F-Zero GC has just been revealed:
http://cube.ign.com/articles/365/365944p1.html
"Features
Classic F-Zero franchise reborn for the next-generation of gamers
Brand new over-the-top, daredevil 3D tracks to race
Greater sense of speed than ever before
Old and new characters to choose from, including the infamous Captain Falcon
Hugely updated graphics engine enables larger tracks and more vehicles on-screen with no drop in framerate fluidity
Detailed vehicle models complete with transparencies, geometrical edges, dirt-maps and more
Extra graphical effects such as depth of field blur and heat shimmers make the action seem all the more realistic
GCN and Arcade versions of F-Zero will be able to trade data back and forth via memory card
Third- and first-person cockpit race views
Expansive multiplayer mode
Possible inclusion of a track editor
History and Gameplay
The F-Zero franchise has always been about three basic elements: speed, turns, and jumps. That's the simple breakdown of it, anyway. There are subtleties and intricacies of each that have helped stay the series over the years, and there has also been evolution with each new incarnation. The quick and easy way to describe the play is this: gamers race futuristic hover cars over and around unpredictable tracks, quickly navigating sharp turns, gaps in the courses and more, all while outmaneuvering opponent drivers. It's a design that seems straightforward enough, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the looping, twisting courses featured in the F-Zero games have traditionally made for some extremely challenging racers.
Luckily the F-Zero franchise is also improved upon by classically styled Nintendo controls. As players speed around the tracks, they can acquire boosts that temporarily propel their vehicle forward, and these must be used strategically within the confines of the game universe. Triggering a boost before a ramp, for instance, might help a vehicle clear a chasm that would otherwise be too large to cross. Similarly, gamers must learn to master the sliding system of the F-Zero universe -- one that challenges gamers to lean into sharp turns without losing speed. In the N64 version of F-Zero, Nintendo enhanced the play mechanics so that gamers could also spin their hovercraft around in a 360-degree turn while racing -- a move that could be used to knock opponents off the course. Easy to learn but hard to master, the ability is practically the motto for the entire series.
F-Zero for N64 proved to be an enjoyable game, but it lacked a number of options fans were hoping for. First, while it included a wide selection of tracks and vehicles to race with, it did not feature a track editor. This was later added in the 64DD expansion for the game, but it was an add-on that received little exposure. Also, blame it on incapable hardware or Nintendo's own priorities, but F-Zero N64 lacked a certain visual finesse -- an oversight that made it a hard sell to many gamers.
Enter GameCube
A GameCube version of F-Zero, totally upgraded and enhanced, made perfect sense so nobody was terribly surprised when Nintendo announced that it was in development. What was shocking, however, was that Nintendo would be teaming up with Sega's Amusement Vision to create it.
It seems the two companies share the same ideas about where to take the F-Zero franchise, and the good news for gamers is that they seem to want to push the element of speed. "F-Zero GC is more of a racing game than a driving game," says Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto on the subject. "The cars can get faster and faster since they don't have friction with the course, and you feel pleasant when you can handle it as you like."
First videos of F-Zero GC, which can incidentally be found in our media section below, showcase what Miyamoto is talking about
: big environments with a total of 28 vehicles on-screen including the player, and a sense of speed absolutely frantic and totally unequaled. Interestingly, it appears that gamers will be able to control drivers from a traditional third-person view and a first-person cockpit view depending on personal preference.
Visually, the GameCube has allowed the developers to simultaneously enable a huge amount of racers on-screen while still outputting compelling 3D backdrops perfectly suited to the franchise. Vehicles, fairly well designed, still sport the colorful F-Zero style, which may appear too cartoon-like for some. But Nintendo and Amusement Vision have layered the crafts with window transparencies, geometrical edges and fins, dirt maps and more crisp texture work than has ever been seen in the F-Zero series before. The result is a look both colorful and sleek.
A number of other visual effects complement the action. First are the backgrounds themselves, which are gargantuan. Even as streets twist and turn upward, loop around and corkscrew around buildings, players can't help but notice some of the architecture in the distance, futuristic, yet clean, and brought to life with moving parts and animation, not to mention traditional neon lights. There is a motion blur effect implemented to highlight the speed of the game, there are depth of field blurs used at every chance -- an effect Nintendo has recently adopted, as can be seen everywhere in Super Mario Sunshine; there are even distorted heat wave effects placed around the exhausts of vehicles, which themselves light up both yellow and blue with the flames. Perhaps best of all, though, the game runs at 60 frames per second, never stuttering.
In what is bound to be seen as an old-school move, Nintendo and Sega will enable cross-platform data trading between the F-Zero GC and F-Zero AC via the GameCube memory card. "Data communication will be available. We now call this style 'Home and Away' -- GameCube as home and arcade as away," says Amusement Vision's Toshihiro Nagoshi on the link. "Both the arcade and console games are important and we believe we can enhance each version by emphasizing the other."
As in all F-Zero games, a multiplayer mode, four-player split-screen for GCN, is extremely likely.
The Mysteries
Nintendo has not presented a playable version of F-Zero publicly yet and because of that there are still many mysterious surrounding the two versions of the game. First, what kind of data will gamers be able to save and trade between the GCN and arcade versions of F-Zero? No firm data yet, but we believe that specific tracks can be unlocked this way, as well as vehicles, and it may also be possible to continue one's game where they left off at home in the arcades and vice versa. Next, and more important question -- will F-Zero GC feature a track editor option? This, unfortunately, is a question that we don't have an answer for. The 64DD version of the series did and it was perhaps one of the best additions to any franchise in recent years. The ability to create and edit courses in F-Zero is, as far as we're concerned, a must, and we hope that Nintendo and Sega realize this for their upcoming versions.
Outlook
F-Zero is one of Nintendo's best franchises and a lot of gamers are eagerly awaiting the coming GameCube sequel. With a technically talented and ambitious developer like Amusement Vision teamed with the proven folks at Nintendo, we don't see how this game can be anything but amazing. But don't take our word for it -- take Amusement Vision's.
"I feel I have been waiting for this opportunity since I created Daytona USA," says Nagoshi on developing F-Zero. "I have been away from racing games for a few years and the genre looks new to me now. I am confident that Nintendo will be pleased to have chosen me as a partner."
We think so too.
One of the hottest titles coming to GameCube in 2003. Stay tuned for much more on the racer."
from IGn
http://cube.ign.com/articles/365/365944p2.html
F-Zero GC!!!
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