Star Fox Command

Charge up your DS and get ready to explore the galaxy in all-new adventure with your favorite characters from the Star Fox franchise. Since its debut in 1992, the Star Fox games have never failed to deliver in the eyes of a true gamer. Making its way into DS’s across the galaxy nearly 15 years later, Star Fox Command is no different from its predecessors. Nintendo has gone back to its humble roots and is ushering in the rebirth of the original Star Fox game play.

In this latest installment to the Star Fox legacy, Nintendo made sure to steer clear from the previous on-ground missions and ground vehicle warfare. It is obvious that Nintendo took the feedback they received from their fan base into consideration during the development of this soon-to-be legendary game. Fox Mcloud and the rest of his crew return to the player community permanently seat-belted inside the cockpits of their air combat vehicles. In short, Star Fox Command is an intergalactic dog fight in which players take control of their Arwing fighters and fight their way through dozens of missions that result in nine different endings in this epic storyline.

Star Fox Command also features a new game play engine, scrapping the old, forward-only play style. In this installment, players are put into a relatively medium-sized area, and are given complete control over their Arwing fighter. But before you strap into the cockpit, the players are given a general overview of the battlefield, mapping out the routes and trails Fox and his allies will take as they strategically fight for control of the map. When you encounter an enemy fleet, the game switches into a third-person aerial shooter in which the goal is to collect stars dropped from specific enemies. Aiming and flight control is all done with the DS’s touch screen and stylus, which can be a little shaky at first. Returning from the original games is the “barrel-roll,” an aerial maneuver in which the pilot can dodge or deflect oncoming projectiles. In previous games, this was triggered by pressing one of the shoulder buttons on the controller, but in Star Fox Command, it is done by a left-right-left or right-left-right motion using the stylus. I’m going to be honest with you, there were times when I wanted to just scrap the touch screen and go with the usual d-pad and button mashing play style I was used to with my PSP. But the touch screen and stylus were what made this game so unique and appealing, and it is now the next generation of gaming.

Star Fox Command can get a little repetitive with the level of difficulty in the game, but it is the epic storyline that makes it very rewarding. Because of the nine separate endings to this video game, the replay value shoots straight through the roof, making multiple plays through almost a totally different experience from the last. But when single player mode gets too repetitive for the common player, the wireless multiplayer feature can certainly scratch the itch to have an all-out balls-to-the-wall aerial dogfight with 5 of your friends using only one game. That’s right, six players for the price of one game, not too shabby. If that isn’t enough for you, compete against the world and take it online using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and shoot it out against three opponents.

Overall, Star Fox Command is a game that will make its way into the greatest hits in no time. It lives up to the hype with its unforgettable game play, jaw dropping graphics, and awe-inspiring sound effects. Not to mention the enormous replay value with its single-player and multi-player modes. With this plethora of amazing features, Star Fox Command will be known as a wonderful addition to the expanding world of handheld gaming.