And this isn't talking about the environments snow is now on the Fortuna stage (it's been named Fivirna), rocks are kicked up has you pilot the tank on Macbeth, the Katina stage now has river and ponds around the base you have to protect.

The 3d effects work beautifully and add more depth to the game however Star Fox 64 is a fast pace game based on high scores so I had to turn it off sometimes so I wouldn't have to worry about the screen getting blurry if I knock it out of place going after a sweet spot on a bad guy.

Sound.
Unlike Zelda which used the same sound tracks the sound in Star Fox 64 has completely been redone. The voice tracks have been recorded, however most of the voices are done by the same voice actors. With the exception of a few like Peppy and Andross. The voice samples now sound a lot cleaner, also the new rework music sounds pretty good.

Gameplay.
Star Fox 64 was kind the last of its kind. Back on the NES and SNES days it was common for a game to last one hour, however you had to beat it in one sitting, and getting a game over sent you and your backside back to the first stage (and we didn't mind it like the snot nose kiddies of today do) . However with CD roms, 3d graphics, and memory cards games were starting to get longer and Nintendo trying to deal with this have made some odd choices when it has come to sequels to this game.  So in a way Star Fox 64 was a dinosaur even in its day but it was still fun. While I might be doing an old age rant it's important to know what you're getting into here. Star Fox 64 is a pretty short game and it can be beaten in an hour and if you choose N64 mode getting a game over will sent you back to the beginning.  However if you choose the 3ds mode you will get continues has well has an option to use the 3ds Gyros for control (I recommend turning that off, while it does work satisfactorily the good old thumb stick is better, besides moving the camera will screw up the 3d effect).


Anyways most of Star Fox 64 is an on rails shooter you fly through the sky always forward and you blow up enemies. Charging your shot by holding down the first button will lock on to enemies and destroying multiple enemies will give you bonus points and sometimes power ups. Also while flying your comrades will call for help, destroying the enemies chasing them is vital for high score. Plus each one of them has an unique skill. Sippy gives a boss health meter, Peppy gives you useless information (do a barrel roll) and Falco can help you find secret paths.

Did I say secret paths that's right Star Fox 64 may be a short game but you're not going to experience everything on the first play through. For example in the first stage saving Falco and flying through arch's will lead to a different boss and a different stage after that. In another stage defeating a rival team known has Star Wolf before time runs out will lead you to a different stage then if you fail and the bomb goes off. Depending on the way you reach Venom will determine a different last stage, a different last boss, and a slightly different ending. The way the game is done is to make you experience different paths through different play through.

Adding even more challenge to the mix is medals and an unlock able hard mode. To get to expert mode you have to unlock all the medals. These can only be earn if you complete a stage with a certain high score and with all your team mates. If a team mate loses all his energy he will have to be repaired at the great fox and will sit out the next mission. However he will show up for the mission after that at full power. So not only is high score important but how you manage your team mates. Going after a hard medallion in a stage or two shoot them down now by yourself so they will be full power when you get there. Besides Slippy who is one of the most annoying video game character ever is always fun to shoot down.

So what does the 3ds version throw at you. Well other than the 2 different modes which aren't much different from each other. (note the graphics are the same regardless of which mode you pick, the N64 version isn't available not that it would be much of an unlockable)  the game does feature a score attack mode which is pretty good for practice earning the medallions on the main mode. Has well has a revamped multiplayer but since its local multiplayer only you need to know people who own 3ds. It also has a suspend save feature so you can quit your game and come back to it rather than starting over again. However this is more of an acknowledgement of the 3ds crappy batter life then a help to younger gamers with less attention span, more proof of this is the fact that a battery life meter shows up on the HUD shown on the bottom screen.

Final Recommendation.
Ahh this is a hard one, it's not that the game is a bad game, Star Fox 64 3d is a blast to play and a game that is always fun to pop in and play if you got an hour to kill. Problem is like Zelda Ocrina of Time if you own a Wii you can download the original Star Fox 64 for just 10 bucks. However unlike Zelda which needed the face lift the original Star Fox 64 has aged a bit more gracefully. Also unlike the Zelda remake which improved upon the controls and gave us a never before released at retail master quest mode; Star Fox 64 only gives us a better multiplayer mode that must be played locally. I am going to give it a 4 star rating and a yes rating if you own a 3ds but don't own a Wii. But if you own a Wii 10 dollars virtual console download will give you about the same experience.

Recommended: Yes