F-Zero

OwaynOTT · 26-01-2012 03:01PM #1

A launch title for the SNES and it was one of the first titles I had for it as well. It was also, and still, one of the games I play/played the most. It is also one of the few games that I became so obsessed with, in that I completely passed the game, opening up the unlocked difficulty level and beating that as well and burying hours into best times.

The other big racer that I can think of on the SNES would be Super Mario Kart. In my view it's not as good as F-Zero, despite the two player option and battle mode. The two player option makes it a close run race for a while but the lack of an two player option doesn't impact on the re-playability of F-Zero because of the unbelievable soundtrack. It has some of the catchiest and memorable songs featured in gaming history. Big Blue! To this day I can hear it in my head when I think of it and apart from some of the insanely catchy Mario stuff, I cannot think of too many other game soundtracks that can do this to me. Okay Secret of Mana is hard wired into my brain as well.

Another feature that helps ensure that you go back is the time runs. Im not too sure if this was an original feature on F-Zero but is certainly the first time that I came across. Other racers like Road Rash, Off-Road, Outrun, et al, did not have this feature as far as I remember. The prospect of shaving a few micro seconds off your top score kept drawing me back. It was also a nice way to bring some two player fun into the game, by rubbing your brothers face in how your best lap on Deathwind was a whole two seconds faster.

Now we cannot talk about F-Zero and not mention Mode 7. The kick ass graphic mode on the SNES that creates pseudo 3D environments. As good as all that Road Rash and other racing games like it were, the feeling of actually turning was and going around bends was like, OMG! It was the first racing game to use this, on the SNES I think anyway, and it was truly a brilliant experience for little young me. The graphics in general were quite good as well, some lovely car designs and colours. Gotta love Samurai Goran's beast of a car.

Oh the cars! Four distinct and individually cars with the differences between them not limited to their design, they all drove and handled different. Grip, speed, acceleration and handling. Fire-Stingray was by far and away the best car and maybe if I had to pick another fault in the game, apart from the lack of two player racing, it would be the the weakness of the other cars but I suppose no two player racing helps to ensure this problem doesn't feature.

Out of all the racing games I played before and in and around that time, F-Zero comes in at pole position. Great tracks, a lot of tracks, amazing tunes, good lastability, innovative graphics and gameplay, and a good idea. Only fault in my eyes is lack of two player and a whack story but hey it's a racing game, it don't need one.

I'm not sure if I did the game justice but I don't have the time at the moment. Also I was a bit wary of using such a popular and well known game but I wanted to highlight the game that is quite possibly my all time favourite. The game is excellent but I also got into it and an impressionable age and it brings back all those early gaming moments. And unlocking the extra difficult level was brilliant. I had no idea it was there. Not a chance that could happen nowadays with the internet and the cheapness of unlockables and the whole DLC malarkey.

It's a perfect game in my view, a genuine 10/10 and none of the latter releases, while some of them being good, come close.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSb4XQwObIE

Pyongyang · 26-01-2012 03:09PM

A fine choice. Many games tried to rip it off afterwards. Namely Super Astro Go! Go! and Exhaust Heat 2. F-Zero is a classic.

...and that soundtrack is amazing!

I have a CIB NTSC-J copy of the game, might have to fish that out over the weekend now.

Retr0gamer · 26-01-2012 03:10PM

Yup it really is a classic although it's a sin to play the PAL version. F-zero is all about speed and the PAL version is ruined by the slow down. The NTSC version is so much better. I really like the F-zero series, far better than hte boring racing simulators and much better than the wipeout series since it's all about racing and not the weapons. The SNES version is a great game although I feel it's beaten by X and GX. It really does have a kick ass soundtrack.

OwaynOTT · 26-01-2012 03:15PM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Yup it really is a classic although it's a sin to play the PAL version. F-zero is all about speed and the PAL version is ruined by the slow down. The NTSC version is so much better. I really like the F-zero series, far better than hte boring racing simulators and much better than the wipeout series since it's all about racing and not the weapons. The SNES version is a great game although I feel it's beaten by X and GX. It really does have a kick ass soundtrack.

When I get a NTSC SNES, its one of the first games on the to buy list. The later games in the series have seriously weak soundtracks and too many cars. Too many cars on screen even resulted in weaker visuals for the N64 one right? If ever a console could of done without weaker visuals its that one.

I think SNES F-Zero holds up better than the others. The GBA release is meant ti be great though, shame I never played it.

Also I was genuinely thinking about doing Streets of Rage 2 and I will if I get pulled out again.

ghostchant · 26-01-2012 03:20PM

Nice choice. I loved F-Zero, and still do, but have to say my favourite of the home-console entries in the series is F-Zero X. Can't really go wrong with any of them though!

CiDeRmAn · 26-01-2012 03:21PM

I didn't like the series at all until F-Zero X and it really got great with GX, sorry to take the opposite view there.
I just felt that F-Zero as a conceit wasn't served by racing around on a Mode 7 carpet!
Looking forward to a GX sequel on the 3DS, THIS MUST HAPPEN!

RedXIV · 26-01-2012 03:25PM

Actually have Big Blue on a cd in my car as off last week, hands down, best driving music for the m50

Retr0gamer · 26-01-2012 03:35PM

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Too many cars on screen even resulted in weaker visuals for the N64 one right? If ever a console could of done without weaker visuals its that one.

The N64 game had 40 cars on the track to keep track of. It might look like crap but it means that the game could maintain a solid 60 FPS, most N64 games struggle to keep a solid 20 FPS, which made the game a lot more playable and really gave a great sense of speed so it was a decent trade-off.

I find the mode 7 games a lot better than the likes of Road Rash since you are turning actual corners instead of racing along a long corridor. There's a real disconnect between the racer and the road I feel in these games.

o1s1n · 26-01-2012 04:03PM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I find the mode 7 games a lot better than the likes of Road Rash since you are turning actual corners instead of racing along a long corridor. There's a real disconnect between the racer and the road I feel in these games.

I get a similar type of thing from mode 7 racers. It's not quite as bad in F Zero, but I seriously just can't play the original Mario Kart anymore because of it. Just feels like I'm driving around on a piece of paper someone's after drawing on.

Would much rather the up and down hills of Road Rash. It's more the FPS which lets those games down I find.

CiDeRmAn · 26-01-2012 04:21PM

o1s1n wrote: »

I get a similar type of thing from mode 7 racers. It's not quite as bad in F Zero, but I seriously just can't play the original Mario Kart anymore because of it. Just feels like I'm driving around on a piece of paper someone's after drawing on.

Would much rather the up and down hills of Road Rash. It's more the FPS which lets those games down I find.

Mode 7, if you still harbour fond memories of driving matchbox cars around your grannys living room carpet, Mode 7 racers could be for you!

Road Rash always did limit just how much control you had to actually drive, if you pay attention it feels more like you are being dragged into the scenery, a feeling perpetuated into the 3DO edition.
Doesn't make it a bad game, just not a true racing game.
Need for Speed on the 3DO, and later the lesser consoles, broke this mold.
Sure, you could still only drive forwards into the scenery, if you turned the car you saw the nose of the car pointing towards you as it drove towards unseen doom, but you had complete control over where on the road you were driving at all times.

No one else saw fit outside that gen to use Mode 7 or similar, aside from the GBA.
The MD/MCD emulated it in Street Racer and the like but it didn't wash there either!

OwaynOTT · 26-01-2012 04:22PM

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I didn't like the series at all until F-Zero X and it really got great with GX, sorry to take the opposite view there.
I just felt that F-Zero as a conceit wasn't served by racing around on a Mode 7 carpet!
Looking forward to a GX sequel on the 3DS, THIS MUST HAPPEN!

F-Zero on the 3ds = drool

Retr0gamer · 26-01-2012 04:32PM

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

No one else saw fit outside that gen to use Mode 7 or similar, aside from the GBA.

It was more so that nothing but the SNES could do it. The MCD could do it but people were too busy porting megadrive games to it with crap FMV intros. I'm pretty sure the 3DO and Jaguar used it quite a bit in a similar manner in their games.

I do know for a fact that the Saturn used mode 7 type effects extensively in the same manner as in F-zero. Since the Saturn couldn't push as many polygons as the PS1 often times where a PS1 game would have the ground completely made of polygons the saturn would use a flat mode 7 type 2D plane. It's why you'll notice the polygon elements in something like the Panzer Dragoon games doesn't really match up with the ground correctly.

One good trade-off was that since the ground was 2D then some weird 2D transformations and multiple mode 7 planes could be used to create some of the best water effects seen in that generation.

blag · 26-01-2012 05:24PM

Reading this just makes me want a new F-Zero even more. A new game from the same team that dis GX would mean an instant buy of a 3DS/Wii-U/whatever platform.

GX is definitely my favourite one (despite it being just a tad difficult in comparison to the others). I was surprised at how much I liked the soundtrack too with the shift away from the heavy stuff of the original and X...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z39zJD87iAs

DinoRex · 26-01-2012 05:29PM

Scumbag Captain Falcon:

halolz-dot-com-supersmashbrosbrawl-scumbagcaptainfalcon.jpg

deathrider · 26-01-2012 06:27PM

Once again, the stand-out thing about F-Zero is that amazing soundtrack. Every track had a memorable, ad simply brilliant tune to go with it. Mute City, Red Canyon, Death Wind, the list goes one. Even the main theme is a keeper. Not to take away from the fact that the game was also a fantastic amount of fun to play. Got it with my SNES all those years ago, and it still plays great to this day. But any time it's mentioned, the first thig I think is "Wow, what a soundtrack!"

kevin2me · 28-01-2012 08:36PM

Great Choice.

F-Zero is a cracking Series and is well overdue a fresh release,
Id love to see it on 3DS or even a Wii U Launch title, something for the fanboys on launchday instead of Ridge Racer.

Funny F-Zero popped up on boards because I just bought Gamecube version of lad on Adverts this week, pure fluke, just got F-Zero GX, never played it yet and cant wait to give it a lash. The actual FZero Arcade is monster of machine worth looking up youtube.

F-Zero on SNES is always my favourite, its just the handling, and everything just feels like perfection, and nice alternative to Mario Kart and another Nintendo classic that you forget how good they can make racer when not known for it.

Recently being playing F Zero X a lot on my Cab, and simple controls make this great crack to play on cab and for vistiors to play too, i actually love N64 visuals like Snes on steroids. And tunes are awesome too.

Hank Scorpio · 30-01-2012 01:00AM

I Prefer Fzero to mario kart, was playing it earlier on my snes oddly enough. I love trying to match records like these to see how bad I am!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBYe168cSkI

Doge · 30-01-2012 11:03PM

nuxxx wrote: »

I Prefer Fzero to mario kart, was playing it earlier on my snes oddly enough. I love trying to match records like these to see how bad I am!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBYe168cSkI

Looks like a poor man's Street Racer!

Which was absolutely **** to play on the Mega Drive if you had played the SNES version already.

You couldn't even turn around in the mega drive version iirc so it was only 2D.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx9U68HzZGo

Funny how the music sounds very SID like also!

The intro tune always reminded me of the c64.

Doge · 30-01-2012 11:13PM

One of the cool features of Street Racer was the Rumble Mode and Soccer mode too.

Twas good fun back in the day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrAhtpKSZNM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnXix0Khjyo

Watching F-Zero again, I have to say the speed of the game looks really cool.

Its almost like an early wipeout kind of game!

Retr0gamer · 31-01-2012 01:14AM

Meh street racer was a poor mans mario kart.

01-02-2012 02:02PM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Meh street racer was a poor mans mario kart.

+1 to this. Mario kart was the most craic i ever had on the SNES. Back then the concept was so original that it was unmatched for pure fun. I lost many a five pound note in "first to ten" battle mode games with my mates. The rush that you got when you both had one balloon left and you saw your power box flash up a red shell was amazing :-)

Also kudos to the OP, f-zero was great, and looked amazing back in it's day. The (then) state of the art mode 7 simulated 3D made my jaw drop when i first saw it after having made do with a NES for years.

OwaynOTT · 01-02-2012 02:18PM

Deleted User wrote: »

+1 to this. Mario kart was the most craic i ever had on the SNES. Back then the concept was so original that it was unmatched for pure fun. I lost many a five pound note in "first to ten" battle mode games with my mates. The rush that you got when you both had one balloon left and you saw your power box flash up a red shell was amazing :-)

Also kudos to the OP, f-zero was great, and looked amazing back in it's day. The (then) state of the art mode 7 simulated 3D made my jaw drop when i first saw it after having made do with a NES for years.

Ah kudos its like Gran Turismo now

CiDeRmAn · 01-02-2012 02:53PM

My jaw didn't drop until Need For Speed on the 3DO tbh.
Although seeing Starwing (sorry ntsc fans) was pretty cool as well, I wasn't aware of the smoother gameplay of the ntsc territories so it was fine.
Mario 64 was another WTF moment.

F-Zero GX was somewhere on that list too, a beautiful, maniacal racer that it was.

Despite my dislike of Mode7 I did enjoy Mariokart on the GBA, that was one of my favourites of the series, so there must be something to it, don't feel F-Zero on the Snes ever got that kind of jump in quality with it's GBA iterations.

Myrddin · 01-02-2012 03:11PM

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

My jaw didn't drop until Need For Speed on the 3DO tbh.
Although seeing Starwing (sorry ntsc fans) was pretty cool as well, I wasn't aware of the smoother gameplay of the ntsc territories so it was fine.
Mario 64 was another WTF moment.

F-Zero GX was somewhere on that list too, a beautiful, maniacal racer that it was.

Despite my dislike of Mode7 I did enjoy Mariokart on the GBA, that was one of my favourites of the series, so there must be something to it, don't feel F-Zero on the Snes ever got that kind of jump in quality with it's GBA iterations.

I remember having a bit of a jaw drop moment when I first seen Contra 3 on the SNES. Not the Mode 7 levels but in particular the bosses. It felt so arcadey back then.

After that I suppose it was the Dino on the PS1 demo disc. After coming from 16bit, it was mind blowing.

After that, Farcry on the pc was next for the jaw drop award.

There hasn't really been one since then for me

Retr0gamer · 01-02-2012 03:20PM

That first level of Contra 3 was designed to make your jaw drop. It was so ridiculous. First thing you did was blow the **** out of a car that happened to get in your line of fire. Then you took on the first boss of contra. Then realised that it was just a sub boss, the game was saying 'you ain't seen nothing yet kid'. You then hop in a tank and take on the same boss as a tank. A building collapses and a tank comes out from behind it. A bomber drops bombs and sets the whole place on fire and finally you fight a bos that's almost the size of the screen and introduces itself by smashing through a building. Superb stuff. The game calmed down afterwards but still had some highlights, the giant Snatcher ripping through the background being one but what an opening!

Myrddin · 01-02-2012 03:24PM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

That first level of Contra 3 was designed to make your jaw drop. It was so ridiculous. First thing you did was blow the **** out of a car that happened to get in your line of fire. Then you took on the first boss of contra. Then realised that it was just a sub boss, the game was saying 'you ain't seen nothing yet kid'. You then hop in a tank and take on the same boss as a tank. A building collapses and a tank comes out from behind it. A bomber drops bombs and sets the whole place on fire and finally you fight a bos that's almost the size of the screen and introduces itself by smashing through a building. Superb stuff. The game calmed down afterwards but still had some highlights, the giant Snatcher ripping through the background being one but what an opening!

Urge to play Contra 3...rising

Retr0gamer · 01-02-2012 03:27PM

Just remember the crappy overhead sections. That should put you off.

01-02-2012 03:46PM

EnterNow wrote: »

I remember having a bit of a jaw drop moment when I first seen Contra 3 on the SNES. Not the Mode 7 levels but in particular the bosses. It felt so arcadey back then.

Yeah, me too. You'll probably remember this then, lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVFyBf28bho

It's easy to laugh at snes graphics now, but for me that console was the first really big jump in graphics technology that i had seen. My first foray into gaming was a vic-20, then a NES, and the SNES blew those away graphically, but the games still had that fantastic playability that was really the ONLY hallmark of great games before technology started to widen the scope of what developers could do.

Mariokart, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario World, contra, super castlevania, ghouls and ghosts, F-Zero, and loads more. There were so many landmark games on that platform, and they weren't bloody cheap either. I remember paying £40-50 in the old money (lol) for some of them,and i think my steelboxed street fighter 2 Turbo was £60 in or around Christmas 1992. Back in the nineties that was a helluva lot of cash to pay for 16mb worth of gaming.

Myrddin · 01-02-2012 03:57PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah, me too. You'll probably remember this then, lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVFyBf28bho

It's easy to laugh at snes graphics now, but for me that console was the first really big jump in graphics technology that i had seen. My first foray into gaming was a vic-20, then a NES, and the SNES blew those away graphically, but the games still had that fantastic playability that was really the ONLY hallmark of great games before technology started to widen the scope of what developers could do.

Mariokart, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario World, contra, super castlevania, ghouls and ghosts, F-Zero, and loads more. There were so many landmark games on that platform, and they weren't bloody cheap either. I remember paying £40-50 in the old money (lol) for some of them,and i think my steelboxed street fighter 2 Turbo was £60 in or around Christmas 1992. Back in the nineties that was a helluva lot of cash to pay for 16mb worth of gaming.

I do indeed remember the ad, it's still effective - I wanna go play my Snes now after seeing it

I paid £70 for Streetfighter 2 Turbo on release, ouch!

Retr0gamer · 01-02-2012 03:59PM

I had my commodore 64 and had to endure the torture of watching it and knowing I'd never have one

Myrddin · 01-02-2012 04:00PM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I had my commodore 64 and had to endure the torture of watching it and knowing I'd never have one

Given you only got a NES recently, are you getting a SNES for Xmas 2018?

F-Zero

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