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F-Zero GX Review
Overview
F-Zero GX is one of those super fast futuristic racers with long tracks that you have to memorize. That sounds pretty explicit, but there are so many games of this type that it's a full-fledged sub-genre at this point. It includes 25 tracks (theoretically) and 9 single player missions, as well as numerous extra cars and car parts to unlock. This is my first review on Shufflingnerds.com, so I'm going to take the time to explain how I write reviews at the same time I review the game.
Art
Since sound and graphics aren't a particularly big deal for me, I've decided to lump them in with my general impression of the art direction of the game. The game takes a kitschy tongue-in-cheek approach to its futuristic world of alien, robot, and people wearing skin tight plastic suits racing for glory and big prizes. Throughout the story mode of F-Zero GX there are several pretty entertaining cut scenes, and the dialogue and voice acting are always perfectly over the top. The music is mostly the type of upbeat techno you would expect, but there's also a hilariously dramatic song, dedicated to Captain Falcon and all his heroic glory. The game is also very graphically solid. It runs super smoothly and the levels are bright, atmospheric, and expansive.
Innovation Factor
As I get older I find innovation to be a more and more significant draw for deciding what games I want to play. By innovation I mean new, creative ideas in games, usually taking the form of new gameplay mechanics and techniques, as well as risk taking that expands or even forgoes the usual game genres. F-Zero GX is, of course, not a particularly innovative game. It's nothing more than a very solid and well polished entry into an already established genre, and doesn't bring anything new.
Gameplay
Gameplay is probably the single most important aspect of a game. It's mainly about controls, and the way those controls are implemented in-game to generate what it's all about, fun. The basic controls of F-Zero GX are tight and simple. However, the two different attacks are less intuitive and seem almost unnecessary. I've personally never found a use for the side-swiping attack, and the spin attack is unwieldy and seems to have no use outside of one of the single player missions. Still, typical races don't need the attacks, and almost never involve them, allowing players to test their skills without fighting the controls. Additionally, the level design is very strong and the courses each feel unique.
Easily F-Zero's greatest fault is its difficulty, the game is furiously hard. The single player missions are frustrating, just on the normal setting, and often require great practice to beat. The easiest setting, that is normal, feels like it should be the mid-range difficulty. I'm not ashamed to admit that I can't even beat the first mission on hard, and I have given it a lot of work. What's particularly annoying about this is that there is an even higher difficulty above this, which I know I will simply never see.
Additionally, the cup mode contains four easily accessed cups, for a total of 20 tracks, but also contains a virtually unreachable fifth cup, containing another five tracks which I may also never see. The same goes for several of the unlockable racers in the game.
Lastability and Re-playability
While I don't put particular value on the sheer length it takes to beat a game, the best games are the ones that I want to pick up off the shelf and play over and over again, that perhaps contain unlockables and higher difficulties to master. Certainly F-Zero GX contains piles of unlockables, and despite having so many of them nigh-unreachable, there are plenty of things to work towards for the non-obsessed. The cups are fun, and almost infinitely replayable, especially with multiplayer. Even the count of the 20 more easily accessed tracks is higher than what I've typically seen in this type of game. The single player campaign lasts awhile as well, and is certainly satisfying to beat, though it's not something I imagine myself playing again.
Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Played
This is the part of the review where I reveal whatever obvious thing about the game I didn't figure out until long after I should have. Don't worry, no massive spoilers, just something worth looking at if you plan on playing the game. For F-Zero it was the fact that you can replay the cups on their easier settings and still earn additional tickets. These are necessary to purchase more levels, drivers, and parts. Somehow I didn't figure this out until after erasing my save file because I had used the tickets I needed to buy the next single player level on car parts.
Overall
I always hated concluding paragraphs, but I feel compelled to wrap up my reviews somehow. F-Zero GX is an amazingly solid and well made game. While its difficulty may seem overwhelming, it's basically the game's only flaw. This is a great game no matter what, but it can really round out a Gamecube collection because it's the best of its kind on the system.
Screenshot source: Rotten Tomatoes
F-Zero GX is one of those super fast futuristic racers with long tracks that you have to memorize. That sounds pretty explicit, but there are so many games of this type that it's a full-fledged sub-genre at this point. It includes 25 tracks (theoretically) and 9 single player missions, as well as numerous extra cars and car parts to unlock. This is my first review on Shufflingnerds.com, so I'm going to take the time to explain how I write reviews at the same time I review the game.
Art
Since sound and graphics aren't a particularly big deal for me, I've decided to lump them in with my general impression of the art direction of the game. The game takes a kitschy tongue-in-cheek approach to its futuristic world of alien, robot, and people wearing skin tight plastic suits racing for glory and big prizes. Throughout the story mode of F-Zero GX there are several pretty entertaining cut scenes, and the dialogue and voice acting are always perfectly over the top. The music is mostly the type of upbeat techno you would expect, but there's also a hilariously dramatic song, dedicated to Captain Falcon and all his heroic glory. The game is also very graphically solid. It runs super smoothly and the levels are bright, atmospheric, and expansive.
Innovation Factor
As I get older I find innovation to be a more and more significant draw for deciding what games I want to play. By innovation I mean new, creative ideas in games, usually taking the form of new gameplay mechanics and techniques, as well as risk taking that expands or even forgoes the usual game genres. F-Zero GX is, of course, not a particularly innovative game. It's nothing more than a very solid and well polished entry into an already established genre, and doesn't bring anything new.
Gameplay
Gameplay is probably the single most important aspect of a game. It's mainly about controls, and the way those controls are implemented in-game to generate what it's all about, fun. The basic controls of F-Zero GX are tight and simple. However, the two different attacks are less intuitive and seem almost unnecessary. I've personally never found a use for the side-swiping attack, and the spin attack is unwieldy and seems to have no use outside of one of the single player missions. Still, typical races don't need the attacks, and almost never involve them, allowing players to test their skills without fighting the controls. Additionally, the level design is very strong and the courses each feel unique.
Easily F-Zero's greatest fault is its difficulty, the game is furiously hard. The single player missions are frustrating, just on the normal setting, and often require great practice to beat. The easiest setting, that is normal, feels like it should be the mid-range difficulty. I'm not ashamed to admit that I can't even beat the first mission on hard, and I have given it a lot of work. What's particularly annoying about this is that there is an even higher difficulty above this, which I know I will simply never see.
Additionally, the cup mode contains four easily accessed cups, for a total of 20 tracks, but also contains a virtually unreachable fifth cup, containing another five tracks which I may also never see. The same goes for several of the unlockable racers in the game.
Lastability and Re-playability
While I don't put particular value on the sheer length it takes to beat a game, the best games are the ones that I want to pick up off the shelf and play over and over again, that perhaps contain unlockables and higher difficulties to master. Certainly F-Zero GX contains piles of unlockables, and despite having so many of them nigh-unreachable, there are plenty of things to work towards for the non-obsessed. The cups are fun, and almost infinitely replayable, especially with multiplayer. Even the count of the 20 more easily accessed tracks is higher than what I've typically seen in this type of game. The single player campaign lasts awhile as well, and is certainly satisfying to beat, though it's not something I imagine myself playing again.
Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Played
This is the part of the review where I reveal whatever obvious thing about the game I didn't figure out until long after I should have. Don't worry, no massive spoilers, just something worth looking at if you plan on playing the game. For F-Zero it was the fact that you can replay the cups on their easier settings and still earn additional tickets. These are necessary to purchase more levels, drivers, and parts. Somehow I didn't figure this out until after erasing my save file because I had used the tickets I needed to buy the next single player level on car parts.
Overall
I always hated concluding paragraphs, but I feel compelled to wrap up my reviews somehow. F-Zero GX is an amazingly solid and well made game. While its difficulty may seem overwhelming, it's basically the game's only flaw. This is a great game no matter what, but it can really round out a Gamecube collection because it's the best of its kind on the system.
Final Score: 80/100
Where does this game rank on my All Time Reviewed Games List?
Screenshot source: Rotten Tomatoes