Star Fox Command

 DS
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 56
  3. Negative: 0 out of 56
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Console Gameworld
    74
    While lacking in many areas, Star Fox Command is easily the best Star Fox game in years.
  2. Official Nintendo Magazine UK
    73
    Star Fox Command has its frustrations but the multiplayer helps make up for these. If you can learn to accept the series' new direction, there's a decent strategy game in here somewhere. [Dec 2006, p.88]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. GamerFeed
    70
    Star Fox Command could have benefited from a few difficulty levels, but it's still a cool shooter that shouldn't be missed.
  5. 1UP
    70
    Where the developers really missed the boat was in multiplayer. The standard combat arenas are all well and good, but that's pretty much all there is.
  6. Edge Magazine
    70
    Ultimately, the tiny, intricate design just doesn't give Command enough elbow room to develop true depth or challenge, but it's thoroughly satisfying all the same, and a worthy side-show to the Star Fox circus. [Oct 2006, p.87]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. N-Europe
    70
    It falls in an uncomfortable category somewhere between good and average that makes it almost impossible to define. There are flashes of genius, marred by long moments of mediocrity. Excellent flight sections are needlessly maimed by an over tight timer and difficult controls.
  8. My Gamer
    70
    If you can look past the remarkably unbalanced multiplayer mode and the “put on some type of 3D glasses to fully understand the visually appalling 2D red Virtual Boy boxes” that the player must fly through in order to complete every other mission, the Star Fox Command will bring a smile to your face.
  9. NTSC-uk
    70
    The mix of strategy and shooting works quite well, and although there isn’t enough strategy here for Advance Wars veterans, shooting enthusiasts are well catered for.
  10. Gamezilla!
    70
    A lack of variety and challenge however stand in the way of this game being a resounding success.
  11. The Sydney Morning Herald
    70
    The touch-screen combat, for the most part, works well. However, once the difficulty begins to increase, flying your craft through obstacles and shooting specific targets becomes frustratingly fiddly work, as you frantically tap and flick the stylus pen.
  12. Nintendojo
    70
    Star Fox Command isn't quite a return-to-form for the series; it's best to think of it as a good few steps on the road to recovery.
  13. Pocket Gamer UK
    70
    Star Fox: Command's strategic elements bog down its exciting flying levels, but it looks great, and multiplayer is thankfully free of turn-based antics.
  14. Total Video Games
    70
    A strong, if slightly unremarkable, addition to the Star Fox series, Star Fox Command capably takes the shooter onto the DS, with a handful of good ideas, adequate use of the DS capabilities and a strong sense of design.
  15. The A.V. Club
    67
    There's never been a great "Star Wars" game for a handheld system. Right now, Star Fox Command is the closest you'll get to taking a run on the Death Star.
  16. Game Revolution
    67
    Even if the campaign is too easy, too frustrating, and too obtuse, the turn-based strategy element, Arwing-focused combat, ranked multiplayer and single cartridge Ad-Hoc matches are all awesome features, making this a fox worth mounting on your wall.
  17. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    65
    On the whole, Command's an average shooter buoyed by some commendable bursts of innovation. [Oct. 2006, p.117]
    All this publication's reviews
  18. Armchair Empire
    65
    But it’s nice to see that Nintendo is at least vaguely on track with this series – maybe we’ll get a traditional entry next, and maybe this time they’ll let us configure the controls.
  19. Game Almighty
    63
    While the gameplay is fairly easy, Starfox Command is a step back in the right direction for the franchise after the missteps during the Gamecube years.
  20. Modojo
    60
    Exploring new gameplay elements the developers have breathed life into a series that could have been lost forever. The quirks that the game suffers from are more like hiccups in the attempt to create a classic title using an entirely new gameplay mechanic, the stylus.
  21. DarkStation
    60
    It never completely captures the intensity or fun of previous Starfox titles and the strategy elements don’t offer enough depth to completely make up for it.
  22. Eurogamer
    60
    Placed in the context of the Star Fox series, however, it is profoundly disappointing. It lacks Lylat Wars' balleticism, subtle difficulty curve and queer beauty, and its dialogue and plot really are extraordinarily bad.
  23. Digital Entertainment News
    60
    Not as fun as a genuine Starfox, but it's a fair offering for his first handheld adventure.
  24. VideoGamer
    60
    Star Fox Command is by no means a complete mess, but there's just nothing that compelling about it. Tellingly, I just couldn't help thinking that I'd rather be playing a conversion of the N64 game and forgetting about all this strategy nonsense.
  25. PALGN
    55
    As a Star Fox game, it falls well short of what it should have been.
  26. netjak
    51
    The core game is still in there in Command, but it's buried under layers of gimmicky interfaces and an atrocious framework.
    All this publication's reviews
  27. GameCritics
    50
    I hope that Nintendo sees the error of its ways soon and pulls Fox & Co. out of this interminable nosedive.

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best DS Game of 2006
10
#10 Most Discussed DS Game of 2006
12
#12 Most Shared DS Game of 2006

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 69 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 69
  3. Negative: 14 out of 69
  1. M.Ous
    Sep 2, 2006
    3
    Do you like wiggling the pen to make the Arwing roll and try to control it at the same time? Do you like all-or-nothing levels where you Do you like wiggling the pen to make the Arwing roll and try to control it at the same time? Do you like all-or-nothing levels where you screw up and that's it? No health? Do you like arbitrary time limits in place of good game design? Do you like cut scene after cut scene you have to tap to skip? Did you hate the controls of the original classic? Please, someone, bring us a remake of the original Star Fox and throw the last three abominations in the garbage.… Full Review »
  2. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 6, 2023
    9
    The 3D shooter launched on the SNES makes its way to the DS with a mild strategy element where you must plot the fighters' routes and engageThe 3D shooter launched on the SNES makes its way to the DS with a mild strategy element where you must plot the fighters' routes and engage any enemies that threaten your command ship before destroying their bases. This makes for a winning mix that gives the shoot 'em up formula a little more depth and makes for one of the best games on the DS.… Full Review »
  3. Tyrant719
    Apr 9, 2020
    1
    This game is utter garbage. I have never played Star Fox before this and I don’t plan to again. Whoever is still a fan of this franchise needsThis game is utter garbage. I have never played Star Fox before this and I don’t plan to again. Whoever is still a fan of this franchise needs to let this Star Wars-wannabe die.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »