The Super Nintendo launch brought a number of ground breaking titles. Pilotwings was an excellent showcase of Mode 7 with its simulated 3d environment. But F-Zero was the standout in my opinion. It wasn’t the first futuristic racing game but it pretty much established the genre. But for all of its accolades fans would have to wait almost a decade for a sequel. While it took its sweet time F-Zero X was more than worth the wait as it is a truly amazing game and one of the few racing games worth revisiting from that period.
F-Zero X, more than any other title, did the most to expand the universe of the series. Each vehicle beyond simply being named now has a driver and individual stats. The cast has also been significantly expanded, from four drivers to thirty. They are a diverse bunch and give the game some personality despite the fact that there is no story mode. There’s even some sly fan service: Star Fox fans will recognize the name James McCloud although this is a different character. The differing characteristics of each vehicle have a tangible impact on performance. These are further enhanced by tweaking balance toward acceleration or speed. The massive cast and the settings offer something for everyone in terms of balance and control.
While F-Zero basically defined the futuristic racing genre by the time of its sequel new competition had arrived. The most prominent of the bunch being Wipeout and Extreme G. Where these titles threw weapons into the mix F-Zero X keeps its focus purely on speed. That being said there are a few smart additions that add depth to the gameplay. Double tapping the trigger buttons will perform a ramming attack. It can be hard to time but deals a good bit of damage. This is further augmented by holding the other trigger while tapping to do a spin attack. This move works wonders in a group, especially early on. Defeated enemies gain no points, making thinning the herd a viable tactic. Lastly boost is awarded on the second lap except now it uses health rather than charges. Managing boost is tricky but critical to success, especially in the harder circuits.
The game’s focus on pure speed and the race are no more evident than in its track design. Adding twenty six more racers to the mix means every course is wider to accommodate everyone. The move to true 3d allowed Nintendo to create the kinds of manic twists and turns impossible on the SNES. Every track is a mass of hills, loops, and corkscrews along the lines of a roller coaster. Extreme G had this too but F-Zero X takes it further by allowing you to ride on walls and the ceiling. Practically every track has tunnels and pipes to take advantage of this feature. There’s nothing more awesome than to ride the walls of a half pipe and blow past the competition. In fact Big Blue is one giant cylinder you can navigate on all sides!
F-Zero X has a massive amount of content, more than most games from that period. There are a variety of modes, among them practice and vs. With four players the field of competitors drops to 8 unfortunately. Death Race challenges you to destroy all 29 other racers in a set time limit. It’s a cool way to learn the game’s mechanics. The standard Jack, Queen, and King Cups feature six tracks each but it doesn’t end there. Finish these on Expert difficulty (a true test) will unlock the Joker Cup. This Master level circuit will truly test your patience but is worth it. For the ones brave enough to persevere (or cheat) you get the X Cup. The X Cup randomly generates tracks which is ridiculous. While they vary between simple and near impossible it is one of the best extras I’ve ever seen in a racing game.
The key to the game’s convincing sense of speed is its framerate. F-Zero X is one of the few racing games from that era to run at 60 frames per second and it shows. The game moves at a blistering pace and never slows down. Even with all thirty cars at the start explosions going off it never dips. Some serious sacrifices had to be made to achieve this however. Trackside detail is kept to a minimum and is disappointing. There are subtle specular highlighting effects on the cars but their construction is very simple. But considering the high framerate even in four-player split screen I would say the trade off is worth it.
The orchestral tunes from the SNES have given way to a bitching rock score. It is very heavy on the electric guitar and awesome. Rock music isn’t my jam but I love the soundtrack here. Many of the returning courses have had their signature sound remixed; its different yet familiar. The sound quality isn’t the highest but overall I’d say they’ve done a pretty good job.
In Closing
While it isn’t pretty F-Zero X shines in gameplay which is where it counts. Even today it is still insanely fun with its speed and awesome track design. Nintendo took their time but more than delivered a worthy sequel and one of the better racing games of that generation.
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