As one of the first ever 3D titles available on Nintendo’s 16-bit SNES, Star Fox, renamed Lylat Wars for European markets, finally gets a well deserved 64-bit upgrade onto Nintendo 64.

Bundled with Nintendo’s rumble pak, Lylat Wars was the first title to utilise such an accessory, and as such, caused even more interest than it already had. The received interest was justified though, as a very beautiful looking title had been promised a place on the triple-A list.

You would be forgiven for thinking that Lylat Wars is very similar to Star Wars; that is until you see little fury animals in the cockpit. Yes, you are a fox, accompanied by your friends, the frog, the bird and the rabbit. Targeted once more at the less mature audience, Lylat Wars is accessible to a younger audience, but is more suited to adults in terms of game play and difficulty. Controls are fluid, thanks to Nintendo’s analogue controller. You have full manoeuvring capabilities including loop-the-loop’s, with which you must shoot many targets and avoid being the target. Your opposition, Star Wolf, will show up from time to time in an attempt to finish you. While set courses are given to Star Fox, there are a few levels where you are given full freedom to manoeuvre at will; mainly boss fights.

A well executed update to a game of the past.