Overview:

A remade version of the Nintendo 64 game, StarFox 64, this version of StarFox follows that game beat for beat.  If you’ve played that game to death, as I have, you know what to expect.  If you haven’t, well here’s what it is.  It’s an on rails spaceship shooter that has you going from planet to planet defeating the boss at the end of the level.  The levels are different and each has a different task for you to achieve in addition to you beating the boss for you to move on.  Depending if you complete this mission, you’ll be able to branch the paths to see an extended portion of the story.  If not, you will get an ending, but not the full one.  With you are your wingmen: Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi, and Slippy Toad.  They will help you along the way but it’s mostly you saving their butts from getting shot down, which is also part of the task you need to complete in order to move on to the different paths.  There is a multiplayer mode as well as challenge modes and co-op but I was just really going into it for the game to see if anything was different.  The cutscenes are all new but, to me, not welcome.

Visuals:

I will concede that the visuals, for the most part, are absolutely gorgeous.  The environments and the enemies are all looking the best they’ve ever looked with a fluid framerate to boot.  The areas in the previous game which were dark as fuck are now beautifully illuminated and your shots now give off the correct amount of luminosity to a scene.  The cinematics are also nicely done as I couldn’t really tell if something was prerendered or not.  My knock is just how the characters look.  The charm of them has all but vanished and now you’re left with “realistic” looking animals flying ships.  You get over it and I’m looking at it with nostalgia, but I think they all just look like jerks.  Speaking of which…

Audio:

I never knew that Fox McCloud and his cronies were such jerks.  All they’re wanting to talk about is getting paid and basically holding General Pepper at ransom in order to save the system.  I could understand from Falco, but Fox, my man, when did you become such a prick?  The voice acting is good but not my taste.  It’s just for a different generation.  The music is all there but has been redone without the limited space of an N64 cart so everything sounds very cinematic.  I really just can’t get over the characters.  

Completion:

I FINISHED THIS GAME!  Like the original, the game is short.  Short short.  I finished it in one sitting and it took me about an hour as well.  I knew what I was getting into and I’m not regretting it at all.  It is a nice definitive way to play StarFox 64 again and again, which I might.  I just really don’t like what they did to the character’s character and the cutscenes, while cool, I don’t need to see again.  I would recommend it but keep in mind that it’s nothing new.