Review: Starfox Command (NDS)

The last time we delved into the world of Fox McCloud and chums was with the mediocre Starfox Assault; before that, the series took its first wild turn through a chicane and ended up as an on-foot adventure game very heavily borrowing (stealing?) from Zelda. The franchise's diversity continues with this latest iteration, but this time it's actually not that bad.

Taking place after the events of previous games, Starfox Command now sees the Starfox team disbanded and doing their own things; but when a bunch of fish people called the Anglars attack, Fox must reunite his friends in order to save the Lylat system once again. Typical Starfox fare, then, but what this game does different is the use of touch screen strategy - just call it 'Advance Wars lite'.

Using the stylus, you get to draw the path of your characters, the goal being to stop the enemy from reaching the Great Fox. There are only a few different types of enemies you encounter: the standard ships, enemy bases and missiles. Adding extra difficulty to the game, you only have a set number of turns to complete each map, and during each turn you can only move your characters so far before they run out of fuel, ending your turn. It adds quite a good layer of thought to the game; not quite the depth of Advance Wars, but enough to make it a sort of beginners' guide to strategy games. Naturally, it just wouldn't be Starfox without some flying sections, but this time they aren't on rails, it's now all about free flying.

One of the biggest faults with Starfox Command is the fact that each aerial section only lasts about 25 seconds at the most; this could be due to the time limit you find yourself constrained by. Gamestyle generally despises time limits anyway, but in this game it's just a nuisance. If you want to have a fly about before attacking the enemy, you can't; you need to annihilate the opposing ships as fast as possible with the goal of each stage to kill selected villains (not everything on screen) and then collect the 'cores' they leave behind. Why? We're not quite sure. It's also a shame that, despite the character models and enemies being quite good (a sort of visual nod to the original Starfox/Starwing), the environments you fly around are far from impressive. A flat-looking landscape with what looks like a hill in the middle is the highest moment, and if you're lucky you get to see a bit of desert. Breathtaking.

Flying your ship is rather unique. Using the stylus, you manoeuvre your ship, which in itself works really well; but then it starts to get a bit crazy when you realise that a couple of other buttons are placed on the touch screen (such as one for performing a U- turn - often time-saving move). With the bomb, you have to actually drag and put it on the map exactly where you want it to land. These actions require you to cease control of your arwing, potentially leaving you open to enemy attack, something that you don't want to happen in the heat of battle.

Though lacking in certain areas, Star Fox Command's qualities all add up. It's odd that its hindrance would be its aerial combat and its saving grace would be its strategy, something that the series has not been known for, but this is still the best Starfox game in while. You also get a quite lengthy affair: much like Lylat Wars, the first play through can be completed in less than an hour, but many other routes are available through the game, each one more difficult than the last. Then, for added longevity, you have the multi-player mode, which can also be played online through the wi-fi connection. Still, we couldn't stop hoping that maybe next time we get a 'proper' Starfox game. Starfox Wii, perhaps?

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Adam Gulliver