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In 1993, Nintendo introduced a new title called Starfox. The reason this title was so important was because it was the first to showcase the power of the innovative Super FX chip. Now, six years later, the Starfox title is yet again a vehicle to showcase a new technology, the Rumble Pack. Another reason Starfox 64 is so important is because it's the latest from Shigeru Miyamoto. This man is half the reason the N64 has enjoyed so much success.

In the Nintendo tradition, Starfox 64 isn't so much a sequel as it is an extension of the original title. The Lylat System has been invaded by the maniacal Dr. Andross. General Pepper, who originally apprehended and banished the fiend years ago, calls on Fox MacLeod and his Starfox team to put a stop to the madness. The underlying plot is that Andross and his minions were also responsible for James MacLeod's death, Fox' father. Quite a nice story setting, yet the more interesting plot elements are never really explored, aside from Peppy constantly noting how Fox flies like his father.

Basically, the body of this installment is identical to the original. Fly a land or space based mission, fight a boss, and move on. There are multiple paths available, which are chosen for you depending on your performance in specific missions. For instance, win a dogfight within a certain amount of time, and go to one mission, or, lose the dogfight, a base explodes, and you are taken to an alternate mission. This is ten times better than just having a difficulty option. A nice addition to Starfox 64 is the dogfights, including specific adversaries for each member of the Starfox team. My only complaint is the fact that my wingmen are basically useless, as I'm always saving their butts. Along with the basic story mode comes a training course and a multiplayer dogfight mode. Of course, a little is lost in this mode, due to the fact that the screen is split four ways, no matter how many players are present.

When a 3D game is released on the N64, you can be sure that it's going to look spectacular. Starfox is no exception, but, frankly, the fog effect is becoming really old, really fast. Also, while in space, where fog can't be used, the result is horrendous pop-up. Barring this glaring problem, the graphics are still very nice, with loads of color and clean textures. Laser fire leaves blast marks on the ground, and everything is reflected when flying over water.

There is an unbelievable amount of speech in this title, and it's all fairly high quality. There is continuous radio babble from your wingmen during flight, and all major enemies taunt you tirelessly. This feature adds an immeasurable amount of authenticity to Starfox, weather or not the acting is good or bad. The music, on the other hand, is somewhat disappointing, it just isn't that dramatic, and this game screams for a Star Wars style soundtrack.

Starfox 64, while being a solid title, has one major flaw, length. Although there are separate paths, the game still isn't long enough. Within an hour of booting it, I finished the game, within the next half hour, I completed one of the alternate paths, etc. Either way, I suggest renting before you buy.