Last entry in F-Zero, Nintendo’s anti-gravity racing series, appeared on the Game Boy Advance 17 years ago. The last major version of the console was F-Zero GX, co-developed with the Sega Amusement Vision studio in 2003. Despite F-Zero parts that appear in Mario Kart, and Captain Falcon being a Super Smash Bros. Nintendo mainly showed no interest in continuing F-Zero in the last two decades. Fans will have to hold their breath.
At the end of last week, IGN published a extract from his interview with retired Nintendo designer Takaya Imamura about F-Zero long hiatus. (Please forgive the delay, but as it is F-Zero We’re talking about this, we couldn’t let this news through completely.) IGN asked Imamura if the franchise was really dead and he said this:
“Of course, I’ve thought about it many times, but without a great new idea, it’s hard to bring it back.”
The subtext is that Nintendo tends to design games based on new game concepts. Unless the company can whip one for a new one F-Zero, feels he can’t justify bringing the series back. Nintendo obviously has a precedent for revitalizing the beloved series with new ideas, The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of the Wild serving as a first modern example. Personally, I would be happy if Nintendo just made a great arcade again, but apparently it’s not an option. There must be a trick.
Good good. So give us a trick then.
My main problem with the Imamura line here – and it’s one that Nintendo has parrot before about this franchise – that suggests F-Zero not only it needs a trick to work, but that is also inherently immune to creativity. New thinking cannot be applied, I suppose it is a racing game.
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It’s kind of ironic, because Mario Kart 8 and 8 Deluxe, which recently combined to graphic like best selling racing game of all time, he had barely had any new ideas to talk about. The karts turn into hovercrafts and gliders in the middle of the race, but these transformations are short and almost entirely cosmetic; it does not significantly change the behavior of the vehicle nor does it add smart facets to the overall races. Mario Kart it has never changed that much and yet Nintendo still sells a lot of games.
However, if the company is convinced F-Zero I can’t come back without an ingenious idea, there’s a lot of potential in that universe. First of all, the plethora of strange characters makes it ripe for a narrative.
How about players managing a racing team, such as a futuristic version Grille, recruiting pilots and sponsors? Get inspired by His Splatoon team-based game and Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Extensive team development activities when you are not fighting on the right track. Give us the bona fide racing RPG that no one else is brave enough to do, just like you do for golf.
Bring back the profound aspects of car customization and construction F-Zero GX. Study how other games of the genre have kept things fresh with asynchronous goals and rankings that motivate players to constantly outperform their friends’ times and scores.
I can’t be convinced that it doesn’t exist anywhere F-Zero to walk. We went through three generations of consoles without a new one, and this environment has evolved over time.
It’s especially annoying for long-time fans, because, as Imamura says, the 2003s F-Zero GX it was phenomenal, because Sega and Nintendo just played the damn game together – no “big idea”, no tricks. Driven by Toshihiro Nagoshi (da, that Toshihiro Nagoshi, known today for Yakuza) F-Zero GX it was a technical marvel on the GameCube and remains one of the most visceral and dazzling arcade racing experiences to date. But that wasn’t a big surprise, given that Nagoshi gave it to us Virtua Racing, Daytona USA and Scud Race.
Imamura told how this game became:
“I think it started with [Amusement Vision’s] Toshihiro Nagoshi proposes Miyamoto’s project “, says Imamura. “I really liked Daytona USA (which Nagoshi produced), so I was honored to work with him. I had an arcade system board called Triforce, which was based on the GameCube architecture, so when Nagoshi proposed to make an arcade version of F-Zero, I was very happy because I was always a fan of arcade games.
“Back then, Nagoshi was the pinnacle of Amusement Vision, a subsidiary of Sega. I don’t think many people outside the company have ever been allowed inside the actual development offices. Usually, companies don’t leave people in their development offices, but they showed me the arcade cabinets they were working on, which became a special memory for me, ”Imamura recalls. “Nagoshi had a professional darts machine at his desk, which I found very elegant. In those days, Nagoshi still had long hair, but it was already quite imposing. ”
You can say that there is still a veneration for F-Zero GX by those who worked on it, including Nagoshi himself. It’s hard to create a business case for a game that has a relatively small fan base, but is extremely passionate and vocal. F-Zero it’s been gone for so long that I can’t help but think that a new entry wouldn’t have shaken it, especially with all the love for Nintendo and today’s Switch. Maybe just give us a remaster GX to measure reception first? Honestly, at this point, I’ll settle for anything.