Incredibly fast, outstandingly brilliant, and wonderfully rewarding to play.

F-Zero GX is a perfect example of a successful partnership. A few years back it would have been ludicrous for Sega to partner with long-time rival Nintendo to create a sequel to a much-loved racing franchise. Luckily for F-Zero fans they did, because the end product is quite possibly the best F-Zero game ever created, and easily the best racing game on the GameCube.

F-Zero GX is a fully loaded game. It has multiple modes of play and fantastic options to explore. Not only can a player enjoy the Grand Prix mode, he or she will have just as much fun completing the Story mode. Grand Prix mode is the main competition event where 30 hovercrafts battle it out for first place. There are 3 cups initially available with more waiting to be unlocked. All told there are over 20 tracks in the Grand Prix mode and unique ones created for the Story mode. Upon completing a cup tickets will be awarded. These can be spent to unlock new vehicles as well as opening up new Story tracks and buying custom parts to create a brand new hovercraft. The Story mode focuses on Captain Falcon (many gamers will recognize him from Super Smash Bros. Melee) and his attempt to race the good race against various other characters. This mode was designed to give players more insight into Captain Falcon as a character and to flesh out some of the dynamics between him and the many other racers in the game. In addition to these 2 main modes, players can spend hours in the Garage customizing their very own ships with parts won or bought. They can even spend time creating the perfect paint job by adding their own emblems to their machines. The Garage can hold up to 4 unique machines at once and the paint editor, while at first daunting, becomes very easy to use after a few minutes of play. To round out the package there is a Versus mode for up to 4 players, a Practice mode to get better at various tracks, and a Time Attack mode to try and be the number 1 fastest racer. There are plenty of options to keep even the most discerning players busy for weeks.

F-Zero GX is a fantastic showpiece for the GameCube. The graphics are among the best out there for any system. Instead of focusing on insanely detailed hovercrafts, Sega and Nintendo put the focus on a consistent 60 frames per second. By combining the smooth action with beautiful backgrounds, the appeal of the mind numbingly fast paced action of F-Zero GX becomes exceedingly apparent. This game is fast, really fast. The graphics literally become a blur when playing later tracks in the game with faster crafts. Blinking becomes a thing of the past when playing because literally one wrong move on some of the courses will cost the victory. The developers wanted gamers on the edge of their seats, sweaty hands clenching the controller and in this they succeeded like no one else has. F-Zero GX is intense, heart-pounding racing that requires the utmost attention to succeed. It's difficult, but not impossible to beat. Many gamers will become frustrated with some of the tracks, but by continually replaying the problem tracks most people will inevitably succeed. And when they do, the sense of victory is truly sweet. This game makes gamers earn its respect, and in a day where many games can be beaten in 5 hours flat, this comes as a most welcome challenge.

F-Zero GX looks fantastic, but that's only part of the package. The gameplay is where it's at and it delivers a perfect racing experience. The control becomes second nature by the second track. While there aren't any weapons in the game like the Wipeout series, it will become vital to attack opponents throughout the game, especially the Rival characters. Two modes of attack are available. Just like in the N64 version, the game has implemented the spinning attack and the side attack. Pressing the "Z" button and either left or right throws the hovercraft into a spinning death machine that will slice up competing vehicles. Pressing the "X" button and a direction performs the side attack. This is more lethal than the spinning attack and often will blow up a competing car with one good solid hit, especially if that car is next to a wall. By taking out 5 competitors in one race an extra life will be awarded. The Rival characters are the closest racers to the number 1 spot. If they are destroyed they are out of the race and can't earn points, thus sinking further down the list and alleviating some of the competition that could potentially steal the win. Other facets of the game play identical to past F-Zero games. After the first lap the boost will become available. By using boost power the hovercraft will launch forward at insane speeds for a limited amount of time. This will drain its power meter, so one must be careful and strategic when deciding where to use the boost. If the power meter empties the hovercraft blows up and the race is over. Luckily there are energy refill stations that replenish the energy bar by driving over them. Boosting is essential to winning the competition and the only way to win is to very carefully boost where it will yield the best results.

The music is actually very good in F-Zero GX. Some gamers had complained about the rock music and electric guitar riffs, but overall it seems to fit the game's levels perfectly. There are a few tracks that will sound familiar to those who have played past F-Zero games, but most of them are original tunes. What's especially impressive is that every driver in the game has his or her own theme music, of which can be heard when checking out the driver profiles. Some of it is rather cheesy, but it adds to the appeal of the game and the characters in general.

F-Zero GX is incredibly fast, outstandingly brilliant, and wonderfully rewarding to play. The intense difficulty curve only adds to the gameplay experience. Each race that is won feels even more impressive because it had to be earned. The track designs are some of the best out there, and while each gamer is sure to have his or her own favorite tracks, they are all equally remarkable in their own ways. Racing fans are in for a thrill of a lifetime with F-Zero GX. The game is near-perfect in every way imaginable. The only setback to the game is its limited multiplayer modes. The game would have benefited to have included the option to play 4 players in the Grand Prix mode, with the computer controlled vehicles on the track. Also, since Kirby, 1080, and Mario Kart are supporting LAN, it would have been great to see F-Zero GX support it as well. All told, this is simply nitpicking the game. Heck, the first F-Zero was strictly a 1-player game and that was a blast to play. Overall, F-Zero GX is one of the best games available on the GameCube and comes highly recommended.