F-Zero GX

[Alucard1191]

Alright, so I finally got my gamecube hooked up to my big CRT and awesome stereo, and wanted to give it a proper test. I chose F-Zero GX and wow, that was the right choice.

I remember the game being really hard, but this half hour or so I devoted to it wasn't too hard. (Not until Mute City Serial Gaps anyway.)

I friggen loved it. I don't know why I didn't get super addicted when I was younger. The music I don't think is quite as good as previous entries, though the Mute City theme is awesome once it gets going. The control is spot on, the sense of speed is fantastic, and I love how you zip all over the place. What the heck happened to this franchise? I would love to see this on the switch!

[Crummylion]

Not an F-Zero person, but I strongly recommend trying out the arcade version of the game if you find the chance, more specifically the deluxe version. Had that chance when I visited a kinda janky arcade while on vactation. One of the only arcade games to manage getting a strong sense of immersion out of me, with the tilting seat. Apparently there was cross progression between the gamecube and arcade game through the memory card and swipe card dispensed from the machine too?

[Alucard1191]

I live in a tiny small town and hour and a half away from Seattle. (Biggest city in my state.) I haven't even seen an arcade since I left California. I had no idea this had an arcade release. With a tilting chair too? That sounds awesome. I would love to find an old arcade warehouse around here to play at. Buying some old cabinets would be nice at some point but they're huge and I certainly don't have the space.

[Matchstick]

I live in a tiny small town and hour and a half away from Seattle.

How far are you from Seaside, OR? The arcade near the waterfront there, off the main drag, had an F-Zero AX arcade machine for the longest time. I used to take my Gamecube memory card there to save the data I unlocked. Once you picked an arcade-specific racer, you could save them to your memory card to use at home with F-Zero GX. And if you actually won the race you picked in the arcade, you could save that track to play in GX, too. Pretty rad!

(Keep in mind that all arcade racers and tracks can be unlocked by simply playing GX, itself - though it is a long and difficult process. There's also an Action Replay code floating around that can essentially boot GX into the F-Zero AX arcade mode data, though I'm not sure if you can save any of your progress if you do this.)

If you're not too far from the Oregon border, Alucard, I can swing by Seaside this weekend and scope out the arcade for you. I'm in Astoria, myself, about twenty minutes away.

Back on topic, F-Zero GX is my favorite Gamecube game. Period. It's also my favorite game of that entire generation, hands down. I *did* get super addicted to it when it first came out. So did all my friends. We obsessed over the tracks and getting the best times, and loved playing multiplayer and pushing ourselves as far as we could go.

We also all made our own machines - with custom emblems and paint - and usually raced our custom machines against each other. I was partial to my "Space Volvo" that I created - no acceleration, all top speed, near-indestructible body. And jet black, like my 740 Station Wagon was at the time.

So many happy memories. I still play this one often, and I agree, using a CRT with a bomb-ass stereo is definitely the way to go with this one. Have you gotten your S-Video hookups going yet, Alucard?

[Alucard1191]

I am very far away from seaside Oregon unfortunately. I live in central Washington on the other side of the cascade mountains. It's easily 4+ hours in good weather to get to the 5 and down to Oregon. Last time I made the drive it actually took me closer to 6 hours, so it isn't exactly an easy thing to do. But an actual arcade sounds really awesome. And hey, you're actually somewhat close to me. I live in a little town called Cle Elum. (Somewhat being a relative term, lol. I'm closer to Idaho than I am to Oregon just barely.)

A quick google search says 4 hours and 40 minute drive.

Edit: I need to read better before typing, (lol) I haven't gotten my S-video set up yet. I have given all the relevant information to my wife and am thinking she'll probably do that for Christmas. I'm honestly just excited to have everything hooked up and working. This was the first time I played my gamecube since 2016!

[Matchstick]

I am very far away from seaside Oregon unfortunately.

Ah, it was worth a shot, at least.

To be honest, it's been a few years since I've been to that arcade (not since before the lockdowns hit) so I'm not sure how much has changed over. The F-Zero AX machine was getting a little ragamuffin the last time I was there (the hydraulics in the tilted seat no longer work, and the force feedback on the steering wheel was iffy) so it's possible it was replaced some time ago.

I might head down that way this weekend and take a look, just in case. If only there were a better way to find an arcade, or to know their inventory ahead of time. Where did I put my Yellow Pages...

I haven't gotten my S-video set up yet... I'm honestly just excited to have everything hooked up and working.

That's the important part! I'm really excited for your S-Video experience, but, well, if it needs to wait until the holidays, so be it. I promise you this, though - it'll be worth it

In the meantime, congrats on re-discovering your Gamecube. Hopefully playing some of your other games will be as exciting for you as playing F-Zero GX again!

[Alucard1191]

I really want to put the original RE remake into there and play with no lights on for some halloween scares. Maybe tomorrow or Sunday I'll get to!

[Alucard1191]

Update on the difficulty: Holy crap Mute City serial gaps is really hard. And story mode? Wow. Really challenging. Still really enjoying it though.

[Matchstick]

F-Zero GX... RE remake

Absolutely my two favorite games on the Gamecube. Great taste, sir

I meant to check back in on this thread before now. How did your Halloween scares go, Alucard? I'll admit that the RE Remake is a great choice for atmosphere and presentation. The ambient audio in that game is second-to-none, with the echoing footstep noises and the crickets and wolves howling outside. It really shines with a nice stereo.

Have you tried the HD versions of the game? It really does clean up nicely. I like the addition of "modern" controls in addition to the original "tank" controls. One big knock against the "HD" game is that, by default, it displays in 16:9. But the game isn't optimized for this, so to fill the screen, it zooms in on the original image, effectively cropping-out the top and bottoms of the original 4:3 frame.

Thankfully, there is an option to play the game in the original 4:3 aspect ratio, and if you decide to give the HD version a go, I highly recommend that setting. Regardless, the game holds up very well and still looks stunning, whether you play the original release or the HD one on newer consoles.

As far as Serial Gaps... yep, that track trips up everyone. Definitely the first true difficulty spike in the game - though the next cup's final track, Big Blue: Ordeal, is no cakewalk, either!

My advice? Rack up as many points as you can in the first four races, and when you get to the final race, concentrate on staying alive rather than winning the race. In Serial Gaps, take the last, lowest jump you can to land on the track with all of the dirt below. In Ordeal, go slow through the initial set of track to avoid losing traction and flying off the sides. And if you're really lucky, you can target the AI who is closest to you in the standings (the one that says "RIVAL") and try to take them out with the spin move in one of the previous races.

(Port Town's Long Pipe stage actually makes this fairly easy... )

[Alucard1191]

Sorry for the late reply,

I unfortunately haven't had the chance to do my halloween game night, but I intend on doing it soon. My game room doubles as storage for various things, and I have a large shelf for my wife's store that I've made in there, so I don't have room to do much of anything until my wife finishes up her part of the project (supposedly this week) and then I can move it to the store and out of my room, then I can enjoy my awesome space again.

As for serial gaps, I'll give it a go that way. Just surviving has been a challenge, but I haven't tried since I moved that shelf in there. I ran it on practice mode and must have flown off a dozen times before finishing it. I'm still figuring out how to actually fly properly. Sometimes I feel I can adjust my angle and do alright and other times I feel like I have no control and I just plummet. I can win in first on the tracks before hand though, so as long as I survive I'll probably do okay. I ran the first cup on Standard and had a not first place finish (6th) on Sand Ocean but still was fine in overall points. My rival was still 80 or so under me, so at least the game is forgiving on that.

And HD remake of the first one? That sounds great. The GC game is fantastic, I certainly wouldn't mind more of it. What is it available on?