F-Zero Gx

F-Zero GX is an unconventional racer. It's not Burnout 2 and it's definitely not Gran Turismo. It's an arcade-styled game about speed, about track memorization and perhaps more than anything else, about quick reflexes and ability. Videogame purists will love it -- be mesmerized by it, in fact. But -- let's get this out of the way now and not dwell on it -- inexperienced players who, say, haven't grown up playing games of this type and are unfamiliar with their workings, might never fully adapt and conquer some of the challenges in place. We honestly believe that some people just won't get it regardless of how much they practice. Players will either have the skills or they won't. And indeed, even pros will find some of the hurdles the title has to offer almost insurmountable, though with practice hardly impossible.

The nine-chapter Story Mode successfully accomplishes several feats: 1) It turns the once static characters of the F-Zero series -- yes, even Captain Falcon -- into likeable mascots; 2) it makes sense of the races it encapsulates and gives them purpose (players will want to keep racing just to see what happens next in the progression of the unraveling tale); and 3), it pours on the challenges and at the same time teaches gamers how to master the finer elements of in-game control, which in turn helps on the long, hard road to success. From the beautiful presentation of the FMV sequences that link tracks to the creativity of the challenges themselves (racing through small gaps in closing walls, over courses with lava splotches, against ghosts, etc.), the Story Mode is remarkably well done, infinitely addictive, thoroughly entertaining and ultimately extremely satisfying. High praise, we know, but it's deserved. What's more, because chapters must be purchased before they become opened, and because some are too expensive, players are forced to journey into the Grand Prix mode and win races to earn extra cash. This is a testament to the solid design that is the backbone of F-Zero GX. Amusement Vision has perfectly intertwined the two modes so that completing one is beneficial to the other and as a result players will once again feel compelled to go through it.