Dateline Tokyo. The year is 1990. With the Famicom having taken the country by storm several years previously, the next stage in the Nintendo legacy is about to be realised with the launch of the new Super Famicom. The system is set to launch with only two games: one being the latest in the classic Mario series; and the other a 3D futuristic racer like nothing the world has seen before. The other: F-Zero.
And so we arrive in the year 2001, the launch of another illustrious games machine, and the launch of another F-Zero. The first thing to emphasise is that F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is a lot closer in gameplay terms to the SNES version than the N64's "built-for-speed" F-Zero X. For a start, this being the GBA, the handling obviously relies on the digital D-pad. But the game has a good number of differences too.
In graphics terms, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is nothing special. The background detail is minimal, and the tracks themselves are hardly the most inspiring thing to look at. As ever, though, F-Zero's saviour is that, when playing the game, you will never notice that it doesn't look particularly beautiful; you won't have the time. The reason for this is that F-Zero is fast. That isn't just fast as in your average racer, but astronomically fast, especially once you've unlocked some of the later ships. The music is great, with some excellent tunes, although none of the original classics are present.
As F-Zero is a straight racer (no fancy weapons here), the most important part of the game is obviously how well it handles. Fortunately, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity's handling is possibly the most perfectly judged thing ever. Although you will likely manage the first couple of tracks with ease on your first attempt, there is a very steep learning curve which consists of three stages. The first is the mastery of blast cornering, a technique explained in the manual which involves rapidly tapping 'A' as you round the tighter corners to gain more grip. This is absolutely essential with all the craft, especially those with lower "balance" ratings. The second stage is to learn to take the racing line. As with almost all racers, the way to do this is to time your cornering so that you pass through the apex of the turn, taking the shortest (and therefore quickest) route through and losing as little speed as possible. The final technique involves blast cornering while holding L or R (depending on which direction you're headed in - left or right), which is very difficult to get the hang of, and its usefulness depends on the "turn" rating of your ship; and also how many tight corners and hairpin turns there are on the current circuit.
As I've probably demonstrated, the vehicle you opt for makes quite a drastic difference to how the game plays. There are 10 in all, which isn't quite as many as F-Zero X's 30 (actually it isn't anywhere near as many), but they're all sufficiently varied to make you change your driving style when using each one; being rated in seven different areas. The final six will become accessible after the necessary requirements (beating the tournaments on certain difficulty levels) have been fulfilled, and four are available from the beginning:
Hot Violet: The perfect craft for almost anyone. It has below par grip and a low top speed, but it's quick off the mark, turns exceptionally well, and reaches some pretty nifty speeds when its powerful boost is activated.
Fireball: The fastest of the original four craft, but it takes quite some time to get there. It also doesn't handle particularly brilliantly. Fortunately, any smashing into obstacles because you couldn't turn it quickly enough will be nicely absorbed by its tough shielding.
J.B. Crystal: It's slow and looks like a fridge. Fortunately, it has excellent grip and its boost (not too shabby in itself) lasts for ages... Although this can cause problems on tracks without long open stretches, as you'll be going into sharp corners at super-high speeds.
Wind Walker: It was called the Crazy Horse in the Japanese version, but they changed it for some reason. Oh well. It does seem strange though, as its pilot, "The Sweep Man", would no doubt rather get his name changed than the ship's. Anyway, the Wind Walker is fast, although not to the extent that the Fireball is, and has the most powerful boost of the basic craft. It also turns on a sixpence (literally), so long as you can stand the fact that it has almost zero grip and will explode whenever you so much as breathe on it too hard.
One thing you might have noticed mentioned there was boosting. Again, to further liken F-Zero: Maximum Velocity to the SNES version, it uses the exact same boost system. At the beginning of each of the final four laps (the races consist of five laps), you are awarded one boost. Where to use this depends on the track, your craft, and your opponents (a boost is a good way of overtaking). In addition to boosts, there are also dash plates strategically located around the tracks, which will act in a similar way. Other obstacles, such as mines, gravel and icy surfaces, stand to hinder your progress.
Once you've got the hang of your basic F-Zero piloting skills, the tournaments beckon. There are three at the start, named after chess pieces (Pawn, Knight and Bishop), each with five tracks. To complete a tournament, you must finish within the top three of every race, although obviously winning the races is much nicer. On the first two difficulty settings (Beginner and Standard) this shouldn't be much of a problem for experienced racers (although novices will be glad they're there), but Expert presents your first real challenge, where you have to race almost perfectly to stand a chance. But even that's nothing compared to the fourth difficulty level, Master, where absolute perfection is a requirement. A fourth tournament (the Queen Cup) will also open later on, giving you five new tracks.
Aside from the tournaments, there isn't too much else you can do alone. There is a 21st "Championship Circuit", which requires you to beat a set time to win, but this isn't particularly challenging after you've practised the track for a short while, and after that only beating your own time remains. Nevertheless, improving on your own personal best can be quite good fun, especially as you try to work out which craft is best for each of the 21 tracks.
F-Zero will allow players to link up their GBAs even if they only have one cart between them, but sadly, due to memory restrictions, only one track and one ship is available. With multiple carts, more options and tracks open up (everything you have in the single player game will be available), giving the mode much more depth. If you have only two players, the CPU will fill in for any absentees, meaning there's always heated competition. The multiplayer is excellent fun, but that was almost guaranteed anyway since it's basically the one-player game with human opponents.
It may not have the same amount of hype surrounding it and driving it forwards into the public eye as Mario Kart Super Circuit does, but F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is an almost perfect execution of the futuristic Mode 7 racer concept. It's fast, it's a lot of fun, and it has tonnes of depth. It's also extremely challenging and will keep even the most skilled racers playing for a long time if they want to get the last craft, the Jet Vermillion, the honest way. It's definitely among the best of the launch titles, and with a launch line-up as stellar as the GBA's, that's very high acclaim indeed. If you want my honest opinion: Buy it!
Disclaimer: Don't expect F-Zero to bring instant gratification. It takes a while to get into (it took me almost a week to appreciate its true value), but it is well worth the effort. Also, make sure you have headphones: they enhance the experience quite dramatically.
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