Template:Short description Template:Main other{{#invoke:infobox|infoboxTemplate | child = | subbox = | bodyclass = ib-video-game hproduct {{#ifeq:|yes|collapsible {{#if:|{{{state}}}|autocollapse}}}} | templatestyles = Infobox video game/styles.css | aboveclass = fn | italic title =
| above = {{#if:{{#invoke:WikidataIB|label}}|{{#invoke:WikidataIB|label}}|Template:PAGENAMEBASE}}
| image = {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image={{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue|rank=best|P18 |name=image |qid= |suppressfields= |fetchwikidata=ALL |onlysourced=no |noicon=yes|F-Zero X box art.jpg}}|size=|sizedefault=frameless|upright=1|alt=Numerous hovercars race on a thin straightaway toward the viewer, with "F-Zero X" in stylized capitals above.|border=|suppressplaceholder=yes}}
| caption = {{#if:F-Zero X box art.jpg|North American box art|North American box art}}
| label2 = Developer(s) | data2 = Nintendo EAD
| label3 = Publisher(s) | data3 = Nintendo
| label4 = Director(s) | data4 = Tadashi Sugiyama
| label5 = Producer(s) | data5 = Shigeru Miyamoto
| label6 = Designer(s) | data6 = Template:If first display both
| label7 = Programmer(s) | data7 = Template:If first display both
| label8 = Artist(s) | data8 = Takaya Imamura
| label9 = Writer(s) | data9 = Template:If first display both
| label10 = Composer(s) | data10 = Template:Unbulleted list
| label11 = Series | data11 = F-Zero
| label12 = Engine | data12 = Template:If first display both
| label13 = Platform(s) | data13 = Nintendo 64
| label14 = Release | data14 = Template:Unbulleted list
| label15 = Genre(s) | data15 = Racing
| label16 = Mode(s) | data16 = Single-player, multiplayer
| label17 = Arcade system | data17 = Template:If first display both
| data30 =
| below = Template:EditOnWikidata
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Template:Nihongo foot is a 1998 futuristic racing video game for the Nintendo 64 console, developed and published by Nintendo. It is a sequel to the original F-Zero (1990), and is the first F-Zero installment with 3D graphics. The game has a steep learning curve and its gameplay experience is similar to that of the original. An Expansion Kit, including a track and vehicle editor, was released in Japan in 2000.
F-Zero X introduced the ability to attack other racers, a Death Race mode, and a random track generator called the "X Cup". In the Death Race, the player's objective is to rapidly annihilate or pass the 29 other racers, and the X-Cup generates a different set of tracks each time played. Critics generally praised F-Zero X for its fast gameplay, abundance of courses and vehicles, track design, and maintaining a high framerate, although it has been widely criticized for its lack of graphical detail. F-Zero X was ported in 2004 to the iQue Player and had re-releases through the Virtual Console for Wii in 2007, later on Wii U, and through the Nintendo Classics service, featuring online multiplayer, in 2022.
GameplayEdit
F-Zero X is a fast-paced futuristic racing video game where 30 competitors race on high-altitude circuits inside plasma-powered hovercars in an intergalactic Grand Prix.<ref name="X JPN intro"/><ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp Taking place after the original tournament was discontinued for several years due to the extreme danger of the sport, F-Zero X begins after the Grand Prix is brought back with the rules and regulations revised under the same name as the video game.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp The tracks include hills, loops, tunnels, corkscrews, and pipes.<ref name="history"/> Players can drift into turns without losing momentum<ref name="IGN review"/> by using the control stick and trigger button.<ref name="EU Release Summary"/> The game introduces 26 new vehicles, and reprises the 4 from the original F-Zero game.<ref name="VC description"/> Each has its own performance abilities affected by its size and weight, and a grip, boost, and durability trait graded on an A to E (best to worst) scale.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp Before a race, players are able to adjust a vehicle's balance between maximum acceleration and maximum top speed.<ref name="preview"/>
Each machine's energy meter measures the machine's health and is decreased, for example, when the machine hits another racer or the side of the track.<ref name="manual"/> This is also a boost meter for manually boosting, usually starting with the second lap of a race.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp<ref name="EGM preview"/> Energy can be replenished by driving over recharge strips,<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp located at various points around the track. The game introduces the ability to attack other racers with either a side or spin attack.<ref name="IGN review"/><ref name="IGN VC review"/> Dash plates in various locations give a speed boost without using any energy.<ref name="GSreview"/> Courses may have obstacles that reduce speed and traps that launch vehicles into the air, reducing its energy. If the player has a "spare machine"—the equivalent of an extra life—then falls off a track or runs out of energy, the race can be restarted. Players get an additional spare machine for every 5 contenders eliminated.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp
Race modesEdit
F-Zero X has 5 different gameplay modes: GP (Grand Prix) Race, Practice, Time Attack, Death Race, and VS Battle.<ref name="IGN review"/> In GP Race, the player races against 29 opponents through 3 laps of each track in a cup.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp Players get a certain number of points for finishing a track depending on where they placed, and the winner of the cup is the character who receives the most total points.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp Each cup has 4 selectable difficulty levels: Novice, Standard, Expert,<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp and Master.<ref name="IGN cheats"/> The higher the difficulty level selected, the tougher the opponents, and less spare machines the player starts with.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp Furthermore, the 3 cups initially available are ordered by increasing difficulty (Jack, Queen, and King respectively) and 6 tracks each.<ref name="IGN review"/> Eventually, the player can unlock the Joker Cup with its set of 6 tracks,<ref name="IGN cheats"/> followed by the X Cup.<ref name="IGN review"/> The X Cup is a set of 6 tracks that are randomly generated on each playthrough.<ref name="IGN cheats"/> The randomized track elements lack loops and can be simplistic, but others are intricate.<ref name="IGN review"/>
Practice mode demonstrates any track with opponents.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp Time Attack lets the player choose a track and complete a 3-lap race in the shortest time possible. Transparent re-enactments of Time Attack performances, allow racing against ghost racers, recorded by the player or game developer. Up to 3 player-contributed ghosts can be raced against simultaneously, but only 1 can be saved per track.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp Death Race has the player annihilating the 29 other racers as speedily as possible on a specialized course.<ref name="IGN review"/> There is no selectable difficulty level, or set number of laps, but the boost is immediately available.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp Vs. Battle is the multiplayer mode where 2 to 4 players compete in a 3-lap race, and slots not in use by players can be operated by the artificial intelligence.<ref name="manual"/>Template:Rp A slot machine for those out of the race early will appear if the option is enabled. Players can adversely affect the energy levels of those still competing by matching symbols.<ref name="IGN review"/>
Development and releaseEdit
In mid-1996, during Mario Kart 64 development, Shigeru Miyamoto said he planned a sequel to F-Zero for the Nintendo 64.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="SM 1996"/> Initially titled "F-Zero 64", Famitsu magazine revealed the project in mid-1997.<ref name="Announced"/> Tadashi Sugiyama and Shigeru Miyamoto served as director and producer, respectively. Taro Bando and Hajime Wakai served as composers.<ref name="credits"/> Several key Wave Race 64 programmers including the lead programmer made up the in-house development team.<ref name="IGN review"/> Developed by Nintendo EAD,<ref name="X Wii"/> it is a sequel to the original F-Zero (1990),<ref name="Announced"/> and is the first F-Zero installment with 3D graphics.<ref name="X Wii"/> The game debuted at the Nintendo Space World event on November 20, 1997, publicly playable for the first time.<ref name="Marks the Spot"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> IGN reported this version was 60% complete and consistently ran at 60 frames per second. That frame rate goal required developers to minimize background detail, texture detail, and polygon count on vehicles which reduce as they pass. They noted that "[tracks] hide most of the limited backgrounds with their girth and undulating nature which block out almost everything else."<ref name="Marks the Spot"/> Fogging effects are used to hide background shortcomings such as where the sky and ground meet.<ref name="preview"/>
The character voices in the game, including the announcer, Mr. Zero, were provided by Jim Wornell and Kayomi McDonald. Wornell based Mr. Zero's voice on that of the announcer in Ridge Racer.<ref name="Announcer Inspiration">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The soundtrack includes remixes from its predecessor.<ref name="EGM112"/> Template:Citation needed span including a half-sized monaural soundtrack and real-time stereo ambient effects.<ref name="IGN review"/> Some of its music is included in two soundtrack CDs. The F-Zero X Original Soundtrack was released on September 18, 1998, with 29 musical tracks.<ref name="SEMO OST"/> The F-Zero X Guitar Arrange Edition was released on January 27, 1999, with ten guitar arrangements.<ref name="SEMO GAE"/> The game was released in Japan on July 14, 1998,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="X JPN intro"/> but its North American release suffered a three-month delay due to Nintendo's policy of evenly spacing the release of first-party games.<ref name="IGN review"/><ref name="fall lineup"/> It was released in North America on October 27,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in Europe on November 6,<ref name="EU Release Summary"/> and in China for the iQue Player on February 25, 2004.<ref name="iQue date"/> It was re-released on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console in 2007<ref name="jp vc"/><ref name="na vc"/> and around 2016,<ref name="nwr wiiu"/> respectively. This was Europe's 100th Wii Virtual Console game.<ref name="Euro VC"/> A March 2022 re-release for the Nintendo Classics service has a 2 to 4-person online multiplayer mode.<ref name="NS online date"/>
Expansion KitEdit
The 64DD is a peripheral for the Nintendo 64, released only in Japan, Template:Citation needed span The F-Zero X Expansion Kit is the 64DD's first expansion disk, released on April 21, 2000, in Japan.<ref name="Import review"/> It contains 12 new tracks, a machine creator, a course editor, and new stereophonic soundtracks.<ref name="history"/> In addition to these 2 new cups, players can create a custom cup. The disk can save up to a 100 tracks and up to 3 ghost data per course. IGN singled out the course editor as the Expansion KitTemplate:'s strongest feature because the designers used a similar tool in-house for the original circuits.<ref name="Import review"/> The machine creator's variety of options on pre-existing parts, can be used to balance the creations' settings and performance abilities, and name the machine. The course editor allows the player to design racing circuits with detailed tracks. Using a cursor, the player can determine the basic layout, and draw curves and hills. The player can add half pipes, cylinders, and numerous road surfaces, such as slip zones. The player can test the creation at any time and run practice laps.<ref name="Import review"/>
The Expansion Kit disk requires the cartridge,<ref name="history"/> which was programmed with "64DD hooks" to detect the 64DD and expansion disk.<ref name="64DD failure"/> This provisions the possibility of many disk-based expansion packs such as track editors or course updates,<ref name="IGN review"/> but no more were made, and this one was not utilized outside Japan due to the 64DD's commercial failure.<ref name="Import review"/><ref name="64DD failure"/>
ReceptionEdit
Critical reception of F-Zero X was overall positive. The game has an aggregate average of 87.61% based on 15 reviews at GameRankings, and a metascore of 85 at Metacritic.<ref name="game rankings"/><ref name=metacritic/> Critics generally praised its fast gameplay, abundance of courses and vehicles, keeping a high framerate with up to thirty racers on screen at the same time, and track design.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the lack of graphical detail has been widely criticized.<ref name="metacritic"/> Peer Schneider of IGN described the gameplay as "god-like", "hair-splitting" speed;<ref name="preview"/><ref name="SW97 IGN Look"/> and he considered the game to rival its predecessor Wave Race 64 with its "perfectly fine-tuned controls and a fresh approach to racing".<ref name="IGN review"/> It received the Game of the Month award for November 1998 from Electronic Gaming Monthly. An editor stated that "the graphics may be simple, but they're smooth and the action is fast".<ref name="EGM112"/>
Next Generation stated: "From the rocking guitar tunes (courtesy of the same composer who created the original's music) to the insanely addictive Grand Prix races, the game is a blast."<ref name=NG/>
Allgame described the graphical detail as "certainly not up to Nintendo's usual standards".<ref name=Allgame/> GameSpot criticized the low polygon count on the vehicles "particularly uninspiring" and saying that the "track detail is also very limited, giving the track a spartan feel to it".<ref name="GSreview" /> Although the optimizations are strict, critics exalted the steady rate of 60 frames per second, which some thought made up for the lack of graphical detail with little room for improvement.<ref name="IGN review"/><ref name="preview"/><ref name=Allgame/> The Electric Playground found the framerate to give "the game a major boost in the feel department [making it] seem like your vehicle is bursting through the sound barrier".<ref name=Elplay/> According to GameSpot, F-Zero X became the first racing game to run at 60 frames per second with up to 30 vehicles on screen at the same time, but in order to keep the frame rate, polygon counts on the vehicles, textures and track detail are sacrificed.<ref name="GSreview"/>
EGM considered the music "really good with some excellent remixes of the old F-Zero tunes",<ref name="EGM112"/> and CVG called the music dreadful.<ref name="cvg review"/> The Electric Playground said it goes hand-in-hand to the simulation of speed in the game, but that "I wouldn't in a million years buy music like this to listen to".<ref name=Elplay/> GameSpotTemplate:'s retrospective review gave it 6.5/10, calling it "the black sheep of the series" when compared with the other F-Zero games in "visual style and technical flair".<ref name="gspot review"/> IGN described it as an exceptional update to the original game that "only suffers under its generic look". Peer Schneider believed that unlike the original, it "is not about showing off graphics or sound capabilitiesTemplate:Mdashit's all about gameplay".<ref name="IGN review"/>
In 2009, Official Nintendo Magazine praised the game, ranking it 39th on a list of greatest Nintendo games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Nintendo sold 383,642 units of F-Zero X in North America and 97,684 units in Japan.<ref name="shrineofdata"/><ref name="jpn charts"/> In its first week of sale in Japan, 56,457 copies were sold,<ref name="sider"/> but only about one fifth of that in the following week reportedly due to the Nintendo 64 having had a small dedicated fanbase there.<ref name="Sales Plummet"/>
F-Zero X was named as a finalist by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for "Console Racing Game of the Year" during the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.<ref name="AIAS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
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