Feature: Starwing Retro Review

As this week sees the launch of the highly awaited Starfox Command for Nintendo DS, we’ve decided to do a few extra features to celebrate our love of all things Starfox. Today we have decided to take a look back at were it all began with Starwing for SNES. This game marked the begining of the Starfox franchise and was also the first console game to feature 3d polygons. So be sure to check our first Retro Review and also if you haven’t already go check out our review for Starfox Command for Nintendo DS & be sure to check back all this week for extra Starfox Goodies.

It’s funny – when I booted up the old SNES for this review I thought, “”yeah Ill play the game for 10 or so mins, give a few short words on it and thatll be it””. About an hour later I was still trying to get past Venom. It’s funny because, even though the game is near 15 years old, it still manages to capture you.

For those of you who may not be aware, Starwing is the PAL name for the first game in the Starfox series of games. It is an on-the-rails space shooter and iy was also the first ever console game to utilise 3D Polygons.

Granted the graphics might look dated, but when a game plays as fun as this, it doesnt really matter. The gameplay is simple in theory – fly straight and dodge enemies and their fire, while trying to bring down as many of them as you can – a task which is a hell of a lot easier said then done.

Another nifty little part of the game is that instead of giving you the usual different difficulty options by just making the usual levels harder, there’s 3 different mission paths which give you slightly different storylines to follow.

As I said before, when this game came out back in 1993 the graphics were cutting edge, and while they dont have all of the cool texture mapping, light shading and what have you that we get these days, they still have their charm. Back when it came out, these things were cutting edge and it’s great to see a console that was never meant for 3D do it so well. One only wonders how things could have gone if more developers tried their hand at the Super FX chip for the SNES. Another thing that needs to be said is the soundtrack, it rocks. The tune used for Corneria has a great retro techno beat to it, really helping you get into the mood of the game, and the rest of the soundtrack does not disappoint.

Starwing is one of the best games to ever grace the SNES, and without a doubt its best space shooter. It’s funny how with the Starfox games they more or less hit the nail on the head with their first go. If you own a SNES and dont own it, track it down as it’s well worth purchasing. However if dont own a SNES, this game is most certainly one to get as soon as it comes out for the Wiis Virtual Console. I give Starwing 4 out of 5.