Star Fox 64 3D high session 2 - middle path

I think most of the hard levels lead to the middle path if you don't get enough points... whereas the middle and easy levels have other requirements for their alternate path.

Mission 1: Corneria - Enter Star Fox
115 points on the hard path... not even close
Falco leads us to the correct path... "incoming enemy from the rear"
despite this being the hard path, the Attack Carrier boss is so much more consistently easy to beat than the all-range boss.

Mission 2: Sector Y Combat Zone
107 points... I was actually trying to get a lower score than 100 here for the easy path to Katina... but I forgot that it lets you choose which path to take anyway when you clear the alt path.
Shogun is another all-range boss fight... you spend a lot of time searching around for him while getting called "Cocky little freaks"

Mission 3: Katina - Frontline Base
"Fox that's one of ours"
I learned pretty quickly that the friendly ships are the ones with visible blue fuel exhaust coming out of them...
when the Flying Assault Fortress Saucerer appeared, I spent too much time focusing on other enemies and missed the hard path...
163 points while not taking out the mothership
then I played the level again cuz I wanted to go to Solar instead... took out the mothership and got a measly 90 points

Mission 4: Solar
That area's an oven!
no shit... these guys are really badass, trusting Slippy's heat guarding technology as they fly straight into a star...
Bill comes and helps out a bit, by shooting some rocks... okay
a bioweapon... Andross is an insane fool
73 points... bleh awful

Mission 5: Macbeth - Venom Army Supply Base
I was considering doing the easy path at first, and saving the real ending for the next high session, but hitting the track switches and watching the train crash is so fucking hype.
"NO! Hit the brakes!!! I can't STOP IT!"
HIT +50
148 points... ouch, just short of the medal

Falco: "Now it's our turn to kick some tail"

Mission 6: Area 6 - Defense Station
I remember having a lot of trouble with this level when I first played this on N64... This as well as Aquas were the levels I had to practice a lot on before I got good at them.
This level is so cool... Andross's forces are throwing everything they got at you to prevent you from getting to Venom through this way. They only prepared for Star Fox to come in through the easy path.
At first I only have single lasers, can't kill those attack satellite things...
A transmission from Andross: "These tin cans are no match for me."
got back to hyper lasers... this level isn't so hard if you lock on a lot and barrel roll...
This boss is my favorite... some triple layered death star thing... you have to whittle down each of its layers to destroy it.
226 points

fuck yeah, made it to Venom 2 with everyone sitll alive
"Don't get too cocky, Star Fox"
"Too bad daddy's not here to see you fail"
Pigma talks about Fox's dad a lot, just like Peppy does...
Falco and Peppy got knocked out during the Star Wolf fight... then Slippy suicides himself... 3 against 1 now.
Took them all down on my own, and then Fox is like "I'll go it alone from here"... lol
This path makes it feel like you're sneaking into Venom... whereas the easy path is like if you had just followed General Pepper's suggestions the whole way through.
The brain of Andross is really hard... beat him on the 2nd try with HIT +10
Fox's dad guides Fox out of the planet... lost track of him for the last 2 turns and had to trust my instincts... lost an arwing... barely made it out on a sliver of health...
"You've become so strong Fox"
... and nobody greets Fox as he escapes and the mission ends.
167 points on Venom 2

926 points total... a bit better than last time, but still really bad.