There was some F-Zero-related DLC for Mario Kart 8 and a mini-game in Nintendo Land, but disappointingly the Wii U has not proven to be the console where the series made its return with a brand spanking new game. Whilst hopes for a new entry in the series must now switch to future hardware, Wii U-owning fans of futuristic racing action can at least download Nintendo 64 installement F-Zero X from the eShop.
Visually the game has a simple, stripped down appearance that can look very basic at times. Where there are not flat colours there are low-resolution textures and the fogging effect doesn't always hide distant track popping up into existence. What it does do, however, is move along quickly and smoothly, even at the start as the thirty different craft jostle for position.
Initially just six of the racing machines are available for player selection, but the rest unlock as you progress through the game. Each has a different rating for body, boost and grip, and once selected a slide meter is available to adjust the performance of the craft, depending on if you favour acceleration or speed. Once you're happy with your pick you take on one of the Cups - each consists of six three-lap races; score more points than the other competitors to become champion.
Already available via the Wii Shop Channel, this Wii U version offers the usual extra gubbins such as remappable controls, Miiverse integration and the always welcome Off-TV play. As for the game itself, there's a rumble feature that was absent from the Wii re-release, although it is somewhat annoying. Every collision, boost or even change of direction causes your controller of choice to impersonate a pneumatic drill; don't be surprised to find yourself diving into the controller settings to turn it off.
In a bit of good news for European and Oceanic gamers this is the 60Hz version of the game (released in the regions for the first time). 60Hz is actually the norm for Virtual Console releases these days, but a racing game such as this really shows the benefit of that extra speed as you fling your craft around the various tracks, with scenery and rivals whizzing past at satisfyingly extra quick speeds.
In less good news the controls have suffered with the move to Wii U thanks to a large control stick deadzone. This deadzone size appears to be the standard for Nintendo 64 games on Wii U, but it's not really caused issues with previous releases. Here, though, where a large range of differently-sized movements are required (and required quickly) frustration ensues; a slight movement that registers as no movement results in a smash into the barrier. It's also far too easy to make a more severe turn than intended. You can get used to it, adjusting your style by using the drift buttons where previously you wouldn't and simply turning into corners you previously slid around, but these are solutions to problems that should not exist. It adds an extra level of difficulty to the game and even a successful race is more ragged than it should be, giving the game a much different feel.
If you can get past the issues with the controls (and admittedly that's a big if) there's still an enjoyable game to be found. Races are frantic affairs as you zip around the tracks, finding a way through traffic as you try to hit the boost arrows and avoid crashing into the barriers. After lap one you gain use of the famous "Boost Power" where some of your energy meter can be exchanged for a burst of speed. It's important not to overdo it, however, or the slightest bump will turn your craft into a flaming mangled mess of metal - and with these controls, you will certainly pick up a few slight bumps.
Another way to ruin your race day is to fall off the course, which results in a long drop, a big explosion and an instant retirement. As the racetracks are placed above cities, presumably you also mess up some poor sod's garden party. Luckily you appear to have a friend within the sport's governing body as (assuming you have a spare craft remaining) the race is then restarted from the beginning, giving you another chance to succeed or maybe just to find a new spot in which to burst into flames.
The tracks are well designed, with a mix of bends and straights of varying width. Sometimes there's a smooth line to take, other times you'll find yourself crashing around the corners. There are loops and various degrees of elevation changes, whilst half-pipe sections feel like a particularly intense bobsleigh ride when you swish side-to-side trying not to get thrown from the track, and tunnels get dizzying as you spin upside down trying to wrest some degree of control. The drives across large pipes suspended high in the sky can be terrifying with each collision or mistake threatening to end your race.
You can rely on just your driving skill to see you to victory or you can be a little more aggressive, as by using the drift buttons it's possible to perform a spin-attack to try and knock other racers into danger. Doing this can be a mistake as it can send you into a corner awkwardly, slowing your race or even lead to your own destruction, but should your championship rival (helpfully indicated by an on-screen marker) be alongside you it can be tough to resist. If you develop a taste for this extreme road rage the game also features a "Death Race" track where the aim is to take out the other 29 competitors as quickly as possible.
There are four main Cups in the game, but you can also unlock the "X Cup". The twist here is that the tracks are randomly generated and the unfamiliar layouts can lead to many a disaster as you stumble your way around the unknown dangers. A random selection of course parts can lead to some straightforward stress-free drives, but other concoctions can be brutally difficult. For example one course we encountered saw thirty cars enter a corner and only thirteen make it out the other side. On another X-track the Nintendo Life mean machine was the only one that managed to finish the race. Amusingly it then plummeted to its doom during the victory lap.
With the regular tracks you'll be kept busy, trying to figure out the best line, learning a good way to manage the controls, knowing where it's safe to spin-attack and how much boost power you can use before you can safely make it to a recharge strip. The cups get more difficult and there are (eventually) four difficulty settings to tackle, so there's plenty here to keep you occupied. As well as the Grand Prix mode you can take on "Time Attack" where shaving tiny fractions leads to hours of "just one more go". Being on Wii U you can of course post your best times to Miiverse – although they may get lost amongst all the complaints about the controls.
Finally "VS Battle" offers split-screen races for two to four players; CPU racers can make up the numbers if required. Naturally this provides a lot of fun, particularly if you've turned on the slot machine option that gives retirees a chance to deplete the energy of those still racing.
Conclusion
With 30 racing craft and 24 exciting tracks there's a lot of fun to be had with F-Zero X. An enjoyable multiplayer mode, the crazy unpredictable nature of the X Cup and trying to improve your times in the Time Attack and Death Race modes all add to the replayability. The visuals can look a bit basic at times, but the smooth frame rate and the speed at which you're hurtling around the tracks help to make up for this.
Unfortunately an old game looking old is not the only problem F-Zero X has on Wii U. The deadzone issue results in a harder to control game with many unintended scrapes along the barriers, and your craft generally not moving as you intended. It's not unmanageable but compared to the smooth controls of the N64 cart it's a rougher, tougher, more frustrating experience. This Wii U eShop edition of F-Zero X will still entertain, but unless its control issue is patched out it's not as highly recommended as it should be.
Comments (71)
The recently highlighted control issues I see has cost it some points. If Nintendo patch it, will it be re-reviewed?
they ought to offer a discount for fast racing neo to people who bought f-zero x in the eshop.
THIS right here is the difference between Nintendo as I perceive it in general today and Nintendo as I perceived it in general in its heyday: It's all the stupid little flaws and issues that it lets slip through the cracks, like the rather broken controls in this game or the unnecessarily short cable on the NES Classic Mini console, or the potential issue with backwards compatibility with DS/3DS and Wii U games on Switch, or the lack of being able to properly use the Wii U GamePad anywhere in the house, or the fact it still doesn't have a truly satisfying online account system that lets you do things like purchase a single digital copy of a game and then take it across and play it on other compatible Nintendo consoles, and so on and on.
If Nintendo wants to get back on top again I think needs to seriously concentrate on being just a little bit more like the Nintendo it was back in its heyday: Making pretty much all the right decisions rather than some great ones mixed in with quite a few genuinely stupid ones.
But, put out a SNES Classic Mini with a proper length controller cable and the ability to press Start and Select together to return to the main menu, at the very least, alongside possibly a power adapter in the European box, maybe a few more games in there too (let's say 50), and perhaps the option to detach the cable from the controller and use it wirelessly if I choose—and almost all would be forgiven (by me at least).
Note: I know Nintendo wasn't perfect 100% of the time back in the likes of NES, SNES, and even N64 eras—no blood in Mortal Kombat for example—but it definitely got it right a much, much higher percentage of the time than it seems to these days from where I'm looking. And that's all I'm really asking: To get it right say 99% of the time, and certainly on all the most important stuff.
@impurekind A few things:
#1: This kind of thing rarely happens with Nintendo, and compared to the rest of the industry, Nintendo are SAINTS when it comes to bugs and errors. Also, some of the other things are nitpicky at worst.
#2: Having no backwards compatibility was inevitable. BC takes power and space to implement, and the Switch's design wasn't going to allow it. Just keep your old consoles. Also, "Nintendo in its heyday" didn't have backwards compatibility on anything aside from the Gameboy.
#3. They fixed the Gamepad's problem by realizing it was a bad idea from the start. Switch on!
#4. I'll admit the account system is horrid, but I can see them doing something similar to Sony (2 of each system per account) in the future
Actually, I'd still consider a Nintendo a saint in the industry if those "problems" were the worst ones they did.
@TheLZdragon I agree with you in some ways but I feel Nintendo gets a whole lot more of the important decisions wrong these days than it should and/or than it used to, and certainly from a more core gamer perspective (i.e. beyond just hardcore Nintendo fans or casuals gamers).
Also, don't let my tiny list fool you; I could find about ten [pretty big] issues with the Wii U system alone (controller battery life, underpowered graphics, lack of true portability even around the house, still overpriced compared to competition, gimped Virtual Console, etc.), and far, far more across all its hardware and games in the last couple/few generations—far more than I personally could find or give a crap about on either Sony's or Microsoft's consoles.
And, I guess that's also part of it too: I actually care about all this stuff on Nintendo's consoles and games, which makes it all the more frustrating and off-putting when it happens on one of them (or multiple of them).
Well, too bad...
@Jamotello No, they really shouldn't, unless they paid the full price to Shin'en multimedia.
Cue the obvious workaround:
@AlexSora89 Yeah; is there actually any advantage to buying this on the Wii U VC over the Wii VC?
Does the Wii eShop still work properly/fully and all that?
If nothing else, this illustrates the point that Nintendo can't just dump an entire back catalogue on the VC...
@vforvincent I think that's entirely the wrong way around to look at it, finding a reason to not blame Nintendo rather than calling out Nintendo for making stupid mistakes.
I'm actually inclined to think the reason the controls are broken here is precisely because someone at Nintendo went in and decided to mess around with them in bringing the game to the Wii U rather than just leaving them as they were originally or even as they were in the Wii VC version—but that's just speculation on my part obviously.
The point, however, is that what you said isn't really much of an excuse or defence for Nintendo getting such basic stuff wrong, and it's also not a good excuse or defence for not getting a whole bunch of games on VC a whole lot quicker. Christ, Microsoft now has around 300 Xbox 360 game working on Xbox One (just a random example), and doesn't Sony have a bunch of PSX games on one of its consoles/services too (as I recall): I think the least we can expect of Nintendo is to get its old NES, SNES, and N64 VC games working properly on Wii U (certainly basic stuff like the controls), and to get a decent amount of them out much quicker than it has been doing too.
After the years of experience putting stuff on VC with the Wii, as well as the roughly 4 years it's had on Wii U too, I think it's entirely reasonable to expect a bit more from Nintendo than this.
@AlexSora89 The downside of that "workaround" is that for Europe it runs at 50Hz.
So it's a choice between bad controls or a slower game.
@Samurai_Goroh I'd go for the slower 50Hz speed over basically broken controls every single time. I mean, for me 50Hz is just normal speed on these older games anyway. lol
I've been playing this for a good few hours today. Played with the Pro Controller, didn't notice any problems at all.
EDIT: I should probably say that F-Zero X is an amazing game, but you all knew that already.
@Humphries90 Well, given that the dead-zone issue is clearly a very real thing, just imagine how much better it feels when you actually play with the controls working perfectly as intended. . . .
It will be amazing +1.
@impurekind I would too, better the devil you know after all. I'm just pointing out that it is far from being the perfect solution.
The Wii U release would be the first time we, PAL users, could play F-Zero X at full speed officially. It's very disapointing the way Nintendo messed this up.
@impurekind Honestly, I played this game to death on the N64. Didn't feel any different here. Saying that, it was a loooong time ago.
@Humphries90 Hey, I've not played the Wii U version so I couldn't say for sure either way, but I guess some people just notice some of the more subtle things like this a bit more than others. I expect it might be something I'd notice as controls are one of the most important things to me in any game and I usually pick up on stuff like dead-zones in analog controls and the like. If it is as people say I'd personally consider it a game breaker—that's how important getting the controls right is to me.
@Samurai_Goroh I hear ya.
Loved this game and have waited for ages for a WiiU version. The control deadzone us disappointing, and not something I'd noticed in other games.
Shame no 2 player GP either.
Edit: why does "our review" say 8 at the top when score at bottom is a 6?
What I would like to see is the classics with a little remastering, eg online additions
@cmk8 My guess is it's the average of the 2 reviews(6+9) which is 7.5 but rounded up to 8 as they give the scores in whole numbers.
https://www.nintendolife.com/games/n64/f-zero_x/reviews
@impurekind Why yes it does kind sir. However, online features in WiiWare games are no longer functioning.
@LiberatedAnimal Ah, OK. Cheers.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Nintendo has never patched a VC game on Wii U, so there probably won't be any patch.
@Samurai_Goroh @impurekind
Actually, the 50hz version being "slower" is a plus to F-Zero newcomers. Considering I do have two F-Zero games, that is, F-Zero and F-Zero Maximum Velocity both on 3DS, it's one of those cases where I "want to enjoy the franchise, but can't", so maybe buying a "slower", and therefore more manageable, F-Zero game on Wii Shop might help a fair deal.
It's just a poop version of Fast Racing Neo.
@Other_Dave "You can get used to it, adjusting your style by using the drift buttons where previously you wouldn't"
Wait, are you saying you didn't use the drift buttons all the time before? I actually use them all the time (even on a straight line), already did so on the N64. I just love the drifting in F-Zero X and I've always preferred it to using the stick whereever I could. I rarely even move the stick, 80-90% of my horizontal movement is determined by how long I press the drift buttons. So maybe the deadzone issue won't bother me so much.
But I have another question: Does the deadzone only apply to the stick or also to the d-pad? Otherwise using the d-pad would be a simple workaround for most people.
@impurekind I think you're assuming a bit too much. Porting such an old game does take some work and I'm pretty sure Nintendo wouldn't just let someone "mess around with them in bringing the game to the Wii U rather than just leaving them as they were originally". You don't seem to get the point of doing a port. You can't just "leave it was it was originally", it doesn't work that way. You have to adjust the software to make it run properly on modern hardware.
Still, that doesn't excuse this stick deadzone issue, of course. Especially if it worked properly on the Wii.
So how much of this deadzone, if any, is actually built into the sticks? Is it at all possible to recalibrate the analog sensitivity, or at least check it?
@shani D-pads are digital input. Unless the pads themselves are pressure-sensitive like the buttons on some Playstation controllers, it'll just be ON or OFF, making a lousy substitute for an analog control.
@SteamedSquid I know, but in many games it doesn't really make a (big) difference. From my experience there are few games that strongly benefit from an analog stick. An open world platformer like Mario 64 or mario Galaxy would probably be awful without the stick. But in other games - those with confined spaces like Street Fighter or Pro Evolution Soccer - the d-pad works just as well. And for racing games, I would suggest just repeatedly tapping the d-pad in the desired direction. It may not be as precise as an analog input, but it still emulates it pretty well.
Doesn't mean I don't usually use analog sticks for racing games, but if the deadzone is really that big, using the d-pad might actually be the better alternative. Especially since I don't use the stick that much in F-Zero X (drift buttons instead) as I would in other racing games.
@impurekind That's a myth. People said the exact same thing about Nintendo 15 to 20 years ago.
@Samurai_Goroh There's a way around all these issues for years now: Emulate it! (And use the USB to controller adapters of your choice)
I put the original F-Zero X in my N64 and had to spend some time getting use to the controls. I think it just takes time to get use to the way games back then played. F-Zero X was designed around the N64 control stick, so the dead zone wasn't changed for the Wii U port. Nintendo does very little for porting virtual console games. They remap the buttons, but their not going to mess with things like dead zones and giving the game a serious graphical overhaul. I'd be interested in getting this if it had the F-Zero X Expansion set - released on the N64 DD.
@impurekind No need to dramatically reference Nintendo's "heyday", the Wii U doesn't even live up to it's predecessor. The Wii U's VC is a sick joke compared to the Wii's VC. It's like they forgot how to emulate their own games and conduct third party license deals over the course of almost 10 years. Unofficial emulation programs are putting them to shame.
Not to mention, the mods people make now are crazy. Even F-Zero X has a mod, called F-Zero X: Climax, based on the Japanese only GBA title F-Zero Climax, with 48 tracks in all. The settings of the extra 24 over the original were hand coded. And of course, no dead zone or 50 Hz issues.
Ashame but that is why we are calling out for a new F-ZERO racing game and an open world Captain Falcon adventure game.
I always liked the art style of this game. It's got a neat look to it. GX was the better game but this had a really unique art style.
Emulation does put virtual console to shame.
I'm shocked that this even got a 6/10. The thought of playing a game like this having an all or nothing control scheme is just sad.
Hey Nintendo, if you don't have someone to test VC releases I am available 7 days a week contact me!
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Yes. If a fix happens we wouldn't want out of date information up on the site.
How on earth has this got through quality control? Do they have one guy in a shed working on VC now?
@shani Well the d-pad's useful for adjustments on the speed/acceleration meter. Re: control stick : Any sections where you use just the drift buttons would of course be OK, but the rest of the time it's a lot different. There's a knock on effect too. If you take one corner different to how you used to, you end up approaching the next a different way, which messes up the one after... and so on.
I noticed the control stick problems in SM64 and SF64, but having never bought a N64 on the Wii I don't know if it's any different in the Wii or Wii U versions. I just assumed it was a technical difference between N64 and modern control sticks.
@impurekind I think the short cord was intended (although foolishly) to be played on something close by like a laptop so you can take the little thing anywhere and play it.
The controls felt off in Starfox 64, too. That, and the dimmed screen makes it pretty much unplayable for me. I seriously thought my monitor was broken.
Does this have those same 'darkened' visuals?
@Other_Dave Oh yeah, I know what you mean! When my timing was off in the original F-Zero X, that would happen too. ^^
Think I'll just download it from the eshop and try it out.
@shani
I played the Mario 64 remake on the DS with the control pad. Honestly I thought it was fine. Racing games benefit most from a wheel.
The score at the top of the screen is wrong!?! The conclusion says 6 but the top of page summary says 8...
@toxibunny Yes, that seems to be their chosen look for N64 on Wii U. You can see some sample screenshots in the Miiverse community.
At this point, I'm not buying any more VC until Nintendo talks about the ways to get your VC to transfer to the Switch. Is there a small fee? Is it free? Is it not transferable at all? Until they say, I'll wait. Sure it will probably take them at least 2 years to come with say F-Zero X for the Switch. But the game has already been around for 18 so what's the rush now?
I did a little test today with SM64. Its the only VC game I have on both Wii and Wii u. I did find a very small dead zone on the Wii u version which is not on the Wii. I'm taking very small. I guess it's the emulation software which may not be an easy fix.
It's a pity because F Zero X is a legend of a game and nothing will ever change that. I'm glad I never transferred my Wii VC games to Wii u.
I love reading the hurt comments of this review from all ya. It gives me life so thank you lololol <3
@impurekind Ability to use the gamepad?
Game looks awesome, but the whole control stick issues sounds really problematic. I'll just get the Wii Virtual Console version, which thankfully, because I live in NA, runs at 60Hz! Hooray!
@YoshiParty
Wii version will almost certainly not be transferrable to Switch, if your plan is to get a Switch and consolidate VC on that.
@cleveland124 I wasn't planning on doing that, so that wouldn't be much of an issue for me, so don't worry.
The score should be a zero. This emulation has completely failed to replicate the original game as control over your vehicle was key. No in between this vc release is an outright failure and I want to know what Nintendo intend to do about it.
I rate this broken port an F-0.
@SBandy I mailed customer support about it. No answer yet...
I had no issue with the game on the original Wii VC. Another one of the many, many reasons why I am holding on to my gen 1 Wii. I just have 2 games to go and I will have all the N64 games available on the Wii VC. Wii VC via component cables is really a great way to play N64 games on modern TVs.
@Aurelis The VC games on the original Wii play perfectly.
@impurekind Yes it works. I just bought a couple of games last week.
I still have my n64 cartridge,and I have ordered me one of those gamecube to n64 controller adapters from raphnet.I might play this on n64 with my wavebird controller when my order arrives.
@Other_Dave Well I played it yesterday and although I noticed the deadzone on the settings screen (acceleration/top speed), it didn't cause me a lot of trouble during races. I'm not saying it wasn't there at all, but I found it quite easy to adjust to this flaw (not only by drifting but also by using the stick more carefully). In no way did it lessen my gaming experience.
Still, Nintendo should definitely fix this!
Ahh yes, F Zero X.
Aka, the low point of the most overrated Nintendo series.
On the actual worst console Nintendo has ever designed.
Cartridge based? Poorly supported? Underpowered? Incredibly difficult to develop for? Oh and it's ugly as sin with the worst controller design Nintendo ever considered.
Everything was cheaply made to offset the price of the cartridges, which were bulky and (storage wise) vastly inadequate to the discs Sony and Sega (and Panasonic and Atari) were using for years.
This is coming from a gamer who knows the Gamecube is the best system they've ever made, despite not getting the games Sony paid to ensure exclusivity. And yet they still messed up with the media and the decision not to include internal storage.
You can all go off and say the SNES was the greatest, but Sega lost most of that fight because of their decision to Americanize, a choice that all but pushed companies like Squaresoft, Konami, and Tecmo to Nintendo.
Not having these garbage games on Switch will be much less damaging than not having their better, deeper, more interesting follow-ups from the Gamecube.
Star Fox on GC was still trash though, they should have let that one die.
@NodesforNoids
I disagree with everything you said, I like the N64, it's graphics & games were just as good as any CD game, at the time,, F-Zero X was a good game, (and frankly GX's Story mode was too ridiculously hard to be enjoyable, so I feel the GCN game wasn't perfect either, and lacked some things I liked about the older games) and frankly I liked the versitility of the N64 controller, it's accesories, and it's unique design. The N64 helped popularize things still used in the game industry today, including pressure-sensative thumb-sized analogue sticks, rumble feature, and such that PS1 copied not to long afterwards. So it's rather unfair to demonize it based solely on it's flaws (all consoles have them) and not on it's strong points, and how it helped the directions 3D games were taking.
Also, how was "F-Zero" overrated? If anything, it's very underrated, gotten obscure, (aside from SSB) the anime was very short lived in America, and only one game in the series (the first) managed to sell a million copies. So please spare us all this hipster, "it's overrated, and not perfect, so it's bad" attitude please. You really need to calm down.
@NodesforNoids
You don't need to defend a superb game like F Zero X to the likes of @Beau_Skunk it would be impossible to get trough to someone who talks complete nonsense.
More proof that Nintendo hate us. Too lazy to make a 2 second adjustment in their emulator settings.
Reminds me of DK 64 emu, wide deadzone, widescreen and Dolby missing. Screw Nintendo and their SWITCH OFF.
@impurekind no off screen play, doesn't look as good on HDTV, 50Hz in Europe, need to use that clunky "Wii mode" the console enters when playing Wii software. Not trying to be snarky, just listing possible hindrances.
I still have this game on the Wii Virtual Console, I absolutely loved the fast paced gameplay but felt it was somewhat hindered by 50Hz... is it worth transferring it to Wii U to run at 60Hz but have the control stick deadzone instead?
@Beau_Skunk
Sorry mate I totally got my reply to your comment backwards.
@Mart1ndo It's all coolies.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE 6 / 10? It is at least 8 / 10, even people who aren't "futuristic racing" fans can realize this is pretty damn near perfect gameplay. Which makes up 90 % of any game. Control issues? Only problem I had was spinning to attack opponents. And that is because it's the hardest things to do in the entire game.
I would give it 10/10.
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