F-Zero GX

Reviewed By: Phillip “Hardcore” Herrero
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: Game Cube (Nintendo)
Produced by: Nintendo
Price Range: $31-40
Learning curve time: 12 hrs
Age level: All Ages
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Overall Rating:
Genre: Racing
Christian Rating: 5 of 5
   (nothing offensive)
Gameplay: 5 of 5
   (excellent)
Violence: 4 of 5
   (barely present)
Adult Content: 5 of 5
   (none)

F-Zero GX is the continuation to the franchise that started the futuristic racing genre. You race in the very distant future on these really fast hovercrafts. This game is really about just one thing. Speed. You get a lot of speed in this game too! The plot is a first for the F-Zero franchise. Its about Captain Falcon showing what he has to go through all the time. The cut-scenes are really nice good enough to compete with Final Fantasy.

F-Zero GX's gameplay revolves around perfection. You have to memorize the tracks well to successfully complete the game. Lets just get to what people are really complaining about this game. The difficulty. There are 30 racers on the course and they are usually close together so thing can get really crowded and a lot of machines could explode. Some people complain that the game is just too hard. Well go play some kiddy games then because I found this game to be challenging never frustrating. When you lose you have the desire to come back for more. I just love the challenge. For some it will be the worst part of the game but for those who can appreciate this kind of game it is probably the best part. Knowing that the AI will never go easy on you on your quest to earn more tickets to unlock a lot of stuff is very comforting. I don't want a game where I can unlock everything in a rental. I want a game that can kick my butt up and down the street and still makes me want to come back for more. I like the strategy of knowing when you have to use your turbo and how much to use since your turbo is also your shield and if you use your turbo too much you could explode with a bump on the wall. The only problem with the gameplay I can think of is that you have to be really committed to this game to really enjoy it. If your a casual gamer that just wants to play for short periods of time then this game isn't for you. I guess this is one of those games where if you put a lot into it you will get as much out of it.

F-Zero GX

The graphics is probably the biggest thing that got me hooked on this game. I didn't know what game I should buy and I decided to go with this game because I just couldn't help but gawk at the screenshots on videos. When you first play this game you will just be amazed at all the detail that went into this game. The courses all have different touches on them that you will remember each one for. The speed will also impress many. I can easily say that this is the fastest racer to date. The actual cars aren't as detailed as say the ships in Rebel Strike but having 30 of them in the same course makes up for it. Top all of that with the fact that this game goes 60 fps and never slows down even in the multiplayer.

The sound is also another thing that got me hooked on this game. I'm the kind of person that just likes the kind of style music that this game has. It also fits the game really well and gets you pumped up for some speed. Some people don't like this kind of music though and that's just personal opinion but since this is my review I have to say that the sound doesn't disappoint. Whenever your on the last lap the music gets a little edgier and expresses the intensity because by the third lap your usually neck to neck with another racer and you will either finish the race feeling like the king of the world or feeling heartbroken. The engines and sound effects also fit nicely with the futuristic racing theme but its not as nice as the music.

When it comes to the offensive stuff I can't really say that this game offended me at all. One of my friends said that they curse in the game but I beaten the game and more than that and still haven't heard a curse word so I can't say anything against that. There is a level where you have to race against your own soul and a they mention something about 2 universes with one being the underworld but you shouldn't really put much thought into that since your have to concentrate on memorizing the tracks anyway and that doesn't really bother me when I do think about it. There is some violence like attacking other vehicles but it isn't really much and definitely doesn't deserve the rated “T” rating it got when other games make your main objective to actually destroy other vehicles but still gets a “E” rating so don't worry about the “T” rating.

The replay value in this game is very high. 30 racers to unlock and if you want master. 20 courses to unlock and master. You will be very busy with this game. Not to mention you will have to master all the difficulty modes on Grand Prix and beat story mode on hard to get everything out of the game. What really gives this game depth though is its custom racer mode. I just had a blast with this mode. You can create the perfect racer from scrath by purchasing parts from the shop and the only way to unlock more parts is to beat Grand Prix on all its difficulties. Then you can experiment with which combination of parts works best. You can also create your own emblems to decorate your custom racer and give it some style. Its possible to create better racers than the pre-made ones so there is some incentive to try this mode out as it can be a little easier to win some races. You can also race you custom racers against your friends in multiplayer to see who has the most creativity and best custom ship. The multiplayer far exceeded what I thought it could do. I played this game all night at my cousins house first in Christmas than New Years. There are also online competitions and F-Zero AX connectivity which I wish I had the chance to try out because I heard you can only unlock some items by placing your memory card in the arcade version.

F-Zero GX

Overall this game has to be my favorite game of 2003. Legend of Zelda had the biggest brand name and Viewtiful Joe had the most originality but this game is just perfect in every category you can think of. I'm not much of a fan for racing sims ever since they took the drift out of Gran Turismo 2 and original Gran Turismo is probably the last game I spent this much attention to racing to get more stuff. This game has become my favorite racing game of all time and I don't think anything will surpass it for a long time. This is a must buy. Rent if you think its too hard though but everyone else who isn't afraid of a challenge just go ahead and buy it.

Year of Release—2003

Positive—I think that F-Zero Gx is one of the best games ever made. I could not find anything wrong with it. I think that the reviewer was right about the game not getting an E. The only bad thing about this game is that it takes a little while to learn this. It's a lot better then the older f zero games in the series. The game would make a superb addition to your gamecube library! My Ratings: [5/5]
—Joe, age 12.75

Positive—It's a good thing you can skip the cutscenes in this game. There is no violence in the game at all, and I can't figure out why it's rated T for violence. However, from a Christian perspective, I found the slutty-dressed girls in the game offensive. But it's easily skipped ove, and if you just keep pressing “A” for the cutscenes you won't have to worry about a thing. The game is to fun to let the devil ruin it. My Ratings: [4 / 5]
—Jon, age 16

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.