I was a huge Star Fox 64 fan. If there was ever a game I beat inside and out, it was that one. I loved that game and couldn’t wait for the next one. Can you imagine how crushed I was when they presented Star Fox Adventures? No, you can’t. Then they got my hopes up again with Star Fox Assault; which if you didn’t play it, don’t. I really thought all hope was lost… until Aces of the Galaxy! I found Aces of the Galaxy while looking for information on The Undergarden. Artech released Aces in 2008 so I’m a bit late to the party. I picked it up after watching the trailer because I thought it looked good; however, after playing it, I just had to write a review on it for those who might have also missed this game.
Aces of the Galaxy starts with you stealing a prototype weapon from an alien fleet. You will have two ships to choose from and will need to blast your way through ten levels with hordes of enemies trying to stop you. Your number of lives in Aces is limited to three. When you run out of lives, you don’t start your current level from the beginning; you start the entire game over from the beginning. There are no check points during levels or saves for progress. If you decide to stop at level five for the night, you will start back at level one tomorrow. In my opinion, we don’t see enough games like this; games that force you to actually play well and get better in order to make progress and beat them. I love it!
The game isn’t a copy of Star Fox, but they have some things in common. Similarities include an on-rail third person view of your ship where you are aiming your crosshair at the enemies that appear in front of you. You will need to destroy enemies while dodging their fire as well as other space debris and asteroids using barrel rolls and even slowing down time. After you get past the initial stage, the game’s pace gets kicked up a notch and becomes very hectic. By the time you get to the final level, you will find yourself not having a moment of rest and using all three of your weapons simultaneously to constantly clear the screen of what seems like never-ending rush of enemies.
There are several types of enemies; the most common being smaller ships in groups firing at you that you can destroy in one hit. Some ships have much higher armor so you will need to use your stronger weapons on them to take them down quickly. Also, some ships can turn invisible and will need you to scan to see them. Some ships drop mines and shoot targeted missiles at you. Finally, some ships are just there so you can blow them up and get points.
Each level has a boss that will appear throughout the level though it is very possible to complete a level without killing the boss. It’s best to try to get rid of them as early as possible so you can focus on getting out of the level without losing any lives, but this can be difficult because sometimes they show up while your screen is full of enemies or when you are trying to navigate through an asteroid field. While the bosses are different characters, they don’t differ much in terms of what they do; they appear to be there to pretty much give you an extra challenge. If you manage to kill a boss in your current level, the next boss will likely mention it in the next level.
As mentioned earlier you have three weapons; missiles, torpedoes, and a chain gun. You can use missiles to target multiple targets at a time. Torpedoes can lock on to one target but they are your most powerful weapon. The chain gun is what you will use the most. In my opinion, it really isn’t a chain gun because you can’t hold down the button to make it fire continuously; you need to tap the A button every time you want to fire it, but there is no cool down on it so you can rapid fire with it.
Upgrades are available for each weapon which makes them stronger. You can upgrade a weapon twice within one level although you can only carry one upgrade type at a time. Once you complete a level, you will lose the upgrades you obtained and will need to pick up them up again in the next level. In addition to the upgrades, there will be health power ups, extra lives, and warp power ups to obtain. Warp power ups come into play between three types of levels – an ice planet, an asteroid field, and a star. If you manage to pick up the warp power up, you will have an option to choose which type of level you want to go to next. If you don’t pick up the warp power up you just continue on the path that you are already on.
The game seems to be very score centric. As you are plowing through enemies you will see your point and bonus counters going crazy. At the end of each level you receive a score and a level rating. The game also has co-op mode so you can battle it out with a friend to see who can get the best score. Speaking of score, the music for the game was surprisingly good and gives you that epic space battle feel. I even enjoyed the music while you have the game paused as it gives you an “awe of the cosmos” type of feeling.
I had a ridiculous amount of fun with this game and really enjoyed the challenge it presented. Even after you finish the final level, you will find another segment where you can shoot up the credits while they are rolling. There are so many games that we play now that don’t really give you a sense of accomplishment when you finish them. If you can make it through the final level, trust me, you will definitely have a sense of accomplishment. The game has plenty of replay value as there are three difficulty levels with their own level ratings. I would highly recommend this game to anyone that enjoys a challenge and/or is a fan of Star Fox. Aces of the Galaxy is definitely one of the most, if not the most, underrated game on XBLA.
