The internet is awesome. This is why.

Just played through Starfox on my old favorite route (Corneria, Sector Y, Katina, Solar, Macbeth, Area 6, Venom Hard) and boy does that game still hit the spot.

Kicked my ass, too. I’m so rusty. Beat Katina with less than 2 seconds on the clock, nearly lost Falco three times, got torn to bits by Area 6, and beat Star Wolf with single lasers and tried to remember the perfect Andross route with 6 branches to get all the upgrades (still can’t remember it).

955 Total hits. (Actually less than my last playthrough, same route.) Definitely rusty. But nothing beats that Arwing. 1997 Nintendo is still kickin’ it.

All aircraft report.

ideasounds:

• “Tunnel Scene” by Kozumi Tokata from X-Returns/X-Scape

Anyone who has logged as many hours as I have in Super Smash Bros. Brawl should recognize this track, but probably won’t know this version. One of the tracks for the Lylat Cruise stage, “Tunnel Scene” is one of the obscure oddities put into the game for two reasons: Being a damn good song and being a piece of Nintendo history.

X was a Gameboy game that never saw release in the States, but was part of a lineage of shooters that would eventually reach the entire world. The first game to even use 3D on the Gameboy and taking cues from previous title Starglider, X was developed by Argonaut Games and quickly got Nintendo’s attention.

Asked to develop for the SNES, Argonaut Games created the Super FX chip for Super Nintendo cartridges. This chip would first be used in a game developed by Nintendo and Argonaut Games to show the power of the chip.

That game was Starfox. And that was only the beginning.

And so, Super Smash Bros. nods at this legacy of polygonal shooters with the inclusion of “Tunnel Scene” on a Starfox stage, but the legacy doesn’t end there.

This specific version of the track comes from X-Returns, also known as X-Scape, the sequel to the game that started it all. A hidden gem that was released as DSi-Ware, it brings every bit of the game that started a genre into the 21st century, including this track, and is worth it to be tracked down by any rail shooter or retro gaming fans.

A few other notes.

The game is designed by Dylan Cuthbert, who worked on the original X. Composer Kozumi Tokata also did music for the original and is a long-time Nintendo collaborator, notably working on music for the Animal Crossing series and Luigi’s Mansion among other games.

X-Returns really excels at using a retro style in a very modern way with some downright striking visuals, including some visuals that look right out of the original Tron.

It also seems to be part of a pattern of Nintendo giving love to some of its long-dormant series, and it all stems from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

X, of course, gained exposure through its music being present in the game, but also got a nod before Brawl with this same track being included in the compilation album “Luigi - B-Side Music”.

Sin and Punishment, which was present in Brawl via Saki Amamiya as an assist trophy, got some attention and turned heads with its virtual console re-release and eventually lead to a sequel being produced, Star Succesor.

Pit, main character of the Kid Icarus games, caused quite a stir after being a playable character in Brawl, with many being curious about his roots. With the coming of the 3DS, Pit returns to the gaming stage after more than twenty years in Kid Icarus: Uprising.

One can only hope these revived franchises are here to stay, especially X.