Post your F-Zero impressions/reviews here

[OB1]

I got the game just a little while ago and I have to say that F-Zero GX is by far the best racing game I have ever played. It's such a great sweaty-palms game. It's insanely fast, tough, and even the beginning circuits are a huge adrenaline rush. I'll post more detailed impressions later on tonight.

[The Former DMiller]

Very fun so far. F-Zero X was my favorite racing game ever but this one may soon surpass it. I've only played about 2 hours today but I should get some more gametime in tonight. It does seem to be pretty tough so far, and I haven't even ventured beyond the Novice difficulty yet.

[Great Rumbler]

I played the demo at Wal-Mart. It was pretty cool...

[A Black Falcon]

I hate you... must. get. soon.

[OB1]

Wow, several hours into the game and I'm in heaven. The game just gets so good, but so tough. Not bad tough, but more like "I'm going to fucking kill you, bastard bots!!" tough where you won't stop trying until you master the game.

The graphics are incredible, with very detailed environments and a constant 60 fps framerate. The controls are perfect with some great improvements over FZ-X's controls (like analogue drifting), and the track design is superb.

[The Former DMiller]

I couldn't even look at the graphics really until my friend played the game. They are incredibly detailed. There is so much going on in the background it's nice to be able to sit back and watch it for a while.

The game is challenging to the point where I sometimes turn off the GameCube after barely losing a Grand Prix race, but it's good enough that I usually come back to the game a few minutes later. Multiplayer is the same, but with four players I think it's a lot of fun. Less than that isn't anything special, though.

[OB1]

Yeah, I'm the same way. I turn off my 'cube after losing a grand prix round but then come right back to it a few minutes later.

[Laser Link]

I forgot that my school is closed both Monday and Tuesday for Memorial Day, and I really don't have any homework yet, so that means that I will have 5 days of nothing to do. And now class, how good is your math?
"5 days of free time" + "sweet new games" = ?

RENTAL WEEKEND!!!!

None of the rental stores have Soul Calibur 2 or F-Zero in yet, but Blockbuster says they will be in tomorrow. This could work out very, very well.

[Dark Jaguar]

Looks like someone got their game desire back. Oddly enough, so did I, having some free time so far to play Frozen Throne has got me hooked. Fortunatly I do believe at this rate I'll beat the whole thing before getting too deep into school work.

[EdenMaster]

Woo-hoo! God bless payday! I'm running up to GameStop to get it on my lunch break from work tomorrow, so I can play right after work! Efficiency? You bet!

[A Black Falcon]

It is hard... not sure about if its as hard as reviewers complain, but it probably gets harder as you go along so it well might. Which is a good thing, imo... :)

[Great Rumbler]

I just got F-Zero today and pretty soon I'll be able to play it!! I can't wait!! *explodes with joy*

[The Former DMiller]

Good Lord. Today I first tried out the Hard difficulty in Story Mode. Ouch!

[OB1]

I know, it's insane. Wait until you play Master mode. *shudders*

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah, its hard. I got stuck in the second mission in story mode... stupid race in the canyon with the rocks falling!

[OB1]

I hate that mission.

[Great Rumbler]

I finally got to play it and it's awesome! The graphics are amazing! And everything is flying around and going fast and electricity and VROOOOOOOM and Oh, man look out for that wall and Whoah that was close!!

[OB1]

Like totally!!

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, its fun... it definitely is somewhat different from F-Zero X, though. The tracks feel a lot shorter and controls are different... but that's expected from a different developer.

[OB1]

Go back and play F-Zero X for a while. All of the changes are good.

The tracks aren't shorter, but the vehicles are a lot faster.

[The Former DMiller]

I totally agree about the vehicles feeling faster. I remember sometimes playing F-Zero X if I didn't have any other cars around me and was going down a straightaway it felt like I was going incredibly slow. I never get that feeling while playing GX.

[OB1]

Yeah it's crazy fast.

[A Black Falcon]

Since the cars are faster, the tracks are shorter times to complete. They should have made the tracks longer, probably... they are really quite short. Oh well... its not that bad. Wipeout has super short tracks too, and it works great there...

[Great Rumbler]

I didn't think the tracks were short...maybe because I was too busy HAVING FUN PLAYING THE GAME!!

[A Black Falcon]

Well I noticed by my second race that the tracks are really short.

[OB1]

Cry me a river why don't you.

[A Black Falcon]

Uhh... did you miss how I said that short tracks aren't necessarially bad?

Oh yeah, and the later tracks are a lot longer. And the fact that they all look so amazing helps... :)

[The Former DMiller]

Have you unlocked the Diamond courses yet ABF? They contain a really long course in Trident. It is by far my favorite course in the game to this point.

[lazyfatbum]

1.) People are comparing F-Zero GX to Wipeout - It is nothing like Wipeout.

2.) I actually got dizzy playing it :D

3.) I am in the process in building a machine that looks like the Epoch from Chrono Trigger. *ejaculates*

[A Black Falcon]

1) Actually, I'd say that it plays more like Wipeout than F-Zero X. I think they made it a bit more like Wipeout... the speed, the tracks, the other cars... its certainly F-Zero, but its got some Wipeout in it.

No, I don't have Diamond yet. I've only played it some... finished the first two cups in Beginner in 2d place each time, but haven't finished the third one. Last time I did play it I was doing pretty well, but kept dying... stupid Casino level! So hard to not fall off...

Oh yeah, the Casino world reminds me of the Casino Night zone in Sonic 2... :)

[EdenMaster]

It's b...beautiful! I stood slack-jawed at the INTRO SEQUENCE and when I got into the race, thanks in part to my booming stereo speakers, I felt like I was really in Mute City, racing around the track. Each turn and veer made me lean to side like I was inside the racer.

Truly an incredible racing game, and I don't even LIKE racing games!

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, F-Zero GX is a phenominal game in every sense of the word... any complaints about the game are quite minor. This is just about as good as it gets.

[OB1]

Did you just say that it plays more like Wipeout than F-Zero X?? SERIOUSLY man, what the hell is wrong with you??! Aside from some control changes the game plays very much FZ-X. Wipeout was never faster than F-Zero X, the crafts still look like the F-Zero X crafts, the tracks are not simple flat, wavy tracks like the ones in every single WO game except for Fusion, and the way the vehicles feel are the complete opposite of Wipeout. Wipeout's vehicles were very floaty and very bad at turning.

You're nuts.

[Great Rumbler]

This is game is very, very fun and the graphics are simply amazing. I can't wait to play it on my brother's HDTV. Progressive scan here I come!!

I'd say that it plays a lot like F-Zero X. The tracks have a lot of the same things: tubes, half-pipe, jumps, ect. The vehicles are similar to those in FZ-X. And didn't Wipeout have weapons? I know F-Zero GX doesn't.

[OB1]

Yes, WO has weapons. And actually, the only minor complaint I (and other reviewers) have about F-Zero GX is that it's really just a faster, better version of F-Zero X (in every way). But I'll excuse it since it was Amusement Vision's first try at the series and because it's so unbelieably fun.

[A Black Falcon]

Did you just say that it plays more like Wipeout than F-Zero X?? SERIOUSLY man, what the hell is wrong with you??! Aside from some control changes the game plays very much FZ-X. Wipeout was never faster than F-Zero X, the crafts still look like the F-Zero X crafts, the tracks are not simple flat, wavy tracks like the ones in every single WO game except for Fusion, and the way the vehicles feel are the complete opposite of Wipeout. Wipeout's vehicles were very floaty and very bad at turning.

No, I did not say that. I said that it plays like F-Zero, but with more of Wipeout in the game than previous versions.

More of the tracks are short, simple and wavy than F-Zero X. Are most of them? Absolutely not. But more are than before. Also, the cars seem smaller on the track or something... its harder to kill the other cars than it was in X. I don't know why it feels that way... X had pretty small cars as well, of course, but GX just seems in some way to either have them smaller or faster. It might just be faster... because they're certainly harder to hit (to kill) than they were in X.

But yes, the game does play a LOT like F-Zero X. Which, given how great X is, is a good thing...

'Faster, better version of F-Zero X' isn't exactly a complaint. :)

Its not completely accurate either, but it wouldn't be bad...

Oh, and you're right, the cars control like F-Zero cars and not Wipeout cars. By 'it feels a bit more like Wipeout' I mean the track designs, the weapons (very similar, but changed some...), and the general look of the game... the graphics in the game do often look like F-Zero, but because of the greatly increased detail sometimes make me think of Wipeout or Extreme-G... same with the tracks -- F-Zero is clearly the main influence, but there sure seem to be more 'standard' tracks. Especially earlier in the game.

[OB1]

This is what you said:

Actually, I'd say that it plays more like Wipeout than F-Zero X.

There's only one way to read that!

How much have you played the game? The track design gets far more complex than F-Zero X's, and the track design in the Wipeout games are more akin to the original F-Zero than F-Zero X. Very flat courses with just a few waves. Now there are two tracks in WO64 with some big jumps, but for the most part the WO series had very tame track design. F-Zero GX's tracks are similar to X's but with more corkscrews, more loops, and are just more difficult to navigate through. It's definitely an evolution of FZ-X's track design. The tracks are definitely not shorter than FZ-X's, it's just that you go much faster and your memory of FZ-X is probably pretty foggy right now.

The enemy vehicles are more difficult to kill because the game is simply more difficult overall than FZ-X. Instead of just using the shoulder buttons to make sharp turns and kill enemies, we have four different buttons. The shoulder buttons for sharp turns, the z button for the spin attack, and the x button for the ram attack. It actually works very well once you get used to it.

My favorite track so far is the Casino track in the third cup. It's just so much fun to race through and the backgrounds are simply stunning.

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, there's only one way to read that quote. "F-Zero GX plays more like Wipeout than F-Zero X did". That's exactly what I meant... it seemed pretty clear to me, anyway.

Oh, and I've played through all of the first three circuits. Haven't finished the third one yet, though... darn tracks with no walls... And yes, as I said, the tracks get a lot more complex. But the first circuit, for example... very short, very simple tracks. Now, you are right... F-Zero X's tracks probably weren't as long as I remember. But length isn't the main complaint, its track design... and yes, a lot of the tracks are very cool. Its just that some of the early ones are relatively flat and feel more like Wipeout tracks...

As for Wipeout... I wouldn't say "very flat". WO64 isn't that flat... sure, it doesn't do anything like F-Zero or Extreme-G or something, but they constantly wave up and down.

Oh yeah, and that Casino level is definitely one of the best... everything about it is very cool. I also really like the Port Town track... not sure which one its called (darn them getting rid of the numbers!), but its the one before the tunnel track. Though the tube is cool too...

Oh yeah, and I like how they added the things you can hit in the tube and tunnel tracks... but it would have been nice if you could actually fall off the tube, like in X. It makes the track so much easier in GX because you can't fall off the tube...

Oh yeah, and the seperate 'ram attack' button is probably a big part of why its harder to hit enemies... that, the speed, and the increased difficulty...

[OB1]

You can too fall off the tube in GX. The first circuit is a copy of the first circuit in F-Zero X, with most of the same levels being repeated, so I have no idea what you mean by them being "flat". The early tracks in FZ-X are much flatter.

All of the WO games except for WO3, WO3 SE, and Fusion have very flat tracks. A few bumps and waves here and there, but that's it.

[A Black Falcon]

You can fall off it? It seems like it'd be really hard to do...

Oh, and you are correct that the first circuit of X was also pretty flat. It'd just have been nice if they'd made it less flat... but that's not it. The first circuit just didn't seem as well designed... but that's probably just the fact that they are simpler and easier.

Still... there's no oval like Silence. And just one tube track (in the first three circuits anyway). :(

As for Wipeout... why do you say 64 is so flat?

[OB1]

The second track of the first circuit is an (almost) oval! There are more tube tracks later on in the game, and two in the first three circuits so I don't know what you're talking about. The first track is simple and easy, just like the first track in FZ-X.

WO64 doesn't have any loops, corkscrews, or massive differences in height. They're all on the ground level and don't go all crazy like F-Zero X's and GX's tracks do.

[The Former DMiller]

I think he means tube tracks like the first Fire Field level. From what I've unlocked there aren't any more of those.

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah, I meant tube like Fire Field, or Big Blue, Space Plant, etc. in F-Zero X... 'tunnel' tracks are the ones where you are inside a tube. :)

WO64 doesn't have any loops, corkscrews, or massive differences in height. They're all on the ground level and don't go all crazy like F-Zero X's and GX's tracks do.

Mostly, except for a couple of bigger hills... but Wipeout isn't about crazy tracks, or long tracks, or many tracks... its about having a few tracks and pretty much memorizing every turn in them. :)

Especially for WO64's timetrial circuit... Sokana's timetrial is one of the hardest races EVER!

Macheon IV's timetrial is not too far behind...

Compared to those two races the rest of the game is positively easy. :)

[The Former DMiller]

I'm not a big fan of the tube tracks. It just doesn't feel like the same game when I'm racing on them, especially if the tube tacks up the entire course. I never liked the tube tracks in F-Zero X and am glad there is only one in GX.

Anyway, I beat Story Mode tonight. The final race took me forever. It wasn't that I couldn't beat my opponent, it's that I couldn't stay on the damn course. There are some tricky turns on that one and since there are no walls you're screwed if you make a mistake. Guess it's time to work on beating Expert Grand Prix mode.

[OB1]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the tubes either.

I beat all of the stuff in WO64 and yes it is tough, but that's because of the poor controls of the "cars" in that game. Turning is such a pain in the ass.

[A Black Falcon]

Tubes can be fun... the obstacles in them definitely make them better, though.

Wipeout has bad controls? Huh? I don't think so... I think they are quite good. WO64 is designed so that, with enough skill, you can win every race in the game without letting go of the accelerator or hitting the walls. XL wasn't -- you pretty much couldn't avoid the walls sometimes. But in 64 if you're perfect you won't hit them... so of course the game makes you do that in the timetrial challenge. :)

[Private Hudson]

Fuck you all. Now I really have to go play Wipeout Fusion again..

First time I've played my consoles in weeks. :woo:

[OB1]

The controls in the PSX/PC/N64 WO games are very crappy! Instead of giving us great craft control but difficult track design (like F-Zero), they gave us very simple track design but very difficult craft controls. That sucks.

[A Black Falcon]

Oh, sure, in those games the controls are kinda slow and floaty... but its not that bad. You quickly get used to it and then it ceases to be a problem...

Now if you want challenging car control... I need just say one word.

ROLLCAGE

Between the ability to drive on walls and celings, the ... unique ... car controls that make it EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY easy to spin in circles, or go on a celing, fall off, spin, and be pointing in who-knows-which direction... getting used to Rollcage's controls takes quite some time. And I still regularly spin in circles... and end up facing backwards, or sideways, or something (because you also can flip over and keep driving -- the cars are like those RC cars that have the giant wheels and can drive on both sides...)

[Great Rumbler]

Rollcage was fun; I played the demo a lot, but never got around to buying it.