No plans for F-Zero is killing me

[Quillion]

And Miyamoto's excuse for not making a new F-Zero?

"I certainly understand that people want a new F-Zero game," Miyamoto said. "I think where I struggle is that I don’t really have a good idea for what’s new that we could bring to F-Zero that would really turn it into a great game again."

Which is complete BS, since Nintendo EAD alone (Miyamoto's division of Nintendo) is happy to release the New Super Mario Bros. series. Come on!

 

[etecoon]

PR is inherently disingenuous so that comment is no surprise, does suck though that Nintendo has no interest in this franchise anymore, or much of anything beyond Mario/Pokemon/Zelda, if it doesn't sell millions of copies on name alone it isn't worth it to them

 

[finalark]

IMO one of the reasons why F-Zero came to a halt is because it's not Mario Kart. Let's be honest here, Mario Kart has a significantly wider appeal than F-Zero does. The difficulty curve isn't nearly as hard, it has a cast of widely recognizable characters and the tracks don't require much memory to master.

Even if Nintendo having no idea what to do with the series is actually a problem, I don't know why they feel like they have to reinvent the wheel with each entry. Hell, if they're willing to slap a new power up into Mario Bros 3 and call it a new game every other year or so I don't see why they can't just sit down and make a new F-Zero game. Nobody is asking for it to be radically different from X or GX or anything like that.

If Nintendo is really stumped on where to go next with the series they should just hand it off to one of their second party developers. Even if they don't have a whole lot of faith in it they could just release it as a discounted, $40 game like Kirby Rainbow Curse or Captain Toad.

 

[etecoon]

Even if Nintendo having no idea what to do with the series is actually a problem, I don't know why they feel like they have to reinvent the wheel with each entry. Hell, if they're willing to slap a new power up into Mario Bros 3 and call it a new game every other year or so I don't see why they can't just sit down and make a new F-Zero game. Nobody is asking for it to be radically different from X or GX or anything like that.

Other M should have also made it abundantly clear to them that fans don't WANT anything radically different, we just want a super fast futuristic racer with crazy tracks floating in the sky. Don't overthink this Nintendo

 

[USB3.0]

F-Zero GX HD with 30 player online multiplayer. That's all.

Let AV Club handle it and we're good.

Or make a game, where Platinum develops on-foot bounty hunting combat where AV Club handles the racing and make them not required to do one or the other. Two way too awesome games in one!

 

[TheRealBlueBlur]

It would be nice to have a 1080p60 F-Zero game...that is, if the Wii U can handle the speed while maintaining Full HD and 60 FPS.

 

[finalark]

It would be nice to have a 1080p60 F-Zero game...that is, if the Wii U can handle the speed while maintaining Full HD and 60 FPS.

The Wii U isn't as underpowered as people make it out to be. Even then, what matters is that the game feels fast. The game doesn't actually have to play at ungodly speeds, as long as it feels like it is all that matters.

 

[Arcturian]

As much as I like the games, F-Zero was always one of their least popular series. Not because it's a bad series (far from it), but for the fact that it's a game for a niche market.

 

[Spak]

As much as I like the games, F-Zero was always one of their least popular series. Not because it's a bad series (far from it), but for the fact that it's a game for a niche market.

F-Zero was never the most popular Nintendo game, but it had a point. F-Zero was always the game I would point to so I could prove how amazing Nintendo's console was. It was kinda like a full-game tech demo for Nintendo's consoles that pushed the console to its limits (Mode 7 on the SNES, 30 racers on the 64, game with some of the best graphics on the GC). Nintendo doesn't really have any first-party game that shows the "Here, these are how vast the limits of our console are" vibe anymore.

 

[Deleted member]

It would be nice to have a 1080p60 F-Zero game...that is, if the Wii U can handle the speed while maintaining Full HD and 60 FPS.

I would like that. Or they can just remake GX if they're not making a new game.

 

[Quillion]

F-Zero GX HD with 30 player online multiplayer. That's all.

Let AV Club handle it and we're good.

Or make a game, where Platinum develops on-foot bounty hunting combat where AV Club handles the racing and make them not required to do one or the other. Two way too awesome games in one!

Amusement Vision unfortunately went under. So either Miyamoto is going to need to take back the series or find another studio to develop it.

It would be nice to have a 1080p60 F-Zero game...that is, if the Wii U can handle the speed while maintaining Full HD and 60 FPS.

You mean like that Sonic Unleashed game that was on the PS3 and 360?

The U is comparable to both of those consoles, so it can be done.

Also, if Miyamoto wants a new idea to put in F-Zero, why can't we have the track builder feature that's only accessible either by rare N64 peripherals or by emulation+hacking?

 

[Spak]

Also, if Miyamoto wants a new idea to put in F-Zero, why can't we have the track builder feature that's only accessible either by rare N64 peripherals or by emulation+hacking?

Because Miyamoto is just looking for excuses at this point. I'm sure that Nintendo is capable of coming up with new ideas for F-Zero. If they can't, the community has more than enough recommendations. Plus, if they ever feel like getting rid of the "Casual" tag they've been labeled with for so long, having a new (hopefully not watered down) F-Zero game is a step in the right direction.

 

[Quillion]

Because Miyamoto is just looking for excuses at this point. I'm sure that Nintendo is capable of coming up with new ideas for F-Zero. If they can't, the community has more than enough recommendations. Plus, if they ever feel like getting rid of the "Casual" tag they've been labeled with for so long, having a new (hopefully not watered down) F-Zero game is a step in the right direction.

What if that new F-Zero had... slower difficulty modes ?

 

[Spak]

What if that new F-Zero had... slower difficulty modes ?

;-;

 

[Quillion]

;-;

Hey, man. Fire Emblem starting with the Mystery of the Emblem remake had a completely OPTIONAL "no permadeath" mode that could be turned off at the player's discretion (I have to be redundant to hammer that in). FE: Awakening including that option (among other things) saved the series from cancellation due to declining sales.

F-Zero having OPTIONAL slower modes while still keeping insanely high speeds at higher difficulty modes would be nothing but a good thing. Also, it's a "new idea" that Miyamoto could be looking for.

 

[Spak]

Hey, man. Fire Emblem starting with the Mystery of the Emblem remake had a completely OPTIONAL "no permadeath" mode that could be turned off at the player's discretion (I have to be redundant to hammer that in). FE: Awakening including that option (among other things) saved the series from cancellation due to declining sales.

F-Zero having OPTIONAL slower modes while still keeping insanely high speeds at higher difficulty modes would be nothing but a good thing. Also, it's a "new idea" that Miyamoto could be looking for.

But the whole point of F-Zero is going blistering speeds around insane tracks. I guess if it's what needs to happen for me to get a new F-Zero then I'm fine with it, but it would just make the slowed-down F-Zero a game of Mario Kart where you can kill people without items.

EDIT: Also, they would have to make the tracks with smaller jumps, less risky shortcuts, and an overall smaller track design to account for the slower speeds (and thus not being able to go as far). You could add boost pads right before the jumps, but the boost still couldn't be the boost speed of the original faster boosts (or else it would feel out of place). I wouldn't be happy if their slow mode compromised the track designs for the people who want more track designs like the ones from X and GX.

 

[TheRealBlueBlur]

You mean like that Sonic Unleashed game that was on the PS3 and 360?

The U is comparable to both of those consoles, so it can be done.

The PS3 version was apparently only 720p and the 360 version lagged in a lot of areas, especially Adabat (I only played the PS3 version, though, so I'm not too sure about that). But I do see your point. If Sega can do it on a 2005/2006 console, then Nintendo can do it on the U.

 

[Quillion]

But the whole point of F-Zero is going blistering speeds around insane tracks. I guess if it's what needs to happen for me to get a new F-Zero then I'm fine with it, but it would just make the slowed-down F-Zero a game of Mario Kart where you can kill people without items.

EDIT: Also, they would have to make the tracks with smaller jumps, less risky shortcuts, and an overall smaller track design to account for the slower speeds (and thus not being able to go as far). You could add boost pads right before the jumps, but the boost still couldn't be the boost speed of the original faster boosts (or else it would feel out of place). I wouldn't be happy if their slow mode compromised the track designs for the people who want more track designs like the ones from X and GX.

Or… you could make the physics floatier to compensate for the slower speeds, allowing shortcuts once again.

And then at the higher speeds, the physics are heavier so that stuff aren't broken.

 

[Blue_Falcon757]

Yeah It absolutely breaks my heart that F-Zero always gets the cold shoulder smh. I get that it's not as popular as Mario Kart and the difficulty can throw people off, but a new game wouldn't hurt. I would be just happy with a HD remastered port tbh. I still feel like we know nothing about Captain Falcon at all. Like the dude is a bounty hunter Nintendo could use that to their advantage to help make a good game.

 

[SirJuicius]

As finalark said, it's not Mario Kart. Mario Kart kind of derailed the F-Zero series in general. Essentially, Mario Kart is the "family friendly" version of F-Zero and since we all know Nintendo is out there for the families, they'll champion Mario Kart and try to silence any talk of the edgier, more extreme racing game that is F-Zero.

 

[Quillion]

As finalark said, it's not Mario Kart. Mario Kart kind of derailed the F-Zero series in general. Essentially, Mario Kart is the "family friendly" version of F-Zero and since we all know Nintendo is out there for the families, they'll champion Mario Kart and try to silence any talk of the edgier, more extreme racing game that is F-Zero.

I fail to see how putting an F-Zero track in Mario Kart 8 is silencing.

 

[Spak]

I fail to see how putting an F-Zero track in Mario Kart 8 is silencing.

Agreed. F-Zero X had Rainbow Road and that didn't silence Mario Kart.

 

[SirJuicius]

I fail to see how putting an F-Zero track in Mario Kart 8 is silencing.

It's at most, appeasing F-Zero fans. It's not completely silencing F-Zero, but I'm of the opinion that Nintendo can do more with the series than to just throw an F-Zero track onto a Mario Kart game and vice versa. The series hasn't had a home console game in almost 12 years. It's overdue for a console game.

 

[Nintendoid]

For me the F-Zero franchise was a bit hit and miss... some games (including Original) I really enjoyed but then others (like N64) I couldn't get on with may have been controller.
I know there trying to create the illusion of speed but sometimes it was lost

 

[Quillion]

For me the F-Zero franchise was a bit hit and miss... some games (including Original) I really enjoyed but then others (like N64) I couldn't get on with may have been controller.
I know there trying to create the illusion of speed but sometimes it was lost

You can play X with a Gamecube controller, y'know?

Also, illusion of speed? This isn't like Sonic Colors or Generations where it's all speed blur and camera angles to give you the illusion, F-Zero is REAL speed.

 

[Quillion]

And now they're introducing hyperfast speeds to Mario Kart 8 in 200cc mode.

That was the last thing separating Kart from F-Zero.

 

[finalark]

Those were my thoughts exactly. The second that I saw that during the direct I couldn't help but shrug and say, "Well, I guess that's it for F-Zero."

RIP, F-Zero. Mario Kart may have overtaken you, but I'll still pop in my copy of GX from time to time for some insanely fast high speed racing.

 

[Spak]

Until I see DK blasting past me at 1500 KM/H and then explode after hitting the wall too hard, I will still believe there is a need for F-Zero.

 

[Pachinkosam]

Bro if they release a f-zero im gonna buy me a wii u :D.

 

[Quillion]

So Mario Kart 8 got another F-Zero track:

Can't decide whether this restores hope or not.

 

[finalark]

Best case scenario: Nintendo is using these F-Zero tracks to gauge interest in the series.

Worst case? They're throwing them in and hoping its enough to satisfy F-Zero fans. Although I doubt it's with that level of disregard.

 

[Purin a.k.a. José]

I think the F-Zero stuff in Mario Kart 8 is kind of a tease. Hopefully I think they should get the Mario Kart 8 and Smash guys to make tracks for F-Zero UX, if it is ever released.

 

[Xzsmmc]

This sucks. Mario Kart is stealing everything that makes F-Zero fun and the vastly superior series.

I wish instead of continually making excuses, Nintendo would just come out and say 'it doesn't print enough money'.

 

[finalark]

I wish instead of continually making excuses, Nintendo would just come out and say 'it doesn't print enough money'.

Nintendo could try to capitalize on the popularity of Captain Falcon. But at this point most people see him more as a fighting game character rather than a racing game character. Case and point: Back in '07 or '08 I was at a party (well, as "party" as a group of nerdy high school freshmen could be) and I brought my GCN with all my multiplayer games over. Nobody had any idea what the hell F-Zero was until one of the other kids saw the cover of GX and said something along the lines of, "Oh ****, that's Captain Falcon's game."

I feel like Marth has a similar problem where he's perceived as a fighting game character rather than a strategy game character. But Fire Emblem has the advantage of not competing with any of Nintendo's franchises, so it's really not that big of an issue.

 

[Spak]

I feel like Marth has a similar problem where he's perceived as a fighting game character rather than a strategy game character. But Fire Emblem has the advantage of not competing with any of Nintendo's franchises, so it's really not that big of an issue.

This used to be very true for Marth, but I feel like it isn't as much of a problem anymore because Awakening was very commercially successful, getting the people who bought Awakening to buy, emulate, or at least learn about the rest of the series.

 

[Quillion]

But Fire Emblem has the advantage of not competing with any of Nintendo's franchises, so it's really not that big of an issue.

Actually there's Advance Wars, which is made by the same people and features somewhat similar grid-based strategy gameplay. But that series died with Days of Ruin because it threw out the old universe and changed everything up.

It's more like how Morrigan keeps appearing in Capcoms' Vs. fighters, yet most people don't seem to know where she's from, even when other Darkstalkers appear alongside her. And like Falcon, there is A LOT of demand from fans to bring Darkstalkers back. And like Falcon, her series competes with a crap ton of other fighting game series from Capcom.

 

[Deleted member]

This sucks. Mario Kart is stealing everything that makes F-Zero fun and the vastly superior series.

I wish instead of continually making excuses, Nintendo would just come out and say 'it doesn't print enough money'.

I know, right?

 

[LancerStaff]

F-Zero just has a ton of obstacles getting in the way of a new entry.

First is the sales. Second is the lack of a dedicated developer. Third is the competition with MK. Fourth is the controller. Fifth is how poor the gameplay would work online. The list goes on...

 

[finalark]

First is the sales. Second is the lack of a dedicated developer. Third is the competition with MK. Fourth is the controller. Fifth is how poor the gameplay would work online. The list goes on...

I'll agree with you on sales, lack of dev interest and competition, but I really don't see what the controller has to do with it. F-Zero would play just fine with the Game Pad. Yeah, it would be clunky and it wouldn't be optimal, but that's where the option to use things like the WIi U pro controller and the classic controller come in.

And I don't think online would be too much of an issue either. It's entirely possible to get a solid netcode for it, if Nintendo cared if enough.

 

[Spak]

I'll agree with you on sales, lack of dev interest and competition, but I really don't see what the controller has to do with it. F-Zero would play just fine with the Game Pad. Yeah, it would be clunky and it wouldn't be optimal, but that's where the option to use things like the WIi U pro controller and the classic controller come in.

And I don't think online would be too much of an issue either. It's entirely possible to get a solid netcode for it, if Nintendo cared if enough.

Plus, if Nintendo felt like doing a little extra coding, they could add CG adapter support. It actually wouldn't be that hard if they did it correctly; they would just have to import the GCAdaptee Class, make an instance of GCControllerState, have it run a check of the inputs once every update (basing the terminology off of my experience with coding games for the 360 in XNA).