Star wing - SNES

This game was like that to me. Back when I was a young'n, and my family had just bought the SNES, we got this game just for me. It was mine. My own. My precious...and I played it religiously. I played it over and over again, not caring if I died because it only meant I now knew what not to do. Soon...I had beaten it. And as I heard the great theme play over the stereo and saw the credits fly by, I knew that I had done some thing great. Didn't know what that thing was, but who ever cares?

I still own our SNES, and I still own that very copy of Starfox that I played so long ago. This game is still fun - its fairly simple, fly a blocky ship (the Arwing) and shoot the other blocky ships. You have a single laser gun on your Arwing and four plasma bombs to fire once things get tough. Later on in the game you can catch special power-ups to get twin-laser guns, and if you catch it again you get the best weapon in the game: the twin plasma. Imagine two guns on your Arwing that shoot big balls of energy, destroying any thing that gets in your way. If you can get twin plasma before the final boss I would suggest it - it can really help you and make the fight shorter.

As most of Nintendo's games, the levels are all like one big acid trip (play Super Mario 64 if you don't believe me). The bad guys' ship designs are pretty creative, and boss fights include a showdown with a giant mechanical spider and even one where you go INSIDE a spaceship! There's even a level where you fight a giant dinosaur, if you dare to take on the more difficult levels. The space levels are especially true of the LSD influence, with blocks thrown at you as if you were in the Tetris Game of Hell. Its all for fun though. The gameplay is easy but fun, and the music is like a poor man's Star Wars - its cheesy, but God do I love it.

Oh yes, and if you don't rescue your team mates when they're chased by enemy bogies, they can die. This sounds dark, but it can be very pleasing when you're in a bad mood...

Its sad for me to see Nintendo turning Starfox McCloud into another one of their recycled characters like they've done to Mario and Link. I was especially mad at "Starfox Adventures" which - even with the Arwing level - found itself dominated by ground trooper Starfox. That would be the equivalent of turning the Tom Cruise's character in "Top Gun" into a LA cop. However, despite what the future may hold for McCloud, I will always turn to the original for my old-school enjoyment.

Whenever a baby cries because he's hungry...whenever a teenager can't find a decent channel to watch...whenever there's a cop beating up on a guy...I will gladly strap on my flight jacket, hop into my Arwing, and launch off to defend truth, justice, and furries every where!

Granted, the first stage isn't quite as lovely as I remember it being (the graphics are indeed quite simple and the draw distance is sadly quite limited), but once you get past it things really take off. The in-cockpit view is awesome, featuring one of the coolest looking targeting sights in gaming history. Your fellow wing-men will get in trouble and need bailing out. You can boost past your allies to avoid accidentally shooting them (or to keep from getting hit), or slow yourself down. Your ship can lose a wing, causing it to control awkwardly, and you can dodge enemy fire by spinning your craft.

Normally I would talk about negative points, but besides the date of the graphics (and perhaps the sound capabilities of the system, if midi music bothers you) could possibly hinder this game. The gameplay is awesome, and only improves with time. There are three different routes to take (and secret levels!) which adds to replay value tremendously. And let's not forget the fact that the levels are incredibly well designed, the graphics are used to maximum effect (man that hyperspace jump is awesome looking!), and the music is some of the best in any game ever.

This game is truly a classic in every way. If you love great games, you'll love Star Fox. And if you love 3D-on-rails shooters, you MUST HAVE THIS GAME!!!!!!!