[August] F-Zero games

[charlesr]

Since it's a bit late in the month, I went back through the list of suggestions and saw several good ones. So August will be the F-Zero games. SNES, N64, GBA, GC (+ VC on Wii). I'm presuming no one has the AC version haing around?

I never got hold of and of the GBA versions. Which of them is any good? Climax is under par if this review is anything to go by.

I've got the N64 and GC versions, so will rack them out of storage.

[jezzace]

I remember enjoying the first Gba one quite a lot, very similar to the snes and I was impressed it was on a handheld at the time. I love any excuse to play F-zero X, its the greatest racing game ever made. Ever. GX is underwhelming and people who say that is the best are wrong. In my opinion of course.

[Olly C]

I prefer GP Legend and Climax (though GP Legend slightly more) to Maximum Velocity myself, I like all of the F-Zero games and owned them all first time round with the exception of F-Zero X which I have on the VC as I wasn't huge on N64 in the day.

GP Legend is definately worth picking up and playing through, Climax is still worth getting if you like F-Zero and I wish they'd hurry up and make a Wii version already with some good online play

[fallenangle]

I've been playing F-Zero GX on the GC for the last two weeks for the first time.

Haven't completed the Story mode yet, been concentrating on the Grand Prix and Time Trial mode and now I'm on Master difficulty it's doing my head in. The AI is weird - on some tracks you can lead for two laps but whatever you do they catch you on the third. On others, particularly the shorter tracks winning is a lottery simply because to win you have to drive to Time Trial perfection standard but with 29 moving, aggressive, objects to avoid. A single collision and you won't win.

Great fun generally and some of the best racing entertainment I've had from a game in ages. I've even learned to love some tracks I initially hated like Mute City Serial Gaps and Half Pipe.

Oddest thing though is inconsistent, variable length, significant drops in the frame rate. It just kicks in out of the blue usually during a boost towards the end of a race and adapting to it has caused me to fly off the track or miss jumps on numerous occasions.

[Btang84]

I'll admit now that I didn't have the game on the SNES, but I've played Maximum Velocity, X and GX in the meantime.

MV on the GBA was my first game for that machine and I found it to be brilliant. For a 2D (enhanced mode 7 or whatever tech they used in that version) racer it was bloody fast and fun. I refute the claims on the forums at the time that the game was hard, it just required mastery of the controls, the boosting system and of the tracks with a bit of patience here and there for you to win. By far one of my favourite games on the GBA.

GX is also superb, probably my favourite F-Zero. I love the track design, they looked gorgeous and when it came out, there was no single racer that could touch it for speed whilst it looked amazing as well. The controls were extremely tight and the difficulty curve was near-perfected. Story mode always seemed hard, but every time you believed you could do it. Utterly amazing game!

[Miguel007]

Massive F-Zero fan here, completed the lot on Master with Captain Falcon where I could (He will always be my hero!, lol)

The last three chapters on Story Mode in GX have me beat though on the hardest difficulty, I haven't been back to it for a few years - if only they would give us a Wii / DS sequel with 30 players online play that would be my dream come true.

I completley agree with what Btang84 said about Maximum Velocity, it made buying a GBA a no-brainer what an amazing little game the other GBA games, Climax & Legend although very good as they are, I still rate MV slightly higher than those two.

The SNES version is my favourite, the gameplay and music are sublime - I play it every week, even if it's just to have a blitz around Mute City to hear the awesome soundtrack.

I think this thread has inspired me to dig out my N64 for F-Zero-X - I tried it on the Wii from the VC but I didn't like the control scheme's available and I may even give the story mode on GX another try.

[Mus]

Nice choice Charles

When you say the AC version what do you mean? Do you mean to say AX (Arcade Version) ? Finally got to play this last year on holiday - it was fantastic.... Best arcade racer ive played for a long, long time

I wish i had the hardware to fire this up - but it looks like im going to be playing Fury for the next 6 months

[k0pp0]

I get a massive nostalgia hit when thinking about F-Zero on the SNES. Japanese version on my mates imported SNES on a massive (at the time) CRT.. Great days.

[gingerbeardman]

Same, here.

I'll never forget the first time the camera wooshed down onto the track. It blew my tiny little mind wind open.

[Atticus]

+1 for SNES F-Zero. One of my all-time favourites and never bettered.

Never got into X in quite the same way ... but maybe I'll use this as an excuse to give it another try and download it on VC.

The SNES version is my favourite, the gameplay and music are sublime - I play it every week, even if it's just to have a blitz around Mute City to hear the awesome soundtrack.

I feel very much the same way ... Port Town II is my fave for a quick spin.

[kryss]

Climax is the best on the GBA in my opinion. Track editor!? How many other F-Zero games had that?? (apart from Xpansion on 64DD).

I'm well up for some F-Zero love. I used GX to test how well my new TV works. Result: Great.
Off to get the original of the VC I think...

[Nu-Eclipse]

Another HUGE F-Zero fan here!

Whilst I loved the SNES original back in the day (played it more often than Super Mario Kart) and can still appreciate certain aspects of it like the track design and the music, I do think that it has aged pretty badly, gameplay-wise - today, the PAL version is almost unplayable, imo.

For me, the pick of the entire series has got to be F-Zero X on the N64. I actually bunked off college on the Friday it was released to make my way down to GAME Oxford Street (or Electronics Boutique as it was called back in '98! ) to purchase the game and play it all day at home. IMO, it has everything you want from an F-Zero game - tracks, brilliant "rawk" renditions of the SNES music, awesome track design, excellent multiplayer, great variety of vehicles and lots of longevity in terms of the tracks and cups. Granted, the visuals are very basic and the presentation is poor, but part of X's beauty is the fact that the visuals are so smooth, fast and in 60fps. I'm sorely tempted to purchase this on the VC, but I'm in two minds about the re-mapped controls of the Wii's Classic Controller.

An honourable mention must go to F-Zero Advance/Maximum Velocity on the GBA. It was the first game that I got for my GBA, and I think that it is very much underrated as an F-Zero title. The courses are very well designed and I think that the new-ish tracks and vehicles bring something new and fresh to the series. The multiplayer is also fantastic if you can bring together a GBA link lead and a few GBA units (single-cart too!). I also agree with Btang84 - while the harder difficulties in Advance/Maximum Velocity can seem fiendish, they never seem impossible...at least, not to me, anyway!

F-Zero AX/GX looked and sounded amazing, but bored me. As did Falcon/GP Legend and Climax on the GBA, but I didn't spend that much time with the latter GBA titles. I intend to use this month's Re: Play Appreciate to play all the GBA titles again and (maybe) a bit of F-Zero X & GX.

[charlesr]

Are there 3 on the GBA? Or 2 with different names? If 3, which is the best. I might pick one up for August.

[Leon Retro]

There isn't a bad F-Zero game - that's for sure. It all comes down to taste which ones people rate the highest.

I personally still enjoy the original SNES version the most. At 60hz, it still runs fast enough. If you're on a track that requires a lot of skill, the game still gives you an adrenaline rush; it's far from a slow, outdated experience.

Why do I love the orignal sooo much? ... It's the atmosphere. Even though the visuals are extremely abstract, each track has a distinct character to it, that makes them memorable and enjoyable.
Then you have the music. Each tune not only suits the track it was made for, but all of the music is brilliant. In fact.. I'd say the music is some of the best ever made for a videogame. It's the 80s style sci-fi synth that really gives the game an upbeat vibe.

That's what I like about the SNES version: it's very upbeat, bright and shiny. It's a world away from the bleak, gritty future vision seen in Wipeout.

F-ZeroX, because of the 3D graphical restrictions, isn't as sharp and bright as the SNES version. It has a more gritty, grungy look. Saying that, though, it's still an appealing looking game. You have the 30 crafts, which all look interesting, and there is still the attractive abstractness to the gameworld.
I really like X - it's definitely a great game.

GX is a powerful experience. Dripping with atmosphere, big visuals, and all the effects you could ever wish for, it's extremely impressive. There is a strong 'Sega Arcade' vibe about it - far from a Nintendo feel. That's not a bad thing, but.. it does bring a different vibe to the F-Zero series.
I really like GX and consider it to be a classic title. Although, I must say that it's in third place behind the SNES version and X. I like Nintendo's style more.

The first GBA title is very similar to the SNES version. For some reason, it's not as colourful as the SNES edition, or as sonically nice. In fact.. it does pale in comparison to the SNES version, but.. it's still well worth owning and definitely enjoyable.

The other two GBA games aren't great. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone but an F-Zero completist.

I'm still hoping and praying for a Wii F-Zero, and a DS version.

The SNES version is my favourite, the gameplay and music are sublime - I play it every week, even if it's just to have a blitz around Mute City to hear the awesome soundtrack.

Yep.. it's such a feel good experience. There is something about the visuals and music that has me hypnotised with a big grin on my face. No modern game does that to me. In fact... I play 16-bit era games as a way of reminding myself why I first fell in love with gaming.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Are there 3 on the GBA? Or 2 with different names? If 3, which is the best. I might pick one up for August.

There are three GBA F-Zero titles.

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (known as F-Zero Advance in Japan) was one of the very first GBA titles to come out.

Then there was F-Zero: GP Legend (known as F-Zero: Legend of Captain Falcon in Japan), which was based on the F-Zero Anime.

Finally, there is the Japan-exclusive F-Zero: Climax.

I'm still hoping and praying for a Wii F-Zero, and a DS version.

Personally, I would much rather a DS version, but it looks very much like Nintendo are done and dusted with the F-Zero franchise, sadly.

I hope that I'm wrong about that.