Introduction:
Nowadays games like WET and Ninja Blade say that their unique selling point is being “cinematic”. What the hell does that mean? I suppose that means that using lots of slow motion, different angles, great over the top action and of course sheer greatness. Too bad those games suck. Some people claim that only powerful consoles like the PS3 are capable of producing good cinematic games like Uncharted 2 and the like. Is this true? You wanna know my answer to that? Lylat Wars. This game was made 12 years ago on a 64-bit consoles and its every bit as cinematic and great as the aforementioned games. In fact, it’s my 10th greatest game ever made. Why is it such a classic?
Story:
Lylat Wars is set in the future in a galaxy where animals can not only talk, but pilot complicated vehicles. You play as Fox McCloud, the leader of the Star Fox Team which consists of Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare and the Toad which shall not be named. You are in charge of defending the Lylat System from the evil threat of the Emperor Andross. A few years before the game starts your father, James McCloud went on a mission to the planet Venom to fight Andross, but he never returned and was presumed dead. When Andross is suspected of building a secret weapon and tries to take over your home planet of Cornaria it’s up to the Star Fox team to save the Galaxy from destruction.
While yes, this does sound like a cliché story it’s executed in a very compelling way. While the setting and story isn’t original the characters are incredibly well rounded and the writing is stellar (in a great corny way). On the surface, everything seems like a great stereotype (Peppy is the mentor. Falco is the stubborn ally etc, etc) but the deeper you dig then the more interesting the characters become. Some supporting characters and allies are discovered along the way and not everyone makes it through to the end and when you lose an ally during a mission (except for….you know who I mean) then you will miss their character. There are multiple endings, branching paths in the campaign, so when it comes to story there is a lot to see. But it never takes over or detract from the gameplay. But it’s enough to truly make you care.
Also, if you get the “proper” ending then you will be treated to one of the best endings with one of the best plot-twists in gaming. Enjoy
Design:
Lylat Wars is full of great options which help provide lots of entertainment and pure fun. There is a single player campaign which will last about 2 hours. It sounds short, but it’s meant to be played over and over again. There are medals to collect and a points system which will keep leaderboard freaks coming back. There are also branching paths, multiple endings and the campaign is so damn good that you will want to play it again. There’s an in-depth training mode which will help you get to grips with the controls. Multiplayer is also great fun with friends. But the maps are pretty limited and there isn’t a lot to it. But if you can get a few friends together you will be entertained.
There are 3 consistent paths to the final level in the main story. There is an easy path, medium path and a hard path. You can combine these paths to get to the end and you get either an easy ending or a hard ending. Along the way you will encounter Star Wolf at least once. These rival pilots help liven things up and offer a good challenge (especially when they get their new ships near the end). At the end of each level is a boss fight which are great fun to play and require strategy to overcome. There is a lot to the campaign that it’s tough to name them all here. As you can tell, this is a game that will either last you a few hours or a few months. (Or in my case, 12 years. Because I’m still playing this)
Gameplay:
For a majority of the game you are flying through on-rails linear levels in your trusty Arwing Spacecraft. To put it bluntly, you are armed to the teeth. You have lasers, super lasers, bomb…BARREL ROLLS!!! Okay, so maybe you’re not armed to the teeth but when you go through a level killing 300 enemy spacecraft and not getting hit, you know that this is a great spaceship you are piloting. But a ship is only as good as its pilot and unless you use your tactics effectively you’re gonna crash and burn. If you want a quick way to describe Lylat Wars on-rails sections, think Galaga, but 3D and bigger. While you spend most of your time on-rails, there are a few sections where you can navigate a large arena and fly around at your will. These help mix up the action and make it feel like a faster version of Star Wars space battles. There will also be times where you have to call upon your tank. The Landmaster is a small but powerful tank which you use to fight enemies on the ground, while these levels are few and far between and these can be very difficult if you don’t know how to use it, these provide great variety. There is also one level where you pilot a submarine, The Blue Marine, and while this provides the opportunity for a beautiful underground level and help keep the pacing interesting, it’s definitely the low point of the game.
There are also some great set pieces during the levels. One level requires you to take out all of the search lights otherwise you will be discovered, another requires you to take out missiles that are about to destroy your main ship (one of the high points) and another where you have to destroy a train (but if you hit the switches you will be treated to one of the best level endings in gaming) The bosses are inventive and greatly varied and the level designers know how to use silence to its advantage. The pacing is simply awesome and there is rarely any down time. If there are any doubts to the gameplay, let’s just say that this N64 game still hasn’t been beaten by any other Star Fox games, after 12 years.
Graphics:
While it’s definitely been beaten by other 64-bit games in terms of horsepower (this game was released in 1997 so the N64 was still getting into the swing of things) this game’s simple blocky art style helps give it a timeless look. The ships you pilot look great and while there are very few cutscenes they manage to pack a punch. The attention to detail is simply great as well. Your Land Master will leave tracks in the ground where it’s been, lasers dent walls which remain in the environment for the rest of the level and as your Arwing takes more damage you will lose your wings and fire will come out of your ship. Bosses look great and explosions (while blocky) simply rock. There is no slow-down and the water/lava effects still look great today. I could talk for an hour about the look of this game, but that would require spoiling everything so I’ll just leave this section by saying that the Hard Ending has one of the most pulse-racing endings in games and the visuals help make this punch even harder. I’ll leave it at that.
Sound:
This is seriously, one of the best soundtracks in games. I dare you to play Area 6, or Macbeth, or a Star Wolf level and NOT be pumped once the music builds up. Star Wing was well known for its Techno music, but Lylat Wars trumps it in every way. I only wish this game had an orchestrated soundtrack, but it’s 64-bit at its absolute best.
Voice Acting is pretty good (in a campy way), and you can change the language from English to Alien (I’m not kidding). Sound effects are great and all of these help add to the cinematic and action-packed atmosphere.
Closing Comments:
I can’t praise this game enough. If you have a N64 and haven’t played this game then I’ll bring a golfclub to your head. And if you are one of the new people on this forum who haven’t traded in their
Wii, then get it for 1000 points on the Virtual Console. This game is pure fun and the only complaint I can find about it is that the campaign is only 2 hours long. But when the only complaint about a game is ‘There isn’t enough of it’, that’s a great game. Lylat Wars is an amazing game and its campaign is something that everyone should experience.
+ Great Blasting Fun
+ Wonderfully Paced Campaign
+ Epic Music
+ Inventive Set-Pieces
- Not Enough of it
Re: Lylat Wars 
Linear Mode
