F-Zero GX is From The Future! | Review. Sega are Gods of Arcade Game Design. On this month's Patreon-voted review, I revisit one of my favorite racing games of all time and one that embodies SEGA at the peak of their powers, F-Zero GX. I discuss when why, when it comes to talking about the legacy and influence of SEGA, it's extremely important to credit their work in the arcade market and realize how most innovation in classic game design began in arcades and then flowed downward into console gaming -- rather than this console-centric view of gaming history where Nintendo invented all game design and also saved the entire artform at the same time (Namco, SEGA, Capcom, Konami, SNK just would have vanished without Nintendo I am sure). A view of gaming history that only makes sense if you remove arcades from the timeline and only play the NES.
In this review I also discuss the interesting history behind F-Zero GX and AX where it was created by one of SEGA's most talented arcade divisions, AM4, who previously created Spikeout and Monkey Ball (GX uses the Monkey Ball physics engine) and would go on to be the big breadwinners of SEGA in the modern era with the Yakuza series, which is really interesting. I also attempt to explain the deep mechanical design of GX and how it supports distinct styles of play like MAX SPEED vs SNAKING and how much the game would really benefit from the simple addition of online modes and leaderboards which were not really possible on the Gamecube, but are the type of thing SEGA were interested in long before Nintendo were, such as when they created Segadotnet (avoiding fake hyperlink) and VFdotNet.
Overall, getting into F-Zero GX is a real treat for any arcade player, even if your not super experienced with racing games (I'm not that great at them) because of how unique its physics and mechanical design are and how it makes full use of real 3D environments for the tracks, rather than just limiting the playfield to a single surface. I love the open ended ambiguous nature of its track design and I could see if we ever got a proper remaster how the inclusion of a track editor would be extremely interesting and fun.
I'd like to thank the following F-Zero GX experts for allowing me to interview them and help me understand the nature of the game better, because doing it through just pure research seemed really overwhelming (the game is that wild).
1davidj https://x.com/1david
AKC12 https://x.com/akc12_
UnrealSam https://x.com/lakesideSSBM
Awesome thumbnail created by @boghogSTG
Cool intro animation: @verygoodfreelancer
Art used for thumb by: https://x.com/Alejo5599/status/1236690612239446019
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00:00 Arcade Developers Were the Primary Innovators, Not Nintendo
04:30 Nintendo Don’t Have the Talent or Will To Follow Up SEGA AM4
08:57 F-Zero GX is Deeply Technical Like Smash Bros Melee
12:40 How to Start Playing GX, Begin With Grip
15:25 GX is Beautifully Open-Ended, MAX SPEED vs SNAKING
18:25 GX is Aggressively Skill-Based (No Deus Ex Machina)
22:30 Beat Em’ Ups and Shmups Can Learn Game Structure from Racing Games
24:55 Nintendo Should Remaster the Game with Online Modes (But Highly Unlikely)
27:19 F-Zero GX is STILL Ahead of Its Time
30:22 A Remaster Could Formalize the MAX SPEED vs SNAKING Leader boards
32:39 The Progression System Could Also Be Toned Down
34:39 Final Thoughts
#sega, #racinggames, #fzerogx