Although the original Star Fox was innovative for its time and definitely impressive as an SNES game, it was the reboot for the Nintendo 64 that cemented the series as one of Nintendo's most recognizable franchises (along with Fox and Falco being consistently high tier characters in the Super Smash Bros. games). I played the first game ages ago, and while I was impressed with just how far it pushed the hardware of the SNES to its limits, it wasn't something that I actually had very much fun with, and so I'm glad to say that its follow-up was a massive improvement. Star Fox 64 is a solid example of a game doing a lot without overstaying its welcome, because while a playthrough only lasts for about one or two hours, it's also very straightforward and consistently fun.
Star Fox 64 does quite a lot right, but I think that the best place to start would be its gameplay. Every frame of every mission here is smattered with things to shoot at, dodge, or collect, and on top of the shooting feeling great, the Arwing feels good to control thanks to its different maneuvers and its consistent sense of speed. The inclusion of other vehicles, such as the Landmaster, was also fun, but I generally thought that the Arwing levels were way better. Generally speaking, the levels in Star Fox 64 can be put into two categories, as the game either consists of on-rails segments or more open-ended "All-Range" areas, and while I did prefer the former type for being less overwhelming with the amount of stuff on screen, the latter levels were still fun to play. Star Fox 64 also features some solid boss fights, as they all evoked a sense of scale that made these battles feel more grand and intense.
When it comes to the game's writing, Star Fox 64 gets the job done, because while the plot is serviceable and not much else, I still enjoyed what this game accomplished in this regard. The four members of the Star Fox team were all likable in their own ways (although Slippy did get on my nerves sometimes with how often enemies got on his tail), and their campy dialogue was made more charming thanks to the solid voice acting and puppet-like animation. Star Fox 64 also features some great music, and I especially liked what played during the boss fights. I can see myself playing Star Fox 64 more often in the future due to its branching paths, but as it stands, I still thought that it was a pretty good game, although I don't entirely understand what made it be seen as one of Nintendo's best games.
Star Fox 64 does quite a lot right, but I think that the best place to start would be its gameplay. Every frame of every mission here is smattered with things to shoot at, dodge, or collect, and on top of the shooting feeling great, the Arwing feels good to control thanks to its different maneuvers and its consistent sense of speed. The inclusion of other vehicles, such as the Landmaster, was also fun, but I generally thought that the Arwing levels were way better. Generally speaking, the levels in Star Fox 64 can be put into two categories, as the game either consists of on-rails segments or more open-ended "All-Range" areas, and while I did prefer the former type for being less overwhelming with the amount of stuff on screen, the latter levels were still fun to play. Star Fox 64 also features some solid boss fights, as they all evoked a sense of scale that made these battles feel more grand and intense.
When it comes to the game's writing, Star Fox 64 gets the job done, because while the plot is serviceable and not much else, I still enjoyed what this game accomplished in this regard. The four members of the Star Fox team were all likable in their own ways (although Slippy did get on my nerves sometimes with how often enemies got on his tail), and their campy dialogue was made more charming thanks to the solid voice acting and puppet-like animation. Star Fox 64 also features some great music, and I especially liked what played during the boss fights. I can see myself playing Star Fox 64 more often in the future due to its branching paths, but as it stands, I still thought that it was a pretty good game, although I don't entirely understand what made it be seen as one of Nintendo's best games.