What F-Zero X lacks in visual flair, it surely makes up in everything else.
The story of F-Zero X takes place years after the original, where the F-Zero GP has just been reinstated after a horrendous ordeal that took the lives of many racers (known as the "Horrific Grand Finale"). While the apparent storyline is still somewhat vague in this game, F-Zero X does greatly expand on the cast of playable characters, adding 26 new faces to F-Zero's original four. Ranging from Captain Falcon's evil clone, to a racer brought back from the dead, to a cyborg, to a genetically-engineered humanoid T-Rex, to an android who slightly resembles Mario, to superheroes, to a human version of James McCloud from Star Fox, to a villain who resembles "Batman from Hell", the ensemble is something akin to an American comic book.
Gameplay is similar to the original, with some new elements added in for good measure. Unlike F-Zero, the amount of laps for a race has now been reduced from five to three, mainly to compensate for the longer lengths of the tracks. Similarly, the amount of racers has been doubled from 15 to 30. Before a race, you're able to adjust your vehicle for max speed, max acceleration, or somewhere in the middle. These adjustments are pivotal in your performance. New offensive maneuvers, such as ramming into opponents and the infamous "death spin", have been included, adding another layer of strategy. Unfortunately, the Classic Controller setup makes it a bit awkward to use these moves efficiently.
The super jet from F-Zero (now renamed "boost") returns, but with a twist; once you start the 2nd lap, you can use as many boosts (which last for a much shorter duration) as you desire, but at the cost of your energy meter. You'll also notice that gravity (or a lack thereof) plays a bigger part during races. While the original F-Zero had a small amount of levels with jump plates, many of the tracks in F-Zero X contains numerous jumps, large and small, which require deft aerial navigation. In addition, many levels contain cylinders, 360-degree tunnels, loop-de-loops, sideways and inverted turns, and a plethora of other obstacles that make nifty use of the physics system.
The biggest change comes from the new "ratings" system. Each F-Zero racer has three ratings - Body, Boost, and Grip - all ranked from "A" (the best) to "E" (the worst). Body determines how durable your racer is as well as how easily it can decimate the opposition. Boost determines how fast you travel while initiating a boost as well as how long the boost lasts. Grip determines how well you can negotiate a turn; a better grip allows for steadier turns, while a lower one will cause the vehicle to drift more often. There is also a final factor in vehicle performance: weight. Weight affects acceleration, grip, cornering ability, maximum speed, and the amount of damage it sustains in a collision; a lighter vehicle is superior in the first three, while a heavier vehicle excels in the latter two. While differences between the racers in F-Zero were evident, F-Zero X greatly expands on this concept.
F-Zero X also provides players will a much more varied experience. The GP and Practice Modes return, accompanied by a few new modes, such as "Death Race" (your goal is to destroy every other racer), "VS Battle", and "Time Attack". The game also features an unlockable "X Cup"; while it's nothing more than a random track generator, it does provide good practice.
Like I've said before, the game allows for a maximum of 30 racers to be present on-screen at the same time. Additionally, the game allows racer to ride at blistering speeds. F-Zero X doesn't just look fast; it is fast. And when I say fast, I mean as in it's possible (through some of the most absurd methods) to exceed speeds of 2000km/h. F-Zero X is clearly one of the fastest racers out there, a honorable merit considering that it was first released in '98. Unfortunately, in order to keep the game at a framerate of 60 frames per second (which was a first for racing games) and allow for that many racers to exist at the same time at such speeds, a lot of graphical detail had to be sacrificed. The racers themselves look blocky and shoddy and the tracks, while expertly designed, have little going for them. It's quite Spartan, but sacrifices do have to be made.
The music is another highlight of the game, even if the sound quality suffers a bit in order to keep the framerate constant. None of the music from the first game (save for remixes of Mute City and Big Blue) returns, being replaced by a bevy of hard-rock that adequately encompasses the feel of F-Zero X. It is here that such epic ballads such as "Drivin' Through on Max", "Dream Chaser", and "Devil's Call in Your Heart" were introduced, and man, are they awesome. Even the title BGM screams "win". Not everything is a surefire hit, but this overall selection is top-notch.
F-Zero X also includes some voice acting, but it's quite limited. The most you'll get are some generic male and female screams when your racer falls off of the track. The announcer, while cheesy, should be noticed purely for comedic value. You have yet to live until you've heard this guy proclaim "You've Got Boost Power!" at the beginning of your second lap.
The main problem with F-Zero is not the learning curve, but the difficulty itself. Even on Standard, the races will be brutal at times, mainly because the A.I. will force the racers to exceed normal speeds just to catch up to and pass you. By the time you make it to Expert and Master, the sheer cruelty of your opponents may make you want to punch your TV screen. Add that to an astronomical amount of tracks that require great technical skill and you may just have an emotional breakdown. While the game is accessible enough normally, the higher difficulty levels will essentially force you to learn advanced-level techniques (such as "sliding") in order to succeed. Oddly enough, it's the hope of besting this murderous challenge that gives F-Zero X its appeal.
Another problem lies within the fact that none of the additional content from the Expansion Kit was included this time around. For those of you who don't know, the F-Zero X Expansion Kit was an add-on released for F-Zero X... for the 64DD (a Japan-only add-on for the N64 that was a commercial failure)... in 2000. In other words, very few people outside of "The Land of the Rising Sun" got their hands on this. 'Tis a shame, for the expansion included new music (including an alternative rock remix of the Rainbow Road BGM from MK64), the ability to create custom racers, and (best of all) a track creator which allowed players to make their own tracks using the same tools the developers utilized to create the original circuits; the Expansion Kit made F-Zero X even greater than it already was. Perhaps Nintendo will release this as another Virtual Console download, but knowing them, I'm doubtful.
All flaws aside, F-Zero X remains a competent racer that still manages to rival even the best racers of this decade. If you have a need for speed, F-Zero X will easily suffice.