GameOn!

Retro Review, brought to you by MyOpera member Beeks...

What is F-Zero? Our story begins...

"In the latter half of the 20th century, Mankind was gripped by the fear of being invaded by extraterrestrials. They referred to extraterrestrial spacecraft as UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). Now, to those of us in this day and age, this sounds like a fairy tale.
It is now the year 2560, and due to the human race's countless encounters with alien life forms throughout the Universe, Earth's social framework has expanded to cosmic proportions. Now, trade, technology transfer and cultural interchange are carried out on an interplanetary basis.
The multibillionaires who earned their enormous wealth through intergalactic trade, while satisfied with their rich lifestyles, also yearned for new entertainment to simulate their lazy lives. Their wishes were met by a call for a new project based upon a seemingly simple premise--"Why not h old, on a galactic scale, some competition like the F-1 races once held on Earth centuries ago?"
At once, everyone jumped at this idea. Rich merchants from cities in the clouds or asteroids with almost uninhabitable environments invested their wealth in the construction of racing circuits.
These racing circuits were located as high as 300 feet above ground and held in place by anti-gravitational guide beams on both sides of the course.
The racing machines developed for these tracks used the very latest in super-magnetic technology and were designed to travel without wheels, hovering one foot above the course track.
When the first Grand Prix race was held, people were angered at the brutality of the competition. The organizers had, during construction, placed various obstacles and traps along the raceway. But as time passed, and people grew used to these dangers, they soon demanded even more excitement in the race. In time, winning this race meant earning the highest honor that could be bestowed on anyone in the Universe.
In a very short time, people came to call this Grand Prix simply, "F-ZERO."

Characters:
Dr. Robert Stewart is a very suave and sculpted looking man with ridiculously good-looking hair and a blazing yellow racing suit. The fact that he is a medical doctor and an experienced surgeon explains all this, as most doctors in games almost always look amazing (see comic at bottom). And it has also been rumored that the bright red scarf he wears around his neck is a symbol of friendship. Isn't that just sweet! He's also quite the ladies' man--in the comic contained in the original manual, Dr. Stewart announces during the start of one race, "I shall win to honor beautiful women everywhere!"
Dr. Stewart drives the Golden Fox, which is a speedy but troublesome vehicle. The creator of the Golden Fox (Kevin Stewart, Dr. Stewart's late father) placed a heavy amount of influence on the speed and acceleration of the machine but failed to give it adequate protection from attacks. It is also very challenging to steer the Golden Fox around tight corners since it has very low grip. It takes a very meticulous and careful driver to wield the Golden Fox, which is probably why a surgeon is in control!

Pico is the disgruntled racer in F-Zero. And he's a mutant! Pico is the mysterious hitman of the bunch, and he puts his deviant skills by being the most reckless driver in the F-Zero Grand Prix. Not much is known about him except for the rumor that he is possibly a Special Unit soldier for the Polipoto Army (more about Pico is revealed in later F-Zero games).
The Wild Goose is Pico's vehicle of choice, and it's quite the little tank. With grade A durability, this machine can withstand almost anything, but its acceleration and grip fall a bit short. "In this game Pico's homeworld was Death Wind, the general of Death Wind, which is the special unit of the Polipoto military, designed this machine for use in command of the unit. When the general retired, the Wild Goose's military history was recognized, and it was adopted for racing. The soldier who designed the Wild Goose is a member of the strong fighting spirited Polipoto tribe of Death Wind."

While some people are in it for the thrills and excitement, Samurai Goroh races in F-Zero because he hates Captain Falcon for unknown reasons (although, it has been said that at one time, the two once worked closely together in the Internova Police Force). Now he's running around with a group of bandits causing trouble, and even his vehicle is said to have been stolen property. Samurai Goroh is a massive gentleman with bulging biceps, but his girth does not stop him from executing multiple backflips!
Despite his hulking figure, Samurai Goroh drives the pink-mobile, also known as the Fire Stingray! It may look a little girly, but it has grade A durability along with better than average grip. The Stingray has the worst acceleration but the best top speed.

Captain Falcon is the pilot of choice for beginners due to his average statistics, and he is also the main character of the game. Supposedly, Captain Falcon is an accomplished bounty hunter, but his occupation has made a a number of people hate his guts (Samurai Goroh included). He lives by himself on Earth because of this reason and spends most of his time on his island home perfecting his racing skills on his own private racetracks. Yet, a life in solitude does not necessarily mean one is quiet and humble--in the instruction manual, Captain Falcon cockily announces, "There are two kinds of drivers in this race--ME and the losers!" Though he wears a full helmet in his pictures, it is possible to demask the Falcon somehow in the game and reveal his true identity.
Captain Falcon pilots a vehicle aptly called The Blue Falcon. It is the lightest out of all the vehicles, and though it has no exceptional statistics, its boost, durability and grip all average out to make this the ideal choice for those just starting out on the racetrack.

Track Features and Hazards:

• Rough: Will deprive your machine of its speed and interfere with its handling.
  
• Anti-Gravity Guide Beam: This guard rail is installed to prevent machines from leaving the course and dropping over the edge. Be careful! If you touch it, it will cause your power meter to drop.
  
• Land Mines: Striking one of these will cause your power meter to take a huge drop and will often cause total loss of control.
  
• Jump Plate: This spring board will launch your machine high up into the sky and will increase your speed.
  
• Down-Pull Magnets: Passing over these magnets that are arranged in banks, while flying above the course will cause your machine to lose altitude.
  
• Left-Pull and Right-Pull Magnets: Designed using the same theory as the Down-Pull magnets, these are placed at the edge of the track and will cause your machine to be pulled off the course.
  
• Magnetic Field Block Coat: Also known as the Slip Zone. The coating blocks your machine's magnetic grip on the track.
  
• Dash Zone: Upon entering this zone, your machine will be thrust forward with an explosion of acceleration for a short period of time.

When F-Zero was released in 1990, it was met with a warm reception and rave reviews. Not only was it one of the fastest racing games of its time, it was revolutionary in that it was simulating a smooth 3-D like environment using the aforementioned Mode-7. Since then, the F-Zero series has grown from its four character line-up to a competition involving more tracks, more characters, and improved graphics. F-Zero also has cameos in the Super Smash Brothers games, with Captain Falcon as a playable character and some of the racing tracks as stages in the game. The soundtrack is unbeatable, the gameplay is fast and exciting, and it has amazing replay value. I only wish there were more story development--in the original instruction manual, it went so far as to profile each character and include an 8-page comic that gave us a little peek into each character's personality, along with an image of what each looked like. In the actual F-Zero game, we only see the vehicle that each pilot commands and not much else. But, I guess I can't complain--it IS a racing game, so not much background is needed when all you want to do is tear up the asphalt. I recommend this game for those who want to collect classic Nintendo games on the Virtual Console and also those who prefer the racing genre. Although it's easy to pick up but difficult to master, this game is not for everyone; therefore, I don't want to give it a perfect score. Even so, if you're having a tough time deciding the next Virtual Console title to purchase, you should seriously consider F-Zero!

A solid racing title that never gets slow or boring! And it has a fabulous soundtrack! 7/10
Cost: 800 Wii Points



Sources:
Wikipedia
F-Zero Instruction Manual