Well this week's recommendation takes us to the land of 3D and by that I mean N64 which has played such a major role in shaping the games we play today. The game was set to be a sequel to the hit Star Fox on the SNES but with the N64 launch coming up it switched onto the N64. The game was also called Laylat Wars in all other regions of the world due to copyright issues on the original name. This is by far till this day one of the better flight games I have played with really cool features that really set it apart from other games. For one thing the game supported rumble which really made it a whole separate experience. I was reading up as I wrote this and turns out this game actually outsold Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 which is a huge accomplishment for any game I think.
The graphics were great on this one and really showed what smooth, fast, 3D animation was all about. The game really needed accurate graphics to impress as one of the biggest flaws of its predecessor was the lack of depth and the fact that you had to get close to a certain degree before you could do any damage. This was the best improvement for me as it really made it easier to destroy enemies well before they got close enough and therefore decrease the potential damage you could take.
The sound was of the same caliber and I still can hum through it without missing a beat. This just shows how inciting the music is and would really run through my mind well after I would stop playing. Unlike most other first Party games Star Fox 64 had characters that spoke and so it also helped make you feel like you were in the middle of the game. Another cool little aspect for those who noticed was that the sound effects changed when your laser made contact with different surfaces and objects again adding more realism to an already excellent audio experience.
Gameplay on this game felt just as intuitive as possible giving you a range of the aerobatic abilities to allow you to dodge even the toughest of enemies. Although my only beef was when you got really close to enemies it just became a game of luck as to whether or not you would get any damage. The game also featured different vehicles which kept the experience from ever getting stale and adding all types of variety. That said the game also had multiplayer which was cool especially if you played 4 other friends, even though a match would take a long time and by that I mean 20- 30 min if I remember correctly.
This game also featured excellent difficulty modes that made the game just as tough for veterans and novices as like. This was accomplished by different paths through the galaxy each depending on how well you did in completing a certain level i.e. kill a lot, find a secret path and other aspects. I remember finishing with "Mission Accomplished" got you to the harder levels and finishing with "Mission Complete" landed you on the normal path. Either way the cool thing with the difficulty which I think ought to be done with many games today is different level completions gave you alternate endings or longer ones, that way people are encouraged to go back and play on tougher difficulties which I often think is a brand new experience in the first place.
Overall this game like many early N64 games belongs in all Hall Of Fames for not only maintaining the quality which the game once had on 2D but for improving and making it a much more worthwhile experience. All you Wii owners whom missed this are in for a real treat when this game launches on the virtual console and I think the best part is you get to experience something that is not so overly done and therefore can get a refreshing video game experience. This weeks edition is a little long but this game is just that great and deserves every bit of praise I give it.
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