F-Zero GX | DJcube

Battle at over 2000 km/h in monster machines that break the sound barrier!

JP release: 25th July 2003
NA release: 25th August 2003
EU release: 31st October 2003
Developer: Amusement Vision
Publisher: Nintendo
NGC Magazine Score: 93%
Mods Used: None

This is a game I played an immense amount of when I was younger, a sequel to F-Zero X that takes the same concept – a futuristic racing game where you use your shield as a boost – and just puts an immense amount of effort into just making it as good as it can be. This wasn’t developed by Nintendo, but rather Amusement Vision, the talented folks behind Super Monkey Ball.

Despite it’s absolutely immense speed, the controls are immensely precise, giving you multiple ways of helping you turn. On top of braking to help you around corners, you can slowly move your vehicle sideways, while you also have a side slam attack for more aggressive attack and a spin attack which lets you take extremely tight turns. This results in a game that feels faster than the likes of Extreme G, but you always feel entirely in control. It’s masterful work.

One way that Amusement Vision made their mark is the amount of detail that went into the tracks. While the tracks themselves are detailed enough to hold up in HD (especially at the speeds you travel) there are also loads of background details to try and admire as you zoom past it all. Even compared to games of today it all looks spectacular as you’re racing.

But the attention to detail doesn’t end there, there’s also a crazy amount of background stuff that isn’t needed, but is a wonderful inclusion. Each of the 41 pilots has a profile with a background of their history, and a lot of mentions of a horrific F-Zero accident that happened four years earlier. And if that wasn’t enough, every pilot has a unique theme tune, some of them being actual songs, and they capture the early 2000s in loads of different genres. When I was younger, I liked them so much that I recorded them onto cassette so I can listen to them without booting the game, and now I can just listen to high quality versions easily. Oh, and if all that isn’t enough, completing a cup on master mode as that character (in their original vehicle) unlocks an amusing little video of them, and this is something I spent ages doing when I was younger.

There are four main cups and a bonus one (with tracks based on the arcade game, which I will be covering separately), each with six tracks, giving you plenty of variety. Some tracks are in the same location, but each one of those still has a unique feel, with different ways the tracks split, turn and some with jumps. The music is also great and keeps you pumped up. There are also four difficulties to work through – so plenty to keep you busy. I only wish there was a random track generator or track creator like F-Zero X. The game doesn’t really need them, it would just be a wonderful extra.

But playing the cups isn’t the only mode, there’s also a story mode. Each mission starts and ends with a pre rendered cutscene which helps bring the world of F-Zero alive. It centres on Captain Falcon as he has to deal with a dark plot from Black Shadow and his mysterious overlord. There are only nine missions, but even on normal mode these are extremely tough. There are some point to point races, a mission where you have to destroy enemies (it’s a shame death race didn’t return from X) and one where you have to keep your speed above 700mph or else you blow up. I think it would have been nice to have some of these unique tracks available in other modes, even if they would have been extremely difficult.

I can think of loads of things that I wish F-Zero GX would have (the achievement system from Kirby Air Ride would be great), but that’s only because the gameplay is absolutely fantastic and I want more reasons to play it. I’ve not even mentioned every part of the game – there’s a garage where you can build your own vehicles and emblems, and a time trial with extremely good staff ghosts to beat. It’s a masterpiece. So, naturally, this was the last 3D F-Zero game.

Fave

It’s F-Zero – undiluted, compulsive and frighteningly fast. AV haven’t really done much to change the formula – you could argue either way as to whether or not this is a good thing – which is bound to please devoted fans of the series, and with the stunning new face-lift, it should hopefully tempt newcomers. That’s hardly a criticism.
Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #85

Remake or remaster?

A remaster would be wonderful, it still looks amazing just running in HD.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to get F-Zero GX.