|
F-Zero GX
|
|
|
|
|
Publisher Region Released Nintendo NA 08/26/2003 Nintendo EU 10/31/2003 Nintendo JP 07/25/2003 |
|
Your Account Options
You currently have no privileges related to this game profile because you are not signed into an HonestGamers account. Please log in, or click to register for a free user account.
|
More Reviews by Zack M
|
|
 |
Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek (PC)
As a mystery story, White Wolf is somewhat dry. Nancy has been hired to investigate a series of dangerous incidents, including a few explosions, at Icicle Creek... |
 |
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)
Re-watching Star Wars: Episode III lately, I marveled at the complex politics that the ill-fated prequel-ogy introduced to every nerd’s favorite very, ve... |
 |
Battalion Wars (GameCube)
To be honest, my Game Boy Advance SP, once a knight in shining (quite literally, at last!) plastic, has seen little to no activity in recent months. In a sense,... |
 |
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Master Quest (GameCube)
For veterans of the original, the dungeons become all new challenges (sometimes extremely frustrating ones), with different sequences necessary for progression ... |
 |
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube)
The entire sailing element is a love-hate sort of experience: if you don’t mind occasionally spending five minutes crossing the entire ocean to get from point A... |
|
Best GameCube Games
|
|
|
Metroid Prime
Average Rating: 9.7; Reviews: 8 |
|
Resident Evil 4
Average Rating: 9.6; Reviews: 6 |
|
SoulCalibur II
Average Rating: 9.5; Reviews: 2 |
|
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Average Rating: 9.3; Reviews: 3 |
|
Pikmin 2
Average Rating: 9.3; Reviews: 3 |
|
Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II
Average Rating: 9.3; Reviews: 2 |
|
|
F-Zero GX
Average Rating: 9.1; Reviews: 5 |
|
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Average Rating: 8.9; Reviews: 9 |
|
Resident Evil Zero
Average Rating: 8.9; Reviews: 2 |
|
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Average Rating: 8.8; Reviews: 6 |
|
Looking for a good read?
Check out a selection from our database of more than 8000 reviews! G_Dub has weighed in on Top Gun: Combat Zones for the GameCube and figures it rates 7 out of 10. What do you think? Read the review, then be sure to leave feedback or chime in with one of your own! |
Systems > GameCube > F > F-Zero GX > Staff Review
Sign up for a free user account and you can leave feedback for this review or even submit a game review of your own!
Review by Zack M
October 04, 2003
The background story is standard for a racing title: set four years after a “horrible accident” involving the F-Zero Grand Prix--an annual, intragalactic racing circuit involving the fastest, most talented racers of varying species and motives--F-Zero GX is essentially the sequel to the N64’s popular F-Zero X. Pilots compete in gravity-defying hovercrafts at over 1,000 km/h through obstacle-laden courses high above the surface of their respective planets, each with the ultimate goal: emerge victorious.
With victory comes consequence, however, and to get there pilots must be ruthless as well as fast. By using the X and Z buttons, players can perform either a side- or spin-attack, respectively, and knowing when and how to use these attacks, which can potentially knock a pilot out of the race altogether, is imperative in mastering the game.
The rest of the controls are relatively simple: A accelerates, B activates the machine’s brakes (though any player who finds the brakes necessary at any point during the experience may qualify as legally insane), and the control stick pilots the craft. The L and R triggers are used to turn, with a single press of either button allowing a sharp turn in its respective direction. Both together, however, allows the machine to perform a “drift” turn instead, which, though basically the same principle as a standard turn, can potentially result in a sharper pivot--hairpin turns, for instance, almost require a drift turn to navigate without hitting the guard rail. A drift turn also maintains acceleration throughout, while a standard, “slide” turn temporarily cuts off acceleration in order to cut a corner.
As with the attacks, knowing when and how to perform each of these turns is vital during a race, since, depending how it turns out (pun sadly intended), a turn can lose or gain crucial seconds during a lap--consider, of course, that the difference between first and second is often a mere tenth of a second.
The game itself offers several features, none of which feel either gratuitous or poorly designed, save perhaps the Story mode, which, although fun, is at times almost unfairly challenging, particularly in the Very Hard difficulties.
The Story mode follows Captain Falcon in events leading up to and following the Grand Prix, and while all of the chapters are entertaining and well designed, some are simply either too hard or too cheesy--one mission, for instance, involves a speed-sensitive bomb attached to the Blue Falcon’s hull, and if the machine hits anywhere under 700 km/h, it will detonate.
The voice acting throughout the game, including the Story, is pathetically poor, a Sega trademark, though the occasional FMV is nicely rendered. There are points where the animation looks a little sloppy, particularly when a character is running, but altogether, it’s a nice treat.
GX’s main feature, though, is the Grand Prix, which involves several Cups in ascending difficulty that contain five track each, also in ascending difficulty. Most of the tracks are extremely fun, each offering its own unique layout and design, though some, although fun to play, are relatively weak, depending on the player’s preference. The game offers four difficulties--Novice, Standard, Expert, and the unlockable Master difficulty--though the only major difference in each is how fast and aggressive the other racers are; the tracks remain exactly the same no matter the difficulty.
Points are awarded for your position at the end of race, and the winner of the Cup is the machine with the most points at the end of the fifth track. Because of the point system, strategy comes into play for most of the Cups, as four first-place finishes essentially clinches an entire Cup, allowing the player to relax on at least one of the tracks without worrying about their position.
F-Zero GX is, it must be noted, an absolutely gorgeous title. Each vehicle is unique and stylish, and the various pilots are similarly interesting. Even with thirty racers on-screen at once, and things moving at mind-bending speeds, the framerate remains constant throughout the action, which compliments the exhilirating backgrounds that pepper the equally breathtaking tracks. One course, for instance, takes place on a multicolored, translucent road against a psychadelic background, and it really showcases the GameCube’s power.
Even the sound is polished, as well. Each locale offers its own unique music, which is mostly a conglomerate of guitar riffs and synthesized melodies, and the sound effects are, for the most part, acceptable. Familiar music, such as Big Blue and Mute City, make triumphant returns, and fans of the previous games’ soundtrack will likely not be disappointed.
The game also encompasses a Garage mode, where a player can customize his or her own original machine and then use it in the Grand Prix or any other race. The various custom parts, unlockable through completing Grand Prix races (along with new racers, tracks, staff ghosts, and just about everything under a billion suns), can be combined in virtually endless combinations to create a vehicle that caters to any specific player, and the machine can be further customized with decals, colors, and even a selectable pilot.
On the surface, F-Zero GX is simply another high-adrenaline rush through futuristic locales. At its core, however, GX is more than that--it is an entirely new step in the direction of perfection, empassing a wonderful, virtually flawless racing engine, more unlockable features than you can shake a throttle at, wonderful presentation, and even cross-compatiblity with the arcades’ F-Zero AX via the GC memory card. With Nintendo and Sega combining their efforts to create such fantastic titles, it’s no mystery why the two companies remain the top two creative companies in the industry.
God bless Japan.
|
|
|
|
You can click the tabs on the above bar to choose whether you wish to read comments from visitors who have posted on Facebook, or from registered site users who have left feedback on the forums. Please leave a comment of your own if you have anything to say!
|
|
|
Info |
Help |
Privacy Policy |
Contact |
Advertise
|
© 1998-2012 HonestGamers None of the material contained within this site--from reviews, guides, cheats and editorials to message board posts--may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. F-Zero GX is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to F-Zero GX, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors. |
