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Why F-Zero X is better than GX

nkarafo

Member
It seems like the majority of gamers hold F-Zero GX as the representative game for the franchise. It is the best F-Zero game for most people. I disagree and instead of just claim "X is the best F-Zero" i will try to actually explain why i like it more.

Graphics:
There is no doubt that the graphics in F-Zero GX are dazzling. Its surely one of the best looking GC games featuring both 60fps AND incredibly detailed backgrounds, unlike X where they had to do lots of sacrifices for the 60fps rate, making X one of the least appealing games on N64. Despite that i still think the game looks great in motion, still pictures and 30fps youtube videos can't make it justice.

But here's one thing people seem to miss about the graphics and art direction. After the original SNES F-Zero and F-Zero X, i had the feeling that the tracks were supposed to be high in the sky, the stratosphere or in space. This created an interesting atmosphere and a feel of isolation as there were no crowds or fancy events going on. It was just you, 29 opponents and the floating road. It made the races feel less inviting, more deadly and less "crowd pleasing" in the universe the game is taking place.

In comparison, some F-Zero GX tracks feel like they are taking place in big events with lots of spectators. Some even give me a "carnival" vibe. Many tracks are ground based and there are even some underwater parts. And lets not talk about the obsession Sega has with freaking casinos. It just doesn't feel like F-Zero after The first two games.


Music:
This is a matter of taste but anyway, lets exaggerate, the F-Zero X OST is hundreds (if not millions) times better than the over-distorted, messy GX soundtrack. X has some amazing thrash/death metal compositions and the few remixes feel closer to the original songs. GX still has some great metal character themes though (Bio-Rex, YEAH)


Controls:
I will just copy-paste the comment i made on the F-Zero GX thread. In GX they messed the "attack" ability completely. In X you double tapped the shoulder buttons to perform the attack and it really felt like your craft hits the opponent with its weight. Additionally, this move could be used to do sharp turns without lose much speed. You tapped the right shoulder button fast twice and you did a sudden "jump" at the right. Or the left shoulder to jump left. It just felt right. In GX they stripped all that and they mapped one general attack move on a random button. It doesn't feel right and i rarely even bother using it. I know that the analog shoulder buttons of the GC controller wouldn't work so well for something like that though, so i don't blame Sega entirely.

Additionally, in F-Zero X the analog controls sensitivity was better imo and the somewhat "harder" analog stick allowed me to better turn my craft with the correct amount of push it required so i won't lose my grip. The much more sensitive, lighter GC stick was more unstable and it was easier to push it more than you really wanted.



So, who agrees/disagrees with this and why?
 
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X wins hands down on music.

The side attack in GX felt natural and useful to me, though I would press it with my right thumb (turned thumb sideways). You could still turn sharply in GX with a quick turn (drift away from turn, then quickly turn with analog and drift toward turn).

Stick sensitivity in GX felt perfect to me. No complaints, and stuff like Save Jody Very Hard requires insane precision.

I prefer GX's handling. Always ended up sliding around too much in X.

I think GX is a bit better but X is still my number 2 in the genre.
 

Amir0x

Banned
They're both fantastic games. Obviously of your points, I'd certainly disagree with the visual one - N64 games look like N64 games, and all the horrendous texture work and blur-blurness that implies.

But there's another reason why grounding some of the GX tracks around world objects is a benefit (besides simply being more attractive to look at): you get a better sense of speed when you have environmental context. I still to this day don't think I've ever played a game with a better sense of speed.

I can't really relate to your problem with controls either - I felt in both F-Zero X and F-Zero GX I had total control over every element intimately, and never felt any aspect was holding me back in any way. I could take corners in GX with all the grace of a dancing ballerina while going 3000kmph; I can tap the controls with the tiniest bit of force and my vehicle will respond in kind. I never had any issues with attacking either, and used it a LOT to fuck with hard competition. That said, i usually am flying so fast and trying to modulate my boosting, that attacking for me is a back end strategy for when I'm pissed off I'm losing lol

Also this is only 64DD stuff, but I want F-Zero games to have track editors.
 

nkarafo

Member
While i agree about the sense of speed, i still thing the 60fps update was enough for the job. Sure, detailed backgrounds may add more but they can also be distracting. But i'm not complaining about the graphics in GX anyway (that would be crazy) the game looks incredible.

Its the art direction in some levels (not all) and the atmosphere that i find not so F-Zero-ish. Keep in mind, i love both games. Its just that GX didn't click to me in the same way X did. And nostalgia has nothing to do with it, i'm into the series since the SNES days.
 

j.rob

Member
F-Zero X was great.

F-Zero GX however was incredible. One of the best and most underrated games of that gen. It took everything X had and amped it up tenfold.

Im probably in the minority that much preferred GX's music though. It just got me much more hyped up when racing as opposed to metal.
 

Yes Boss!

Member
Yeah, the 64 game is better than GX. I actually even prefer the first SNES game over the Gamcube game, too.

But GX is the perfect example of Nintendo farming out a franchise to a third party. It is also cool that it is an arcade game...and made by Amusement Vision, no less.
 
Yeah I actually prefer the art direction in X, but prefer the sense of speed in GX. Haven't played enough of either to make a proper decision though. They're both incredibly fun.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I don't want to say I loathe X, but I definitely did not click to it at all compared to SNES and GX.


I found the butt-rock soundtrack kind of dismal and cheesy back in the day, and GX's was amazing. Different taste.
 
Im probably in the minority that much preferred GX's music though. It just got me much more hyped up when racing as opposed to metal.

GX's soundtrack had some great stuff like Fire Field and Big Blue but it was pretty inconsistent. Port Town and Green Plant's themes were pretty boring to me. Probably more good than bad overall but damn near every track from X is a winner.
 

TaroYamada

Member
I don't want to say I loathe X, but I definitely did not click to it at all compared to SNES and GX.


I found the butt-rock soundtrack kind of dismal and cheesy back in the day, and GX's was amazing. Different taste.

I'm in the same boat, except I think F-Zero on SNES is meh now (thought it was nuts back in the day but now I feel it was attempting to achieve something before the tech was really there, not all that uncommon in that era of the industry). I pretty much hated F-Zero X but I finally picked up GX in the past year and it's a fantastic game, I really enjoy it.
 

nkarafo

Member
How about this:

GX is mainly, an arcade game. It has the cheesiness of an arcade game that distracts you with fancy-ness, if that's a word. Its loud and some time a bit obnoxious.

X is a case of "less is more". It feels more serious, more concentrated at the job at hand. It doesn't try to distract you with anything more than what's needed.

Does that make any sense?
 

Xav

Member
Personally speaking I think F-Zero GX destroys F-Zero X in every area except music which is no where near as good. I'm surprised to see someone defending F-Zero X not bring up the X-Cup, that's like the coolest feature of the game. Hell if you were lucky enough to own an N64 DD with the F-Zero X Expansion Kit, you could even make your own crazy tracks.
 

Metal-Geo

Member
F-Zero X was great.

F-Zero GX however was incredible. One of the best and most underrated games of that gen. It took everything X had and amped it up tenfold.

Im probably in the minority that much preferred GX's music though. It just got me much more hyped up when racing as opposed to metal.
Maybe we are in the minority, but I agree wholeheartedly with you. When the music changes in Aeropolis the moment you enter the final lap... oh goddamn does it feel like shit gets real. So good.

That's not to say the music in X is bad. Heavens no. But I find the music in X to get a bit... stale after a couple of tracks. GX's music comes off as more varied.

I'm also in the #TeamGX camp. As much fun that I had with X during the N64 days (and really, I loved it), with GX they managed to do something indescribable. It feels more right, to me.
 

SovanJedi

provides useful feedback
I have to say I like GX more than both X and even the SNES original. The other games are still good though, but the sheer amount of effort, features and arcade intense action gleamed from GX is just indescribably good. One of the best examples of a third party undertaking of a Nintendo franchise of all time.
 

nkarafo

Member
I'm surprised to see someone defending F-Zero X not bring up the X-Cup, that's like the coolest feature of the game. Hell if you were lucky enough to own an N64 DD with the F-Zero X Expansion Kit, you could even make your own crazy tracks.
I think F-Zero X is better without those extras. Heck, i didn't even like the X-Cup that much because the randomly generated tracks were rarely interesting, design wise. It couldn't generate loops, for instance. After some games, i felt like i'm playing the same levels over and over again. But it was funny when the CPU couldn't take some of the craziest turns, going out of the road and leaving me completely alone in the track!

And the expansion kit is a different game, unfortunately.
 
GX had the same issue as WipEout 2048 for myself, is you had to do the tracks a dozen times to memorize them.
Turns it more into a racing sim, then a futuristic racer. Which sucks when your friends come over :/

X was just so damn fun.
 

Nessus

Member
All this talk of F-Zero prompted me to buy F-Zero X off of eBay just now.

They're both great games.

I respect that GX represents this insanely finely tuned distillation of gameplay and skill that unfortunately proved mostly beyond my capabilities, so I never got very far in it. Still absolutely beautiful, one of the most aesthetically pleasing games I've ever seen.

Was able to get farther in F-Zero X, and I really liked the randomly generated tracks, offered a neat kind of replayability.

They both had great music, but F-Zero X's lacked variety.

GX I was surprised that so many of the best songs are only used in the character bio screens. I wish they would have let you listen to them while racing (unless I missed some hidden mode that allowed for that?)

And it's just baffling that Nintendo views this as a failure of a franchise and hasn't done anything with it in a decade.
 

Cipherr

Member
Two different takes on the same franchise.

And they were both very good. I enjoyed them THOROUGHLY. The only thing I can say for certain is that GX was a more difficult game.... Until you learned to snake, then you could crush through it much easier, but without snaking GX was criminally difficult.
 

Ysiadmihi

Banned
Definitely agree. Both games are incredible, and just because there was so much more incentive to repeatedly beat GX I probably played it more, but X beats it in every area except for the amount of content and graphics.

If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's people who act like Nintendo can't make a good F-Zero game without Sega. I always wonder if they even played X.
 

nkarafo

Member
Yeah, F-Zero X has a better difficulty curve, its still pretty hard on Master mode and trying to beat staff ghosts is still above most people's abilities, but it doesn't require the amount of luck that GX needs sometimes, especially on Hard Story mode.
 

nkarafo

Member
If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's people who act like Nintendo can't make a good F-Zero game without Sega. I always wonder if they even played X.
I had a HUGE respect for Nintendo for putting frame rate and controls in higher priority than graphics when they had to chose what sacrifice to make. It was a brave move to say the least as it wasn't the most mainstream pleasing thing to do. But it was the right one. They nailed the sense of speed, the controls and the overall feel of the game.

Whoever thinks Nintendo can't make a good F-Zero game doesn't know what he is talking about. Nintendo made X on Nintendo 64, Sega had a much more capable hardware to show off their fancy graphics with GX. I would like to see what could Sega do on N64 or Nintendo on GC for a fair comparison.
 

olimpia84

Member
Personally I like X better than GX. I think the two points that really stand out for me that give the edge to my decision are the amazing rock soundtrack and the overall 'combat' controls (double tapping to side attack and spin attack) which worked great for me at least.
 

Yes Boss!

Member
If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's people who act like Nintendo can't make a good F-Zero game without Sega. I always wonder if they even played X.

Well that is pretty obvious...they made the original and the N64 sequel. I don't ever hear that, about Sega "helping." Maybe it is just younger folks who grew up on GX/AX.

F-Zero franchise was also in a bit of a bad spell after the multiple GBA dips. Best music goes to SNES version.
 
Vehicle control has always felt a lot better to me in X than GX and as others have said the difficulty curves in a more natural and manageable way. Oh and X has the better music as well i'd say.
But otherwise I prefer GX's tracks and there's something to be said for its wealth of content, both games are in fact pretty close, a lot closer than some might think but i'll give the edge to GX.
 

HoodWinked

Member
im sorry but how do people even have this opinion gx had incredible track design, 64 hardware just made for bland looking tracks. the sense of speed in gx is all its own. even GXs visuals still hold up and looks incredibly sharp. in contrast snes fzero in someways holds up better than fzero x.

remixed music fits better with the fzero aesthetics and the music transitions in finals laps something that was quite novel for the time. the incredible amount of tension you have in GX from energy balancing your anus would be clenched the entire time hoping to god that you didnt blow yourself up. even the that sense of danger the variable alarm noise which would get faster as your energy got lower and lower boosting with those sparks coming off your ship it felt like these things were barely being kept together.

as for the criticism you have for the environment design. thats the thing fzero pre-gx had no actual identity it was a future racer but no real justification for the tracks and nothing really to bind everything together unless you implied it. GX made the leap that fzero is just a ridiculous spectacle with the over the top casters and storyline rivalries. the tracks made sense in this context its why the tracks were so lavish and decorated because it was something for audiences.
 
I prefer X too overall, but GX was amazing too. It's mostly because of the soundtrack, I don't like how the music in GX seems to hesitate between going full metal or electronic, it was a weird hybrid. There are some good tracks, but overall it was disapointing, the music in the SNES and N64 games were much better.

I was very frustrated by the mission mode too, I remember a mission that I just couldn't do desprite trying. What pissed me off was even when I felt like I had made a perfect race, no mistake, perfect racing like, even that wasn't enough. I'm not a racing god, but most time in my racing games, when I race like that I win unless my car isn't fast enough or something, but here, I just couldn't tell.
 
I remember re-mapping attack and boost in GX, I wonder if I was the only one to do so.

Since nobody mentioned it yet. Death Race. Maybe the attack button grumbles mean it was a boon it skipped GX...but wait that story mode chapter effectively was the Death Race (since you had to eliminate pretty much everybody to clear it).
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
I really can't agree with the OP at all. I feel 100% opposite about the two games on each point mentioned.

The more grounded visuals of GX are more attractive and do a better job conveying a sense of speed. I never felt a sense of isolation in X, rather, a design decision made as a result of the limited hardware.

Audio wise, both have excellent soundtracks, but I actually feel the "distorted" grungy GX music is better for such a high speed game. It also has more of a "Sega" sound to it which I prefer.

No use in arguing over it, though.
 

ShinKagato

Neo Member
It seems like the majority of gamers hold F-Zero GX as the representative game for the franchise. It is the best F-Zero game for most people. I disagree and instead of just claim "X is the best F-Zero" i will try to actually explain why i like it more.

Graphics:
There is no doubt that the graphics in F-Zero GX are dazzling. Its surely one of the best looking GC games featuring both 60fps AND incredibly detailed backgrounds, unlike X where they had to do lots of sacrifices for the 60fps rate, making X one of the least appealing games on N64. Despite that i still think the game looks great in motion, still pictures and 30fps youtube videos can't make it justice.

But here's one thing people seem to miss about the graphics and art direction. After the original SNES F-Zero and F-Zero X, i had the feeling that the tracks were supposed to be high in the sky, the stratosphere or in space. This created an interesting atmosphere and a feel of isolation as there were no crowds or fancy events going on. It was just you, 29 opponents and the floating road. It made the races feel less inviting, more deadly and less "crown pleasing" in the universe the game is taking place.

In comparison, some F-Zero GX tracks feel like they are taking place in big events with lots of spectators. Some even give me a "carnival" vibe. Many tracks are ground based and there are even some underwater parts. And lets not talk about the obsession Sega has with freaking casinos. It just doesn't feel like F-Zero after The first two games.


Music:
This is a matter of taste but anyway, lets exaggerate, the F-Zero X OST is hundreds (if not millions) times better than the over-distorted, messy GX soundtrack. X has some amazing thrash/death metal compositions and the few remixes feel closer to the original songs. GX still has some great metal character themes though (Bio-Rex, YEAH)


Controls:
I will just copy-paste the comment i made on the F-Zero GX thread. In GX they messed the "attack" ability completely. In X you double tapped the shoulder buttons to perform the attack and it really felt like your craft hits the opponent with its weight. Additionally, this move could be used to do sharp turns without lose much speed. You tapped the right shoulder button fast twice and you did a sudden "jump" at the right. Or the left shoulder to jump left. It just felt right. In GX they stripped all that and they mapped one general attack move on a random button. It doesn't feel right and i rarely even bother using it. I know that the analog shoulder buttons of the GC controller wouldn't work so well for something like that though, so i don't blame Sega entirely.

Additionally, in F-Zero X the analog controls sensitivity was better imo and the somewhat "harder" analog stick allowed me to better turn my craft with the correct amount of push it required so i won't lose my grip. The much more sensitive, lighter GC stick was more unstable and it was easier to push it more than you really wanted.



So, who agrees/disagrees with this and why?

I agree, the only thing GX has for me over X is the frame rate and graphic quality, everything else, the tracks, the soundtrack, the actual gameplay just feels better on N64. Not to say that GX is a bad game, but it just dosent feel like a game from the same series.
 
GX courses not feeling as if they're high in the sky? I don't know if I agree with that just because there are a handful that take place on ground. Mute City, Port Town and Aeropolis all come to mind as being really high in the air. I do agree that the sparseness of X makes it feel more related to the SNES classic. If only the backgrounds could have been as detailed as the SNES game.

There's no use in me picking one over the other. I love all the console F-Zero games for different reasons and I'm glad they're each somewhat their own thing.
 

Loonz

Member
Graphics-wise I'm sorry but there's no contest. GX is just so much better, it holds up amazingly even today. Perfect track design, perfect sense of speed.

Now, I actually prefer X's OST. That's not to say I don't like GX's soundtrack, because I love it, but I still feel the music on X pumps up my heart rate more, and I just love rock. More of a matter of what one might prefer of course.

Regarding controls, I also prefer those on X. And in this case, by a mile. I didn't like GX's controls that much. Vehicles tended to drift a lot to the sides, it was hard to keep them on track. Or harder than it should. On X the "cars" have more weight, controls are more precise and engaging, and attacking enemies feels sooooo satisfying. Sega fucked that up. That's my biggest quip with GX. If only they hadn't fucked the controls...

Overall I believe X is a bit more fun to play, just for the amazing controls. But everytime I see some GX gifs I just cannot believe those graphics come from a GC game. Still fantastic to this day.
 

Snakeyes

Member
X is my personal fave but they all have their strengths. The original has these cool hazards which added a lot of personality to the tracks, X felt incredibly cohesive overall and GX is still technically impressive to this day.
 
F-Zero X was easier for me to control/play, and had more "game-y" music (if that makes sense) that I absolutely LOVED on N64.

F-Zero GX is just such an incredible effort though; even today, the game's total package is incredible. GX is a better game overall, IMHO.
 
I think GX was the better game overall, however, F-Zero X had the rad X cup with the randomized tracks. That was a really cool idea, and i still boot that up to race with friends on, just to see what kind of stupid tracks it makes.
 

Odrion

Banned
Huh, a thread with a controversial statement that actually tries to back it up with more than just a sentence.

Good point about the controls and music. But still, GX takes the crown for me. Those graphics and tracks are deliriously joyous to behold, and the game is just packed with quality content.
 
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