GENRE
	Racing
	DEVELOPER
	Amusement Vision
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Nintendo and SEGA-owned development team Amusement Vision (Super Monkey Ball) have collaborated to bring racing games to the next level of excitement. F-Zero GX is not only one of the best racing games available, it is one of the best games available -- period -- regardless of genre or platform.

visuals

F-Zero GX is a visual powerhouse. The sense of speed that has been created is nothing short of breathtaking, though describing the actual speed of the game is almost as ridiculous as the speed itself; it has to be both seen and played for one to truly believe.

Also, although the sense of speed in F-Zero GX is its main claim to fame, the other visual achievement lies in the scale of the courses themselves. Indeed, SEGA’s Amusement Vision team has created the fastest game to date, without having to sacrifice the size of the courses, which are (believe me) immense. The tracks will take players through colossal futuristic landscapes, including both cities and natural geographical locales. Each setting has its own distinct theme, be it a massive interstellar casino or a gritty port city with a giant Robotic Operating Buddy, an addition at which gamers from the N.E.S. days will instantly chuckle. The sheer scale of F-Zero GX is impressive, even though it can be difficult to admire blazing through the courses at 1500 km/h.

Admiring the surroundings becomes even more of a task when you’re trying to beat 29 other computer-controlled adversaries. You’ll notice that, in addition to the ludicrous sense of speed and inspiring scale of the courses, there are 30 vehicles on the screen at one time! Despite all this simultaneous action, F-Zero’s framerate and blistering pace are never compromised in any way.

F-Zero GX is a graphical explosion that can force an entire room of people, even if they aren’t gamers, into a state of awe.

audio

Visuals are only half the experience, as the various, impressive sounds from F-Zero GX help to further propel the intensity of the races. The music, although mostly forgettable, compliments the techno-fueled excitement of the races. There isn’t a whole lot to say about the aural experience of F-Zero GX, though its importance cannot be forgotten. As a test, I recommend you play the game without any sound at all. Those of you who perform this test will quickly turn the sound and music back on. Playing an audio-free F-Zero GX would be like watching a movie without any sound; a worthless and shallow experience.

gameplay

The amazing sense of speed isn't the only thing F-Zero GX has going for it. Rather, the sense of speed is like an extra bonus attached to an already fantastic game. F-Zero GX is a deep and challenging racing title with responsive controls and plenty of replay value. It is divided into the standard modes associated with racing games: Grand Prix, Practice, Time Attack, and Versus mode for your multiplayer gaming.

The main mode of the game is the Grand Prix, where players must compete in a set of circuits in order to win the prestigious cups. In addition to the tried-and-true Grand Prix mode, F-Zero GX also has a story mode, a first for the series. The story mode follows the adventures of Captain Falcon, the main driver and spiritual mascot of the F-Zero series. In this mode, gamers must accomplish a series of challenges, from collecting items on the track in a given amount of time or knocking an opponent off the course, to simply winning a one-on-one race.

F-Zero GX controls quite flawlessly; most players will become accustomed to the simple control scheme after only a few races. Steering through the courses at high speeds is remarkably responsive, and bank and drifting techniques are easy to perform, making quick work of steep turns. Using the attack buttons takes some practice, but they soon become natural. F-Zero GX is very easy to pick-up and play, but mastery of the controls is essential to overcome the steep challenge level later in the game.

As you’ve probably gathered by now, F-Zero GX is incredibly difficult. The later track designs, although brilliant, require memorization in order to complete. The speed at which players race through the courses leaves little room for error, and the game will punish even the simplest of mistakes. If the challenge level in grand prix mode isn’t steep enough for some, then they can take on the story mode. Some of the challenges in story mode seem almost impossible at first, and completing all the story challenges on “hard” is something only the most skilled of gamers can accomplish. Suffice to say, F-Zero GX is one of the most difficult games to be released on the GameCube thus far. Although the challenge of the game may put off novice players initially, they ought not abandon this game. Yes, novice gamers will be pummeled to the ground once the challenge level increases. However, if they stick with the game and keep trying to get better, they will begin to succeed. While F-Zero GX is a challenging game, the game can still be beaten. Its design actually forces players to get better, and they will of course become better if they keep trying. Since the game does indeed reward practice and determination, abandoning it would be a travesty.

Those who do stick with the game will marvel at its brilliance. Not only are there many modes of play, but the number of unlockables in the game is staggering. It will take any gamer a long time to unlock all the different vehicles and courses in the game. If that isn’t enough, there are also customizable options, including the ability to design an emblem to appear on the player’s vehicle. There is also connectivity with the arcade version of the game, F-Zero AX. Using this, players can take their memory cards to the arcade and unlock bonuses for their game at home.

The main reason players will keep on playing is actually not the deluge of unlockables. Instead, the incredible track design will quickly take hold and won’t let go. The courses in F-Zero GX are some of the best to ever appear in a racing title. There are plenty of loops and physics-defying areas, but the progression and layout of the tracks are ingenious. The pit strips are located at well-balanced areas, dash pits and jump points are placed at strategic places, and the interaction with the levels is brutally challenging. The courses in F-Zero GX are the new standard by which similar racing games will be judged, and the same can be said about the rest of the game, in my opinion.

multiplayer

F-Zero GX offers two-to-four player split-screen action. The number of vehicles is limited to four, as there are no computer players, and some of the details of the tracks are lost. Despite these flaws, multiplayer mode retains the same visceral rush and sense of speed found in the single-player game. There could have been more options in multiplayer, but as it is, the multiplayer component of F-Zero GX is quite fun. Talking smack while breaking the sound barrier is undeniably satisfying.

overall

F-Zero GX is the best racing title available on the GameCube. It’s sick sense of speed, awesome scale, and deep gameplay make the title deserving of a place in every gamer’s collection. Though the challenge level may scare some away, the rewards to be had from sticking with the game are many. F-Zero GX is a landmark title, displaying the multitude of advances video games have made.

I have to agree with Christopher's assessment of this amazing racer. I was certainly one of the biggest critics when the N64 version of FZero was released. In fact, that's why I'm writing this double take. GX is everything that the N64 version wasn't. It's deep, it's visually stunning in the fact that it has a background to judge the incredible speeds, and what is more, it controls so bloody intuitively that Amusement Vision was able to create some truly mindbending tracks with which to torture you. Nintendo should really look at getting some fresh blood into their other legacy franchises and give other developers a shot at them. This was a very smart move on Nintendo's part as F-Zero GX is so incredibly well done. Between the features, the gameplay, and the visuals... GX is a winner. For sim racing check out Nascar Dirt to Daytona. As for arcade racing, FZero GX is the best arcade racer on the system, bar none. 9.5/10 -- Eric Mattei

9.5/10