F-Zero GX is definitely one of the best racers on the GameCube today.
User Rating: 8.8 | F-Zero GX GC
Now I’m doing a racing game. F-Zero GX, for the Nintendo GameCube. This is the third installment in the series, and a very fast paced one. There are a lot of features in this game. There are several racers to choose from, you can build your own car, get your own parts, race multiplayer, do Grand Prix’s on three different cups and three different difficulties, until you unlock some more. Racer biographies are also interesting. But a new feature has been added. A story. But will it hold up? Find out. The gameplay in this game, put quite simply, is awesome. The game is so fast-paced you almost can’t believe you have the reflexes to pull this stuff off. Wonderfully, among the most of this generation, detailed environments whiz by without a thought, and you find yourself glued to the screen. One blink can mean the difference between life and death. You can boost, this does damage to your machine, but…you can boost. The speed boost feels like you wouldn't believe, and the beauty of it all is captivating. Plus, there is the story. The story is a little light, a little short of development, but hey, it’s a first outing. I would have liked to see a longer, more detailed story, but what you get isn’t bad, albeit short. It provides a nice way to spend the tickets you earn, and while it isn’t the best story I’ve reviewed so far (see Eternal Darkness) it grabs your attention enough to keep you playing. There is a problem, though, and the problem is that this game is hard. As in…deadly hard. As in…so hard in-pants bowel movements and broken controllers will be relived. This game is NOT for many gamers, because of its difficulty alone. The story missions on NORMAL are hard enough for me, and the Grand Prix’s on hard, damn; especially in the third cup. Overall, I love the gameplay, but the extreme difficulty is going to be a detriment. Now for those graphics. Those wonderful graphics. Those graphics that induce a high every time you turn your GameCube on; if you hear someone saying that, chances are it’s about F-Zero GX. These graphics are, wow, just wow. They are perfect in every way. They are so good, that I mentioned them in gameplay even. Everything is beautifully colored and detailed; you can tell that SOMEBODY loves to do this stuff. The game takes aesthetic value to a new level, and while I make it known that graphics aren’t my preference, but man, this game is worth BUYING for these graphics. WOW. MY GOD. They’re PERFECT. The sound in F-Zero GX is great as well. The songs all carry a super fast-paced techno beat, and the voice acting is good, a little melodramatic, but good. Drivers have their own theme song, and sometimes when I’m bored I put in the game just to listen to that. It’s worth it, too. The songs are good, especially Jody Summers’ (my driver of choice) dreamlike acoustic piece. This and the rest of the songs are well worth listening too, and the game is worth putting in at a friends house for the music, if he has all the drivers, or you can just play the game (recommended) and listen to the techno track beats. Whatever you decide to do with the sound, except turn it down is probably a good thing. The replay value is great. You can create your own vehicle, play with friends, do a Grand Prix, do the story on hard after beating it once. It adds spice to the already spicy game, and is a supreme test of your skills. So, its replay is like any racer, except with the added story. The story, as mentioned before, is a little light, and you really only need to experience it once for the actual story. You can, of course, go back and try to beat it on hard, which probably gets you more tickets…anyway, I’m babbling. Just play it, and play it, and play it, and play it, and play it. Overall, this is a great game, and the best installment in the series. Its well worth the purchase or at least the play, and if you want a fast-paced game with wonderful production values, this one is going to be up at the top of my list.
