Star Fox Command (Nintendo DS) Second Opinion Review

Ever since the original game appeared on the Super Nintendo, the Starfox games have all been extremely easy on the eye, and now the franchise has made its way onto the Nintendo DS, things have not changed at all. If anything, the action is more fast-paced than ever, with hordes of enemies flying around at top speed, crazy weapon fire blasting around you on a constant basis and solid 3D models for the numerous enemies, as well as your own ally aircraft. The DS manages to avoid stuttering at all and provides an experience that appears on par with the delightful N64 outing, Lylat Wars. As for the soundtrack, themes are lifted from previous games, but there is a slew of new additions that fit the mould perfectly

There is a twist to the formula, though, one that may sound completely out of place in the Starfox world

For those worried about hand-cramps, by the way, never fear as the gameplay is on the whole not so ridiculously intense that your left hand tightens around the DS too hard (or at least it should not!). The only time it does occur is during one or two of the hectic final bosses after playing through the various story threads (there are nine different routes to take in total). Anyway, as for other issues, there are surprisingly none on the control front. Q-Games has slotted the Starfox universe perfectly onto the handheld and the tactics aspect is a joyous addition indeed! Once the appropriate number of enemies has been killed, with a set number given at the start of each sub-stage, your totals are totted up, any extra time added to your clock for the next round and you return to the overhead map for the next turn.

Missiles are one particular pain in the neck. Mother ships can infrequently fire these off and whilst general enemy ships will follow your characters' ships into battle, missiles must be chased around the map in order to attempt an interception, and Great Fox's missiles do not work as a counter-measure in these cases. Once on a collision course, you must guide your fighter through square-outlined boosts to catch it and shoot the blighter down. This can prove quite tricky since each boost marker appears in differing positions and since your speed is constantly increasing, manoeuvring through whilst trying to shoot accurately takes a modicum of skill

Missiles and clusters of enemies aside, mother ships are the remaining headache prior to any boss encounters. Normally they are extremely easy sub-stages, since you will likely have to just despatch a few regular enemies and then guide yourself through more boost markers, upwards into the heart of the mother ship, spinning at the last moment (rubbing left-right or right-left repeatedly on the touchscreen