Star Fox Command is a bit different to the standard Star Fox games we’ve seen in that all gameplay is in “All Range Mode”, the game is almost entirely stylus driven, and a there is an extra tactical layer present in the missions. For those importers out there, Star Fox Command is reasonably import friendly – a degree of Katakana reading is required for menu navigation, and you won’t make much sense of the story, but the interface is very easy to learn.
..
The new turn based sections add a whole lot of depth
Controlling Fox and friends with a stylus seems a little odd at first, but it’s easy to get a hold of. The bottom screen of the DS is a grid map of the play area, and moving the stylus around will steer the ship, whereas erratic movements of the stylus will execute barrel rolls and such. Other moves like the 180 degree turn, loop-the-loop and turbo/brake have buttons on the touch screen, but executing these moves seems a little flimsy – there’s no smooth transition of movement between a loop-the-loop and normal flight like previous Star Fox efforts. Firing the Arwing’s main weapon is done via any button on the DS, and as per usual, holding the button in will let you charge the beam. The new bomb is pretty awesome; grab the icon from the side of the touch screen and drop it into the desired area of the grid, and watch the enemies die. It might actually be a little too powerful, given that it can basically take out everything in a 3x3 square range.
The major factor that sets Star Fox Command apart from other games in the series is the new command screen. Each of the missions we played had a world map (for lack of a better term), and players would have to plot Fox’s course for each turn; once your turn was complete, the enemies make their move towards your capital ship - if they reach it, the mission is a failure. Various power-ups will be spread throughout the map, so it’s important to plan your routes for maximum efficiency. As you progress through the game, you are joined by Fox’s wingmen, though the numbers of enemy squadrons begin to ramp up too.
..
It's all quite pretty, too
Star Fox Command is technically sound too, with reasonably good 3D visuals and a decent soundtrack. The frame rate was consistent throughout our play time, which is pretty good considering that the screen can get very busy at times. The game does have support for Wi-Fi and local wireless play, but we didn’t get the opportunity to try these modes out just yet.
Since we went hands on with the retail version of the game, we can’t see Star Fox Command getting very many changes before its worldwide release in September. Nevertheless, Star Fox Command is a very competent addition to a franchise that seems to be dwindling in the last few years. We look forward to being able to spend more time with the game, as we’re especially looking forward to the later parts of the game where the tactical approach will likely be more in-depth, not to mention the online multiplayer. Expect to see PALGN’s full review of Star Fox Command in September.
Loading...
