F-Zero SNES was one of the first videogames I ever played, on my friend's SNES alongside Super Mario World.
I always liked the game's style and atmosphere — like a PG-rated version of the Judge Dredd comics — and the Mode 7 effects are nifty even today. Game also has great music, and nice touches like the silhouette of Captain Falcon leaning left and right inside the cockpit of the Blue Falcon.
It's a true classic, but I often struggled with the SNES version. I always found X and GX to be much easier to play, and I think I've realized why.
When I was a kid, I never took my foot off the pedal, so I was constantly plowing into corners, even with L and R for drifting. Thing is, this actually works in the 3D F-Zeros, where I virtually never slow down, so when I went back to the SNES game, I didn't think to change my approach. But in that F-Zero, it really pays to lightly feather the accelerator (or lay off it entirely) to avoid clipping hairpin turns. You don't lose much speed, but you gain a lot of control.
Suddenly, what I once played like wall-to-wall bumper cars became a very, VERY fast exercise in surgical precision. Now I'm negotiating zigzags in the track like I'm threading a needle, not touching the walls. It's making me appreciate the super-tight handling and track design. Since I'm laser-focused on each twist and turn, I'm also getting a surprising sense of speed from the game. Once you know how to avoid the walls, it feels like you're whipping through each course at breakneck pace.
It's a lot of fun, to the point I was late to a friend's house (we're playing Heavy Rain) because I wanted to spend more time in F-Zero's Practice Mode.
Also, I really enjoy the atmosphere of each world, especially Silence and Port Town. The latter has a nice touch where you can see the headlights of vehicles on the roads far below. I guess I just really like racetracks set at dusk or night. Anyone remember Metro Madness from Beetle Adventure Racing on the N64? Similar vibes, in terms of atmosphere.
I'm playing on the N3DS VC. This will rustle some jimmies, but I'm playing with the Circle Pad, which is godly here (and also godly with DKC2). There's something about the smooth movement of the pad that works well here. It feels tighter than a stick, with digital-like inputs due to the Circle Pad's low profile, but more fluid than a D-Pad. Works well with the incremental adjustments needed to steer your craft.
Also, the game looks amazing in perfect pixel mode, which outputs in 8:7. When you played it on the SNES, it was stretched on your TV to fit 4:3, but here on N3DS it looks super-sharp and perfectly proportional in perfect pixel mode. Good stuff!
Anyways, just wanted to put in a word for this game now that I've rediscovered it and adjusted my play style to properly enjoy it. This has been a year for understanding classics, like RE2 and RE3, and currently I'm playing EarthBound (now at Deep Darkness — expect a thread when I'm done). I'm thinking I'll also give Super Metroid another shot and see if it finally clicks this time...
