What's your game?

F-Zero GX

I’ve always held a bit of a soft spot for F-Zero games. The original on the Super Nintendo was the ultimate high speed racer. All those years playing Spy Hunter that I trained myself not to blink for extended periods of time finally paid off. Then came F-Zero 64, a worthy addition, taking full advantage of the shift to 3D tracks. Like many of the other first-party Gamecube games I’ve played, this isn’t any radical re-imagining of an older game, but an improved version of the last game that’s been polished to a shiny, shiny sheen.

The problem is that there’s really no reason to play this game, if you already played the Nintendo 64 version, unless you were just fiending for more high-speed racing fun.

It’s true, there are some innovative track designs, and there are loads of new vehicles to unlock and experiment with, and I haven’t finished all three main racing circuits to see if there’s an uber-hard fourth circuit at the end, but there’s just not enough to the game as it is to keep me playing. I’m much more likely to actually play some single-player Mario Kart than to sit down for an hour of F-Zero GX. Even the fun novelty tracks, like the one where you ride the outside of a cylinder, aren’t that challenging, they’re just different.

I guess the other alternative is that my nerves are shot due to my advanced age. Maybe I just can’t handle the unblinking, constant, high-speed tension that this game invokes. I’ll play it some more, at least until I get an invite to another game of Links 2004.