Great throw back to old school Star Fox, although a little too easy.
That in mind, I went ahead and gave the game a try at the local gameshop and within a few minutes I was highly impressed and addicted. The core game is just like the old Star Fox and Star Fox 64, none of the borish adventure aspects introvuced in the first GC game. And surprisingly, the controls are very tight.
Now, after playin Metroid Prime Hunters on the DS, I didn't think good aiming could actually be pulled off right on the DS. Fortunately, this game does it right, and it's not even hard to pick up.
Your touch screen is the radar, and also you control for everything short of firing. Making tight turns and keeping on target feel very fluid and natural, not jerky like Metroid. The use of the touch screen to execute rolls (sliding the stylus back and forth), was a little awkward at first, but after a couple of dog fights it came natural and fit right in.
The bombs have never been more effecient either. As opposed to shooting them out in front of you as you have in previous games, you drag the bomb icon on the touch screen to the spot on the radar where you want it dropped, making it easy to take out masive groups of enemies.
The graphics are great for a portable game, and the sound is pretty good, if a little repetitive. And your first play through will seem short lived and maybe a litle dissappointing, however that's just the tip of the mountain. After your first play through you'll unlock the ability to make serveral choices in the story sequences of the game, thus unlocking new locations, fighters and endings, adding some depth to the game.
The strategy sections of the game are simply held, but well molded, involving flying your ships to specific areas to fight enemies, take down mother ships and shoot down missles aimed at The Great Fox, which is simple enough, but beware, one slip with a missle and you loose it, and if that missle or that enemy connects with the Great Fox, it's game over.
The Wi Fi multi-player is also a welcome addition, allowing you to dog fight with players from around the world and steadily increase your rank, and just plain have fun!
All in all my only complaint with this game is the difficulty, which I expected more of from a Star Fox game. The only really difficult parts of the game are some of the missle slip streams you have to follow, because if you miss one beacon, you loose the missle and chances are it's gonna hit the Great Fox and end your game.
All in all though, this is a solid DS title, 100% worth picking up and trying.