“Command” performance
The Nintendo DS has been home to some of the weirdest,
wackiest, and just plain fun games over its nearly two-year lifespan, and part
of its appeal has been the potential behind its touch screen-based controls to
create some truly creative gameplay experiences. It’s
no surprise, then, that some of Nintendo’s most beloved series get revitalized
on the Nintendo DS as developers seek to wed new experiences with familiar
Nintendo staples. Star Fox is one of
those series, a space shooter saga with an anthropomorphic cast that gets an
element of strategy thrown in via the touch screen-enabled Star Fox: Command.
Star Fox: Command is
a game-genre hybrid, combining elements of turn-based strategy games with
classic Star Fox spaceship shooting. Players
plan a route for their ships on an overhead map with the touch screen, where
the goal is to intercept bad guys and collect powerups
to help complete objectives. Intercept a bad guy on the overhead map and you go
into Star Fox‘s shooter mode, where
you pilot your ship in an effort to take down the enemies. However, using the
touch screen to control your ship feels a bit loose and awkward, and it’s easy
to do one thing when you mean to do another, especially when trying to perform
maneuvers like barrel rolls. Also, there are some elements to the strategic
side of things — such as intercepting cruise missiles — that get a bit
repetitive.
Once you get past the awkward ship controls and other flaws,
though, the game is a treat, featuring an engrossing single-player storyline
with branching paths, a frantic multiplayer battle mode, and graphics and sound
that really show off the DS’s capabilities.
Star Fox: Command is a Nintendo DS exclusive, and is rated E10 for Everyone
ages 10 and up.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2006.
