F-Zero

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This article is about the first game in the series. For information on the series as a whole, see F-Zero (series).
F-Zero
Developer(s) Nintendo
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Designer(s) Shigeru Miyamoto
Release date(s) JPN November 21, 1990
NA August 13, 1991
EU June 4, 1992
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: Kids to Adults (K-A); Everyone (E)
Platform(s) SNES
Virtual Console
Media 4-megabit cartridge

F-Zero is a futuristic fast-paced racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in Japan on November 21, 1990 and later in North America on August 13, 1991 and in Europe on June 4, 1992. Its success led to a series of games for multiple Nintendo consoles, handhelds, and arcade. This game has been confirmed to be downloadable for the Virtual Console service for Wii.[1] Like all Virtual Console games, Nintendo has confirmed that F-Zero will be faithfully reproduced in its original form.[2]

F-Zero was the first SNES title to pervasively use a special hardware feature of the SNES called Mode 7 that allowed different kinds of scaling and rotation effects, which F-Zero used to simulate 3D environments. Such techniques in games were considered to be revolutionary in a time when most games were restricted to static/flat backgrounds and 2 dimensional (2D) objects. An expanded version of this game was released for the Satellaview attachment of the Super Famicom in Japan called, BS F-Zero Grand Prix.

Contents

[edit] Futuristic racing

F-Zero introduced the Nintendo flagship character, Captain Falcon (as well as Dr. Stewart, Pico, and Samurai Goroh) to a long line of Nintendo mascots. Falcon appears in almost every subsequent F-Zero title as well as Super Smash Bros. and its sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee. Falcon's vehicle, the Blue Falcon, is one of four selectable futuristic vehicles in F-Zero, and in races, there are a dozen generic vehicles of different colors. All vehicles are capable of racing at speeds close to 500 km/h.

The goal of F-Zero is to beat opponents to the finish line while avoiding hazards such as land mines and magnets that pull the vehicle to certain sides of the track in an effort to make the player damage their vehicle or fall completely off the track, as well as completing each lap at least the position that the game requests without staying at the last place (20), which otherwise means disqualification. The player is rewarded with a speed boost for each lap completed.

[edit] Story

Near the end of the 20th century mankind was gripped by the fear of being invaded by extraterrestrials. They referred the extraterrestrial spacecrafts as UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). In the year 2560, due to the human race's countless encounters with alien life forms throughout the Universe, Earth's social framework has expanded to astronomic proportions.

Trade, technology and cultural interchange are carried out between planets. The multibillionaires who earned their enormous wealth through this intergalactic trade were satisfied with their rich lifestyles. However, they also yearned for new entertainment to stimulate their lazy lives.

This new entertainment based on the old F-1 races people came to call simply, "F-ZERO"."[3]

[edit] Leagues

F-Zero has a total of fifteen tracks separated by difficulty into three leagues. Additionally, F-Zero has three initial difficulty levels; beginner, intermediate, and expert. Upon completing the expert Grand Prix, a fourth difficulty level, master, opens up. Unlike most F-Zero games, there are three itinerations of Mute City, showing it at day, evening, and night. In BS F-Zero 2, Mute City IV continued the theme with an early morning setting. Some tracks have areas that can be opened and closed: Death Wind, Port Town, and Red Canyon. When there is a closed area, that means you cannot go that direction unless you're on the other number of the track, which closes the direction you went on that number of the track.


[edit] Knight League (Easy)

[edit] Queen League (Moderate)

[edit] King League (Hard)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Vuckovic, Daniel (October 18, 2006). First 7 Aussie Virtual Console games revealed. Vooks.net. Retrieved on 2006-10-23.
  2. ^ Jackson, Mike (November 12, 2006). Nintendo answers your VC questions. computerandvideogames.com.
  3. ^ WHAT IS F-ZERO?. mobygames.com (Nov 3, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-11-25.

[edit] External links


  The F-Zero series
v • d • e
Main series: F-Zero | F-Zero X | Maximum Velocity | GX/AX | GP Legend | Climax
Remakes & updates: BS F-Zero series | F-Zero X Expansion Kit
Anime: F-Zero GP Legend
Locations: Big Blue | Mute City | Port Town | Planets
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