F-Zero
It’s been far too long since we’ve seen Captain Falcon outside of a Super Smash Bros. game. The last release in the series was all the way back in 2004, with F-Zero Climax on the Game Boy Advance. Despite its recent absence, the series always brought something you couldn’t get in any other Nintendo game: a high-octane, blisteringly fast racing experience in a futuristic sci-fi setting.
F-Zero focuses on the F-Zero Grand Prix, a tournament joining people from across the universe. Over the years, the series has amassed over 40 different racers, who each have their own background and unique F-Zero ship.
There are few racing games that truly capture the feeling of speed and momentum that F-Zero does, as you blaze across floating racetracks, and over different planets and landscapes. Aside from the usual Mario Kart entry, Nintendo doesn’t really have a lot in the way of racing games. With the increased power of the Switch, there’s a prime opportunity to bring back F-Zero and diversify Nintendo’s lineup.
The F-Zero series’ influence can even be seen as recently as the Wii U, with the release of Fast Racing Neo. Shin’en Multimedia’s title turned out to be the closest thing we’ve seen to an F-Zero game in years. It featured futuristic racers and tracks, along with gorgeous visuals and that same level of speed we’d seen in F-Zero. Nintendo could use Fast Racing Neo as a template for a new F-Zero entry, and there’s no reason they couldn’t even bring on Shin’en Multimedia to help develop.
All of the pieces seem to be in place for F-Zero’s return; fan acclaim, updated technology, a development team. Hopefully Nintendo takes advantage of these opportunities, and finally gives Captain Falcon his time in the limelight once more.
