Star Fox 2 (SNES Classic Version) | 7/10
There's a lot of history concerning Star Fox 2, and I'm not about to cover all that. Let's just say it's nice to see this game finally officially released. So what we have here is indeed the sequel to Star Fox, but not without some significant changes. Star Fox 2 assumes the player has already played Star Fox, so I'll do the same. This time around Andross is bringing a full assault through the Lylat System directed at the home planet Corneria. It's up to the Star Fox squadron to stop Andross' armada, as well as a nemesis squadron of rival pilots under Andross' command. Can they destroy Andross and his home base Venom? Or will Star Wolf prove too much to handle? Finally twenty one years later Nintendo let's us find out!
In the original Star Fox, the player selected a path through Lylat using linear series of levels. In Star Fox 2 however, Lylat is wide open, with the player able to move between "events" as they choose. Events represent levels more or less. So you'll use your pilots to stop incoming missiles, blow up star cruisers, destroy robot dragons, and dog fight bad guy pilots. All of these events are sent from Andross with one purpose; to damage Corneria. If Corneria's damage total reaches 100%, it's game over. The player also no longer has lives, but rather their pilot and one wingmate. Each pilot has unique stats and special weapons. You can choose from many different pilots (I went with Fox McCloud and Slippy). If you die playing as one pilot, the other pilot can take over acting as a second chance.
The thing about these events is they all happen in real time. So if you take too long to blow up a missile, a star cruiser may shoot some lasers at Corneria while you're not looking. Indeed there's an element of real time strategy here, with time management being important. Thankfully you can not only return to the mothership to refill health, but also use it to warp around the Lylat system to save time. You'll be ranked on your time and other factors, meaning replays are viable to improve your ranking (I finished with a D ranking). After you've destroyed enough events, eventually you'll have to dog fight Wolf O'Donnell. For me this fight was the only actually challenging part of the game. Everything before Wolf O'Donnell, and after Wolf O'Donnell, including fighting Andross himself, was incredibly easy. The original Star Fox wasn't exactly hard, but Star Fox 2 is a cake walk in comparison.
Graphically however, Star Fox 2's developers pushed the Super FX chip to the limit here. The polygonal technology on display is often impressive given the limitations. The new OST while brief, does include some great new tracks. Also the Arwings can now transform into devastating walking tanks for surface levels. But all in all, Star Fox 2 does not live up to its predecessor. Star Fox 2 lacks the polish, scope, and charm of the original Star Fox. The levels feel tiny, without much variation, and lack the surprises of the original Star Fox. Rather this is an experience banking on technical spectacle rather than spirit. Now that's not to say that Star Fox 2 isn't a fun thirty minutes of your time. It is, especially if you enjoyed the original Star Fox. But I can understand why Nintendo thought Star Fox 64 was a better successor to Star Fox than this was. If there's a positive takeaway here, it's that some of the ideas in Star Fox 2 were later used more effectively in the underrated Star Fox Command on DS. But is Star Fox 2 worth buying a SNES Classic for? Reply hazy, do a barrel roll.
Edit: I have no idea what anybody's name is in this series.
