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"Star Fox 64" (Wii Virtual Console)

12/4/07

This is one of those great classics that came out for the Nintendo 64 system back in the day; it also was the first game to feature a "rumble pak", which basically was a plug-in that shook your controller every time your ship was hit, or hit the turbo button, or you died.  Now, of course, every controller on every new-age system has the rumble feature built-in...ahh, the classics.

"Star Fox 64" is that game that featured Fox McCloud as a tough sci-fi fighter pilot, tasked with taking down bad guys on multiple planets using his Arwing fighter and his three good friends (all of whom, of course, were other animals).  The game remains surprisingly good after all this time; thanks to fun play mechanics, the barrel roll dodge technique, the ability to change speeds, and some cool boss fights.  I use the Wii's Classic Controller to play all of these Virtual Console games and it's perfect for "Star Fox"; the button layout is still fine and the responsiveness is perfect.  The voice acting remains pretty good (except for when one of your wingmates is constantly whining for you to take a guy off of their tail) and the graphics--while dated--still work for this sort of game.

Not killer, but games like this on new-age consoles are quite rare, so if you loved "Star Fox" back in the day you will still love it now.

Rating:  $40

 

Feedback?  Comments?  Salma Hayek's digits?  justin@bellviewmovies.com

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  Buy this game right away, and don't ask me any questions as to why that's a good move.  A game experience that will almost guarantee repeated controller abuse, lots of ManScreaming and high resale value, you will assuredly play this bad boy for months on end. 

"$40":  Usually after games have been out for a while, they drop in price slightly, or can be bought for slightly cheaper in combination with other new games.  Usually, that's about $40.  You'll feel good getting the game for this price, since it isn't quite run-out-and-get-it-right-now good, but it has enough game in the box for a few weeks' worth of enjoyment.

"eBay":  This game is not too bad, but you'd be better off buying it used from either half.com or eBay.  You also might let a friend buy this game, let s/he beat it, and then try to buy it from them to make them feel better.  Yes, this does tend to feel like "Sloppy Seconds."

"Rental":  Like my cousin Ron, you should always rent games that you aren't sure about first, to make sure that your $50 is going towards something worthwhile.  For games in this category, this is the maximum amount of money ($5) and/or time (3-5 days) you'll need to either gain satisfaction from the game, or beat the game in its entirety.  Rental-rated games are also sometimes perfect for a weekend when you are going to be at home on your ass, with some time to kill.

"Dogshit":  Games like this should have never been released.  If you play this game for any reason, you will regret every second of the experience.  Further, if you can get this game for free, don't do it, because even for FREE, it will still be a negative experience for you!