Star Fox Command
Encyclopedia
is the fifth game in Nintendo
's Star Fox series which was published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS
in 2006
and 2007
. Released in Japan
on August 3, 2006 and in North America on August 28, 2006, it was first announced at the E3 2005
conference, under the name Star Fox DS. Command is the first Star Fox game for a handheld, and supports the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
, making it the first online Star Fox game. Star Fox Command returns the series to its roots as an air-combat game.
The game's plot involves the protagonist Fox McCloud
and his team setting out to defend their homes from aliens known as the Anglar. Q-Games
originally worked on a puzzle game that Nintendo decided to turn into a DS game. The game was generally well-received; it has achieved an average score of 76% from Game Rankings
, a reviews aggregate.
Star Fox Command has two types of play within the single player game; a strategic map mode, and a battle mode. The overworld
-like map mode is where the player takes command of several ships. This mode is used to get ships into the battle mode and is essentially a simple turn-based strategy
game. Up to four ships can be maneuvered at a time. The object of this mode is to prevent enemy ships from reaching the Great Fox. This mode also allows players to fire missiles from the Great Fox that they have picked up from exploring in this mode, or from meeting certain conditions in the battle mode (usually destroying all enemies). When a craft that is controlled by the player encounters an enemy group or missile in this mode, the gameplay switches to the battle mode.
Battle mode is similar to the "all-range mode" employed in Star Fox 64
for some bosses and levels. Like the cancelled Star Fox 2
the game is completely all-range, as opposed to the "on-rails" levels featured in most other Star Fox games (however, the game will sometimes force the player to engage in classic "chase" missions in order to complete an objective). The usual objectives are to destroy a base ship, destroy all enemies, or collect a number of cores to complete the battle mode. Once the battle mode is completed, the game returns to the map mode. As players progress through the game, they will be able to choose to go different routes upon completing certain levels. Each route has its own character dialogue to accompany it, and players will be able to visit differing planets depending on what routes they choose. The game features 9 different endings altogether, and gamers can access all of them by playing the game multiple times, selecting different routes each time. Instead of merely giving different perspectives on what happens to the Star Fox team, each ending is unique — the characters go in various directions depending on what ending is watched. Star Fox Command does not feature traditional voice acting. Instead it outputs gibberish akin to the "voices" in Star Fox for the SNES
, or the "Lylat speech" present in Lylat Wars
(but not Star Fox 64). Players can also record their own voices into the game’s "gibberish generator" using the built-in DS microphone where it is converted into the garbled speech of the various characters.
to switch between each area. However, not all the planets seen in Star Fox 64 are visited, such as Zoness and Macbeth, and do not appear on the map. Papetoon, only seen in the Nintendo Power
Star Fox comic, is mentioned in one of the endings.Command has the largest number of playable characters in any Star Fox game, with a total of fourteen, which include Fox McCloud
, Falco Lombardi
, Krystal, Slippy Toad
, Peppy Hare, Wolf O'Donnell, Panther Caroso, Leon Powalski, Amanda (Slippy's fianceé), Lucy Hare (Peppy's daughter), Bill Grey, Katt Monroe, Dash Bowman (Andross' grandson), and James McCloud.Andrew Oikonny is one of the game's bosses. Beltino Toad makes an appearance during a mission briefing. ROB 64 is not playable, but pilots the Great Fox when on the map screen. Pigma Dengar appears as a boss in two of Falco's stories. The ghost of Andross, possessing a different bioweapon (Monarch Dodra, Grunner, Killer Bee, or Dune Worm) depending on the mission, appears as a boss on Titania. Octoman, an F-Zero racer, appears as a boss in certain Aquas and Venom missions.
and crew set out to save once again. The Star Fox team has broken up, but re-assembles to fight this new threat. Peppy is made the General of the Cornerian Army, replacing Pepper. Fox flew around the Lylat system with ROB on patrol, and Krystal broke off her relationship with Fox after he forced her off the team, because he was afraid she would receive injury and it would affect him. Slippy finds love with a frog named Amanda, and thus spends less time with the team. Falco
left the team and went around on solo missions (as he has done before in Star Fox Adventures
). There are nine endings depending on paths chosen by the player, though the player is required to finish the game before having the options. Designers have hinted that a possible Star Fox game in the future may begin in the middle of Star Fox Command, revealing a "true" ending. Many fans expect the first ending (Fox getting back together with Krystal and the Starfox team continuing) is the real ending. At the same time, in the same interview, Takaya Imamura
stated that "the story ends here", which has thrown some fans for a loop.
The game is hinted at being non-canon, with all of its nine endings being non-canon and it also featured enemies who were presumed dead in Star Fox Assault, such as Andrew Oikonny and Pigma Dengar.
was working on a puzzle game called Digidrive for Nintendo when they were approached to do a mock up of the game demo. After three months, using the original Star Fox, it was shown to Takaya Imamura
at Nintendo who said that the company would redesign it for better compatibility with the Nintendo DS and add some ideas from Star Fox 2
. Nintendo EAD was responsible for the music and production of the game, while Q-Games
handled the main development.
ese best seller list as number 14, selling over 20,000 copies on the first day. In the United States, it was the 5th best seller in the first week.Star Fox Command has received mostly positive reviews. IGN gave it an 8.0, or "Impressive", calling it a "surprisingly rich and faithful action game" that had similar game play to Star Fox and Star Fox 64. Star Fox Command received IGN DS's August 2006 Game of the Month Award for capturing "the fun and essence of what made the series so significant." Famitsu
gave a 32/40, and was cited as an influence for the games large initial sales. It received a 4 out of 5 star rating on G4's X-Play
. "Fox is finally back in the Arwing -- where he belongs, Stylus control is mostly excellent, Strategy elements work well" The Associated Press
noted the game for having developed the game to work well with the DS controls, but had mixed feelings about the turn-based sections of gameplay. Electronic Gaming Monthly
claimed that while the game has its own charm, it lacks the original gameplay from Star Fox and Star Fox 64 and becomes repetitive. UK website Mansized gave Command a three out of five stars, stating that "Star Fox Command can’t hold a candle to previous games in the series." Command was nominated in three categories in Nintendo Power
's annual vote-in awards, although it did not win in any of them. Star Fox Command has also received an 8 from Game Informer
magazine. Although it was deemed as short, it was lauded for its solid gameplay mechanics, and the reviewers stated that "His place is in the cockpit. That’s where he’s at his best."
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Star Fox series which was published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
in 2006
2006 in video gaming
-Events:* January 26, 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.* January 26, 2006 -- Konami Corp...
and 2007
2007 in video gaming
-Events:*March 14: Microsoft announces Games for Windows - Live, a version of Xbox Live for the Windows platform. The service launched on May 8.*March 27: Microsoft announces the new "Xbox 360 Elite" stock-keeping unit . The revision comes with a bigger hard drive and the ability to output HDMI...
. Released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on August 3, 2006 and in North America on August 28, 2006, it was first announced at the E3 2005
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....
conference, under the name Star Fox DS. Command is the first Star Fox game for a handheld, and supports the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
, making it the first online Star Fox game. Star Fox Command returns the series to its roots as an air-combat game.
The game's plot involves the protagonist Fox McCloud
Fox McCloud
is an anthropomorphic video game character and the main protagonist of the Star Fox series. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and designed by Takaya Imamura. As his name implies, he is a red fox and the main player character of the series....
and his team setting out to defend their homes from aliens known as the Anglar. Q-Games
Q-Games
Q-Games is a video game developer based in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It has a mixture of foreigners and Japanese nationals on staff and works closely with both Nintendo and Sony.-Foundation:...
originally worked on a puzzle game that Nintendo decided to turn into a DS game. The game was generally well-received; it has achieved an average score of 76% from Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, a reviews aggregate.
Gameplay
Overworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....
-like map mode is where the player takes command of several ships. This mode is used to get ships into the battle mode and is essentially a simple turn-based strategy
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
game. Up to four ships can be maneuvered at a time. The object of this mode is to prevent enemy ships from reaching the Great Fox. This mode also allows players to fire missiles from the Great Fox that they have picked up from exploring in this mode, or from meeting certain conditions in the battle mode (usually destroying all enemies). When a craft that is controlled by the player encounters an enemy group or missile in this mode, the gameplay switches to the battle mode.
Battle mode is similar to the "all-range mode" employed in Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64
, known in Australia and Europe as Lylat Wars, is a scrolling shooter video game for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is a reboot of the original Star Fox, and the only game in the Star Fox series to be released on the Nintendo 64....
for some bosses and levels. Like the cancelled Star Fox 2
Star Fox 2
was an unreleased video game for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was to be the second of the Star Fox series and the direct sequel to Star Fox. Both Argonaut Games and Nintendo developed the game, with Nintendo planning to publish it. The Japanese version was completely...
the game is completely all-range, as opposed to the "on-rails" levels featured in most other Star Fox games (however, the game will sometimes force the player to engage in classic "chase" missions in order to complete an objective). The usual objectives are to destroy a base ship, destroy all enemies, or collect a number of cores to complete the battle mode. Once the battle mode is completed, the game returns to the map mode. As players progress through the game, they will be able to choose to go different routes upon completing certain levels. Each route has its own character dialogue to accompany it, and players will be able to visit differing planets depending on what routes they choose. The game features 9 different endings altogether, and gamers can access all of them by playing the game multiple times, selecting different routes each time. Instead of merely giving different perspectives on what happens to the Star Fox team, each ending is unique — the characters go in various directions depending on what ending is watched. Star Fox Command does not feature traditional voice acting. Instead it outputs gibberish akin to the "voices" in Star Fox for the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, or the "Lylat speech" present in Lylat Wars
Star Fox 64
, known in Australia and Europe as Lylat Wars, is a scrolling shooter video game for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is a reboot of the original Star Fox, and the only game in the Star Fox series to be released on the Nintendo 64....
(but not Star Fox 64). Players can also record their own voices into the game’s "gibberish generator" using the built-in DS microphone where it is converted into the garbled speech of the various characters.
Multiplayer
Star Fox Command supports six players in local wireless multiplayer matches via DS Download Play and up to three players on the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. In Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection matches, only the Arwing II is available. Players score not by killing opponents, but by collecting stars from them when they have been destroyed. It is also possible to collect a star from an opponent not killed by the player. This is a modified version of the mode from Star Fox 64/Lylat Wars. Nintendo WiFi uses a ranking system based on rankings of the alphabet with Z being the lowest and A being the highest. Players work their way up from Z by collecting wins (it could be based on points). For every win a player gains a certain amount of percent and once they reach 100% they move to the next letter. The highest rank a player can get is 100% of the A rank.Setting and characters
This installment of the Star Fox series is once again in the Lylat system, using a similar map as Star Fox 64Star Fox 64
, known in Australia and Europe as Lylat Wars, is a scrolling shooter video game for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is a reboot of the original Star Fox, and the only game in the Star Fox series to be released on the Nintendo 64....
to switch between each area. However, not all the planets seen in Star Fox 64 are visited, such as Zoness and Macbeth, and do not appear on the map. Papetoon, only seen in the Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
Star Fox comic, is mentioned in one of the endings.Command has the largest number of playable characters in any Star Fox game, with a total of fourteen, which include Fox McCloud
Fox McCloud
is an anthropomorphic video game character and the main protagonist of the Star Fox series. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and designed by Takaya Imamura. As his name implies, he is a red fox and the main player character of the series....
, Falco Lombardi
Falco Lombardi
Falco Lombardi, known as in Japan, is an anthropomorphic falcon or pheasant character from the Star Fox series of video games. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and designed by Takaya Imamura. Falco acts as the wingman and friend of title character Fox McCloud for the majority of the...
, Krystal, Slippy Toad
Slippy Toad
is a player character in the Star Fox series of video games published by Nintendo, debuting in the 1993 game Star Fox.-Design and characteristics:...
, Peppy Hare, Wolf O'Donnell, Panther Caroso, Leon Powalski, Amanda (Slippy's fianceé), Lucy Hare (Peppy's daughter), Bill Grey, Katt Monroe, Dash Bowman (Andross' grandson), and James McCloud.Andrew Oikonny is one of the game's bosses. Beltino Toad makes an appearance during a mission briefing. ROB 64 is not playable, but pilots the Great Fox when on the map screen. Pigma Dengar appears as a boss in two of Falco's stories. The ghost of Andross, possessing a different bioweapon (Monarch Dodra, Grunner, Killer Bee, or Dune Worm) depending on the mission, appears as a boss on Titania. Octoman, an F-Zero racer, appears as a boss in certain Aquas and Venom missions.
Story
The planet Venom's forces were all but destroyed, and there is thought to be peace. This is not to be, however, as a race of beings known as the Anglar rise from the acidic oceans of Venom, thought to be unable to support life. The leader of the Anglar plans on destroying the Lylat system, which Fox McCloudFox McCloud
is an anthropomorphic video game character and the main protagonist of the Star Fox series. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and designed by Takaya Imamura. As his name implies, he is a red fox and the main player character of the series....
and crew set out to save once again. The Star Fox team has broken up, but re-assembles to fight this new threat. Peppy is made the General of the Cornerian Army, replacing Pepper. Fox flew around the Lylat system with ROB on patrol, and Krystal broke off her relationship with Fox after he forced her off the team, because he was afraid she would receive injury and it would affect him. Slippy finds love with a frog named Amanda, and thus spends less time with the team. Falco
Falco Lombardi
Falco Lombardi, known as in Japan, is an anthropomorphic falcon or pheasant character from the Star Fox series of video games. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and designed by Takaya Imamura. Falco acts as the wingman and friend of title character Fox McCloud for the majority of the...
left the team and went around on solo missions (as he has done before in Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventures is an action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube as part of the Star Fox series. It was released in North America on 23 September 2002, Japan on 27 September 2002, Australia on 15 November 2002 and Europe on 22 November 2002...
). There are nine endings depending on paths chosen by the player, though the player is required to finish the game before having the options. Designers have hinted that a possible Star Fox game in the future may begin in the middle of Star Fox Command, revealing a "true" ending. Many fans expect the first ending (Fox getting back together with Krystal and the Starfox team continuing) is the real ending. At the same time, in the same interview, Takaya Imamura
Takaya Imamura
is a Japanese artwork designer for Nintendo. He designed the characters from the F-Zero and Star Fox series of video games. He is credited for creating many of the characters, universe, and overall concept of those franchises. He is the original designer of Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud in Super...
stated that "the story ends here", which has thrown some fans for a loop.
The game is hinted at being non-canon, with all of its nine endings being non-canon and it also featured enemies who were presumed dead in Star Fox Assault, such as Andrew Oikonny and Pigma Dengar.
Development
Developer Q-GamesQ-Games
Q-Games is a video game developer based in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It has a mixture of foreigners and Japanese nationals on staff and works closely with both Nintendo and Sony.-Foundation:...
was working on a puzzle game called Digidrive for Nintendo when they were approached to do a mock up of the game demo. After three months, using the original Star Fox, it was shown to Takaya Imamura
Takaya Imamura
is a Japanese artwork designer for Nintendo. He designed the characters from the F-Zero and Star Fox series of video games. He is credited for creating many of the characters, universe, and overall concept of those franchises. He is the original designer of Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud in Super...
at Nintendo who said that the company would redesign it for better compatibility with the Nintendo DS and add some ideas from Star Fox 2
Star Fox 2
was an unreleased video game for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was to be the second of the Star Fox series and the direct sequel to Star Fox. Both Argonaut Games and Nintendo developed the game, with Nintendo planning to publish it. The Japanese version was completely...
. Nintendo EAD was responsible for the music and production of the game, while Q-Games
Q-Games
Q-Games is a video game developer based in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It has a mixture of foreigners and Japanese nationals on staff and works closely with both Nintendo and Sony.-Foundation:...
handled the main development.
Reception
Star Fox Command debuted on the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese best seller list as number 14, selling over 20,000 copies on the first day. In the United States, it was the 5th best seller in the first week.Star Fox Command has received mostly positive reviews. IGN gave it an 8.0, or "Impressive", calling it a "surprisingly rich and faithful action game" that had similar game play to Star Fox and Star Fox 64. Star Fox Command received IGN DS's August 2006 Game of the Month Award for capturing "the fun and essence of what made the series so significant." Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
gave a 32/40, and was cited as an influence for the games large initial sales. It received a 4 out of 5 star rating on G4's X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
. "Fox is finally back in the Arwing -- where he belongs, Stylus control is mostly excellent, Strategy elements work well" The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
noted the game for having developed the game to work well with the DS controls, but had mixed feelings about the turn-based sections of gameplay. Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
claimed that while the game has its own charm, it lacks the original gameplay from Star Fox and Star Fox 64 and becomes repetitive. UK website Mansized gave Command a three out of five stars, stating that "Star Fox Command can’t hold a candle to previous games in the series." Command was nominated in three categories in Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
's annual vote-in awards, although it did not win in any of them. Star Fox Command has also received an 8 from Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
magazine. Although it was deemed as short, it was lauded for its solid gameplay mechanics, and the reviewers stated that "His place is in the cockpit. That’s where he’s at his best."
External links
- Star Fox Command (English)
- Star Fox Command (Japanese)