This game is more than just a great racer. Sure, it is undeniably so.
But it also represents an end of an era when companies like Sega, and Nintendo (together no less!) worked with the latest graphics technology to create something exhilarating and timeless to be enjoyed by only the most dedicated and skilled gamers for years to come. It was a rare combination of great talent that brought us such a special game.
Seeing F-Zero GX for the first time was like magic. The fact that the developers squeezed so much out of GCN hardware back then was nothing short of astounding for its time.
But the amazing thing is that the feeling of "magic" has not gone away after all of these years. Even though there have been other arcade racers with a great sense of speed (Burnout comes to mind), none of them seem to offer as high of a fidelity of control as does F-Zero GX. The tightness of the game... especially on the highest difficulty level is totally unmatched.
The genius of the game is the boost meter which also serves as your HP. The hardest difficulty levels will require you to exhaust your meter as much as possible which leads to some very tense gameplay. The only way to replenish the boost meter is to drive over the healing pads strewn in key locations on each track or to take out your opponents. This leads to many different strategic considerations as to how aggressive you need be and when you need to time your boosts to get the most out of your meter.
Very few games, let alone racing games, balance risk/tension/reward quite like F-Zero GX but it never manages to feel unfair despite the high difficulty level. This game is amazing and hopefully Nintendo can (somehow) manage to top it some day.
edit:
I wrote this RTTP after playing GX for hours this weekend. I finally unlocked "Master Mode" on Sunday. Plus I'm on episode 7 of the Story after being stuck on episode 2 for the longest time. I was having so much fun with the game this weekend I just needed to share. I will not give up until I 100% beat this game.
But it also represents an end of an era when companies like Sega, and Nintendo (together no less!) worked with the latest graphics technology to create something exhilarating and timeless to be enjoyed by only the most dedicated and skilled gamers for years to come. It was a rare combination of great talent that brought us such a special game.
Seeing F-Zero GX for the first time was like magic. The fact that the developers squeezed so much out of GCN hardware back then was nothing short of astounding for its time.
But the amazing thing is that the feeling of "magic" has not gone away after all of these years. Even though there have been other arcade racers with a great sense of speed (Burnout comes to mind), none of them seem to offer as high of a fidelity of control as does F-Zero GX. The tightness of the game... especially on the highest difficulty level is totally unmatched.
The genius of the game is the boost meter which also serves as your HP. The hardest difficulty levels will require you to exhaust your meter as much as possible which leads to some very tense gameplay. The only way to replenish the boost meter is to drive over the healing pads strewn in key locations on each track or to take out your opponents. This leads to many different strategic considerations as to how aggressive you need be and when you need to time your boosts to get the most out of your meter.
Very few games, let alone racing games, balance risk/tension/reward quite like F-Zero GX but it never manages to feel unfair despite the high difficulty level. This game is amazing and hopefully Nintendo can (somehow) manage to top it some day.
edit:
I wrote this RTTP after playing GX for hours this weekend. I finally unlocked "Master Mode" on Sunday. Plus I'm on episode 7 of the Story after being stuck on episode 2 for the longest time. I was having so much fun with the game this weekend I just needed to share. I will not give up until I 100% beat this game.
Someone creates yet another one. Some people see it while it is in the front page/second page and we talk about the game a little. The thread dies after 2-3 pages (or even less), maybe a couple more if you're lucky. Some weeks/months latter someone creates another one.
