Does anyone remember the first "Star Fox" game? You were Fox McCloud, piloting a ship that resembled something out of geometry class.

Come to think of it, the entire game looked like a crack-induced hallucination of a mathematics professor after a three-hour bender. But back then, no one cared what the game looked like because it was all about how much fun it was to play, and "Star Fox" delivered the fun like candy from a mall Santa.

After arguably one of the greatest Nintendo 64 games of all time, the series crashed and burned on the Nintendo Game Cube with "Star Fox Adventures" and disappeared off the map. After the successful return of "Metroid," Nintendo has done us a favor and returned "Star Fox" to its roots.

But is the new "Star Fox" as good as the Nintendo 64 or Super Nintendo games?

Nintendo's current push is to release games that anyone can pick up and play using the DS stylus. And while this may be great for less complex games, the stylus turns out to be a major pain in the ass when you're trying to take out the bad guys.

What makes matters worse is that there are no options to disable the stylus and use the traditional directional pad to pilot your ships. All the other buttons, even the trusty d-pad, do is fire your oddly shaped laser weapons.

For all its drawbacks, the new control scheme adds some interesting twists to the typical "Star Fox" fare. Instead of locating and lining up enemy pilots that you need to take out with a bomb -- which is especially useful when battling bosses -- you can use the George W. Bush approach: Just point to where you want to drop the bomb on the map, and bam, no more enemy.

Also back from other games is the useful ability to lock on to enemy ships. Since the piloting your ship with the stylus can be wonky, the lock on mechanism can bail you out of many sticky situations, none of which involve nougat.

Despite the lack of quality ship steering, "Star Fox Command" has much to like. Back from previous installments is the ability to influence the game's progression, depending on how well you perform in certain stages. If you find yourself defeating the enemy in record time, or flying through just the right hoops, you may be on your way to an alternate ending.

As you progress from mission to mission, keep an eye on a golden lock that appears next to your choices to see what story options are available to you.

New with this version of "Star Fox" is the turn-based system used when you're on the actual planets. That's right folks, not only do you select the course you take from one level to the next, but the decisions you make during the actual levels will determine if you live or die.

If you intercept a ship with any member of the Star Fox team, you'll have to take on the other side using that specific member, no one is going to bail you out like in previous games. You will need to choose carefully in this new mode because if you're not careful, you'll find the Star Fox mother ship under constant attack from ships you didn't pay attention to, this will result in the end of your mission.

This strategy-based system, and the addition of a limited number of turns given to you during this phase make "Star Fox" a much deeper gaming experience.

Perhaps the best part of the "Star Fox" experience is the multiplayer mode. For those of you who grew up squinting at a television screen divided into four sections, you'll be worshiping the ground Nintendo walks on if you and some buddies pick up this game. Not only do you no longer have to squint when playing against friends, but you can play against much more than four players, that is, if you have that many friends.

The multiplayer mode and new turn-based system save "Star Fox Commander" from being a very poor game. While the control is not spectacular, these features and other options such as using your voice for the game's story scenes and the bonus gallery make up for it. Gamers with a lot of patience can master the control situation. It seems like that was what Nintendo was shooting for by incorporating strategy into what would normally be a straight-up shooter.

Do you have patience? If you do, "Star Fox Commander" might be an excellent choice to pick up and play with some friends.