F-Zero facts for kids

Quick facts for kids F-Zero
Genres	Racing
Developers	Nintendo EAD Amusement Vision Nd Cube Suzak Inc.
Publishers	Nintendo
Creators	Shigeru Miyamoto
Platforms	Arcade Game Boy Advance iQue Player Nintendo 64 64DD GameCube Satellaview Super Nintendo Entertainment System
First release	F-Zero November 21, 1990
Latest release	F-Zero Climax October 21, 2004

F-Zero is a super-fast racing video game series made by Nintendo. It's all about futuristic vehicles zooming around tracks. The very first game came out in Japan in 1990 for the Super Famicom, which is like the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) we know in North America. People loved it so much that Nintendo made many more games for different consoles.

The F-Zero games are famous for their incredibly high speeds, cool characters, and awesome music. They are also known for being quite challenging! The games often pushed the limits of technology to be some of the fastest racing games around. The original F-Zero even inspired other popular racing games like Daytona USA and the Wipeout series.

The F-Zero series hasn't had a new game since F-Zero Climax was released in Japan in 2004. However, you can still find parts of F-Zero in other Nintendo games. For example, characters and tracks appear in the Super Smash Bros. fighting games and the Mario Kart racing games. You can also play older F-Zero games on newer Nintendo consoles through services like the Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online.

Games in the Series

The First Games

F-Zero, one of the first games to use Mode 7

The very first game, F-Zero, came out for the Super NES. It was one of the first games to use a special trick called "Mode 7 Scrolling". This trick made 2D backgrounds look like they were moving in 3D. It was a big deal back then because most games had flat backgrounds. This made F-Zero feel incredibly fast and smooth for its time.

Later, two games called BS F-Zero Grand Prix and BS F-Zero Grand Prix 2 were released in Japan. These were updates and expansions of the first game, available through a satellite service called Satellaview.

There was also a game planned for the Virtual Boy called Zero Racers. It was canceled, but it was unique because vehicles would race in 3D tunnels!

Moving to 3D

After a break, the series jumped into full 3D with F-Zero X on the Nintendo 64. This game introduced 26 new vehicles, along with the original four. It also added fun new ways to play, like a "death race" where you try to destroy other racers. There was also an "X Cup" that created new tracks every time you played!

To make the game super fast with 30 racers on screen, the graphics weren't as detailed. But it still ran at a smooth 60 frames per second.

Graphical detail was a sacrifice that had to be made in F-Zero X to keep the game at 60 frames per second.

An expansion for F-Zero X called F-Zero X Expansion Kit was released in Japan. It let players create their own courses and vehicles! This course editor was very advanced, almost like the one the game designers used.

Handheld and GameCube Games

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity was the first F-Zero game for a handheld system, the Game Boy Advance. It went back to a style similar to the original SNES game, using a "Mode 7"-like engine.

F-Zero GX was released for the GameCube. This game was special because it was developed by Sega's Amusement Vision team, and it was the first F-Zero game with a story mode! There was also an arcade version called F-Zero AX with unique courses and characters that could be unlocked in F-Zero GX.

F-Zero: GP Legend was another handheld game for the Game Boy Advance. It also had a story mode, but this one was based on the F-Zero anime series. It introduced new characters and took place in a different timeline.

The latest game in the series is F-Zero Climax, released in Japan for the Game Boy Advance. It was the first F-Zero game to have a track editor built right in, so you could create and share your own courses with friends!

How the Games Work

Gameplay Basics

In every F-Zero game, your main goal is to beat your opponents to the finish line. You also need to avoid obstacles like land mines or slippery areas. To win, you need to remember the tracks and have super-fast reflexes.

In the first few games, you got a speed boost for each lap you completed. But starting with F-Zero X, you could use speed boosts whenever you wanted, but it cost you energy! You had to drive over special "recharge strips" on the track to get your energy back. If your energy ran out, your vehicle would explode! There are also "dash plates" that give you a boost without losing energy. You can even ram other vehicles with your machine!

Racing Locations

The races take place on different planets with various climates and landscapes. Many alien races and tribes live on these planets. Some famous locations that appear often include Big Blue, Mute City, and Port Town.

The racing circuits are usually built high above cities or even in space, sometimes hundreds of feet above the ground! They use anti-gravity beams to keep the tracks in place. Rich people from floating cities or asteroids built these tracks for exciting races where people could gamble. Some cities have many tracks, and the ones not used for the main Grand Prix are open for practice. These tracks are huge, with some laps being over six miles long!

F-Zero Machines

The vehicles in the game are called "F-Zero machines". They don't have wheels; instead, they hover above the track! This is thanks to a special "G-Diffuser System" that lets them go super fast while staying close to the ground. However, some areas called "slip zones" can make your vehicle lose its grip.

These machines are built with the latest magnetic technology and can be tuned up for better performance. There are over 44 different machines, and most of them weigh over a ton! They can even go faster than the speed of sound, thanks to their powerful "micro-plasma engines".

Each machine has four main features:

• Body: How much damage it can take before exploding.
• Boost: How long and how fast your speed boost is.
• Grip: How well the machine turns. High grip means steady turns, low grip means more drifting.
• Weight: Affects how fast it speeds up, how well it turns, its top speed, and how much damage it takes. Lighter machines are quicker, heavier machines are stronger and faster overall.

The Story of F-Zero

The first F-Zero game had only four pilots, but later games had over 40 characters! Each character has their own unique vehicle and a reason for joining the F-Zero Grand Prix. Winning the Grand Prix means a lot of money and fame, but it's also very dangerous, and many pilots have been lost.

The F-Zero races are inspired by real-world Formula One races. In the game's story, rich space merchants in the future created the "F-Zero Execution Project" to make exciting races for gambling. The main F-Zero Grand Prix started in the 26th century. These races feature the most advanced machines and are known for their wild fans and unique competitors.

The games mostly take place on a futuristic Earth in the 26th century, though some games are set earlier or on different planets. For example, F-Zero X mentions the F-Max Grand Prix, which happened in the 24th century.

The first F-Zero game begins in the year 2560. Humans have met many aliens, leading to lots of trade and new technology. Rich space merchants created the "F-Zero Grand Prix" for excitement. At first, people were shocked by how brutal the races were, with all the traps and obstacles. But over time, they got used to it and even demanded more danger! Winning the F-Zero championship became the biggest achievement in the universe.

F-Zero X takes place after a seven-year break from the Grand Prix. This break happened because of a terrible accident called the "Horrific Grand Finale," where 14 drivers died. After this, racing was banned for a while. But a survivor named Super Arrow convinced the Federation to bring it back with new rules to make it safer.

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is set 25 years after the first SNES game. In this game, you race against the children and grandchildren of the original F-Zero racers. This game is considered a "reboot" because it doesn't mention the safety changes made after the big accident.

The stories in F-Zero GX and F-Zero: GP Legend have some differences and new timelines. GP Legend and F-Zero Climax follow a different story set in the year 2201, introducing new versions of characters like Captain Falcon and Zoda.

F-Zero in Other Media

F-Zero characters and elements have appeared in other Nintendo games. The most famous is Captain Falcon, who is a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series. He even uses his vehicle, the Blue Falcon, for a powerful special move! Super Smash Bros. also features stages based on F-Zero locations like Mute City and Big Blue.

The Blue Falcon vehicle also appears in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8. In Mario Kart 8, you can even race on tracks based on Mute City and Big Blue! There's also a mini-game called Captain Falcon's Twister Race in the Wii U game Nintendo Land.

Anime Series

F-Zero: GP Legend is an anime (Japanese cartoon) series based on the F-Zero games. It has 51 episodes and first aired in Japan in 2003. In North America, it was licensed by 4Kids Entertainment.

The story of the anime is a fresh start for the series, taking place in the year 2201. Life forms from all over the galaxy come to compete in the new "F-Zero" racing tournament.

The main character is a police detective named Ryu Suzaku (or Rick Wheeler in the English version). He gets into a bad car accident while chasing a criminal named Zoda. Ryu almost dies, but he's brought back to life in the year 2201. He joins a special task force that tries to stop bad guys, like the Dark Million Organization, from getting their hands on the prize money. Ryu teams up with the legendary racer and bounty hunter, Captain Falcon, to fight against Zoda and the Dark Million.

Captain Falcon is a mysterious hero in the anime. He owns a bar when he's not racing. Later, it's revealed that he is actually Jody Summer's brother, Andy, who was thought to be dead. Captain Falcon constantly fights against the evil Black Shadow and the Dark Million Organization.

Towards the end of the series, a legend is told about Captain Falcon and Black Shadow being like light and dark, unable to defeat each other alone. Six powerful objects called "Reactor Mights" were created at the beginning of the universe, and whoever controls them gains amazing power. Ryu Suzaku is revealed to be "The Savior" who will help Falcon win. In the final battle, Falcon and Ryu work together to destroy Black Shadow. Captain Falcon tells Ryu that "Captain Falcon" is a title for the best, and that "only the one who can exceed Falcon can become Falcon." After a big fight, Captain Falcon sacrifices himself, and Ryu becomes the new Captain Falcon!

The Future of F-Zero

People often ask if Nintendo will make a new F-Zero game. Shigeru Miyamoto, one of Nintendo's creators, said in 2012 that he thought the original F-Zero was a big surprise. He felt that newer consoles like the Wii and DS didn't offer a way to make a new F-Zero game feel as fresh and surprising.

In 2015, there were rumors that Nintendo had asked the creators of the Burnout racing games, Criterion Games, to work on a new F-Zero for the Wii U. However, the co-founder of Criterion Games later said this wasn't true.

In 2015, Miyamoto also said that a new F-Zero game could be possible if Nintendo created a unique controller for one of their future consoles that would be perfect for the game.

In 2021, Toshihiro Nagoshi, the producer of F-Zero GX, said he would be happy to work with Nintendo on another F-Zero game. He mentioned he would make it challenging for experienced players, unlike the easier-to-play Mario Kart series. So, while there's no new game yet, fans are still hoping!

Images for kids

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  The official logo for the F-Zero series.

F-Zero games at Curlie

See also

In Spanish: F-Zero para niños