LET'S READ STAR FOX COMMAND - Tis Better To Have Loved...

Hello ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Let's Read Star Fox Command.

Star Fox Command was released for the Nintendo DS in August of 2006. As the final original installment in the Star Fox Series, It sought to give closure to the the epic tale of Fox McCloud and his team of mercenaries. It's gameplay was an odd mix of free-roaming stages and turn-based tactics, which received a mixed reception at best. But hiding behind the lackluster touchscreen controls was a moving, emotionally charged story that is universally regarded as one of the high points of modern gaming, if not conclusive proof that games have finally become art.

A little over a year ago, I spoke at length on the endings of this shocking tale. But what is an end without a beginning? Today, I take it upon myself to share with you all the complete tale of Captain Fox McCloud and his doomed squad, as they stoically march towards what just might be the final days of Team Star Fox.

I will be providing literary analysis where appropriate, and allowing you, dear readers, to decide which branching paths we shall take. YOU MAY CAST YOUR VOTE FOR ANY OPEN OPTION. Any choice that is not already linked to it's conclusion is fair game.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let us begin.

HOW TO READ THIS LET'S PLAY.
Star fox command was basically choose your own Star Fox Adventure, with choices all over the place, each one leading to another path through the game. Keeping that in mind, every post in this let's play ends with links to the next part, which you can click to take you there immediately! Click away! Or just scroll down it normally. I'm not here to tell you what to do man.

PROLEGOMENON
WHAT BROUGHT US HERElolbigword

SCENE 0 PATH 0: SOLIDARITY
AKA: THE ADVENTURE BEGINSlolbigword
This would be the first decision you, as a player would make. However, much like Fox's "friendship" with ROB it is a cruel illusion. The grim march towards battle continues unchanged wether Fox tries to postpone it with mindless "Training" or not. It is as meaningless as Fox's self imposed solidarity.
And thus they are thrust into battle! And through that dreadful evolutionary leftover of the vidcon medium, "Gameplay", they emerge victorious. Fox is a man who has embraced a life of violence and bloodshed, and it always seemed the obivous choice given the problems it solved. It is only now, after it has driven him to the incredible isolation spoken of in the prolouge, that Fox is starting to see the problems it caused.
And thus we come to the first real choice in our story. Please note that all three options deal with living, breathing people, whereas the "choice" offered earlier was but a man talking to a machine. Another subtle nod to one of the central theme of isolation VS interaction with others.

And now, dear reader, it is your move.

CHOOSE
CONTACT SLIPPY.
CONTACT ADVANCE GUARD
WHERE IS FALCO?Moar Liek Fucko

What happened to the rest of the characters from Star Fox 64? Pigma, Andrew, Katt, and Bill? Is it known?

These are matters of great import!

Also, contact Slippy!

But BEAT, I can't read.

They appear at different points later in the game and two of them are boss battles. Katt got a stupid redesign though because Q Games!

Voting for contact Slippy.

When our back is to the wall and there's enemies all around us, there's only one person we can truly trust.

So let's ignore them and go find Slippy.

I love reading AND choose your own adventures!

Who cares about the frog What's our old buddy Falco up to?

Where the H*CK is Falco

Don't make Slippy lose everything he has gained since leaving Starfox. Advancing Guard!

PS: The best ending

I can't tell whether or not BEAT is being sincere about this game's plot.

Everyone else wants to go with Falco, too, huh.

I guess I should be grateful.

SCENE 1 PATH 1: THE CAGED BIRD
AKA: FALCO TO THE FORE
Falco and Fox are the best friends each other could possibly have, though neither would ever admit it. They are very similar to eachother, and therefore understand eachother on deeply personal levels. However, this means that they also share the same character flaws, in this case turning down opportunities to interact with others in favor of going it alone. Falco's status as a foil to Fox comes from the different ways they act on compulsion. Fox tends to push others away as a form of self punishment, believing that he does not deserve to be around them. Falco, alienates those around him with pride and arrogance, implying that they do not deserve to be around him.

In the midst of the battle, Falco is visited by and old friend.

A short visit. Bill is a Military man, and does not have the luxury of choosing his own battles. Falco and all the members of Star Fox have no such obligation but this increased freedom means a much less structured lifestyle. Bill suffers from none of the ennui and aimlessness that plagues Falco's existence. It is open to interpretation if this is a fair trade.
After the battle, ROB presents Falco with an intercepted Star Wolf Transmission, revealing that Krystal has fallen into a pretty bad crowd since her breakup with Fox. Falco, unable to resist the allure of drama, decides to investigate.

SCENE 2 PATH 1: ONE STEP BEHIND
AKA: FALCO'S DECISION
Please note that Sector X is not of great strategic importance, or anywhere near anybody Falco knows. He is attacking these enemy forces simply because they are there.

Falco's defining flaw is pride, and we see here how badly it damages his interpersonal relationships. Katt has been nothing but helpful and kind to him, but he's too self-centered to show the proper gratitude. Katt's response is harsh, but not unexpected.
What indeed?

CHOOSE
RENDEZVOUS WITH FOX
SEARCH FOR KRYSTAL

Wasn't ROB just with Fox? Did Falco get his own ROB?

Rendezvous with Fox, with the aim of seeing as little of Krystal as possible.

Fox. I'm fairly certain nothing good can come of the Krystal storyline and I don't even know anything about this game.

Sorry, vidcon experience.

Where's Poochie? Fox?

Search for Krystal!

ROB has a habit of picking up the (crappy, replacement) Great Fox and ditching whoever he was with for someone new in this game.

Also, it's always great to see people experience the plot/endings for the first time. I got the game as soon as it came out, and it's so much fun seeing fresh reactions to it.

Anyway, Krystal is usually at the heart of the game's most hilarious drama, so search for her!

SEARCH FOR KRYSTAL vote! Having played this game before, the dialog IS very hilarious.

Krystal drama.

Bros before hos. RENDEZVOUS WITH FOX.

So ROB is kind of a dick.

My vote is for Krystal. It's Falco at his best.

SCENE 3 PATH 1: DARK BLUE
AKA: BENEATH THE WAVES
This entire exchange is wonderfully representative of why Star Fox, as an organization, is doomed. Fox, the supposed leader, is too wrapped up in his own issues to fully recognize Slippy's concerns, and offers no guidance or advice to his team. Command thus defaults to Falco, who's need for victory demands the destruction of all enemies in the area over ensuring the safety of the survivors. Slippy, frantic with worry for his fiancee is dragged along for the ride, incapable of standing up to the other members of his squad.
The relationship between Amanda and Slippy serves to contrast the relationship between Fox and Krystal. At the start of the story, Fox pushed Krystal away with his constant worrying about her, attributable to his own lack of trust and the fact that he feels emasculated by her skill as a pilot. Slippy, while understandably worried by the idea of her trapped without support in a war zone, trusts Amanda's ability, and does not feel threatened at all by her "Multi-Lock".
Falco choosing to reveal Krystal's recent actions to Fox is objectively the right choice. Star Wolf is active participating in the war, they've intentionally sought fights with Star Fox in the past, and knowing who their newest member is gives Star Fox a strategic and planning advantage. Unfortunately, Fox is too obsessed with the very idea of Krystal for any of that to be of much use.
SCENE 4 PATH 1: DEAFENING SILENCE
AKA: WE MEET AGAIN
Any commentary I could possibly add to this scene would diminish the simple beauty of Fox being at a total loss for words. He is positively overjoyed that at the legions of enemy ships, simply for the distraction they provide. Still, no mass of enemies can last forever, and after the battle comes the real challenge.
Krystal demonstrates a much higher level of emotional maturity than Fox when it comes to dealing with a breakup. While Fox shut himself away on the great Fox with nothing but a talking robot for company, Krystal joined a new team, helped strike a decisive blow against the Anglar forces, and generally moved on with her life. While Fox was the one who initated the breakup, it would seem she is better off without him

SCENE 5 PATH 1: DEATH OF DISTRACTION
AKA: THE EMPEROR ANGLAR
It might strike some of you as odd that the primary antagonist is only showing up now, so late in the story. That is because the Anglar Emperor is not the antagonist at all, he is a background element, less of a character and more a piece of the setting. The true source of conflict is Fox's indecisiveness and self-loathing.
And thus the full Star Fox team enters into battle one final time. Given the combined skill and experience of the full four-man team, the Anglar Empire never really had a chance. This is the very nature of Team Star Fox: when the four are together, they a unstoppable in combat, but their ability to grow as people grinds to a total halt.

We hardly knew ye.
Finally the happy ending we were all waiting for, right? Star Wolf is confirmed to be alive, and hold no real ill will towards Star Fox. They get a call from their old mentor Peppy who tells them how proud he is of them. The day is saved, the team is back together, and the whole Lylat System regards them as heroes! Why it almost seems too good to be true.

And it is.

ENDING PATH 1: THE WORLD DOESN'T CHANGE, IT MERELY TURNS
For all of their supposed reunion and success, Star Fox remains a fatally dysfunctional and broken entity lead by a coward in all areas of life unrelated to fighting. The defeat of the Anglar Empire only served to rob Fox of what little purpose and drive he had. Without a looming outside threat dictating his actions, Fox falls back into complacency and bitterness. Krystal, deciding to leave him is not so much a shocking twist as it is a grim inevitably. There was no growth, no lesson learned, and no change.

PERHAPS IF THINGS HAD GONE DIFFERENTLY...

Krystal and Fox's "boobs and butt" poses are still so hilariously awful.

...Wait, that's the whole game? Really?

These chapters must be taking a lot longer than you're making them seem.

I call shenanigans, BEAT! The votes clearly show Krystal drama winning by one point.

We were ROB-bed of some quality storytelling.

Yeah I had already written half of the other one before ghost posted.

Honesty probably should have broken that one into chunks because as is it's kind of a giant ugly mess.

Also I updated the first post to indicate that you all can now pick ANY OPEN OPTION to be filled out. The order I write these doesn't really matter, because post links, and because CYOA books were never in order anyways.