I’ll take any form of F-Zero at this point
F-Zero is back, but not in the form that you or I expected, and it’s a Battle Royale called F-Zero 99?
During the era of the Super Nintendo (1990), the company released a futuristic racing game called F-Zero, and I instantly fell in love with it. It was different than other racing games. For starters, the vehicles didn’t have tires, and they raced around on these cool tracks, and even the racers had different personalities, as if Nintendo was watching a bunch of anime and decided to include that into their game. It was a great time. The game got several follow-ups for the Nintendo Gamecube, N64, and arcades. Then, nothing. It disappeared, and I’ve been obsessed about why ever since. Then Nintendo does what it did today during the September 2023 Nintendo Direct.
F-Zero 99, just like prior titles, Tetriss 99, Pac-Man 99, and Super Mario Bros. 35, is a battle royal title that will have you racing against 98 other players, trying to be the sole racer to win. Except, as you can imagine, this is a weird concept, making a racing game a battle royale, but I do like the idea. Instead of just racing, players will also attempt to smack other racers into the guard rails and other racers, causing damage. Take too much damage, and it’s lights out as you explode, and the race is over.
Of course, there’s a catch… as F-Zero 99 is only available as a Nintendo Switch Online title, and maybe for a limited time. Who knows, but I do think Nintendo knows this will attract fans of the game to spin for an NSO subscription, just like I am. Oh, Nintendo, you do know what you’re doing at times.
Sadly, this isn’t the F-Zero I was looking forward to, and I was hoping for a full-blown remake or even a remaster, as so many other Nintendo properties have gotten the treatment for. Maybe that will eventually happen, maybe.
F-Zero 99 will be available on Nintendo Switch Online later today.
