Locked on for 9th September

Star Fox 64 3D will buck Nintendo of America's regular trend for releasing games on Sunday, and will instead see release on Friday 9th September.

We had chance to try the game out at a recent 3DS preview event and can confirm the game is shaping up pretty nicely, with some impressive use of 3D and a pleasing faithfulness to the original material.

Europe and North America receive Star Fox 64 3D on 9th September, with a release date of 15th September Down Under. Here's a European-themed press release about Fox's upcoming adventure.

STAR FOX 64 3D TO INTRODUCE A NEW GENERATION OF CLASSIC INTERSTELLAR COMBAT

Prepare for re-mastered graphics, gyro sensor controls and a whole new dimension to multiplayer modes

21st July 2011 – 14 years after Lylat Wars dashed into space to save the universe, get ready to live through the battle for the Lylat system once again as a re-worked offering for the Nintendo 3DS launches on 9th September. The game, which previously appeared on the Nintendo 64, now makes a return in Star Fox 64 3D.

With bold new 3D graphics, a faithfully restored script, fresh voiceovers, and a new multiplayer mode which uses the Nintendo 3DS camera to send you live video footage of your opponents reactions as you chase them around the skies, Star Fox 64 3D feels both comfortably familiar yet challengingly new.

Pitched in the middle of a battle for supremacy of the Lylat system, you take control of Fox McCloud’s’ signature Arwing starfighter and help pilot him through insurmountable odds as he battles to protect his home planet of Corneria and rid the entire Lylat system from the onslaught of the evil Andross. Teammates Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi and Slippy Toad join the mission and help you to progress through levels, providing timely hints during battle about what to expect from the enemy.

With Fox McCloud heroically at the helm, Star Fox 64 3D allows you to use the in-built gyro sensor of the Nintendo 3DS to plot your way through battles more instinctively. You will also be able to choose the more conventional controls if that suits your style.

Boasting sumptuous graphics, which have been given a fresh makeover for Nintendo 3DS, playing in 3D allows you to better judge distances and avoid oncoming enemies, attacks and asteroids. Cut scenes are now more cinematic and the inclusion of 3D visuals will make for a more immersive experience.

If the battle for the Lylat system isn’t enough for you, then take advantage of the multiplayer mode via the Download Play option. Play against up to three friends and take part in soaring dogfights above environments based on locations in the main single-player game. A range of game modes have been developed for the multiplayer option to increase competition amongst friends. In Survival mode players must fight each other and compete to be the last pilot remaining. Point Battle mode will see pilots receive a point for each rival they destroy and the first to a set total will be declared the winner. Time Battle mode pits you against the clock to take down your friends as many times as possible in the allotted time given.

Unique to Nintendo 3DS, you will be able to use the Nintendo 3DS camera to stream live video of your friends within the game – watch their faces react in real-time while you chase and shoot at them! Enjoy the moment when you take a friend out of the game and marvel at your own image when you top the leader board at the end of each multiplayer game.

In a first for Lylat Wars, the game has been localised into five languages – German, French, Spanish, Italian and English, meaning players who could not play the game previously in their native language can now enjoy the full experience on their Nintendo 3DS.

For fans old and new to Star Fox 64 3D, get ready for a fast-paced space-bound action game that will absorb you in single-player mode and entice you to play with friends in multiplayer mode when it is released on the 9th September exclusively for Nintendo 3DS.