So your rocketing along the desert at 5000 mph and you see a roadblock in the distance, you stop too see what the commotion is all about when a rather imposing figure walks up to your machine and tells you that if you want to pass you have to race him though the desert, the only question at this point is if you can get past him, the winding turns and those pesky boulders falling on the road in the distance, all running at a blistering 60fps. So what do you think, you up for it? Before this though, you notice the near-flawless presentation, and though there seems to be more menus than needed, they are pretty easy to get though. The music is ripped right out of the 80s which while NOT my favorite decade, here it is used quite well and is even catchy in some spots (aeropolis comes to mind). Worthy of note is the quality of the cutscenes, which are fantastic for a racing game. The other notable here is the control which is very intuitive, the thing about the control is that it's easy to just pick up and play but hard as hell to master, which means that for those who want it are layers of depth just waiting to be plundered, and if you want to survive this game you should plunder to your heart’s content if you want to see some of the later stages, which I’ll detail next. This game is a beauty, no bones about it; the characters, vehicles and tracks are all very crisp and detailed. As previously mentioned the FMVs are also something to shout about as they are outrageously detailed, it’s odd that some of the best cinemas on the Gamecube come from a racing game. Even more outrageous is the sense of speed this game creates; this game rockets along at 60 fps and never stops, so you won’t be able to admire the beautiful before-mentioned scenery as much as you like. Not that you would want to. You can however, admire the sound which is also top-notch. The voice acting is pretty well done for a racing game, as is the music which harkens back to the NES days with its cheesy 80s inspired music that for some strange reason fit really well here and you may even get stuck in your head. Sound effects, while not spectacular get the job done with the various engine noises and explosions which you will most likely hear a lot of. You will hear that a lot because to be honest, this game is one of those games that separate the men from the boys; it’s hard, it’s really hard. Some people will never master this game, either you got it or you don’t. In the before-mentioned desert race this reviewer took a grand total of 22 tries before finally beating it and it almost becomes as satisfying as beating the whole game. That’s really what makes you continue, even though you do the same race over and over and over again the reward of finally beating it just can’t be described (even if you come out of it with a broken controller or two). Even more satisfying is the amount of replay value you can get out of this thing, between the story mode, grand prix, time trials and multiplayer you’re going to get many hours of enjoyment out of this game. In conclusion, this game is a must own, although only if you have the necessary skill level to fully enjoy the game.
Introduction: There is no doubt that Nintendo's F-Zero franchise started the whole era of futuristic racing games being developed for our entertaining purposes. Well, ever since the first game in the series was released... Read Full Review
I had experience with various racing games before. Gran Turismo, Trackmania, Wipeout, Burnout, Need for Speed... I guess I didn't know exactly what to expect from this game because I had never played any F-Zero title bef... Read Full Review
