F Zero X

N64

Descripción

F-Zero X, un brillante sucesor de un clásico de Super Nintendo, es uno de los juegos de carreras más rápido que hayas podido ver nunca. Si eres uno de los que se marearon jugando al F-Zero original (actualizado ahora para Game Boy Advance en F-Zero: Maximum Velocity), espera a jugar con F-Zero X. Su alta velocidad de fotogramas constituye uno de los mayores atractivos de F-Zero X. No detectarás ni un ápice de ralentización, incluso con 30 vehículos flotantes luchando por conseguir la mayor puntuación. La pantalla dividida para cuatro jugadores es posiblemente la carrera multijugador más apasionante que hayas podido disfrutar nunca, de nuevo la velocidad de fotogramas no se ve afectada. Los circuitos, suspendidos sobre una representación abstracta de la superficie de un planeta, se enroscan y giran hasta el infinito sin que sean necesarios efectos de niebla para oscurecer el relieve. Al igual que el F-Zero original, los bordes de las pistas dañan tu vehículo si te chocas con ellos, de modo que debes realizar una carrera lo más limpia posible. Los circuitos incorporan aceleradores en lugares estratégicos, aunque también puedes utilizar el turbo con el Botón B tras completar una vuelta, no obstante, esto último se saldará con un poco de tu energía de escudo. Los Botones R y Z permiten tomar las curvas con más agarre y derrapar. Este control del juego se hace natural y ofrece un manejo muy preciso del vehículo, lo que resulta esencial cuando se realiza un movimiento equivocado que te puede enviar al vacío, fuera de la pista. Los jugadores pueden elegir uno de los 30 vehículos diferentes disponibles, incluidas versiones actualizadas del Blue Falcon del Capitán Falcon y de otros vehículos del F-Zero original. Cada coche consta de diferentes características de manejo, algunos son ligeros y ágiles, otros pesados y lentos, aunque es posible ganar con cualquiera de ellos. No pienses que un coche rápido es siempre el mejor, los coches más pesados están acorazados y soportan mejor los daños producidos por los raíles laterales de los circuitos. En algunos de los circuitos más traicioneros y enrevesados, es posible ganar siendo el último coche en pie. F-Zero X permite ajustar la vista de la cámara durante la carrera, de modo que puedes hacerla girar alrededor de tu coche para ver hacia atrás u obtener una vista aérea de la carrera. También es posible ampliar el vehículo y ver que está compuesto de bellas formas sin sombras. Los fondos también están libres de detalles innecesarios, aunque difácilmente podrías apreciar el escenario a una velocidad de más de 1.500 Km/h.Además de ofrecer nuevos vehículos, circuitos y personajes, F-Zero X también incluye otros alicientes que incitan a volver a jugarlo. Así, para poder conducir los 30 vehículos y visitar todos los circuitos, necesitas obtener una puntuación en cada uno de los modos de carrera. ¿Quién necesita armas o bonificaciones extrañas? Lo que tienes aquí es uno de los juegos de carreras más rápido de todos los tiempos.

Description

The original F-Zero was one of the first ever 'futuristic' racing games. Arguably the inspiration for later games such as Wipeout and Extreme-G, F-Zero gave SNES owners a chance to race along at incredible speeds and to enjoy one of the most finely crafted racing games of its era. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that there was never a sequel released on the SNES. With the advent of 'true' 3D technology in home consoles, F-Zero was naturally one of the more obvious candidates to receive Nintendo's 64-bit treatment.

The first thing that hits you about F-Zero X is its incredible speed. Blasting along at a constant 60 frames per second, this truly is the fastest racing game available. The flat tracks of the original F-Zero have been replaced by looping 3D roller-coaster rides of pure insanity. The effect is a game which is truly very fast indeed. You cannot begin to appreciate this from words or screenshots. You need to see it move to believe it.

Whilst belting along at 60 frames per second, you'll also notice that there can be up to 30 other craft on the screen at the same time as you. Think about this for a moment. How many other racers do you usually see in a game like this? In Wipeout you might get two or three. 30 are a lot of other vehicles. It also gives a wonderful feeling of being in a truly epic race and adds further to the feeling of speed as you zoom past various opponents.

The other advantage of having 30 opponents is that it adds to the combat element of the game. Hitting the electrified sides of the tracks damage cars, so you can ram other cars in an attempt to destroy them. Some parts of the tracks have the side barriers removed, so if you're timing is particularly good you can send opponents plummeting to their doom. If you're skills aren't quite so hot you may find yourself falling to a similar fate! Energy can still be restored by driving through an energy grid on each lap and you can now use a turbo boost which makes you go faster but drains your shields. There's even a death race option which sees you trying to eliminate 30 opponents in the fastest time possible.

The analogue control provided by the N64's pads makes F-Zero X one of the most playable racers currently available. You can also slide the ship to the left and right with a tap of a button, useful for ramming opponents and getting around longer corners. The jumps from the original F-Zero have been retained but are now much more impressive due to the true 3D nature of the graphics engine. There are a selection of finely balanced tracks, a variety of difficulty settings, and even a random track generator. There are also 25 different vehicles to select (some of which have to be 'won') and rumour has it that if the 64DD ever sees the light of day, some form of F-Zero X expansion disk will be one of the first releases. A pretty comprehensive set of features then!

Perhaps the best feature of all is the multiplayer mode. Up to four people can play with the split screen action still maintaining a constant speed of 60 frames per second, although only four cars are involved in the race rather than 30. With the random track generator and the brilliant multiplayer mode, you'll find it hard to tire of F-Zero X.

Graphically F-Zero X may appear a bit sparse on the screenshots. Admittedly there's little in the way of track side detail, but this is more than made up for by the incredible speed of the game and the number of racers that can be displayed at one time. It retains the look of the original F-Zero whilst dragging the concept into the joy of a fully 3D environment. The audio is nothing spectacular (a problem with many cartridge games) but still adds to the atmosphere and fits in well with the feel of the game.

When it's released in the West, F-Zero X will be the best racing game available for the N64. It’s a game that it completely designed around gameplay. The decision to go with a 60 frame per second update rate adds immensely to the racing experience and leaves you forgetting the lack of trackside details. F-Zero X is a terrific update of a classic game that deserves the attention of anyone who owns an N64.