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Star Fox Command

EMAIL PRINT ds

7.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 56 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 20 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Q-Games - Nintendo

Genre(s): Action, Space Shooter

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: August 28, 2006

Summary

Star Fox returns to its roots with a blistering space shooter on Nintendo DS. Lylat needs help. Players hop into their Arwing fighter and fight through a unique branching storyline of missions, all rendered in gorgeous 3-D. Star Fox DS brings a new strategic element to the series with a commander's view of the mission. Using the touch screen, players can draw the routes they and their teammates will take, then battle the enemies they encounter as they take over bases and strategically advance across the map. Players can blow their friends out of the sky as they dogfight with up to eight players over a local wireless connection or take on up to four players from around the world on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. [Nintendo]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Star Fox Adventures Star Fox: Assault

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameFAQs GameSpot Hints & Cheats

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Nintendo Power

The combination of classic and new elements makes it the most wholly satisfying Star Fox game yet. [Oct. 2006, p.88]

Yahoo! Games

Combined with the fun dogfighting and smart stylus control, this is better action than we deserve in a portable.

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PGNx Media

Star Fox Command has great controls and introduces a strategic layer that's fairly interesting. However, the random feel of the story battles and the frantic multiplayer mode don't make the most of this game's solid foundation, which might cause nostalgic fans to long for the series' good old days.

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GamingTrend

The game looks and runs great, controls wonderfully and is a perfect example of gaming done right on the DS.

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WHAM! Gaming

Just saying the word 'strategy' may turn off some gamers who aren't typically into that genre, but even if you're not, at least give a shot. We have a feeling many people will be pleasantly surprised.

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eToychest

Though some of its design is questionable, the game is still one of the best Star Fox branded titles in years. The varied and branching single player campaign will keep you glued to your Nintendo DS for multiple playthroughs.

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NintendoWorldReport

The mandatory touch screen controls for Command actually work very well.

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Deeko

You fly in open space, which is a good thing. It gives you more freedom, but does so at a price - a time limit.

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Games Master UK

Looks like a return to form for Fox - strategy and top flying action meshed brilliantly. [Oct 2006, p.63]

GamePro

The fast-paced Star Fox action, easy controls, and the fun multiplayer portions definitely outweigh the bad.

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NGamer UK

Not the Star Fox we were hoping for, but one that's surprisig in pulling off the risks that it takes. [Oct 2006, p.58]

Play Magazine

It was only a matter of time before Star Fox found its way onto the DS. Instead of being a remixed version of a classic Star Fox(the N64 version springs to mind), Star Fox Command is an original effort offering up some interesting new ideas as well as classic McCloud shooting action. [Oct. 2006, p.67]

Gaming Nexus

Aside from a rather light multiplayer component, Star Fox Command has few flaws and is a must-have for DS owners.

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Entertainment Weekly

I have a wish list of features Command should have included — more diverse enemies, cooler bosses (remember battling Andross at the end of the Super Nintendo game?), in-game wingman interaction — but Star Fox Command, with its branching story and multiple endings, takes a small step the right direction.

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GameBrink

A great looking, fast paced action shooter if not for the strategy element in between but, in my opinion its always good to have something new and the maps offer a little challenge when you first play them. [JPN Import]

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N-Insanity

While not without flaws, SFC most definitely brings the franchise backs to its former glory.

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G4 TV

The sole fact that Star Fox Command is entirely about dogfighting is enough to make fans of the series rejoice. The action is intense; single-player is packed with replay; and the controls will quickly grow on you like a tick on a dog.

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IGN

The stylus controls might still need some work but the core idea is sound, with accuracy and precision that previous Star Fox games - and air combat titles in general - just never offered before.

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GameSpy

Star Fox Command isn't a return to the glory days or a flawless project that redefines the series, but it's a solid and interesting title that takes on new ideas and comes up with something entirely worthwhile.

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Games Radar (in-house)

Wi-Fi battles are there, but you're more likely to hang around this furry crew for its intense, tactical battlefields.

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Thunderbolt

The turn-based and map-scouring gameplay is a fresh take on the series, even if the timed missions aren’t nearly as epic as the battles of the previous games.

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Cheat Code Central

It stays true to its roots by delivering an engaging combat and multiplayer experience and add some much needed depth in the form of strategic maps.

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games(TM)

It’s intuitive to the extent that you’ll quickly stop looking at the touch screen and instead play from instinct. It feels perfect. [Oct 2006, p.114]

Da Gameboyz

Even though the game is somewhat easy it still manages to breathe new life into the StarFox franchise and anyone with a DS would be crazy not to pick up this title and give it a go.

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Game Informer

Star Fox Command isn't the second coming, but it is a great start to repairing a franchise that had crashed and burned. [Oct. 2006, p.113]

Gamer 2.0

The strategy is a welcome touch with the game’s fantastic controls and nice use of the touch screen. If you want a game that makes use of most of the DS’ key features, this is the game for you.

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GameTrailers

Star Fox Command is the odd game that finds itself being better in practice than theory. The distilled elements are fantastic but the inter-complexities don’t gel completely.

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Pelit (Finland)

The stylus controls are fine and everything works as it should. But there is a certain lack of charisma - that extra something that makes a good game great. [Feb 2007]

Extreme Gamer

An interesting twist on the Star Fox franchise adding strategy and touch screen controls.

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GameSpot

The Star Fox fighter squadron returns in this solid flight combat game, which distinguishes itself with its strategic elements and well-designed touch-screen controls.

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Console Gameworld

While lacking in many areas, Star Fox Command is easily the best Star Fox game in years.

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Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Star Fox Command has its frustrations but the multiplayer helps make up for these. If you can learn to accept the series' new direction, there's a decent strategy game in here somewhere. [Dec 2006, p.88]

Pocket Gamer UK

Star Fox: Command's strategic elements bog down its exciting flying levels, but it looks great, and multiplayer is thankfully free of turn-based antics.

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Nintendojo

Star Fox Command isn't quite a return-to-form for the series; it's best to think of it as a good few steps on the road to recovery.

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Sydney Morning Herald

The touch-screen combat, for the most part, works well. However, once the difficulty begins to increase, flying your craft through obstacles and shooting specific targets becomes frustratingly fiddly work, as you frantically tap and flick the stylus pen.

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Total Video Games

A strong, if slightly unremarkable, addition to the Star Fox series, Star Fox Command capably takes the shooter onto the DS, with a handful of good ideas, adequate use of the DS capabilities and a strong sense of design.

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GamerFeed

Star Fox Command could have benefited from a few difficulty levels, but it's still a cool shooter that shouldn't be missed.

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1UP

Where the developers really missed the boat was in multiplayer. The standard combat arenas are all well and good, but that's pretty much all there is.

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Edge Magazine

Ultimately, the tiny, intricate design just doesn't give Command enough elbow room to develop true depth or challenge, but it's thoroughly satisfying all the same, and a worthy side-show to the Star Fox circus. [Oct 2006, p.87]

N-Europe

It falls in an uncomfortable category somewhere between good and average that makes it almost impossible to define. There are flashes of genius, marred by long moments of mediocrity. Excellent flight sections are needlessly maimed by an over tight timer and difficult controls.

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My Gamer

If you can look past the remarkably unbalanced multiplayer mode and the “put on some type of 3D glasses to fully understand the visually appalling 2D red Virtual Boy boxes” that the player must fly through in order to complete every other mission, the Star Fox Command will bring a smile to your face.

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NTSC-uk

The mix of strategy and shooting works quite well, and although there isn’t enough strategy here for Advance Wars veterans, shooting enthusiasts are well catered for.

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Gamezilla!

A lack of variety and challenge however stand in the way of this game being a resounding success.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

There's never been a great "Star Wars" game for a handheld system. Right now, Star Fox Command is the closest you'll get to taking a run on the Death Star.

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Game Revolution

Even if the campaign is too easy, too frustrating, and too obtuse, the turn-based strategy element, Arwing-focused combat, ranked multiplayer and single cartridge Ad-Hoc matches are all awesome features, making this a fox worth mounting on your wall.

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Armchair Empire

But it’s nice to see that Nintendo is at least vaguely on track with this series – maybe we’ll get a traditional entry next, and maybe this time they’ll let us configure the controls.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

On the whole, Command's an average shooter buoyed by some commendable bursts of innovation. [Oct. 2006, p.117]

Game Almighty

While the gameplay is fairly easy, Starfox Command is a step back in the right direction for the franchise after the missteps during the Gamecube years.

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VideoGamer

Star Fox Command is by no means a complete mess, but there's just nothing that compelling about it. Tellingly, I just couldn't help thinking that I'd rather be playing a conversion of the N64 game and forgetting about all this strategy nonsense.

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DarkStation

It never completely captures the intensity or fun of previous Starfox titles and the strategy elements don’t offer enough depth to completely make up for it.

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Eurogamer

Placed in the context of the Star Fox series, however, it is profoundly disappointing. It lacks Lylat Wars' balleticism, subtle difficulty curve and queer beauty, and its dialogue and plot really are extraordinarily bad.

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Digital Entertainment News

Not as fun as a genuine Starfox, but it's a fair offering for his first handheld adventure.

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Modojo

Exploring new gameplay elements the developers have breathed life into a series that could have been lost forever. The quirks that the game suffers from are more like hiccups in the attempt to create a classic title using an entirely new gameplay mechanic, the stylus.

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PALGN

As a Star Fox game, it falls well short of what it should have been.

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netjak

The core game is still in there in Command, but it's buried under layers of gimmicky interfaces and an atrocious framework.

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GameCritics

I hope that Nintendo sees the error of its ways soon and pulls Fox & Co. out of this interminable nosedive.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

deshon j gave it an8:
loved the gme but was disappointed in the endings. whats so hard to understand about it fox & krystal ARE the perfect couple

[anonymous] gave it a6:
Gimped mechanics bring this space shooter into a complete stall; rather than maintaining the tried-and-true (not to mention fantastic) gameplay of the SNES and N64 Star Fox outings, this game tries to break away. Flying on its lonesome it is easily destroyed. The graphics are great, but the gameplay and online battle modes are extremely flawed. This shouldn't have the title "Star Fox".

Bob gave it a6:
It's an okay game but what happend to going through an auto dirceted level. There is only all range mode levels, and the star fox crew goes solo when attacking. Great control and multiplay but what happend to the main game?

DJ T gave it a9:
It's a tough one! But it's fun. I love how Nintendo loves to make you come back to the game to keep unlocking stuff! In this case, you'll be coming back to see all the endings. And let me say... it's HARD! The strategy aspect with the touch screen is fun. Get this one!

Fox M. gave it a9:
An awesome game. Tonnes of fun to play and the strategy aspect of it makes it different. Great graphics and music. The only thing I didn't like are the sappy parts of the story that revolve around 'love'. It gets really corny at parts and annoying. Especially some of the stuff Slippy says "Krystal just wants to be with you Fox, forever and ever!" Like Slippy knows anything...he's just an ugly frog with an ugly frog girlfriend. The fact that the story has all this talk about relationships makes it seem like they're all horny or some crap....would have been better without it and if they just focused on beating the bad guys. You really get tired of it. Actually it's just Slippy and Amanda that are annoying cause they're the ones that say the sappy crap. Panther's romance has a sense of humour to it which I don't mind and Fox & Krystal don't say anything straight out much. All up this is why Falco's the best cause he doesn't talk about all that stuff...he's focused on the missions.

Joseph E. gave it a2:
The game dosn't work. Period. I slide my stylus left and my plane spins and nosedives, to meet it's end in a fiary explosion. I wanted a jump into the action shooter but got some stupid strategy game where it took me 20 minutes just to get to some lame action, and by then the bus ride was over! And I couldnt even save the stupid game so next time I played I had to do it ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

Aaron C. gave it a9:
Star Fox Command is overall one of the best DS games I have. Not the perfect game but it is high on my list. It has good graphics for a handheld, the controls are GREAT!, and the gameplay is just fun the stratigy part gives it something new, the timed part makes it exciting. The story is kind of corny and the ending is worse. But overall it is a GOOD game.

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Star Fox Command

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