April 2nd, 2006
F-Zero GX: a reappraisal
I played a bit of vs. battle F-Zero GX on the weekend. It’s probably the first time in at least two months that I’ve even turned the Gamecube on. Thinking about having to start a battle over again in Path of Radiance because I’ve permanently lost a party member is enough to get the bile ducts flowing. But I assure you I’m coming to a point here.
When I first got my Gamecube, F-Zero GX was the first game I “reviewed” for the platform. I say that with a smile on my face because in hindisight I completely missed the fucking point of the game. Focusing on things like “story mode” and getting pissy over it being hard to unlock more vehicles (a trend that has sadly continued in every racer I’ve played since) is really not important. I would happily play the game with the default four racers, the ones that were introduced in the original F-Zero. It wouldn’t make a difference. Because F-Zero GX is not about pulling stunts or rewinding time or launching red shells or realistic physics. It is about winning a race. Crossing the finish line is the only goal that could ever matter as the landscape blasts past you at 1200 km/h with the siren blazing that you need repairs badly.
F-Zero GX is about going fast at all costs. It is a racing game in its purest, most concentrated form. And that’s why I still love it.
April 3rd, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Damn right. I love that game (even with the slightly broken mechanics, with the snaking and the flying and all that bullshit). It gets a lot of crap for being “too hard”, but the fact is if you stick to the Grand Prix, the difficulty curve, I thought, was just perfect. Yeah, the story mode is really tough — but it’s not meant to be the focus and anyone that spends all their energy trying to beat it (rather than the Grand Prix races) is missing the point.
If they want a story, they should be playing Oblivion and not F-Zero.
April 4th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Hardly a fair comparison, because I don’t think anyone plays a racing game for a story. But I know what you mean.
F-Zero GX has a ton of options available in the game that I’ve mostly ignored. You can go through the story mode, beat the Grand Prix on the different difficulties, unlock new tracks, create custom vehicles, unlock new racers…there’s the just so much to do in this game. But I haven’t really delved that far into any of them except honing my skills through the Grand Prix races and Practice mode. In fact, the way I was able to perfect a run of Mute City (Sapphire Cup) with its damnable gaps was infinite laps and no AI racers. Just me versus the track. It was an amazing feeling, because there was no time limit and no pressure. It allowed me to truly experience what the game was offering: speed.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:46 am
[...] 2006, I went back and reduced F-Zero GX to its most basic elements. It could easily pass for another description of Canabalt. [...]