In 1991…
The way it’s discussed in retrospects, it was a technical boundary pusher for console racing, a mode-7 showcase, all terms the kids would not have viewed it under. My brain leans closer towards these analytic accounts, playing it entirely for the first time in my thirties.
Anyways, there are a few facts we can point at to give some sense of F Zero’s place in gaming. It’s a first-party developed IP that launched on day one right alongside Super Mario World for both the Super Famicom and Super Nintendo. Lifetime sales total 2.85 million and land it at the 15th spot for bestselling games on the console.
Current Context
F-Zero’s critical position of today neatly parallels the historical sales numbers, it may not be a top 10 title for the console, but you’d have to dig considerably to find a “greatest SNES games” list that doesn’t rank it in the top 25.
It’s legacy is the sort that hangs around in collective memory of the Super Nintendo just below the grandest of games like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, and Super Mario Kart. This is encapsulated by it’s position as “probably” the only other racing franchise from Nintendo that will spring to a person’s mind after Mario Kart.
A natural comparision to Mario Kart, the F Zero franchise sprung up on the same platform, runs on the same Mode 7 graphical presentation, and is rich with interesting similarities/differences. For me, much of that will come down the line after deep diving into both titles
Speaking of down the line, this blog will be looking next at F Zero in several yet-to-be-determined chunks as my roommate and I compete our way through the game, acquanting ourselves more bit-by-bit. I’d like to add more big-picture analysis like this alongside or in-between blocks of gameplay bloggery.
Cheers,
Brady