Preview: Star Fox 64 3D
Star Fox 64 3D is one of the few playable titles out of the oodles of announced 3DS projects on display at Nintendo's E3 booth. It's a short demo of the classic N64 game's first level, fading out after a few seconds of the boss battle.
The 3DS version of Star Fox 64 is instantly familiar to players of the original. The demo opens as you cruise over a short stretch of ocean (a shortened version of the original level's intro), soaring through a ravine into "Corneria City." The place is an obstacle course, the vision of some insane architect, and I crashed and collided with the archways and tumbling towers my first time through, as my eyes drifted down to the touch screen, which displayed the control layout.
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The Arwing craft is controlled using the analog nub and additional maneuvers are mapped to the D-pad. Lasers, bombs, accelerate and brake are executed with the face buttons, and the bumpers, used to bank and barrel roll, round out the simple controls.
Returning to the top screen, I found that the 3D effect really complimented the "course" in the level, drawing out the tunnel-like pathways through Corneria. With the system held steady and my head locked in place (any shift in viewing angle distorts the 3D image), the graphics were incredibly crisp, even with the 3D slider pushed to full. The ever scrolling gameplay (except when in arena-shaped boss battle stages) lends itself well to the deepening effect of Nintendo's new tech. This is Star Fox 64 -- a lasting classic -- in legitimate 3D.
