The evil scientist monkey named Andross is intent on taking over the universe. The only thing that stands in his path is the defenses on planet Corneria. Corneria decided to launch an Arwing squadron led by Fox McClould(you, the main character) to counterattack Andross and his forces. Although the Arwing fighters are only in the experimental stage, they are the universe's last hope.
Graphics [7.5/10]:
I believe this is the first SNES game to use the Super FX microchip. I guess the chip allows there to be polygon type graphics. While this is a new and neat feature, it does have some downsides. First of all, it's no better than the graphics on any other game, and sometimes it can be hard to make out what is going on. For example, when one of your wingman flies ahead of you and goes real far in front of you, you can't tell who is your wingman and who is the enemy anymore. This game would have been okay with normal graphics. Some of the objects don't look like what they are supposed to be. I personally don't see what the big deal is with the super FX microchip.
Music and Sound [10/10]:
The music on this game is incredible! I especially like the tunes for levels 1-3 on the easy course. The music gives this game a Star Wars like feel. It fits perfectly with the space superhero theme. The sounds on this game aren't too bad too. When your wingman talk to you, you can't understand what they are saying, but they have their own voices. I think the frog is kinda funny when he talks, and the falcon has this deep macho voice.
Gameplay [6.5/10]:
This game has some problems in the gameplay department. First of all, it doesn't give you much room to dodge incoming missiles. You can only go so far one way before arrows appear on your screen keeping you in bounds. This feature can get annoying when you are in a crowded area. When your ship losing a wing, the game is nearly impossible. Your ship is harder to control and you lose any firepower you have accumulated, but luckily, this is fairly rare. Also, your wingmates are more of a pain than help. They are always have an enemy on their tale, so then you save them, and then they help you for awhile. The problem is, they stay in front of your ship and just shoot their lasers on a regular interval. There is no AL at all for your wingmates, all they do is get in your way! This game isn't all bad, it is a great game if you like space fighter games, or are just looking for a good shooter.
Challenge and Replay [10/10]:
This game has three different courses of increasing difficulty. Unlike other games, these three difficulty levels actually take you to different levels as opposed to the same levels with increasing difficulty. So you will actually replay the game on a harder setting the see some new levels, it's almost like having three games in one. There are also two hidden levels in the game, and one of them is hard to find. The hardest setting is a good challenge for anybody, but I beat it, so it's not impossible. This game will keep you busy for awhile.
Conclusion/Overall [7.5/10]:
Personally, I think this game is overrated a little bit. I think the gameplay in this game needs some work, and I believe they fixed some of the problems in the sequels. I guess since this is the first game with the FX chip, we can't expect perfection from the graphics. Despite the gameplay not being so hot, this is a fun game. I think what makes this game good is the different difficulty settings actually being new levels and not the same levels with more and fiercer enemies. This is a good game if you like flying games or shooting games. There is plenty for you to shoot at in this game.
