F-Zero GX Review

Release: 2003
Platform: Game Cube
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Nintendo
Rated: T
ebay price: $1-$15

F-Zero is a unique racer, and is a series of Nintendo that goes back to the Super Nintendo system. F-Zero GX is the latest installment of the series and comes to us on Nintendo's Gamecube. F-Zero is a racer, but what sets it apart is that it comes from the FUTURE! In the game the player can choose from over 30 different jet cars. F-Zero GX also has a variety of different tracks with twists and loops that defy the laws of gravity. Being that the cars don't have wheels, the machines tend to drift around, making for even more of a challenge. One thing about jet cars is, they're really fast. F-Zero GX gives the player a great sense of speed, some cars in the game can reach up to 3000 Kilometers per hour, that's about 1865 miles per hour. F-Zero has several different modes, which you would find in any other racer, such as: Grand Prix, Verses, Time Trials and the like. F-Zero features a story mode, which has 8 different chapters, each with a ridiculous abount of dificulty. This fact may drive other players away, though it offers a great amount of challenge to those who are a fan of the series, or of the game. F-Zero has a custom car creator. The creator has a simple interface, there are only 3 different parts, and the player can mix and match as he or she so chooses. The player can unlock more parts for his or her custom machines by completing Grand Prixs or story mode chapters, which gives the player more opportunities. One of the drawbacks of the custom creator mode is that it only four available slots. F-Zero GX has an arcade counterpart titled F-Zero AX, due to the lack of arcades in today's world, they're rather hard to come by. F-Zero AX cabinets have a port for the player to put their memory card in so that they can unlock more content for the game, such as more racers and tracks.

F-Zero boasts a large soundtrack of several differnet scores, each unique to the area they're assigned. Each score is face paced and sets te mood for the track. Each world is different, and the songs are appropriate for each area. Some tracks have a more melodic song, while others have more of a dark sound, which sets the tone for the track. As far as sound effects go, each machine has it's own sound. The cars will sound different depending upon how the players tune them, whether for speed, or accelaration. Each different machine has unique engine sounds, which creates a nice nuance which immerses the player even more.The sound of the opposing racers engine is truly something to be hold, racers will creep up on the player, and what sounds like a jet gets louder and louder as the oponent is on approaches.

F-Zero GX has graphics which are well made and detailed, however the speed which the player can accomplish defeats the whole purpose of the detail. The player is still able to catch something out of the corner of his eye, though his focus is on the track. There is a case in the story mode, which requires the player to be looking along side the track to see where the obsticles are going to fall. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, however it's extremely difficult for the player to adapt that ablility so early in the story mode.

Like most Gamecube titles, F-Zero does not have online multiplayer. Though this shouldn't stop you from getting the game. If you're looking for some solid multiplayer racing, F-Zero GX is an excellent title to pick up for that. There's even a setting to have AI bots race along with the players, when people are limted.

All in all F-Zero GX s an excellent racing game and has even made its way into my top 5 games, though that's my list. As a racing game fan, this is deffinatly one of my favorites. F-Zero is a great game and franchise, and it's also a necessary addition to any gamers library.